“I think the war will end immediately after the election” because Iran “can’t hold out any longer,” Trump told journalists, while accusing Tehran of being “desperate to try and affect” the November election.
However, The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying that Trump’s top advisers are privately warning that the war could continue through the remaining two years of his term, highlighting a sharp contrast between Trump’s public prediction and the concerns reportedly being raised within his administration.
As Washington seeks to choke off Iran economically, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors on Wednesday voted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear “non-compliance”, in a diplomatic move that increases pressure on Tehran.
The resolution seen by AFP was adopted by a 23-3 vote, with eight abstentions. Russia, China and Niger voted against it.
Iran’s representative to the UN nuclear watchdog said the resolution was passed under US pressure, arguing that it “has no basis and will not bring any results”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his claim that Iran was about to collapse.
“The main task is to bring down the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to that,” he said Wednesday during a troop visit in southern Syria, where Israel has occupied what it calls a “security zone”.
The latest round of US-Iran fighting was triggered after American forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday, with the US military saying it “directed the crews to abandon ship” before hitting the vessels.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers, and I think you'll see that again today,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Tuesday during a visit to Colombia.
Iran has asserted control of the Strait of Hormuz since US-Israeli strikes began the war in February, with traffic through the waterway virtually paralysed.
Tehran requires vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the strait, adding to the pressure surrounding a conflict whose duration remains contested even as Trump predicts it could end immediately after the November midterm elections.
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