US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran is struggling and predicted that the Islamic Republic will ultimately surrender, while reiterating that the US campaign is aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“They're doing very poorly. I don’t know if they’re going to give up yet, but they will give up," said Trump.
Trump also claimed that the United States has moved more oil through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days than at any previous point in history.
“We took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple of days than at any point in history, including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon. And this is to stop the nuclear weapon," he added.
Asked why Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons while North Korea does, Trump pointed to the difference in leadership between the two countries.
“Because you had a different president. Kim Jong Un," replied Trump, referring to the North Korean leader and adding, “He's a friend of mine. He likes Trump. I'm about the only person in the world that he likes. And I like him. I get a lot of heat when I say that. He does have a pretty large nuclear capacity. That could have been stopped, but they had presidents that weren't Trump. As long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine. You know why? Because he respects me."
Trump’s remarks came one day after he said he expected the war with Iran to end “very soon" and expressed confidence that the US would prevail.
Speaking in the Oval Office Monday, Trump said, “We're going to win, as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be one way or the other," adding, “It's going to go pretty quickly." He also predicted that gas prices would “come tumbling down" after an American victory.
The president also defended the decision to fight Iran, warning of what he said could happen if Tehran obtained a nuclear weapon.
“If you want to see turmoil, let them take out a city with a nuclear weapon. I’m not only talking about Israel and big parts of the Middle East. Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon, for all those stupid people that think it’s okay," said Trump.
Addressing Iran’s leadership, Trump said, “They are crazy. There’s no question about it. They are very crazy people. I tell them all the time. I say, 'You are crazy, man.' But they cannot have a nuclear weapon."
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held indirect communications with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi through Qatari intermediaries during the UN General Assembly in New York last week.
Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting nuclear negotiations within a week in exchange for an end to the US naval blockade, the lifting of restrictions on Iranian oil exports and restoration of a regional ceasefire. Trump rejected the proposal Saturday.