Trump tells Axios there's "practically nothing left" to target in Iran
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President Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that the war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target."
- "Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump said during the five-minute call.
Why it matters: Even as Trump publicly signals his operation has largely accomplished its objectives, U.S. and Israeli officials say there has been no internal directive on when fighting might stop.
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday the war will continue "without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign."
- Israeli and U.S. officials say they are preparing for at least two more weeks of strikes in Iran. Trump himself declined to specify a timeline for when the war will end.
Driving the news: On Tuesday, the U.S. received intelligence that suggested Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world's most critical chokepoints for oil supply.
- Officials say it's unclear how many mines Iran has deployed, but the assessment is that the number is very small.
- Trump confirmed to Axios that U.S. strikes on Tuesday destroyed 16 mine-laying boats and disrupted Iranian plans.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video message Wednesday that the U.S. military's mission is to eliminate Iran's ability to project power and harass shipping in the strait.
- "U.S. forces continue delivering devastating combat power against the Iranian regime. U.S. combat power is building, Iran's combat power is declining," Cooper said, adding that Iranian missile and drone attacks have declined drastically.
What he's saying: "The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period," Trump told Axios.
- He said Iran's hostility extended beyond Israel and the U.S. to Gulf states across the region.
- "They were after the rest of the Middle East. They are paying for 47 years of death and destruction they caused. This is payback. They will not get off that easy," Trump said.
The big picture: Trump has given a variety of timelines for the end of the war, but he generally predicted a month's worth of bombing. He outlined four U.S. military objectives in a speech Feb. 28 when he announced the first strikes on Iran:
- "Destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground."
- "Annihilate their navy."
- "Ensure" that Iran's "terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world."
- "Ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon."
