Trump: "The war with Iran will end whenever I want it to end"

Axios interview

Thai merchant vessels attacked in the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. says reopening the strait is not part of its victory objectives

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 11th (local time) regarding the war with Iran, "It will end whenever I want it to end."

U.S. online outlet Axios reported this, saying it spoke with President Trump for about five minutes that day. According to Axios, Trump explained the reason by saying, "There are essentially very few targets left to strike," adding, "There are only a few things here and there."

He said, "The war is going very well. We are far ahead of schedule. Even based on the plan that was originally (at most) six weeks, we’ve inflicted more damage than we thought."

Trump claimed, "They (Iran) were also aiming at the rest of the Middle East. They are paying the price for 47 years of death and destruction they caused. This (war) is retaliation for that. They won’t get off that easily."

On this, Axios reported that U.S. or Israeli officials have no internal guidance on when to halt the fighting. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a situation assessment meeting attended by the IDF chief of staff and others that the war would continue "for as long as necessary, without time limits, until all objectives are achieved and we decisively win the operation." Israel is seen as having less willingness than the U.S. to end the war, as it is hoping for Iran’s collapse in this operation.

Axios explained that Israeli and U.S. authorities are preparing to continue airstrikes against Iran for at least another two weeks. While President Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have said they hold overwhelming superiority over Iran, it remains unclear whether the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz can be lifted in the short term without a ground war. Iran is reported to have begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and some merchant ships from countries including Thailand have come under attack. Trump said the U.S. Navy could escort merchant vessels if needed, but military experts say executing this would not be easy, because the strait narrows to just 33 km at its tightest point, leaving ships vulnerable to attack from both shores.

In this regard, Col. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command said in a video message released that day, "U.S. forces are demonstrating destructive combat power against the Iranian regime," adding that "Iran’s missile and drone attacks have dropped sharply."

A senior official of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is confronting the U.S. and Israel, warned that a "protracted war of attrition" would unfold with the U.S. and Israel. Ali Fadavi, an adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief, said in an interview with state TV, "They must take into account the possibility that they will be drawn into a prolonged war of attrition that could destroy the U.S. economy and the entire global economy, and wear down all of their military capabilities to the brink of destruction."

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Iranian military’s unified command, also said on state broadcasting that day, "Gambler Trump, you may have started this war, but it is we who will end it."

Washington = Correspondent Lee Sang-eun selee@hankyung.com