Featured Image Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Iran
Greg Harris
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Iran
Donald Trump refused to give a firm timeline for the ongoing war with Iran.
The US president was asked on Thursday about when the conflict may come to an end, however he did not give a firm answer.
A key area of conflict is the Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman - which is critical in shipping oil around the world. Only a small number of ships are able to get through, and global shipping has been heavily disrupted.
The US is blockading Iran’s ports, stopping ships going in and out. In response, Iran is restricting access to the strait.
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The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which has been extended, as both sides continue talks but have not yet reached a broader agreement. On 21 April, Trump said that he extended the Iran truce to allow time for an Iranian proposal to be submitted. On April 22, US officials said that Trump has given Iran three to five days to engage in negotiations.
Trump has consistently said that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, which has been a key demand in talks.
When Trump was asked on Thursday how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal which could end the war, Trump responded, “Don’t rush me.”
He then mentioned the Vietnam War for ’18 years’ and Iraq for ‘many, many years’, World War II for ‘four-and-a-half, almost five years’, the Korean War for ‘seven years’.
“I’ve been doing this for six weeks,” he said regarding the ongoing Iran conflict. “And their military is totally defeated.”
The president said Iran might have loaded up their weaponry ‘a little bit’ during the two-week ceasefire, but said that the US military could take it out in about one day, Reuters reports.
"Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone ...maybe they loaded up a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we'll knock that out about one day, if they did," Trump added.
"I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now ... but I don't want to do that. I want to have it everlasting," Trump said.
During his briefing with reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump also declared he would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran.
"Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it," Trump told reporters when asked.
"No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody," he continued.