US President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that the war with Iran will be won “very soon,” while leaving open the possibility of further US military strikes before the midterm elections.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News and later at the PGA Tour Presidents Cup, Trump also said oil prices would fall sharply once the conflict ends and insisted that Iran would never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
Trump said he expected the conflict with Iran to end with a US victory in the near future. He said oil prices would decline “way down” to their pre-war levels as soon as the fighting ended.
“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon, and as soon as we win it, the oil will go down, way down to what it was before the war,” Trump said.
He added that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained central to the conflict, saying nuclear deterrence was “key to the whole thing.”
US winning on military, economic fronts
Asked whether the United States was prevailing through military action or economic pressure under Operation Economic Outcast, Trump said Washington was succeeding on both fronts.
“I think both. I think we’ll win it both ways. We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” he said, while adding that this did not mean the US had stopped its military efforts.
Trump also described Iran’s economic situation as severely deteriorated, saying the country had effectively lost its economy.
Trump said Iran was facing extremely high inflation and claimed the value of its currency had become “valueless.”
“They have no economy,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s inflation was close to 300%. He said he had heard a figure of 318% that morning.
Trump said the economic difficulties were accompanied by what he described as severe damage to Iran’s military capabilities, concluding that “their money is shot, their economy is shot, their military is shot.”
Further strikes possible before midterms
Trump was also asked whether military strikes against Iran could resume before the US midterm elections. He declined to rule out further action, saying such strikes were possible but that he did not want to provide a definitive answer.
“I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that,” Trump said.
Iran won’t get nuclear weapons
Trump reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and said the country’s nuclear weapons had been destroyed, arguing that there was no longer a reason for concern over the issue.
His comments came as the conflict continues to have implications for global energy markets, with Trump linking the eventual end of the war to a significant decline in oil prices.
