Trump says that “the war is very complete” and

In a telephone interview with News themezone on Monday afternoon, President Trump said that US war with Iran It could almost be over.

“I think the war is practically complete,” the president said, speaking from his golf club in Doral, Florida. “[Iran has] There is no navy, there is no communications, they have no air force. Their missiles are scattered. “Their drones are being exploited everywhere, including their manufacturing.”

The US military said it struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets in the first week of operations.

“If you look at it, they have nothing left. They have nothing left in the military sense,” Trump said.

Late Sunday, Iran announced that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei would replace his father as supreme leader of Iran.

“I have no message for him. None at all,” the president said, adding that he has someone else in mind to lead the country.

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply flows, has actually stopped.

The president said the United States “could do a lot” about the strait and threatened Iran if it inhibits the waterway. “They’ve filmed everything they needed to film, and they better not try anything nice or it will be the end of that country… If they do something bad, it would be the end of Iran and we would never hear the name again.” The president also said the strait is now open and stated that ships have been entering the strait, but said he is still “thinking about taking it.”

The U.S. benchmark for crude oil fell as much as 13.7%, or about $13 a barrel, shortly after the News themezone interview, before recovering slightly a few hours later. Oil prices are now down slightly since Friday, after rising by double-digit margins early Monday, although oil prices remain above pre-war levels. Major stock indexes also closed in positive territory on Monday after spending most of the day in the red.

Initially, Trump estimated that the war would take about a month to complete.

“We’re way ahead of schedule,” he told News themezone on Monday.

The same afternoon the president said the war is “virtually very complete,” the Department of Defense posted in X, “We have barely begun to fight” and “no mercy.”

Until now, seven americans They have died in combat. Later Monday, Vice President JD Vance will attend a dignified transfer of the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who died from injuries he suffered in a March 1 attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Asked if he thought the war could end soon, the president said, “Ending is on my mind, no one else’s.”