WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/LONDON – US President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering “winding down” the US military strikes against Iran, claiming the United States is “getting very close to” meeting its objectives.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East” with respect to Iran, Trump said on Truth Social.
The objectives Trump outlined include degrading Iran’s missile capabilities, destroying its defense industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from ever approaching nuclear capability and protecting US allies across the region.
Also on Friday afternoon, Trump said that he does not want a ceasefire with Iran.
“We can have dialogue, but you know, I don’t want to do a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters before he departed the White House for Florida. “You don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”
“From a military standpoint, they’re finished,” Trump claimed. “They don’t have a Navy. They don’t have an Air Force. They don’t have any equipment. They don’t have any spotters. They don’t have anti-aircraft. They don’t have radar. And their leaders have all been killed at every level.”
“US government says one thing, reality says another,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday on X, questioning White House’s repeated claims that Iran’s air defenses and Navy have been destroyed.
Trump on Truth Social also said that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy waterway, should be secured by the countries that rely on it and Washington would assist if asked.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated,” Trump added.
Earlier, Trump slammed NATO allies as “cowards” over their reluctance to help escort.
Sanctions waiver
The US government on Friday issued a 30-day sanctions waiver for the purchase of Iranian oil at sea to ease energy supply pressures, media reports said.
More warships, troops to ME
The Pentagon is sending three more warships and roughly 2,200 to 2,500 more Marines to the Middle East, marking the second deployment of Marines to the region within a week as the US-Israeli war with Iran escalates, multiple US media outlets reported on Friday.
US officials confirmed Friday that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have deployed from their home port of San Diego, California, and are heading to the Middle East, said the reports.
UK allows US use of bases
Meanwhile, Britain has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to carry out “operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a Downing Street statement released on Friday.
President: Iran not seeking war with Muslim states
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that his country does not seek war with Muslim states, according to the official news agency IRNA.
He made the remarks in a message to extend congratulations on the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and Nowruz, the beginning of the Iranian new year that falls on March 21.
Commenting on recent tensions between Iran and some of the Arab states in the wake of the US and Israeli attacks, Pezeshkian said, “We do not intend to have any difference with Muslim countries. We do not seek conflict and war with Islamic states. They are our brothers.”
He blamed the United States and Israel for the tensions that have arisen between Iran and the region’s Muslim states.
Pezeshkian said Iran is ready to resolve all problems with its neighbors, proposing to form a security structure comprising Muslim states in the Middle East to ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday stressed that the recent attacks on parts of Türkiye and Oman were not carried out by the Iranian armed forces or its allies.
He made the remarks in a message to extend congratulations on the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and Nowruz, the beginning of the Iranian new year that falls on March 21, according to a statement published on his website.
‘Intelligence on Israeli plans’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday the country has intelligence about Israel’s plans to attack its infrastructure.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while stressing that Iran would show “zero restraint” if its infrastructure is attacked.