Topline
The U.S. will withdraw from Iran in two to three weeks, President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday, providing his latest timeline on the war as it heads toward the five-week mark.
Trump provided the estimated timeline in the Oval Office on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Key Facts
Trump said the U.S. will be done with the war “within two weeks, maybe three,” before noting U.S. strikes on Iranian missile facilities.
The president denied regime change in Iran as one of his goals, saying, “I had one goal—they will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained.”
The president said in the early days of the war against Iran that the conflict, which is reaching its fifth week, would last four to five weeks.
News Peg
Trump, who recently failed to get European allies to back his goal of capturing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route off the coast of Iran, said, “That’s not for us, that’ll be for France.” Trump blasted the U.K. and France in a Truth Social post Tuesday, claiming the latter ally has been “VERY UNHELPFUL.”
Tangent
Trump said earlier Tuesday the war would not last “much longer,” sending the stock market soaring to its best day in 10 months. All three major U.S. indexes traded up at least 2% at market close.
Key Background
The Trump administration has insisted the war with Iran will not be a drawn out conflict, while markets have fallen significantly and gas has risen to a national average of $4 per gallon. Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed in the early days of the war, sparking speculation the Trump administration’s goal in Iran was regime change. Trump has primarily justified the war by claiming Iran was just two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon. The U.S. government and the International Atomic Energy Agency had not publicly disclosed evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons as of last June, when the U.S. carried out aerial strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities that Trump alleged were “completely and totally obliterated.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week Iran has “the necessary will to end this war” but expects guarantees to prevent further aggression.
Further Reading
Stock Market Soars To Best Day In 10 Months As Trump Suggests Iran War Won’t Last ‘Much Longer’ (Forbes)
Trump Tells Allies To ‘Get Your Own Oil’ From Strait Of Hormuz Or Buy From U.S. (Forbes)