Washington: US President Donald Trump has refused to rule out fresh US military strikes against Iran before the midterm elections, even as he predicted the conflict would end soon and oil prices would fall sharply.
Asked on Sunday whether military strikes could return before the elections, Trump told Fox News: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that.”
Trump said the United States was prevailing through military action and an economic campaign designed to isolate Tehran.
“I think we’ll win it both ways. We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” he said when asked whether Washington was winning militarily or through Operation Economic Outcast.
“But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped that,” Trump added.
The President said Iran’s economy and military had been severely weakened.
“We’re certainly winning it very big. If you look at their economy, it’s gone,” he said. “They have no economy.”
Trump also predicted an early end to the war and linked that outcome to a fall in international oil prices.
“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,” he said at the PGA Tour Presidents Cup.
“And the key is, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Earlier, Trump told reporters at the White House that oil prices would fall once the conflict ended.
“As soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon, oil is going to come plummeting down,” he said before leaving for Illinois.
Trump also said a record amount of oil had moved through the Strait of Hormuz overnight.
“We’re taking tremendous amounts of oil out,” he said. “Last night we took a record amount of oil out from the strait, more than we took out before the war.”
The President separately said he expected more negotiations with Iran during the week. But he argued that Tehran’s latest proposal did not meet Washington’s demands.
“They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” Trump said in a telephone interview with Axios cited by Fox News. “It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand.”
Asked whether he was considering resuming strikes, Trump said: “I am always thinking about it.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained engaged in dialogue and was prepared to discuss limits on its nuclear programme.
“We’re still talking, we’re still engaging in dialogue, and we’re making our demands within the framework of international law,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation”.
Iran was also willing to negotiate access for international nuclear inspectors, he said. But Tehran wanted assurances that Washington was not pursuing a change of government.
“We don’t want to fight, but certainly if they strike us, we will defend ourselves,” Pezeshkian said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a sharper warning. He said Tehran was prepared for renewed fighting while remaining open to diplomacy.
“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” Araghchi said. “We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war.”
“At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy,” he added. “It is up to President Trump to choose.”
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global petroleum and liquefied natural gas shipments. Any prolonged disruption can affect energy prices, freight charges and insurance costs across Asia.
(IANS)
