Trump says Iran war will end soon, but Tehran vows to keep fighting
US president Donald Trump has said the United States’ military campaign in Iran will end “very soon”, even as Iranian leaders warn they are ready to continue fighting for as long as necessary.
Speaking at a press conference in Florida on Monday, Trump described the operation as a “short-term” mission and said it had already been a “tremendous success”. He told reporters the US still had targets in Iran but claimed they could be destroyed “in one day”. “The war is very complete, pretty much”, he said to CBS.
His remarks briefly calmed global markets after days of turmoil caused by the conflict across the Middle East. Oil prices, which had surged above $100 a barrel, fell sharply, and stock markets in Tokyo and Seoul opened higher on Tuesday.
European markets also rose on hopes the war may end soon. Belgium’s BEL 20 opened about 1.9% higher, while the AEX Index in Amsterdam gained around 1%. The CAC 40 in Paris climbed roughly 1.9%, Germany’s DAX in Frankfurt rose about 2%, and London’s FTSE 100 added around 1.3%.
However, Trump also warned that Iran would face severe consequences if it tried to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route for crude oil.
Iranian officials rejected Trump’s optimism. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was ready to continue missile strikes against US and Israeli targets “as long as necessary”, adding that negotiations with Washington were “no longer on the agenda”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said it, and not the US, would decide when the war ends, and warned that oil exports from the region to US allies would be blocked while the conflict continues.
The fighting escalated further on the first day in power for Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei. Iranian forces launched new missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
Another missile was fired towards Turkey, a member of NATO, but was intercepted by air defences.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies were considering a defensive naval mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the most intense phase of the conflict ends. The strait normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
© SAUL LOEB / AFP