DUBAI/WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said the US was considering ‘scaling down’ its military operation against Iran, while Iran and Israel exchanged attacks on Saturday and Iranian media claimed that the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, Iran’s main nuclear complex, had been attacked.
In a social media post, Trump said the U.S. was close to achieving its goals, but insisted other countries should take the lead in policing the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route, whose near closure threatens a global energy shock.
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about U.S. objectives throughout the war, which is now entering its fourth week, leaving Americans’ traditional allies struggling to respond.
Trump has suggested the war could be ended as the Iranian threat is eliminated, even as U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft head to the region on a mission whose objectives are not immediately clear.
“We are very close to achieving our goals, so we are considering reducing our major military efforts in the Middle East in relation to the terrorist regime in Iran,” Trump said on Truth Social.
‘The Strait of Hormuz will have to be watched and policed, as necessary, by other nations that use it — the United States does not!’ he added. ‘If requested, we will assist these countries in their efforts in Hormuz, but this will not be necessary once the threat from Iran is eradicated.’
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More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israeli attack on February 28, as American voters appear increasingly concerned about signs that the war could expand further.
Vital energy infrastructure in Iran and neighboring Gulf states was attacked, causing oil prices to rise by 50%.
Energy price shocks are also fueling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard – a major political liability for Trump as he seeks to justify the war to the American public ahead of the November elections, in which he could lose control of Congress.
Trump also accused NATO allies, who were not consulted about the war, of cowardice for their reluctance to help open the strait.
Iranian gas supplies to Iraq have resumed after flows were disrupted by an Israeli attack on Iran’s main gas field, South Pars, on Wednesday.
As fighting continued, Iranian media reported that Israeli and US forces attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found that there were no radioactive leaks and that nearby residents were not at risk.
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Israel said it had no knowledge of such an attack, while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was investigating.
Russia called the action ‘a flagrant violation of international law’.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the deadliest development of the war against Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
