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President Donald Trump said Friday that Americans should be prepared for the fighting with Iran to continue, predicting Tehran would eventually “peter out” as U.S. strikes steadily weaken its ability to retaliate.
Asked whether the back-and-forth attacks could continue until Iran was no longer capable of striking back, Trump said, “Yeah, sure, I think so. I’d be foolish to say no. You know, you always have to keep your guard up.”
“They’ll get weaker. They’ll get a little stronger, maybe. But they’ll get weaker, and then they peter out,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Maryland.
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The remarks amounted to an acknowledgment that the five-month conflict could drag on, despite Trump’s claims that the U.S. has decimated Iran’s military and his optimism just days ago that renewed negotiations could produce a deal.
“I think we just want to win,” Trump said. “We’re doing very well. We’re trying to be nice — as nice as you can be in a situation like that — but they’re being decimated.”
“They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft,” he added. “It doesn’t mean they don’t have any capability. They have some, but very little.”
The latest fighting also complicates the administration’s earlier declarations that it had eliminated Iran’s ability to project military power.
The White House said in April that U.S. forces had achieved the objectives of Operation Epic Fury, including destroying Iran’s Navy and its ballistic missile and drone capabilities. Iran has nevertheless continued launching missiles and drones at U.S. bases and threatening commercial shipping.
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Trump also said he was “losing faith” in the prospect of reaching a deal with Iran, accusing Tehran of lying about its negotiations with the U.S.
“They do lie, and they do misrepresent,” Trump said. “All they do is make me angry.”
The renewed fighting has left no clear end to the conflict as the U.S. approaches the November midterm elections, placing greater political pressure on Trump to explain how and when the war will end.
Trump’s remarks came two days after the U.S. launched a heavy wave of strikes against Iranian military sites in response to missile attacks targeting American forces in the region. U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal defenses and maritime capabilities.
The renewed exchange followed the collapse of an agreement Washington and Iran reached in June that was intended to end the fighting and restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Hostilities resumed in July after Iran attacked vessels transiting the strategically vital waterway.
Trump’s pessimism marked a sharp shift from earlier in the week, when he said the United States was engaged in “very friendly negotiations” with Iran and saw “a good chance” of reaching an agreement. Iran denied that direct talks were taking place but acknowledged that mediators were relaying messages between the two sides.
Oman, Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt have sought to revive the June agreement that was intended to end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Those efforts have stalled over control of the critical waterway, sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program, while a new exchange of attacks has further dimmed the prospects of a deal.
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