President Donald Trump appeared to misspeak during remarks on July 8 when he referred to the “Islamic Republic of Japan” while describing what he said was a missile attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier. The comment came during a question-and-answer session alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Trump said, “We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan. They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour.”
Trump almost certainly meant the Islamic Republic of Iran, not Japan. Japan is a constitutional monarchy and a longtime U.S. ally, while Iran’s official name is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Trump did not correct himself during the exchange. The surrounding context of his remarks focused on Iran, suggesting that the reference to Japan was likely a slip of the tongue rather than an intentional statement.
Trump also said U.S. defenses intercepted the missiles fired at the USS Abraham Lincoln. He used the example to praise American missile defense systems, including Patriot batteries. He did not provide additional details about the incident during the exchange.
Trump has mentioned 111 missiles before
Trump has said Iran fired 111 missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier since May. The U.S. military has not publicly confirmed the specific number of missiles cited by the president.
The remark came during a day of rapidly escalating developments between Washington and Tehran. On July 8, Trump declared that the interim ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran had effectively ended after renewed hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
In his remarks, Trump also warned that additional U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets could follow later in the day if attacks continued. Reuters reported that Iranian forces had launched attacks against U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait following recent American strikes on Iranian targets, while global oil prices rose sharply amid concerns about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House had announced on June 19 that the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon while reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial navigation. That agreement followed weeks of military confrontation and diplomatic negotiations.
By July 8, however, Trump said he no longer considered that agreement to be in effect. Speaking at the NATO summit, he told reporters the ceasefire was “over” and indicated the United States would likely conduct additional strikes against Iran.
Reuters reported that the renewed fighting followed attacks on commercial shipping and military installations, raising concerns among U.S. allies and prompting further volatility in energy markets.
Japan has no connection to the current conflict and remains one of America’s closest security partners in Asia. News outlets covering the event uniformly described the remark as an apparent misstatement.
Published: Jul 8, 2026 12:33 pm