Trump says US and Iran will soon finish up, again without details
The remark echoes earlier comments from Trump that did not lead to any change in the conflict.
Published
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran will soon reach a conclusion, telling reporters "pretty soon you'll find out how we finish up" and that "we have to finish up." He gave no timeline, no terms and no description of any action underway.
The comment follows a pattern. On October 2 Trump said Iran "is not doing well," and on September 13 he said the war would end, in each case without naming talks, strikes or sanctions that would support it. Tuesday's remark came alongside his claim that oil is moving normally through the Strait of Hormuz and that prices will fall once the war ends.
Iran's own account points the other way. Tehran has said the strait will not reopen under pressure, and tanker traffic there has stayed near a standstill. Bloomberg has estimated that no crude left Iran by tanker in September, and separately reported that inflation inside the country is nearing 90% while the rial has fallen 25% in two months.
Military signals have hardened rather than eased. The United States evacuated 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford after a threat of an Iranian attack, and British authorities arrested several dual British-Iranian citizens suspected of planning to strike the bombers. Washington has also been reinforcing forces near the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's President Pezeshkian has said nuclear talks have historically preceded strikes rather than stopped them. Set against a November bombing timeline reported by the Journal, Tuesday's statement does not change the operational picture, and for anyone holding oil exposure the gap between the president's language and the facts on the ground remains the thing to watch.