U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 31st (local time) that U.S. forces will not remain engaged in a war with Iran for long and that the countries that depend on the Strait of Hormuz should take responsibility for reopening it.
In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump assessed the outlook for a conflict with Iran, saying, "We won't be there long." He added, "We're flattening them right now."
He said that, while U.S. forces will not stay in place for long, "we still have work to do to eliminate their offensive capabilities — whatever remains of them."
On reopening the Strait of Hormuz, he said, "I think it will open automatically. They don't have the power. The countries that use the strait can go and open it themselves."
Responding to a Wall Street Journal report that he told aides he was prepared to end military operations against Iran even if the Strait remained closed, Trump said, "Honestly, I haven't thought about that. My sole mission is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."
Commenting on U.S. forces striking an ammunition depot in Isfahan the previous day — reportedly with a bunker-buster — he said the explosion was larger than expected, suggesting Iranian forces had substantial munitions stockpiles.
He added, "We are dismantling their nuclear capabilities, and we've achieved regime change. We're now dealing with entirely different people, and they are much more reasonable than before. This is real regime change."
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Im Hye-jun (junelim@yna.co.kr)
