By Ginika Igboke
President Donald Trump on Wednesday outlined a possible exit strategy for U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict with Iran, suggesting that American forces could withdraw “pretty quickly” once key objectives are achieved.
Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Trump said the United States would consider leaving the region after ensuring Iran no longer has the capability to develop a nuclear weapon.
“They won’t have a nuclear weapon because they are incapable of that now, and then I’ll leave, and I’ll take everybody with me, and if we have to, we’ll come back to do spot hits,” Trump said, describing a potential path forward.
He added that he believes Iran’s leadership would comply with U.S. demands to avoid further military strikes. “The big thing we have is they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Nor do they want one.”
As the conflict enters its fifth week, the administration has faced mounting pressure to bring operations to a close, particularly amid rising gasoline and energy prices. Trump scheduled a 9 p.m. ET address on Wednesday to outline the next steps.
A day earlier, he told reporters at the White House that the conflict could end within two to three weeks. He also indicated that Washington has been in contact with certain Iranian officials, telling the New York Post that one of them is Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. However, Iranian foreign ministry officials have denied that any direct negotiations are taking place.
Ahead of his national address, Trump said via his Truth Social platform that Iran’s president had expressed interest in a cease-fire. That claim was rejected by Iran’s foreign ministry, which called the remarks “false and baseless.”
Trump also stated that any cease-fire would depend on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route for oil. “Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” he wrote.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by claiming full control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes. U.S. officials have warned that failure to reopen the waterway could lead to targeted strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure and other strategic assets.
Amid the escalating rhetoric, Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, reaffirmed support for Hezbollah and other anti-Israel groups in a statement carried by state media. He emphasized that Iran would continue backing what it calls the “resistance” against Israel and the United States.
“I firmly declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran … is based on continuing to support the resistance,” Khamenei said in a message addressed to Hezbollah leadership.
Original article
Comments