U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Oman were “under control,” while warning again that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at a White House event, Trump described the latest military action as a “little detour” that he said was “working out very nicely.” Earlier, he told ABC News that the Iranian attack on Gulf states was “not heavy firing.”
Trump: 'I see oil prices going down very substantially when this is over'
(Video: The White House)
Asked whether a ceasefire had been violated, Trump said: “We’ll let you know. Ships are moving. You know, we moved quite a few last night — big ones. There was no firing. I guess there has been some recently. I'm looking into it."
He added, "Iran better hope [the ceasefire] remains in effect. The best thing that can happen to them is that we keep it in effect."
Asked what would happen if the ceasefire were violated, he said: “I'll let you know, like I'll let everyone else know.” Asked about the missile and drone launches at the UAE, Trump said most of them had been shot down.
“We have it under control,” he said. “One way or the other, we win.”
Trump spoke during an event marking National Small Business Week, attended by more than 130 business owners from across the United States. He said the stock market had reached record highs despite the military action.
“The stock market had hit [record highs], even with this military operation, call it whatever you want. We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “We hit all new highs, and I said, ‘We have to take care of business, because we can’t let that happen.’ So we did a little detour, and it’s working out very nicely.”
Trump said Iran had been badly weakened. “They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar. They have no nothing. They have no leaders, actually,” he said. “The leaders happen to be gone also. But can't let them have a nuclear weapon, or you're going to have problems like nobody would believe. And it’s going very well.”
Trump also said oil prices would fall once the current crisis ends. “I see [oil prices] going down very substantially when this is over, I think very rapidly too, at levels that you've never seen because there’s a lot of energy that they have on ships all over the world that are loaded up with it,” he said. “They can’t do much with it because they got kidnapped by a pretty evil place. But we’re taking care of it.”
Trump also addressed his falling poll numbers, referring to a survey on the war with Iran. “They did a poll on the war with Iran, and they said only 32% of people like it. Well, I don’t like it, and I don’t like war at all,” he said. “But we’re equipped better. We have the greatest military in the world.”
He added: “When you explain it like — 'is it okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?' — it wouldn't be 32%. But even if you said that, there'd be 32%, because the polls are fake. I mean, they’re totally fake.”
Tensions have surged in the Persian Gulf over the past day. Trump announced Sunday what he called “Project Freedom,” under which the United States would help free and escort ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Danish shipping giant Maersk said a vessel operated by one of its subsidiaries had crossed the strait. The United States earlier said two ships had crossed Hormuz under the new project.
The U.S. military later confirmed that Iran had launched missiles, drones and small boats toward vessels under U.S. protection in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as toward U.S. military ships.
Earlier, Trump told Fox News that if Iran attacked U.S. ships escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, it would be “blown off the face of the Earth.”
Iran then attacked neighboring countries. The UAE Defense Ministry said it had responded to 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran. A fire broke out at an oil facility in Fujairah after a drone hit the site, and three Indian nationals were wounded, the ministry said. In Oman, a residential building was hit, injuring two people.
Sources familiar with the details told CNN that an Israeli air defense system deployed in the UAE intercepted the missiles, which were launched in several waves.
Iranian state television reported that Iran had not planned in advance to strike oil facilities at the Port of Fujairah, saying the incident was the result of “U.S. military adventurism to create an illegal passage.”
Amid the developments, the IDF raised its alert level, and ministers in the broader Security Cabinet were summoned to a meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m.
A military official said the army was monitoring the situation and remained on alert. “We emphasize that there is no change to Home Front Command instructions,” the official said. “Our air defense systems and offensive capabilities are at a high level of readiness, unchanged since the ceasefire was decided. If there is any change in the instructions, we will update accordingly.”