Trump says war to ‘end soon,’ but not immediately

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the war in Iran was “very far ahead” of his initial four to five week time frame, adding that he thought the war was “very complete.” 

“They have no navy, no communications, ​they’ve got no Air Force,” Trump said in an interview with CBS News. 

“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones,” he added. “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

Stocks rallied and the price of Brent crude oil dropped below $90 per barrel in late trading as Trump’s comments were taken as a signal that the US could wind down military operations. 

When asked about the ​Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that ships are moving ​through ‌now, adding that he is “thinking about taking it over.”

Trump is expected to speak with journalists later on Monday. 

However, it is still unclear what Trump’s plans for ending the war are. On Friday, he had said only “unconditional surrender” would be acceptable, a demand which Iran has shown no sign of meeting.

Since the conflict was launched, the Trump administration has provided different reasons for having launched the war ranging from regime change to eliminating Iran’s ability to project military force.

Trump had earlier said that Iran’s choice of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was an “unacceptable choice.”

After speaking with CBS, Trump made comments at a Republican retreat being held at his golf club in Doral, Florida that the war in Iran was “a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some people.”

“And I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion,” Trump said.