US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (23) that Iran may have replenished its weapons “somewhat” during the two-week ceasefire, but added that the US military could end it in about a day.
In a conversation with journalists at the White House, Trump also returned to making statements about the end of the war, saying that there is no defined timeline for this. “Don’t rush me,” replied the president when asked about deadlines.
Despite having repeated numerous times at the beginning of the conflict that he would like to end it within four to six weeks – a deadline that has already been exceeded –, Donald Trump now says that he is in no rush and that he “has all the time in the world” to make a deal. He even compared it to the time it took the United States to leave Vietnam and Iraq.
The American denied that he was under time pressure to end the conflict and passed the allegation on to the Iranians. “Do you know who is under pressure? [O Irã] because if they are unable to transport their oil, their entire oil infrastructure will explode”, he claimed.
US Navy ships are blocking the Strait of Hormuz and preventing Iranian oil tankers from passing through, but say other ships can transit.
However, at the same time, . On Wednesday, Iranian forces said they had seized two cargo ships near the strait. This move gives little public indication that Washington or Tehran are committed to resuming peace negotiations.
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In addition to the statements in the Oval Office, Trump earlier adopted a more aggressive tone towards Iran, ordering the US Navy to “shoot and destroy any vessel” that is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
*With information from Reuters and Estadão Conteúdo.
