Trump says Iran war could ‘be finished pretty quickly’, but thinks US hasn’t ‘won enough’ yet

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the war with Iran could end soon, saying the conflict is “very complete, pretty much” and predicting it could be finished “pretty quickly”.

Speaking at events in Florida on Monday, Trump portrayed the campaign as largely successful, claiming the United States and its allies had already severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities.

The war, which began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iranian targets, is now entering its second full week.

Trump says war could end soon

Trump repeatedly indicated that the conflict may soon draw to a close.

“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he said in an interview with CBS News, as reported by the BBC.

During a press conference at his Trump National Doral resort near Miami, Trump said the United States was “very far ahead of schedule” in achieving its objectives.

“It’s going to be finished pretty quickly," he said, adding that the U.S. military had been "amazing".

While predicting the war would end “very soon”, Trump declined to give a precise timeline when pressed by reporters, saying only that it would not be finished this week, according to CNBC.

Trump’s remarks came shortly after Mojtaba Khamenei was elevated to Iran’s supreme leadership following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in U.S.–Israeli air strikes.

Claims of major military gains

Trump also touted what he described as sweeping military successes against Iran.

According to the president, Iranian naval vessels, air force assets and missile systems had largely been destroyed.

“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place... There's nothing left in a military sense,” Trump said, claiming Iran now has “no navy, no communications, [and] no air force”, reported the BBC.

Trump also claimed U.S. forces had destroyed dozens of Iranian naval ships and significantly weakened its air defences, according to CNBC.

“We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely,” he added.

“We haven’t won enough”

Despite predicting a quick end to the war, Trump also suggested the United States may continue its operations.

He described the conflict as a “short-term excursion”, but added that Washington would continue until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated", NBC news reported.

When asked how that stance aligned with comments from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who recently said the conflict was “only just the beginning”, Trump said both statements could be true.

“We could call it a tremendous success right now,” he said. “Or we could go further — and we’re going to go further.”

“We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he added, as cited by the BBC. “We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all.”

Analysts say the president’s shifting remarks have made it difficult to determine how close the conflict is to ending.

Threats over oil shipping routes

Trump also warned Iran against disrupting global oil supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for crude oil.

He said the United States would respond forcefully if Iran targeted oil tankers passing through the strait.

“We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world,” he said, as reported by CNBC.

Oil prices surged above US$100 (S$128) per barrel over the weekend amid fears of supply disruptions, contributing to volatility in global financial markets.

Top image via WhiteHouse/Facebook