WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM/DOHA – US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US military will leave Iran in two or three weeks.
“We leave because there’s no reason for us to do this,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“All I have to do is leave Iran, and we’ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll become tumbling down,” Trump said when asked about his plan for lowering gas prices. The US national average gasoline price rose above $4 US per gallon on Tuesday for the first time in more than three years, according to the American Automobile Association.
The US president, facing mounting pressure from energy market volatility and investor concerns over a prolonged conflict, has issued a number of conflicting remarks on the timeline of the war since the US and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb 28.
Trump said the US and Iran are negotiating, and it’s possible that the war will come to an end sooner if the two countries reach a deal.
“It’s possible that we’ll have a deal because they want to make a deal. They want to make a deal more than I want to make a deal. But in a fairly short period of time, we’ll be finished,” Trump said.
“Now we have a group of people that’s very — that are very different. They’re much more reasonable,” Trump added.
Trump reiterated that it will be up to other countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and secure the crucial global energy waterway.
“If France or some other country wants to get oil or gas, you go up through the strait and — the Hormuz Strait — they’ll go right up there and they’ll be able to fend for themselves,” Trump said.
In phone interviews with US media outlets on Tuesday, Trump said the US-Israeli war with Iran is likely to end soon.
“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,” Trump told the New York Post.
He also told CBS News on Tuesday that the war against Iran “won’t be long,” while insisting that US military operations “are two weeks ahead of schedule.” He had initially said the war would last four to six weeks after it began on Feb 28. It is now entering its fifth week.
On Tuesday morning, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the coming days of the US-Israeli war with Iran “will be decisive,” admitting that Iran retains the ability to retaliate.
Brad Cooper, chief of US Central Command, said in an update on Tuesday that there are 50,000 US troops deployed in the Middle East.
WSJ: USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier deployed to ME
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its accompanying warships are deploying to the Middle East, a move that could increase the number of US aircraft carriers to three in the region for the foreseeable future, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing US officials.
The aircraft carrier departed Naval Station Norfolk in the US state of Virginia on Tuesday, according to a US Navy press release.
It could take the carrier weeks to reach the Middle East region, said the WSJ report. The carrier is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups in the Middle East.
The Lincoln is operating in the Arabian Sea, and the Ford is at port in Croatia for repairs, two of the officials were quoted as saying.
Iran: US-Israeli strikes destroy historical sites, universities
An Iranian official said Tuesday that US and Israeli airstrikes have destroyed several historic buildings and damaged universities across Iran.
Hassan Fartousi, secretary-general of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, detailed the losses at a press conference in Tehran, according to the Student News Network. He said the attacks damaged cultural heritage sites, historic landmarks, and educational institutions.
Some of the affected buildings dated back hundreds of years and had never required restoration, Fartousi said, calling them “completely destroyed” and saying the attacks harmed “an important part of Iran’s historical identity.” He cited damage to structures from the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736).
Among the sites he listed were the Asef Vaziri Monument in Sanandaj; the Governor’s Palace, Museum of Decorative Arts, Ashraf Hall, Chehel Sotoon Palace, Aali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and Abbasid Grand Mosque in Isfahan; Golestan Palace and the Sa’dabad Complex in Tehran; and Takyeh Beyglarbeygi and Dowlatshahi Mosque in Kermanshah.
Fartousi also reported damage to 149 universities, including Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan University of Art, and Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran. He said many laboratories were destroyed and that Western sanctions would make rebuilding difficult.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has smashed Iran’s industrial capability and is creating “new alliances” in the region.
In a recorded video statement, Netanyahu reviewed the “enormous achievements” of the war, saying, “Iran has the launch capability to threaten us, but they can no longer threaten our existence.”
He said Israel has managed to smash Tehran’s capability “to develop nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of ballistic missiles.”
He also said that Israel has created conditions for expanding alliances in the region, adding that he hopes he “will soon be able to tell the citizens of Israel about our new alliances.”
Iran: US tech firms to be targeted
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday warned that companies it accused of involvement in “terrorist espionage” could be targeted, naming several major US technology firms and urging employees and nearby residents to leave the areas.
In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said institutions it claims contribute to intelligence operations, communications technology, and artificial intelligence used in attacks on Iran would be considered “legitimate targets.”
The IRGC listed 18 companies, namely Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, DEL, Palantir, Nvidia, JP. Morgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solution, G42 and Boeing, saying as of 20:00 local time (1630 GMT) Wednesday, they must await Iran’s devastating attacks.
It warned employees of these companies to immediately leave their workplaces and urged civilians within a 1 km radius of the firms across the Middle East to move to safety.
Qatar calls for regional approach to safeguarding Strait of Hormuz
Qatar called Tuesday for a regional approach to safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, stressing its importance for global trade and energy supplies.
Majed Al Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said the issue has “implications for countries worldwide” and requires “regional consensus on security and freedom of navigation.”
Speaking at a media briefing, Al Ansari said Qatar is coordinating with international partners to ensure energy security and the stability of global supply chains. He voiced deep concern over attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure, calling them a “dangerous precedent that crosses critical red lines.”
Al Ansari urged all parties to refrain from targeting vital assets, protect civilians, and work toward ending the conflict to safeguard regional stability, as well as global energy and food security.