By Sabiu Abdullahi
US President Donald Trump has said the war in Iran is “very complete” following a phone conversation that lasted about an hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump told CBS News that the joint military operation carried out by the United States and Israel had severely weakened Iran’s military capability.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he said, adding that the US was “very far” ahead of its original timeline.
According to Trump, the campaign left Iran with “no navy, no communications… no air force”.
He added: “Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.
“If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
The US president made the remarks shortly after speaking with Putin. The Kremlin said the Russian leader presented “several proposals to end the Iran conflict quickly” during the call.
American defence officials also indicated that the military was approaching the point where it could achieve its operational goals in the conflict.
Trump later addressed Republican lawmakers in Miami, where he described the war as a “short-term excursion”. He praised the performance of the US military and said global perception of the country had improved.
“The world respects us right now more than they have ever respected us,” he said.
“We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” Mr Trump said.
“We will not relent until the enemy is decisively defeated,” he added.
Financial markets reacted quickly to the developments. Stocks on Wall Street moved higher after Trump’s comments. The S&P 500 rose by 0.8 percent in afternoon trading in New York, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5 percent.
Oil prices also dropped from earlier highs, falling to about $92 per barrel after reaching around $120 earlier in the day.
Despite the decline, analysts warned that prices could rise again if the conflict continues or if shipping disruptions persist in the Strait of Hormuz.
Independent oil analyst Tom Kloza cautioned that the drop may not last.
“It may prove to be a fool’s drop, or it may not. I think they’re betting on the fact that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened. But I don’t think we’re done with triple digit oil unless the Strait is actually reopened.”
Dan Pickering, chief investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners, also warned that market reactions may remain unpredictable.
“This market has been schizophrenic. What we should expect is that the markets will react to almost every piece of commentary. Tomorrow, it could be the Iranians commenting about fighting for a long time, or a tanker could catch fire in the Strait of Hormuz and we could be back to being afraid again.
“Oil prices are still elevated because we have a war in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Donald Trump can’t talk it open. There’s going to have to be a change in the situation before those bottlenecked barrels can move again. Talk has to be backed up by actions.”
Meanwhile, Australia confirmed that it granted asylum to five members of Iran’s visiting women’s football team. Authorities said the players feared persecution if they returned home.
Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke said the athletes would be allowed to remain in the country.
“They are welcome to stay in Australia, and they are safe here, and should feel at home here,” he told reporters.
The development came after the players refused to sing Iran’s national anthem during a tournament match in Australia last week, an act widely viewed as a protest against the Islamic Republic.
