Trump tries to navigate Iran war and rising gas prices at first rally since strikes began

President Donald Trump delivered a mixed message about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Wednesday in his first remarks at a political rally since strikes began less than two weeks ago."You know, you never want to say too early you won," Trump told supporters at a packaging plant in Hebron, Kentucky.

President Donald Trump delivered a mixed message about the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Wednesday in his first remarks at a political rally since strikes began less than two weeks ago.

"You know, you never want to say too early you won," Trump told supporters at a packaging plant in Hebron, Kentucky. "We won. The first hour, it was over."

But moments later, he suggested that the U.S. mission is not complete, a characterization underscored by the ongoing use of American force in Iran.

"We don't want to leave early, do we?" he asked rhetorically. "We've got to finish the job."

His remarks came amid an intensifying battle over the Strait of Hormuz, a channel through which as much as 20% of the world's oil passes. U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that it had destroyed 16 minelayers near the strait, while Iran attacked two commercial ships in the channel.