President Donald Trump told CBS News on Monday that the US-Israel strikes on Iran is “very complete” and the conflict could be over sooner than earlier anticipated. He also said that the US troops could take control of the Strait of Hormuz.
CBS News reported that Trump spoke with Weijia Jiang, the network’s senior White House correspondent, about his plans on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump said. He claimed Iran has “no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force.”
“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones,” Trump said. “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
Trump was speaking to Jing from his golf club in Doral, Florida. Trump claimed that the US is ahead in its original schedule for the Middle East operation. The 79-year-old suggested that the operation could wind up sooner.
Earlier, Trump had said that the strikes in Iran would continue for four to five weeks.
Trump Reveals Strait Of Hormuz Plan
In the same interview, Trump revealed that the United States is considering taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for West and South Asia, that Iran now controls.
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Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that the US is “thinking about taking it over.” The POTUS said that given the state of the Iranian military and navy after the US-Israeli strikes, the US troops could do “a lot” to take over Hormuz.
Trump’s assertion about the US possibly taking control of the Strait of Hormuz comes after Vladimir Putin warned in a televised address with Russian oil bosses that deliveries via the Strait of Hormuz could soon come to a halt soon. There is currently limited passage through the state of Hormuz, with the US and its allies not allowed by Iran to pass through it.
Earlier, Kremlin revealed that Putin and Trump have had a phone conversation on the Middle East conflict.