Day 63 of Middle East conflict — Trump considers it ‘treasonous’ to say US isn’t winning war

Our live coverage has moved Get the latest updates on the war with Iran here. Read more All catch up 42 Posts Link Copied! Key developments • Peace talks: President Donald Trump said the US could be “better off” if officials don’t reach a deal with Iran. He previously said he is not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to end the war. • War powers: Trump also called a law limiting the use of force without congressional authorization “totally unconstitutional,” although in a letter to Congressional leaders, he argued that “hostilities” have “terminated.” Separately, Trump told an event in Florida he considers it “treasonous” for people to say the US is not “winning” the war. • Troop withdrawal: The Pentagon said the US will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany . Trump had said that the US was considering removing troops after the German chancellor criticized the war with Iran. • In Lebanon: More than a dozen people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon yesterday and today, the country’s health ministry said, despite an extended ceasefire. Read more Link Copied! Trump on Iran deal, taking over Cuba and seized cargo ship: What he said at Florida event By Tori B. Powell and Alejandra Jaramillo President Donald Trump delivered remarks at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he addressed a pending deal with Iran, taking over Cuba and a recently seized cargo ship. Here’s what he said: On a deal with Iran: Trump said Friday that the United States could be “better off” if officials don’t reach a deal with Iran, as negotiations again appear snagged. “Frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can’t let this thing go on,” he said. “Been going on too long.” On “taking over” Cuba: Trump quipped about the prospect of the US immediately “taking over” Cuba , suggesting military forces could move on the country on their way back from the war in Iran. “We’ll do on the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big — maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world. We’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they’ll say, thank you very much, we give up,” he said of the Cuban leaders. On seized Iranian cargo ship: Trump also likened the US to being “sort of like pirates” as he described a recent incident in which the Navy fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship. “The ship stopped. They used tugboats, and then we landed on top of it, on top of everything else. … We took over the cargo, took over the oil,” he said. Read more Link Copied! Trump says "maybe we're better off not making a deal" with Iran By Alejandra Jaramillo President Donald Trump speaks during an event on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States could be “better off” if officials don’t reach a deal with Iran, as negotiations again appear snagged. “Frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can’t let this thing go on,” Trump said. “Been going on too long.” Earlier Friday, Trump told CNN before departing for Florida that he was not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the conflict. The president also told reporters that his options on Iran come down to “go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal?” Read more Link Copied! Trump quips that US will be “taking over” Cuba, perhaps on the way back from Iran war By Alejandra Jaramillo President Donald Trump attends an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, May 1. Nathan Howard/Reuters President Donald Trump joked Friday about the prospect of the US immediately “taking over” Cuba, suggesting military forces could move on the country on their way back from the war in Iran. “And he comes from originally a place called Cuba, which we will be taking over almost immediately,” Trump said while calling out a friend of his in the crowd. Trump then suggested any action against Cuba would follow quickly after operations in the Middle East conclude. “We’ll finish one first, I like to finish the job,” Trump said regarding the war in Iran. “We’ll do on the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big — maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world. We’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they’ll say, thank you very much, we give up,” he said of the Cuban leaders. As he delivered his remarks on the subject, Trump appeared to be smirking, and the audience laughed. The president’s comments come as he signed an executive order earlier Friday expanding US sanctions on the Cuban government and its affiliates. Read more Link Copied! Trump says US is "sort of like pirates" as he describes recent seizure of Iranian ship By Tori B. Powell Video Ad Feedback Trump boasts US Navy took hold of Iranian ship and oil 'like pirates' President Donald Trump said that the US was “sort of like pirates” as he described a recent incident in which the Navy fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship. 0:45 • Source: CNN Trump boasts US Navy took hold of Iranian ship and oil 'like pirates' 0:45 President Donald Trump said that the US was “sort of like pirates” as he described a recent incident in which the Navy fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship. “We have such a great military, a great Navy,” Trump said at an event Friday night. He recalled US forces recently firing into the engine room of a ship that was attempting to ram into what he called the “iron wall.” He appeared to be referencing USS Spruance intercepting the Iranian-flagged “Touska” as it traveled towards an Iranian port in violation of the blockade last month. “The ship stopped. They used tugboats, and then we landed on top of it, on top of everything else. We then land on top of it, and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” the president said, musing that the activity was “like pirates.” President Donald Trump attends The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches Dinner in West Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, May 1. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images At the time the seizure occurred, Iran’s military called it “maritime highway robbery” and “piracy.” “We warn that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to and retaliate against this U.S. armed piracy,” Iran’s military said at the time, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB in a post on Telegram. Read more Link Copied! "No one has any money": Life gets harder to afford in Iran By CNN staff Years of sanctions, government mismanagement and now war have had a catastrophic impact on Iran’s economy. As prices rise and jobs disappear, people say essentials like food and medicine are becoming out of reach. Video Ad Feedback 'No one has any money’: Life gets harder to afford in Iran As prices rise and jobs disappear, people across Iran say essentials like food and medicine are becoming out of reach. 2:24 • Source: CNN 'No one has any money’: Life gets harder to afford in Iran 2:24 Read more Link Copied! Trump: "It's treasonous" to say the US is not winning the war. Catch up on the latest here By Tori B. Powell President Donald Trump speaks during an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, on Friday, May 1. Nathan Howard/Reuters President Donald Trump said he considers it “treasonous” for people to say that the United States is not “winning” the war with Iran, despite notifying Congress earlier that the hostilities have “terminated.” Catch up on other headlines here: The US will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany , a process that will be completed over the next 6-12 months, the Pentagon said Friday. That would still leave over 30,000 US troops in the country, however. Trump had earlier said that the US was “studying and reviewing” removing troops from Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the US’ war with Iran. A new statement attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was published by Iranian state media on Friday, marking Iran’s Labor Day and Teachers’ Day. Khamenei, who has still not been seen in public more than seven weeks after he was announced as the new supreme leader, praised Iran’s workers and teachers in the message which he also used to rally support among Iranians. Israeli strikes against southern Lebanon have killed 11 people despite the ceasefire. Ten people, including a woman and a child, died in the town of Habbouch and one woman was killed in Ain Baal. Several US Marine Corps personnel, civilian employees and their families this week received “unsubstantiated” threats via text message from a hacking group affiliated with Iran, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) said in a statement to CNN on Friday. CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Eyad Kourdi, Charbel Mallo, Sean Lyngaas, Natasha Bertrand, and Kit Maher contributed reporting. Read more Link Copied! US withdrawing 5,000 US troops from Germany after chancellor criticized war with Iran By Natasha Bertrand A United States Army truck transports unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) during the xTech Edge Strike: Ground Robotics Technology Evaluation at the Grafenwoehr Training Area on March 13, 2026, near Grafenwoehr, Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images The US will be withdrawing roughly 5,000 troops from Germany, a process that will be completed over the next 6-12 months, the Pentagon said Friday. That would still leave over 30,000 US troops in the country, however. As of December 2025, there were 36,436 active-duty US military personnel permanently stationed in Germany, according to data from the US Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). “The Secretary of War has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground. We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months.” President Donald Trump said Wednesday in a post on Truth Social that the US was “studying and reviewing” removing troops from Germany after its chancellor criticized the US’ war with Iran. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticized the administration for not having an effective strategy to end the war. Trump previously threatened to reduce troop numbers in the country in 2020, during his first tenure in office and while Angela Merkel held the German chancellorship. Read more Link Copied! Trump says he considers it "treasonous" to say US is not winning war with Iran By Kit Maher Video Ad Feedback Trump considers it 'treasonous' for those to say US not 'winning' in Iran President Donald Trump said he considers it “treasonous” for people to say that the United States is not “winning” the war with Iran, despite notifying Congress earlier that the hostilities have “terminated.” 0:32 • Source: CNN Trump considers it 'treasonous' for those to say US not 'winning' in Iran 0:32 President Donald Trump said he considers it “treasonous” for people to say that the United States is not “winning” the war with Iran, despite notifying Congress earlier that the hostilities have “terminated.” “We get the radical left to say, ‘We’re not winning, we’re not winning.’ They don’t have any military left. It’s unbelievable. It’s actually, it’s actually, I believe it’s treasonous, okay. You want to know the truth – it’s treasonous,” Trump said during remarks at The Villages in Florida on Friday. Speaking of the swift January military