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US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) expressed confidence that the conflict involving Iran would end "pretty soon," saying that he believes the Islamic Republic "can't go much longer". He also voiced optimism over ongoing negotiations related to the Strait of Hormuz, while reaffirming the commitment to prevent Iran from posessing a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said, "When I started the very important excursion into the Islamic Republic of Iran, it was a very important excursion because they can't have a nuclear weapon, otherwise the whole world would get blown up. We're not gonna let that happen. Not only us, not only the Middle East, the whole world would have been... It would have been catastrophic. We had no choice... We will see those days pretty soon again, based on everything I see, as soon as the war ends. And I think the war's got to end pretty soon. I don't think they can go much longer." Trump also expressed optimism about negotiations concerning the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime trade routes for oil shipments. On a possible agreement between the US and Iran, Trump said, "I don't want to say it has been... it's sort of open right now. We have a thing called the blockade headed up by the US Navy, and we control it. But they can always shoot something or drop a mine... if you have one mine sitting out there, you sort of mess things up because people don't want to take their billion-dollar boats and accidentally get hit by a mine. But I think we're doing very well. I am involved in the negotiations. I think we are doing fine... it could be soon." However, on Wednesday, Iran's Acting Defense Minister Brigadier General Seyed Majid Ibn Reza expressed confidence in the country's defence capabilities, saying that they are ready to "spare no effort" to give a "crushing and decisive response" to any threats to their nations, particularly from US and Israel. "Every day, the signs of the enemy's declining capabilities become more evident. But our armed forces, backed by the country's defense industry, have everything they need to respond to any threat," Brigadier General Ibn Reza said, as reported by Fars news agency. President Trump's remarks come amid continued uncertainty over renewed US-Iran diplomacy following the collapse of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed in June to halt hostilities. Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Washington of pursuing "theater diplomacy" and rejected what he described as US pressure tactics. In a post on X, Ghalibaf wrote, "Massive attack coming... wait, never mind, they want to negotiate. That's theater diplomacy on loop. Using bullying + broken promises + fake news as leverage is a failed strategy. Acknowledge the facts and fulfill your commitments. We don't need more theater." Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance described negotiations with Tehran as likely to be "messy" and time-consuming due to divisions within Iran's leadership. In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the Trump administration would continue using military, economic and diplomatic tools to secure a favourable outcome while maintaining that Iran would never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. (ANI)
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