‘15 Out Of 10’: Trump Rates Iran War As Conflict Kills 6 Americans, Over 1,000 Iranians

Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 03:17 IST

Trump said the US was doing “very well” in the war with Iran as casualties mounted on both sides.

US President Donald Trump rated the US military’s performance in the war with Iran as “about a 15" on a scale of 10 while speaking to reporters during a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump’s comments came as the conflict entered its fifth day, with the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) saying it had aggregated reports of 1,097 civilian deaths and over 5,000 injuries so far in the war that began in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also said on Monday that six US military personnel have been killed since the start of the Iran war.

“We’re doing well on the war front, to put it mildly. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15," Trump told a gathering of technology executives at the White House.

“We’re in a very strong position now, and their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead."

Trump added that Tehran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles was being “wiped out rapidly".

The Republican justified the US military action against Iran and claimed that Tehran was on the path to acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“When crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen," Trump said. He also pledged that the joint air campaign with Israel, which killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on its opening day on Saturday, would continue.

It remains unclear what Trump’s ultimate objectives are with the US military action in Iran. The White House said on Wednesday that Iran’s clerical government was being “absolutely crushed" and was “paying in blood."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, declined to confirm whether Trump was seeking regime change in Tehran.

She said Trump is “actively considering" a US role in Iran after the American-Israeli operation against the country concludes.

“I think it’s something the president is actively considering and discussing with his advisors and his national security team," Leavitt told reporters at a briefing, while confirming that Trump had spoken to Kurdish leaders.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering supporting Kurdish groups as part of Washington’s strategy in the conflict.

News world ‘15 Out Of 10’: Trump Rates Iran War As Conflict Kills 6 Americans, Over 1,000 Iranians

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