U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran was nearly depleted militarily and the combat operations may be nearing an end.
In an interview with CBS News, the president claimed that the military operation against Iran was proceeding ahead of schedule.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump said. Iran has “no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
“If you look, they have nothing left,” he added. “There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
U.S. stock markets rose sharply, and oil prices fell on the news, with Trump telling CBS that the Strait of Hormuz is open but that he is still “thinking about taking it over.”
Maritime traffic through the strait, which typically carries about 20% of the global energy supply, remained at a standstill on Monday.
Trump’s comments follow a statement on Friday that he would not negotiate a settlement with Iran.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender,” the president wrote.
Speaking at the White House on March 2, Trump said operations against Iran were “projected four to five weeks,” though “we have the capability to go far longer than that.”
Iran’s sustained barrage of ballistic-missile and drone attacks has raised questions about how long stockpiles of defensive munitions like Patriot missiles will last for U.S. partners like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Trump said on Monday that the United States is “very far ahead of schedule” in the war.
