U.S. President Donald Trump stated Tuesday he anticipates ending the conflict with Iran “in the very near future,” postponing a China trip as a result.
Trump Announces Imminent End to Iran War
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that while he isn’t yet prepared to end the war with Iran, he will do so “in the very near future.” He also stated the ongoing conflict prompted a postponement of his planned visit to China, now rescheduled for 5-6 weeks from now.
“If we left now, it would take them (Iran) 10 years to rebuild. But we’re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the not-so-distant future. We’ll be leaving, frankly, in the very near future, but right now they are decimated under every way,” Trump said during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House.
Resumption of Strait of Hormuz Shipping Anticipated
Trump also predicted that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would soon resume, despite a lack of assistance from U.S. NATO and East Asian allies. He suggested Middle Eastern allies could provide assistance.
Middle East Support Crucial for U.S. Efforts
“We’ve had tremendous support from the Middle East. Qatar is great. The United Arab Emirates are absolutely fantastic. Saudi Arabia is phenomenal. Bahrain is very good,” the U.S. President stated.
China Visit Postponed Due to Conflict
Despite this, Trump confirmed his earlier suggestions that the ongoing war would delay his visit to Beijing, originally planned for March 30th. He specified the rescheduled visit would occur in 5-6 weeks.
Claims of Iranian Leadership Casualties
The President also appeared to confirm reports that Ali Laridjani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, considered the de facto leader of Iran following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed.
“Their leaders are already gone. A lot of people are saying that their true leader was killed yesterday, as was somebody else, the man responsible for the death of 32,000 people over the last two weeks. He was the one responsible for killing the protesters,” Trump said, referring to the suppression of mass anti-government protests in January.
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