President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States could end its war with Iran within two to three weeks, signaling his clearest timeline yet for winding down a monthlong conflict that has reshaped the Middle East and rattled global energy markets.
“We’ll be leaving very soon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that a withdrawal could come “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three.”
The remarks suggest Trump intends to bring a close to a war that has altered the trajectory of his presidency and drawn international concern.
Trump said ending the conflict would not depend on Tehran agreeing to a deal with Washington.
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” he said when asked whether diplomacy was a prerequisite for ending the campaign. “No, they don’t have to make a deal with me.”
Instead, he said the condition for ending the operation would be ensuring Iran is severely weakened and unable to quickly obtain a nuclear weapon.
“Then we’ll leave,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, a new poll by Ipsos, a global polling firm, conducted with Reuters found that about two-thirds of Americans believe the United States should end the war with Iran quickly, even if its stated objectives have not been achieved.
The survey also indicated that some of Trump’s political base shares that view, with 4 in 10 Republicans saying the United States should move to end the conflict promptly.