President Claims Tehran’s Military Is “Gone” While Threatening Massive Retaliation Over Strait of Hormuz.
“Very soon,” Trump says. The Pentagon says, “We’ve only just begun.” So which is it?
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the war with Iran could end “very soon,” projecting confidence that Tehran’s military capacity has been largely destroyed. Yet within hours, his administration delivered mixed signals, hinting at deeper strikes and warning of overwhelming retaliation if Iran disrupts global oil flows.
“I think soon. Very soon,” Trump told reporters at his Doral National golf club in Florida when asked whether the conflict could end in days or weeks. In a separate interview with CBS News, he said the U.S.-Israeli assault was “very complete,” adding that Iran had “nothing left in a military sense.”
Markets briefly rallied on the remarks, with oil prices easing amid speculation that the confrontation might be winding down.
But Trump also spoke of “ultimate victory” over Iran’s clerical establishment and confirmed that the United States was holding back some “most important” targets — including parts of Iran’s electrical grid — for potential future strikes.
“If Iran does anything to stop oil through the Strait of Hormuz, they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level,” he warned, later writing that Tehran would be struck “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if it disrupted shipping.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded defiantly, saying it would “determine the end of the war” and threatening to halt regional oil exports if U.S. and Israeli attacks continued. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, making it one of the most sensitive chokepoints in global trade.
The rhetoric reflects a widening gap between declarations of victory and preparations for escalation. Just days ago, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Meanwhile, the Pentagon posted that the United States had “only just begun to fight.”
Complicating matters further, Tehran’s leadership has shifted following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei now installed at the helm. Trump called the appointment “not good,” but stopped short of indicating whether the new leader was a direct target.
For now, the message from Washington remains fluid: the war is nearly over — unless it isn’t. Whether this is strategic ambiguity or policy uncertainty may determine how quickly the conflict truly ends.
