President Trump suggested in an interview Monday evening that US hostilities with Iran could continue for another two or three weeks, while declining to say whether a ceasefire between the two countries was still in place.
“One way or another, we’re winning,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “We either make the right deal, or we win very easily. From a military point of view, we’ve already won that. You know, you’ve heard me say it a million times, and other people say that. They had 159 ships, Hugh. Now, they don’t have anything. They’re all at the bottom of the sea. Today, we took eight of them out and, you know, reduced to these little, little, fast ships.”
Shortly after the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, Trump estimated that the war would last “four weeks or so.” Last Saturday saw the end of nine weeks of fighting, despite a nominal ceasefire since April 8.
“We’ve taken away a lot of what we should have done, maybe another two weeks, two weeks, maybe three more weeks,” Trump said. “And time is not of the essence for us.”
Earlier Monday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that two US-flagged commercial ships successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on the first day of the Trump administration’s initiative to force shipping traffic through the vital waterway. Admiral Brett Cooper, Commander of US Central Command, added in a press call that the US military sank six small boats that were targeting commercial ships.
In response, Iran launched nearly two dozen missiles and drones toward the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Ministry of Defense said it intercepted 15 missiles and four drones, and authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said a drone ignited a fire in a major oil facility, wounding three Indian citizens. The British Army also reported that two cargo ships caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
When asked by Hewitt whether attacks by Iran would lead to a resumption of US strikes, Trump said: “Well, I can’t tell you that.”
“If you answer this question, you will say that this man is not smart enough to lead the United States of America.”