Trump Says U.S. "Not in That Much of a Hurry" on Iran Strikes, Claims Only One or Two Nuclear Sites Remain
At his Mar-a-Lago Halloween party, President Trump said the U.S. is "not in that much of a hurry" to resume strikes on Iran, claiming only one or two nuclear sites remain undestroyed and could be hit "in ten minutes." His remarks followed a reported call with Netanyahu and came alongside comments welcoming Flávio Bolsonaro's stay in Miami.
What happened
President Donald Trump said on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, that the United States is "not in that much of a hurry" to resume military strikes on Iran, telling reporters at his annual Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach, Florida estate, that most of Iran's military infrastructure has already been destroyed. "We've knocked down their Navy, we've knocked out their air force, we've knocked out their anti-aircraft," Trump said, according to Israel Hayom. He claimed only "one or two sites" of Iran's nuclear program remain undestroyed, adding: "I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in ten minutes." On negotiations, Trump said Iran "will never have a nuclear weapon. They want to make a deal," while calling Tehran unreliable: "They make a deal, and then they back out. We'll see if they make a deal." His remarks came after a Wall Street Journal report that Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday morning; the subject of the call was not specified, and the Journal noted it took place amid U.S. preparations to resume strikes on Iran. Trump also addressed the arrival in the United States of Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who fled to Miami after refusing to recognize his election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, saying Bolsonaro can stay "as long as he wants" while saying he has no plans to meet him. The event drew hundreds of guests, including what Trump called some of the "biggest guys on Wall Street"; he joked that he came "as Donald Trump" because "I had 10 minutes" to prepare while guests "spend a lot of time and money" on costumes, as reported by Firstpost.
Why it matters
The remarks put an on-the-record timeline, however loose, on potential renewed U.S. military action against Iran, delivered from the president's private club with Wall Street donors in the room and a reported call with Netanyahu the same day. The claim that only one or two Iranian nuclear sites remain undestroyed, if tested by reporters or analysts, could shape expectations for both American strike planning and Iranian negotiating behavior. The comments also land amid an unresolved diplomatic track: Trump simultaneously asserted that Iran wants a deal and warned that Tehran has a record of backing out of agreements, leaving the direction of policy ambiguous. The setting itself drew attention, since the president chose a holiday party, rather than a formal briefing or press conference, to discuss active strike preparations, a pattern that has drawn criticism in past episodes from officials who argue sensitive national-security matters deserve more formal handling. The Bolsonaro remarks add a second international dimension, as the Brazilian figure's flight to Miami after refusing to accept his defeat creates a point of friction in U.S. relations with the government of President Lula da Silva, whom Trump's guest is contesting politically. Domestically, the appearance marked a return to public events after campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas were briefly canceled Thursday; Trump resumes those rallies on Sunday, Nov. 2, giving him an immediate platform to repeat or walk back the comments.
How it is being covered
Ground.news tracks 20 outlets carrying the story, with a right-leaning tilt: 55 percent right, 27 percent center and 18 percent left. Factuality ratings are mixed, with 5 of 11 rated outlets scoring high and 3 rated very high, but 3 rated low and 1 very low, meaning readers encounter materially different levels of sourcing rigor depending on the outlet. There is no clear blindspot flagged, though coverage on the right leans more heavily on the Iran strike language while some center and left outlets give more play to the Halloween party setting and the Bolsonaro remarks.
What to watch
- Whether the White House or the Pentagon confirms or qualifies Trump's claim that only one or two Iranian nuclear sites remain undestroyed, and whether any strike timeline beyond "ten minutes" is ever formalized.
- Details of the reported Saturday morning call between Trump and Netanyahu, which the Wall Street Journal said was not specified in subject, and whether U.S. preparations to resume strikes advance or pause.
- Any Iranian response to the remarks, and whether negotiations produce a framework deal or another collapse of the kind Trump described.
- The status of Flávio Bolsonaro in Miami, including whether Trump meets him and how the Lula da Silva government responds to his open-ended stay.
- Trump's rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, Nov. 2, for whether he repeats or escalates the Iran comments on the campaign trail.
By the numbers
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