'Iran was going to take over the Middle East', claims Trump as he defends strikes

US President Donald Trump said Iran’s decision to retaliate against its regional neighbours following joint US-Israeli strikes was a major miscalculation, calling the move “very foolish, very stupid.” Speaking at a news conference in Florida, Trump said Tehran’s attacks on nearby countries, including Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, backfired strategically by pushing them closer to Washington. Iran’s neighbours “were largely neutral, or at least weren’t going to be involved,” Trump said, adding that after Tehran’s strikes “the neighbors came onto our side and started attacking [Iran,] and actually quite successfully.”

Trump also said the military action fulfills a pledge he made years ago to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

During the same remarks, the president argued that the ongoing war with Iran could ultimately push oil prices lower, even though global markets have surged since the conflict began. The spike was partly driven by disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global energy supplies. “The Strait of Hormuz is going to remain safe,” he said during the news conference. “We’re putting an end to all of this threat once and for all, and the result will be lower oil and gas prices for American families.”

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He added that most of Iran’s missile systems and weapons capabilities have now been destroyed and claimed they had been aimed at other regional countries. Trump also said Iran had intended to target Israel but that the United States intervened in time. “We’re very proud to be involved in this and it’s going to be ended soon, and if it starts up again, they’ll be hit even harder,” he said. Amid the surge in global oil prices, Trump also announced that his administration is considering temporary changes to sanctions policy to ease energy costs.

The president said his administration would be “waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices.” He did not specify which countries could benefit from the waiver, saying only: “We have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out.” Among the world’s most heavily sanctioned oil producers are Iran and Russia. Trump recently granted India a waiver allowing it to increase imports of Russian oil following a trade agreement between Washington and New Delhi that required India to reduce its purchases.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.