Washington, DC [US]: US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday (local time) that the war with Iran will end "immediately" after the upcoming US midterm elections, accusing Tehran of holding out in hopes that a change in political power in Washington will allow it to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, Trump argued that Tehran is attempting to influence American voters to secure a more lenient administration in Washington.
"I think the war will end immediately after the election...They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon," Trump said.
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Asked directly why he believes the fighting will cease so rapidly after the vote, Trump reiterated that Tehran is running out of options.
"Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election, so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is a nuclear weapon, and if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble," he stated.
When pressed on whether he expected diplomatic talks to resume or the military campaign to be restarted, Trump signalled that Washington is in no rush to negotiate, asserting that recent operations have severely weakened the Iranian state.
"We're not looking for it, to be honest with you. Originally, I wanted to make a deal," Trump told a reporter. "We're so far down the line; they have very little country left right now, so we're not looking for it. Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it's not something we're looking at. This war will end immediately after our election."
He added that any ultimate diplomatic resolution would extend far beyond conventional nuclear agreements.
"I'm doing much more than a nuclear deal. There's a lot more than nuclear. We're going to have a nuclear deal. That's 99.9, but there's going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn't have been on the table three months ago," Trump declared.
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Turning to active military engagements in the region, Trump directly confirmed US responsibility for recent strikes targeting Iranian maritime assets and oil transport networks in the Gulf, warning that additional action would follow.
"We've knocked out nine of their ships; I would say that the attacks are caused by us - and you're going to see a lot more. We've taken our about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gone-zo," Trump told reporters.
As he prepared to board the presidential aircraft bound for Texas amid heightened international tensions and security precautions, a reporter asked whether he felt safe travelling, to which Trump responded, "Yeah, I am - or I wouldn't be on it."
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His remarks come after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American forces targeted five Iranian tankers connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday.
The action came in retaliation against
CENTCOM specified that US assets struck four crude oil carriers situated in the Gulf of Oman alongside a fifth vessel near Kharg Island inside the Persian Gulf. CENTCOM added that the targeted US warship successfully bypassed the incoming attacks, maintained its regional patrol route, and reported zero American casualties, while crews aboard the tankers were instructed to evacuate prior to the strikes.
In retaliation, Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes targeting Jordan on Wednesday, September 9, hitting the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base used by American forces.
