US President Donald Trump has claimed that the ongoing war with Iran will end immediately after the upcoming US midterm elections, while alleging that Tehran is attempting to influence American voters in favour of a more lenient government in Washington.
“I think the war will end immediately after the election,” Trump told reporters before departing for a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. He alleged that Iran was “desperate” to influence the election and install a government that would “leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”
Asked why he believed the war would end soon after the polls, Trump declined to provide an explanation but reiterated his claim that Iran was running out of options.
“All they want is a nuclear weapon, and if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble,” he said.
Trump also said Washington was in no hurry to resume diplomatic negotiations, arguing that recent US military operations had significantly weakened Iran.
“We’re not looking for it, to be honest with you. Originally, I wanted to make a deal,” Trump said.
“We’re so far down the line; they have very little country left right now, so we’re not looking for it. Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we’re looking at. This war will end immediately after our election,” he added.
The US President further claimed that American forces had inflicted substantial damage on Iran’s maritime fleet and oil transportation networks, warning that Washington would launch further attacks if Tehran targeted US assets.
“We’ve knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us — and you’re going to see a lot more. We’ve taken out about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gone-zo,” Trump told reporters.
Meanwhile, Iran said on Wednesday that it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers, marking the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the six-month-old war began.
At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed, while another was listed as missing.
