US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he will not end the war on Iran “early” until Washington’s objectives in Iran are met. “There’s never been anything like it, and frankly, we’re doing just about as well in Iran. But I don’t like talking about it until the job is finished. Let’s not talk about anything until he gets finished,” Trump said in Florida, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
“But think of it — their navy’s gone, their air force is gone, their whole place is gone. And then we get people to say that we’re not winning. We get the radical left to say we’re not winning. We’re not winning. They don’t have any military left. It’s unbelievable. It’s actually, I believe it’s treasonous,” he added.
As the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran remains in effect, Iran’s nuclear programme continues to be the key sticking point. Earlier this week, Washington rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on condition that the US lifted its blockade, while proposing that nuclear negotiations be deferred to a later phase.
The US has placed a naval blockade on all Iranian ports since April in response to the Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait, which accounted for a fifth of global energy trade before the war began. Last week, Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely. He told Axios on Thursday that the blockade was “somewhat more effective than the bombing.”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday told lawmakers that the ceasefire requiring Congressional approval. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said that the War Powers Resolution 1973 does not support such interpretation.
Trump’s announcement came after Associated Press reported that he wrote a letter to Congress arguing that hostilities with Iran have been “terminated,” in what appeared to be an attempt to dodge the legal requirement to gain Congressional approval to continue the campaign.
Hours earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed that the till the freedom of navigation is restored to “pre-February 27” levels.
The US blockade of Iran ports is aimed at building pressure on Tehran as crude exports from the Strait are the lifeline for its cash-strapped economy. Trump told Axios on Thursday that the blockade was “somewhat more effective than the bombing”.
