President Trump said on Monday that he believes his war with Iran could end soon, while Iranian officials are vowing that they’re ready for a long fight.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang. “They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force.”
Later in the day, Trump said that the US hasn’t “won enough” yet and that he wanted to do more to achieve victory. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough. We go forward, more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all,” he said.
Around the same time, Trump’s Pentagon said on X that the war had “just begun.” When asked about the mixed messaging and if the war was ending soon or just starting, Trump said, “You could say both. It’s the beginning of building a new country… We could call it a tremendous success, or we could go further.”
Both Iranian government officials and military officials have made clear they’re not looking for a ceasefire with the US, as they believe any truce would be temporary until the US and Israel decide to launch another attack. A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official said on Monday that Iran was ready to fight for an entire decade if necessary.
“We have been fighting the enemy for several days. Their strikes hit us, but ours were more powerful and deadly. Our intelligence has monitored the enemy for years, preparing for an attack, even if the timing was unknown,” Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Jabari told The New Arab.
“We are prepared for a long war, possibly lasting up to ten years. Our armed forces operate according to preplanned scenarios and will continue until the US is expelled from the region and forced to retreat,” Jabari added.
The Iranian general said that Iran has enough missiles to continue the war and that Tehran’s demands to end the war include a guarantee that another conflict won’t break out in the future.
“We say clearly that the United States must leave the region completely and permanently. This is the demand of our people. We will continue the war until full calm returns to the region and decisive guarantees are provided that no war will be launched again against Iran or the region,” Jabari said.
In his comments to Jiang, Trump said he is also considering “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by the IRGC. Jabari said that the Iranian military was ready to strike US warships if they attempted to enter the strategic waterway.
“We await US warships in the strait to target them with our advanced missiles. We have capabilities not yet disclosed,” Jabari said. “So far, we have struck at least 10 oil tankers. I tell the Americans: we are waiting for your warships to send them to the bottom of the sea.”
Oil prices spiked to nearly $120 per barrel on Sunday night but dropped on Monday back below $90 after Trump suggested the conflict may end soon. Though the main message from the Trump administration has been that the US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran will intensify, and Trump said on Sunday that the decision to end the war will be made with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
