Trump says US to leave Iran 'very soon', war could end in 2 or 3 weeks
U.S. President Donald Trump said the military could end its Iran offensive in two to three weeks and will shift responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz to countries that rely on it for oil and shipping as the White House announced a prime-time presidential address Wednesday evening on the war.
Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces would end operations in Iran "very soon," evoking the timeline of two to three weeks as his administration pursues talks with Iranian authorities while continuing its aerial campaign.
Asked during a White House event about the impact of high fuel prices since the start of the war on February 28, Trump said that "All I have to do is leave Iran, and we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll become tumbling down."
"But we're finishing the job, and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer," U.S. forces will leave, he added.
Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort, telling them to "go get your own oil." Trump recently has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war.
In an interview with pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the U.S. could yield any results, saying "the trust level is at zero."
Trump said the U.S. "will not have anything to do with" what happens next in the vital waterway that has been closed by the Islamic Republic. Instead, he told reporters, the responsibility for keeping the strait open will rest with countries that rely on it. Gulf states rely on the waterway for both exports and imports, including food, and 20 percent of the world's oil supply flows through it.
U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up.
Source: Associated Press
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