Donald Trump on Wednesday told reporters that the “Islamic Republic of Japan” fired 111 missiles at an American aircraft carrier over about one hour, then said every one was knocked down, mostly by Patriots and also by other means. He made the remark while standing with Volodymyr Zelensky, in a public moment that turned a weapons claim into a geography mistake.
The line landed because it did not fit the history it invoked. Japan has not fired on an American aircraft carrier since World War II ended in 1945, when the United States defeated Japan and the two countries later became close allies. Modern Japan is a constitutional monarchy with no official religion, and while its Muslim population is estimated at 420,000, that has nothing to do with the phrase Trump used.
What Trump appeared to mean was an earlier attack on the American carrier by Iranian forces this year, part of a broader clash that has already included U.S. strikes in Iran and retaliation against American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Trump has been describing the confrontation as one in which a shaky ceasefire with the Islamic Republic of Iran collapsed after Tehran attacked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.
That is where the words and the policy start to split. Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump called Iranian leaders “scum,” said the U.S. would “probably hit Iran hard again tonight,” and added, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore.” U.S. Central Command said it had struck more than 60 small boats of the IRGC in response to attacks on shipping, and Washington revoked a license allowing Iran to sell oil.
Trump also told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. could yet try to seize Kharg Island and reinstate a blockade on Tehran’s ports. Iranian media reported explosions in Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island, on Qeshm Island and in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas, showing that the conflict he is describing is still moving fast even as his wording slips. The next question is whether the president treats the Japan-Iran confusion as a lapse or keeps pressing ahead with a confrontation that now appears to be widening by the day.
