US president Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would win its war with Iran “very soon”, predicting that gas prices would tumble and oil prices would move sharply lower once the conflict ends, even as mediators worked behind the scenes to revive diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.
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“We're going to win, as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be one way or the other,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “It's going to go pretty quickly.”
Trump also linked the outcome of the conflict to energy prices, saying gas prices would “come tumbling down” after the United States wins the war. His comments came as the Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of efforts to end the fighting and restore normal shipping through the vital waterway.
According to officials cited by The Associated Press, mediators are working with Iran and the United States to broker an agreement that could end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Three regional officials and two US officials said major obstacles remain between the sides.
Trump, meanwhile, said Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and warned of the consequences if it did.
“If you want to see turmoil and a travesty, let them take out a city with a nuclear weapon… let them hit us with a nuclear weapon,” Trump said according to Iran International, arguing that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a threat beyond Israel and the Middle East.
Trump added, “They cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they don’t.”
The diplomatic efforts follow Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, releases frozen Iranian assets and eases sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions. Trump rejected the proposal, while saying he expects further talks this week.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet Qatari mediators in New York on Monday, Iranian state media reported, as Qatar continues to shuttle messages between the two sides.
A senior US official said Trump remained open to a non-military resolution if one could be reached. Another US official said Washington would not agree to a deal until Iran’s nuclear programme was addressed.
