Trump signals war could end soon; Iran vows to keep fighting

US President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the Iran war could end “very soon” but gave conflicting signals on how much fighting remains, while Iran vowed Tuesday to continue striking “as long as needed.”

Markets jumped after Trump told CBS News the US-Israeli assault was “very complete,” but at a press conference at his Doral National golf club near Miami, he spoke of ongoing operations and threatened harsher strikes if Tehran blocks oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I think soon. Very soon,” Trump said when asked if the war could end in days or weeks. “Everything they have is gone including their leadership.”

Trump pressed for what he called “ultimate victory” against Iran’s clerical establishment, which over the weekend named Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as its new chief. The US president said some of Iran’s “most important” targets, including the electrical grid, were being reserved for possible later strikes.

“And if Iran does anything to do that, they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level,” Trump said. “We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world, if they do anything.”

Trump described the conflict as an “excursion” rather than a war, downplayed its scale, and declined to say whether Mojtaba Khamenei was a target, calling his appointment “not good.” He said he preferred an “internal” candidate rather than external intervention and had a “positive phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine and Iran wars. He wants to be helpful.”

Earlier to CBS, Trump said the US was ahead of his initial month-long timeline. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” he said. “Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

Trump has said Iran’s “unconditional surrender” is the only acceptable outcome. At a speech to Republican leaders at Doral, he hinted at further operations: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday his country will continue fighting “as long as needed,” casting doubt on Trump’s claim. Speaking to PBS News, he ruled out negotiations with Washington, citing “a very bitter experience of talking with Americans.”

“I don’t think talking with Americans anymore would be on our agenda,” he said. The remarks came as Iran launched fresh attacks on US-allied Gulf nations.