U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday the war against Iran is expected to end “very soon,” while warning that Washington is prepared to escalate strikes if Tehran threatens global oil supplies.
Speaking to reporters in Doral, Florida, Trump said the U.S. military campaign is “ahead of our initial timeline by a lot” and suggested the conflict could conclude soon, though he acknowledged it would not necessarily end this week.
When asked directly whether the war would be over within days, Trump replied “no.”
Trump said the United States is “close to finishing this excursion,” referring to the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran.
“It’s going to be ended soon,” Trump said.
At the same time, he indicated Washington could expand operations if needed.
“We can leave it here, but we are going to go further,” Trump said.
The president said U.S. forces have already made “major strides,” describing the mission as “pretty much complete.”
According to the U.S. president, American forces have struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran since the campaign began, including drone manufacturing facilities, naval assets and missile infrastructure.
Trump said Iran’s missile capability had been heavily degraded.
“Their missile capability is down to about 10% — maybe less,” he said.
He also warned Tehran against attempting to disrupt global oil supplies.
“I will not let a terrorist regime hold the world hostage and try to stop the global oil supply,” Trump said. “If Iran does something like that, they will be hit much, much harder.”
Trump added that the U.S. Navy would escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz when the time comes, amid concerns about the security of the key global shipping route.
He said the United States is waiving certain oil-related sanctions to ensure adequate supply and limit the impact on energy markets.
Trump acknowledged that oil and gas prices had risen as a result of the conflict but said the increase was smaller than he expected.
The president also said U.S. authorities are closely monitoring whether Iran has activated potential “sleeper cells.”
Earlier Monday, Trump addressed Republican lawmakers at a fundraising event in Florida, where he described the conflict as a “short-term excursion” from his domestic agenda.
“We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some people,” Trump said, apparently referring to Iran’s leadership.
He said the United States and Israel were “crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” adding that Iran’s drone and missile capabilities were being “utterly demolished.”
Trump also criticized the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, saying he was disappointed by the choice and warning it would likely lead to “more of the same problem for Iran.”
Meanwhile, Trump said he held a “very good call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the two leaders discussed both the war in Iran and the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin indicated he wanted to be helpful regarding Iran, Trump said, describing their discussion on Ukraine as positive.
First published: 21:31, 03.09.26