Trump says the war with Iran will end ‘soon’ but has also issued threats that it could escalate
DORAL, Fla. – President Donald Trump described the war with Iran as “temporary” on Monday – suggesting that the 10-day conflict that has engulfed the Middle East may be nearing an end while also warning of intensified strikes if a key oil route is blocked.
“We took a little trip because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. And I think you’ll see that it’s going to be a short trip,” Trump said. “How good is our army, isn’t it? Amazing. How good? Short term. Short term.”
Trump spoke to House Republicans and donors at his undisclosed resort outside Miami. Republicans are gathering here for the next three days to discuss their legislative agenda and campaign strategy for the November midterm elections, fueled by the Iran war.
“This was a journey to something that had to be done. We are very close to completing that,” Trump said.
He appeared before Republicans a day after crude oil prices rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since July 2022. AAA said a gallon of regular gas now costs $3.48, up from $2.90 last month.
“It’s going to be over soon,” Trump said later in a press conference. Steve Witkoff, America’s special envoy to the Middle East, stood next to him.
Trump did not put a timeline on the end of the war, however, when pressed for details. And when asked about Iran’s blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, he warned that the US would retaliate with force if the Iranians attacked ships in the Strait.
“So the Strait of Hormuz will remain safe. We have a lot of Navy ships there. We have the best equipment in the world. And, a lot of their ships are down at the bottom of the ocean,” Trump told reporters. “But we will hit them so hard it will not be possible for them or anyone else to help them recover that part of the world … do anything.”
Trump was also asked about a new video that appears to show a US Tomahawk missile hitting the site of a strike that killed more than 170 people at a girls’ school in Iran. He said he had not seen the video and suggested, without providing evidence, that the Tomahawk may have been fired by Iran, which is not known to have Tomahawk missiles.
“I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons in the world … is sold and used by other countries. And whether it is Iran, which also has some Tomahawks, I wish it would be more. But whether it is Iran or someone else, the fact that the Tomahawk, the Tomahawk, is very generic,” Trump told reporters.
“It is being sold to other countries, but that is currently being investigated,” he said.
The Ministry of Defense said it is still investigating the strike that attacked the school.
“Whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report,” Trump said.
Asked if there was any common ground between him and Vice President JD Vance on the Iran war, Trump said at a press conference that Vance was “a little different from him philosophically” about whether the US should strike Iran.
“We get along a lot on this. He was, I would say, philosophically a little bit different than I am. I think maybe he was a little less enthusiastic, but he was very enthusiastic. I felt like it was something we should do,” Trump said.
So far, seven US soldiers have been killed in action; the eighth died in the district after a medical incident. Asked how many American casualties he is willing to deal with, Trump spoke about the message he received from the families of fallen soldiers.
“When you fight like this, you always end up dead. I was in Dover [Delaware] yesterday. I met the parents, and they were incredible people. They were incredible people, but they all had one thing in common. They said one thing to me, each: ‘Finish the job, sir, please finish the job.’
