Trump: "I'll Never Apologize" for Iran Action — Says Higher Gas Prices Are "Worth It"

President Donald Trump defended his decision to launch military action against Iran during a rally on Long Island on Friday, arguing that slightly higher U.S. gasoline prices are an acceptable cost to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The event, attended by law enforcement officials, was held to support Nassau County Republican Bruce Blakeman in his bid for New York governor. Trump criticized Democrats and what he called the "fake news media," dismissing concerns about affordability as a "hoax" and blaming his opponents for early price spikes he said could occur in a second term.

Defense Of Military Action

Trump praised recent military operations and his own decision-making in the campaign against Iran. "And after we finish defeating Iran — which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," he said, and asserted that a naval blockade means "no ships get through unless we want them to."

"We're doing really good — we're doing good in every way. I built the military and used it — a little more than I wanted to, frankly, but that's OK, because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

He argued that preemptive strikes were necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capability: "If we didn't hit the B-2 bombers, [Iran] would have had a nuclear weapon, and it would have been a very sad day for this country and for the entire world."

Gas Prices And The Public Trade-Off

Trump acknowledged rising fuel costs while framing them as a trade-off for national security. He noted that gas prices in Iowa were under $2 per gallon during a recent visit, but cited GasBuddy data saying the national average had climbed to just over $4 per gallon — the highest for this point in the year.

"For you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember, you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have ... a nuclear weapon. So remember that," Trump said.

He reiterated his stance on responsibility for the conflict: "I'll never apologize, I did the right thing." The report places the start of the current U.S.-Iran military engagement on Feb. 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces reportedly launched a wave of joint preemptive airstrikes across Iran.

Context: Quotations above reflect Trump's remarks at the rally. Fuel-price figures are attributed to GasBuddy as cited by the president.