'War will end either through battle' or through deal: Trump says Iran conflict to end very soon

New York: US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said the war with Iran would end "very soon", either through continued fighting or Tehran agreeing to sign an agreement on Washington's terms, while claiming that Russia was sending the United States millions of barrels of oil and oil prices were falling rapidly.

Speaking to a reporter on the sidelines of a campaign rally at the Oncenter in Syracuse, New York, Trump said the US had the conflict "under great control" and claimed that its military had neutralised Iran's naval and air capabilities.

"Well, today, it was just announced that Russia is sending us literally millions of barrels of oil, prices are coming down very rapidly of the oil. We've got the war under great control, we control the straits, our Navy is unbelievable, our military is unbelievable," Trump said.


He further claimed that Iran's Navy, Air Force, anti-aircraft systems and radar had been destroyed, adding that the country's leadership had been significantly weakened.

"Iran... their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone, their radar is gone, ah, their leaders are wiped out. We knocked down two levels of their leaders, they have a whole different group," he said.

Trump added that the change in Iran's leadership had created difficulties for Washington in determining whom to engage with.

"It's one of our problems, we don't really know who to deal with anymore, but that's okay," he said, reiterating that the conflict would end soon.

"It's going to end one way or the other very soon," Trump added.

When the reporter asked what he meant by that, Trump said the war would end either through military action or an agreement on terms set by the United States.

"The war will end either through battle or through, they'll sign what we want to have signed. And Iran will never have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Arguing that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to widespread destruction, Trump said he had prevented such an outcome and criticised previous US administrations for not acting earlier.

"If we allowed them to have a nuclear weapon, you would see a level of potential death, turmoil, destruction like you've never seen before. And I stopped it, and other Presidents should have stopped it long before I, I came into office," he said.

Trump also criticised former US President Barack Obama over his administration's approach towards Iran, alleging that Washington had provided Tehran with billions of dollars in an effort to stop its nuclear programme.

"They didn't want to get involved, Obama started paying them off, and they don't accept that. He was paying to get them to stop, and he gave them billions and billions of dollars," Trump said.

Referring to the widely debated USD 1.7 billion cash payment associated with the Obama administration's settlement of a decades-old dispute with Iran, Trump alleged that Tehran had used the money to develop a nuclear weapon.

"You remember 1.7 billion in green cash to get them to stop, and all they did is use that money to develop a nuclear weapon," he said.

Trump further claimed that the US had repeatedly targeted Iran, referring to earlier strikes involving B-2 bombers and subsequent bombing operations.

"We bombed them with the B-2 bombers a year ago, and, we've been bombing them ever since, and they will never have a nuclear weapon," he said.

"We've done a great job. It'll end very soon, one way or the other," Trump added.

His statement comes as earlier on Friday (local time) Trump hailed the diesel deal with Russia as a "big deal", thanking Putin for agreeing to supply "massive amounts" of diesel to the United States.

"I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. I want to thank President Putin. We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it is diesel, which is what we want," Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing for Syracuse, New York, for the midterm election campaign.

He said the proposed supplies, along with what he described as US control of the Strait of Hormuz, would bring down diesel prices for Americans and the wider global market.

"Between our total control of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be comming down, in record numbers and fast !" Trump said.