Washington: US President Donald Trump has said the conflict involving Iran will end soon, predicting a sharp fall in oil prices and insisting that Tehran will never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Speaking at a Columbus Day celebration in the East Room of the White House, Trump said the United States had imposed a naval blockade and severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities.
“The prices will come tumbling, and it’s going to be over soon, one way or the other we can do it either way very simple but one way or the other, it’s going to be over very soon,” Trump said.
The President made the remarks during an address primarily devoted to honouring Christopher Columbus and celebrating the contributions of Italian Americans.
He said the United States had already achieved its principal objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump claimed that Iran’s military infrastructure had been substantially destroyed and that American forces were maintaining pressure through a blockade.
“They have no military; they have no navy; they have no air force; they have no anti-aircraft things,” he said.
The President also referred to military operations near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for international oil shipments.
He claimed that American forces had taken out 28 million barrels the previous day, although he did not explain precisely what the figure represented.
“The Navy is, we put a blockade up; nobody gets through,” Trump said.
His remarks suggested that Washington intended to maintain military and economic pressure until the confrontation was resolved.
Trump repeatedly linked the outcome of the conflict to energy prices, predicting that American consumers would benefit once hostilities ended.
He recalled seeing petrol prices of $1.95 and $1.85 a gallon during a visit to Iowa and said prices could return to those levels.
“We’ll be down to those levels soon,” he said.
The President also defended earlier American military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
He claimed that Tehran had been only weeks away from acquiring a nuclear weapon before the United States launched attacks using B-2 bombers.
“If we didn’t attack them with the B-2 bombers early on, they were two weeks away, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
He argued that the strikes had prevented a wider regional catastrophe.
Trump claimed Iran would have used a nuclear weapon against Israel and potentially threatened other countries, including the United States and European nations.
He specifically mentioned Los Angeles and San Diego as possible American targets, although he presented no supporting evidence during the address.
The President insisted that the threat had now been eliminated.
“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon; it’s actually a very small price to pay,” he said.
Trump did not announce a ceasefire, disclose negotiations with Tehran or provide a timetable for ending the conflict.
His comments came during a wide-ranging White House celebration at which he also discussed immigration, crime, historical monuments and construction projects at the presidential complex.
(IANS)
