Iran live updates: Hegseth says Trump 'kicked their teeth in'

President Donald Trump said "America did not start a war with Iran," but that "Iran has been waging war on America since 1979," while speaking at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate Veterans’ Day.

Trump also claimed the U.S. "won" the war but that he wants to make sure "total victory" is achieved, saying it was "about time somebody fought back."

"It’ll take them 25 years to rebuild back while we have destroyed, and hopefully we won't have to destroy any more of that country. Got a lot of work to do to put it back,” Trump said.

Trump again promised that the war in Iran will end "soon," though he did not provide a concrete timeline. He also highlighted the 18 U.S. servicemembers that have fallen from hostile action since the war began in February, but he made a point to argue that active fighting only took place for "a few weeks."

“We began operations against Iran seven months ago, of which only a few weeks were active, hard fighting. We lost 18 beautiful souls, but when this conflict is over, and it will be soon, the entire world will be a much safer and better place, more peaceful place,” he said.

A vessel with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Logistics and Services was damaged in an attack Tuesday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates state-run news agency (WAM) reported.

The attack reportedly occurred in the territorial waters of the UAE and "response efforts" were ongoing, according to WAM.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged that the ongoing war with Iran is "not necessarily popular" among American voters, when asked about the role the conflict played in the heavy Republican defeat in the midterm elections.

Vice President JD Vance last week publicly blamed the conflict for the historic Democratic Party victory in the midterm elections. Asked about Vance's remarks, Hegseth said he did not want to engage in "finger pointing."

Hegseth said the war was launched "for the right reasons, to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."

Paraphrasing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth said of the war, "It's not necessarily popular, but it may have been necessary. And that's certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during Tuesday's press conference that the U.S. can "maintain oversight" of Iranian nuclear sites and any attempts by Tehran to reconstitute its military capabilities.

"We're able to maintain oversight and visibility of those nuclear sites. And if we saw the kind of nefarious activity that required action, we would take it," Hegseth said.

Hegseth said the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is "ironclad," suggesting that operation -- alongside the damage done to Iran's industrial base -- means Tehran's "ability to reconstitute is much less than ours."

"We know that they're going to attempt to reconstitute. We know that we are in a much stronger position," Hegseth said.