Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump described the coordinated military operation between the United States and Israel against Iran as an “overwhelming success,” but he faces criticism for lacking a clear exit strategy as the war continues.
In a 19-minute speech from the White House, he said the United States would strike Iran “very hard over the next two or three weeks,” but he did not make any revealing announcements.
While he boasts of his decisive victories and threatens further escalation, he has not offered a timetable for withdrawal, raising concerns about the possibility of a “forever war.”
Instead, he described military action against Iran as an overwhelming success, and implored Americans apparently concerned about its costs and open timeline to “keep this conflict in perspective.”
Trump has examined periods of US involvement in past conflicts, including the wars in Iraq and Vietnam, with the aim of reminding Americans that the campaign against Iran has just entered its second month.
“If no agreement is reached, we will hit every one of their power plants very hard and right simultaneously.”
Trump called on Iran to negotiate to end the war, just one day after he told reporters in the Oval Office that he did not need Iran to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
The president has framed opening the Strait of Hormuz, a major channel for oil around the world, as an issue for other countries, although he said earlier Wednesday on social media that he would not agree to any ceasefire agreement unless it was opened. Iran has choked off oil shipments through the strait, causing oil and natural gas Prices To rise.
“We will help them, but they have to take the lead in protecting the oil they depend on so heavily,” he said of other countries.
Trump also said that Iran’s “capacity to launch missiles and drones has been significantly reduced.” The US and Israeli militaries destroyed many Iranian ballistic missiles and their launch platforms in air strikes. But a large number of them were not damaged, and Iran continues to fire missiles in the region.
Trump said he is considering withdrawing the United States from NATO due to the war with Iran. His comments, made in an interview with The Telegraph, plunged leaders in Europe – which for decades has relied on US military power – into another round of anxious deliberations.
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