US President Donald Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday that the US would leave Iran “very soon", estimating it could happen “within two or three weeks".
“I would say that within two weeks, maybe three. We're hitting them very hard. Last night, we knocked out tremendous amounts of missile-making facilities," he said.
“We're negotiating with them right now. We have had regime change," Trump stated, adding that “regime change was not one of the things I had as a goal. I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon. And that goal has been attained. They will not have nuclear weapons. But we're finishing the job. And I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job."
Trump stated that “we want to knock out every single thing they have. It's possible that we'll make a deal before that..but if they come to the table, that'll be good. But it doesn't matter whether they come or not. We've set them back. It'll take 15 to 20 years for them to rebuild what we've done to them."
He continued, “They have no Navy. They have no military. They have no Air Force. They have no telecommunications and no anti-aircraft systems. They have no leaders. You know, their leaders are all gone. That's why we have regime change. We have nice new leaders."
The President was asked what is the plan to bring down the price of oil and replied, “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll be tumbling down."
The comments come after Trump indicated in an interview with NBC News that the war in Iran could soon be over.
“We’re doing great. And it’s coming to an end," the President said.
Earlier, Trump told the New York Post that the war against the Iranian regime will not "last much longer" and said that the US is "obliterating" Iran's forces.
“We’re not going to be there too much longer. We’re obliterating the s-t out of them right now, it’s a total obliteration," Trump said. “But we won’t have to be there much longer - but we have more work to do in terms of killing their offensive, whatever offensive capability they have left."
When asked about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stated that he expects the shipping lane "automatically reopen" with the end of the war and that "the countries that are using the strait, let them go and open it."