Iran War ‘Very Complete, Pretty Much’
An update from the Commander-in-Chief.
CBS News (“Trump says ‘the war is very complete,’ and he’s considering taking over Strait of Hormuz“):
In a phone interview with CBS News on Monday afternoon, President Trump said the U.S. war with Iran could almost be over.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” the president said, speaking from his Doral, Florida, golf club. “[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
The U.S. military said it struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets in the first week of operations.
“If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense,” Mr. Trump said.
Late Sunday, Iran announced that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei would replace his father as Iran’s supreme leader.
“I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” the president said, adding that he has someone else in mind to lead the country.
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the global oil supply flows, has effectively ground to a halt.
The president said the U.S. “could do a lot” about the strait and threatened Iran if it inhibits the waterway. “They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it’s going to be the end of that country. … If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran and you’d never hear the name again.” The president also said the strait is open now and claimed ships have been entering the strait, but said he is still “thinking about taking it over.”
[…]
Mr. Trump initially estimated the war would take about a month to complete.
“We’re very far ahead of schedule,” he told CBS News on Monday.
The same afternoon that the president said the war is “very complete, pretty much,” the Department of Defense posted on X, “We have Only Just Begun to Fight” and “no mercy.”
So far, seven Americans have died in combat. Later Monday, Vice President JD Vance will attend a dignified transfer of the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who died of injuries he suffered in a March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Asked whether he thought the war could wrap up soon, the president said, “Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else’s.”
Not so, according to WSJ (“Trump Advisers Urge Him to Find Iran Exit Ramp, Fearing Political Backlash“):
President Trump said he was eyeing a quick end to the war in Iran, as some of his advisers privately urged him to look for an exit plan amid spiking oil prices and concerns that a lengthy conflict could spark political backlash.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump characterized the military mission as mostly having achieved its goals. “We’re way ahead of schedule,” he said, adding he thought it would be over “very soon.”
He didn’t provide a clear timeline for ending the Iran operation. When asked about helping the Iranian people who have risen up against the regime, Trump sounded ready for a quick conclusion rather than to continue to push for leadership change.
“We want a system that can lead to many years of peace, and if we can’t have that, we might as well get it over with right now,” Trump said. He said he was disappointed in the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s new supreme leader, a move that signals that Tehran won’t back down.
[…]
Trump won’t stop fighting until he can claim a satisfactory victory, a senior administration official said, especially when the U.S. has a military advantage. Trump has at times been surprised that Tehran won’t cave despite the unrelenting joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign, according to people familiar with his thinking.
“This story is full of crap from anonymous sources who, I can guarantee, are not in the room with President Trump,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The president’s top aides are focused 24/7 on ensuring Operation Epic Fury continues to be a tremendous success, and the end of these operations will ultimately be determined by the commander in chief.”
Trump has made conflicting statements about the war. Last week, he said he was seeking Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and declined to rule out sending ground troops to the country. On Monday, he told the New York Post he was “nowhere near” issuing such an order.
After saying on Monday that the war might be over soon, the president added: “We could go further, and we’re going to go further.” Trump has hinted in public, and told aides in private, that he would back the killing of the younger Khamenei if he proves unwilling to cede to U.S. demands, current and former U.S. officials said.
[…]
Trump won’t stop fighting until he can claim a satisfactory victory, a senior administration official said, especially when the U.S. has a military advantage. Trump has at times been surprised that Tehran won’t cave despite the unrelenting joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign, according to people familiar with his thinking.
“This story is full of crap from anonymous sources who, I can guarantee, are not in the room with President Trump,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The president’s top aides are focused 24/7 on ensuring Operation Epic Fury continues to be a tremendous success, and the end of these operations will ultimately be determined by the commander in chief.”
Trump has made conflicting statements about the war. Last week, he said he was seeking Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and declined to rule out sending ground troops to the country. On Monday, he told the New York Post he was “nowhere near” issuing such an order.
After saying on Monday that the war might be over soon, the president added: “We could go further, and we’re going to go further.” Trump has hinted in public, and told aides in private, that he would back the killing of the younger Khamenei if he proves unwilling to cede to U.S. demands, current and former U.S. officials said.
[…]
Some of Trump’s advisers watched with alarm as oil prices shot to over $100 a barrel. They have also fielded calls about the midterm elections from some nervous Republicans, according to people familiar with the matter.
“When the price of gas and oil rise, so does everything else. Given affordability was already an issue, this leads to real challenges,” said Stephen Moore, an outside economic adviser to Trump.
Trump’s team concluded in recent days that they needed a more aggressive communications plan to sell the public on the war as many consumers deal with rising gas prices, the people said.
I mean, who could possibly predicted that a war in the Middle East would lead to increased oil prices? But, not to worry.
NY Post (“Trump tells The Post there’s no reason to panic over Iran war oil-price surge: ‘I have a plan for everything’“):
President Trump told The Post on Monday that he has “a plan” to tackle surging oil prices caused by the war with Iran and that people would be “very happy” — sending oil prices tumbling nearly 30% from the day’s highs.
“I have a plan for everything, okay?” Trump said in a brief phone interview Monday on the 10th day of the joint US-Israeli war with Iran. “I have a plan for everything. You’ll be very happy.”
Trump did not provide details, but he has a variety of options, including releasing oil from strategic reserves.
Well, that’s a relief.
I guess he forgot that Iran has a say, too.
I strongly suspect that the rational thing for Iran to do is to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and to inflict as much global economic pain as possible – at least for the time being.
Because if they don’t, what is to discourage Trump from repeating all this next month or so?
This is what happens when an ignorant, delusional, 79 year old man-child is given unfettered power. In 2003 it was hard to imagine a dumber, more embarrassing POTUS than George W. Bush, and in 2019 it was hard to imagine a more unfit, embarrassing POTUS than Donald Trump, but here we are. Trump has discovered that the key to erasing his first administration as the worst in history was simple – giving him a second.
Good thing that always works!