US President Donald Trump speaks during a Women’s History Month event in the East Room of the White House on March 12, 2026 in Washington, DC, US.
Ivan Vucchi | reuters
President Donald Trump said Friday the US could pull out of Iran “right now” and still leave Tehran unable to rebuild its military capabilities for a decade.
But it’s not an “acceptable situation,” Trump told MS Now’s Stephanie Ruhle in a phone interview.
“If we left now, it would take them at least 10 years to rebuild, but they would rebuild,” Trump said in the call that lasted about 15 minutes.
“If we stay longer, they will never rebuild,” he said.
Trump’s comments came after several news outlets informed The Pentagon is sending 2,500 more Marines from San Diego to the Middle East. it is Second reported deployment Thousands of American troops arrived in the region last week.
Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday that he will not keep boots on the ground in Iran.
Later the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “there must be a grassroots component” to ensure meaningful regime change in Iran.
Netanyahu appeared to be referring to the Iranian people in his remarks, saying that they ultimately “must rise up at this time.” But he added that “there is a lot of potential for this grassroots component.”
In Friday’s interview with Ruhle, Trump said the US and Israel share “pretty much the same” goals for Iran.
“The difference is they live right next door. We don’t. That’s a big difference,” he said.
Both Netanyahu and Trump have said that Iran’s current leadership is unclear, as several members of the Tehran regime – including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – have been killed in air strikes during the first three weeks of the war.
Khamenei was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei. In a statement on Friday to mark the beginning of the Persian New Year, the new Iranian supreme leader expressed his desire to strengthen Tehran’s ties with its regional neighbors.