Donald Trump said Monday in an interview with CBS News that the war with Iran was “very complete,” adding that the United States was progressing much faster than his initial timeline of about a month.
Following Trump’s remarks, US stocks rose while oil prices dropped during after-hours trading, even though there were no immediate indications that the conflict was easing.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” Trump told CBS News during a phone interview.
“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones,” he added. “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
The US president also told the broadcaster that the country was “very far” ahead of his earlier projection that the war could last four or five weeks.
In recent days, Trump has given similar evaluations of the damage caused by the joint US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28, though he had not previously suggested that the war might soon come to an end.
Only last Friday, Trump released a statement saying Iran’s “unconditional surrender” was the only outcome he would accept to bring the war to a close.
His latest comments came roughly an hour after the United States Department of Defense posted on social media that the United States had “only just begun to fight.”
CBS reported that when asked whether the war could end soon, Trump replied: “Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else’s.”
Trump also warned Iran against attempting to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage where oil tanker movement has already nearly stopped, pushing global energy prices higher.
He said he was “thinking about taking it over” even as he claimed shipping traffic was beginning to resume.
The US president also had little to say about Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was chosen to succeed his slain father, Ali Khamenei.
“I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” Trump said, adding that he had someone else in mind to lead Iran.
Trump had earlier told the New York Post that he was “not happy” with Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment.