Trump says US will win Iran war 'very soon' but will not rule out pre-midterm strikes

US President Donald Trump has said he expects the conflict with Iran to be won “very soon”, while declining to rule out the possibility of renewed American military strikes before the US midterm elections.

Speaking to Fox News on the sidelines of the PGA Tour Presidents Cup on Sunday, Trump said the primary US objective was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and predicted that an end to the conflict would send global oil prices tumbling.

“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.

Asked whether US strikes could resume before the midterms, Trump refused to take the option off the table. “I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that,” he said.

“The key is, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump added, calling nuclear deterrence “key to the whole thing.” He said Washington was succeeding both militarily and through what he called “Operation Economic Outcast”, claiming Iran’s economy had been destroyed and inflation had reached close to 300 per cent.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi told NBC News’ Meet the Press that Tehran was ready for a “doomsday war” after Trump publicly rejected its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” he said, while insisting diplomacy remained open: “It is up to President Trump to choose.”

Sources

• New Indian Express — Trump says Iran war will be won ‘very soon’, does not rule out strikes before midterms
• Times of India — ‘Will win very soon’: Trump hints at possible pre-midterm strikes on Iran
• Business Standard — Iran war will be won very soon, pre-midterm strikes possible, says Trump
• Times Now — Oil On The Boil, Trump Still Won’t Rule Out Iran Strikes Before Midterms