As Trump says war may end soon, Iran signals longer fight
As President Donald Trump claims Iran is ready to talk, its leaders show no sign of backing down.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump appears eager to bring a quick end to the deadly war he started with Iran, but regional officials say the Islamic Republic's leadership sees little benefit in ceasefire talks and is instead gambling that it can endure US pressure over time.
Days after saying he would accept nothing less than “unconditional surrender” by Iran, Trump told reporters on Monday that the military campaign had largely met its goals and the “short excursion” in Iran would end “very soon."
“We’re way ahead of schedule,” he said during a press conference in Florida, a change in tone that came after a sharp rise in oil prices over the weekend and a decline in his approval ratings less than eight months out from the midterm elections.
Trump spoke less than 24 hours after Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as its next supreme leader on Monday, installing a hard-liner who analysts say is likely to consider capitulation riskier to the regime’s survival than a prolonged war with the United States. Trump later told Fox News that he was “hearing [the Iranians] want to talk badly.” But multiple regional officials told Al-Monitor on Tuesday they were unaware of any Iranian requests for formal talks with the United States.
