President Donald Trump said Monday that the Iran War is nearly complete and that he is considering taking over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the comments during a phone conversation with CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force,” Jiang wrote on X, quoting the president after the call.
Trump told her that Operation Epic Fury is “very far” ahead of the four-to-five-week window initially estimated. When Jiang asked Trump if he had a message for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is the son of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he said he did not, but noted he has someone in mind to replace him.
“I have no message for him. None whatsoever,” Trump told Jiang.
Thirdly, Trump and Jiang spoke on record about the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.
“As for the Straight of Hormuz, Trump noted that ships are moving through now, but he is ‘thinking about taking it over,’” Jiang reported. “Trump warned Iran, ‘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.’”
Crude oil prices, and in turn, gas prices, have seen substantial price increases in the United States and in other nations since Operation Epic Fury began late last month.
Trump and his administration have repeated that the objectives of the war are to destroy both Iran’s missile capabilities and its navy, ensure it does not attain nuclear weapons, and neutralize its ability to sponsor terrorism.
Speaking to the Republican Members Issues Conference in Florida shortly after Jiang’s report, Trump reiterated his belief that the Iran war will be a “short term excursion.”
“We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. And I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion. How good is our military? How good? Short-term! Short-term!”
