Trump Declares Iran Conflict Could End Soon, US 'Far Ahead' of Timeline
President Donald Trump has claimed the ongoing war with Iran may soon be over, insisting the United States is "far ahead" of its "initial timeline." Speaking from Florida, Trump stated the US has "already won in many ways" but added it hasn't "won enough" yet. "We're knocking them out. We know where they all are. We're knocking them out very quickly. We're ahead of our initial timeline by a lot," he said.
Escalating Military Actions and Casualties
Trump's comments come as Israel launched new wide-scale strikes against Iran, intensifying fighting on Monday. NATO forces shot down an Iranian ballistic missile in the alliance's airspace, confirmed by Turkey's defence ministry. Air defences in the eastern Mediterranean were activated after a missile fired from Iran entered Turkish airspace. The ministry vowed to take all necessary steps to protect itself without hesitation, though Iran denied firing a missile towards Turkey last week.
The body of the seventh US service member killed in the war, Sgt Benjamin N Pennington, arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Monday evening. US Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine were present to honour the fallen soldier. Pennington sustained critical injuries during an attack on Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base and later succumbed to those wounds. Earlier, six American troops were killed in an Iranian drone strike on a base in Kuwait.
According to an Iranian official, US and Israeli operations in Iran have resulted in roughly 1,300 fatalities, while Iranian attacks throughout the Middle East have claimed more than 30 lives.
Controversy Over School Bombing and Infrastructure Attacks
Trump has again suggested, without evidence, that Iran bombed an elementary school in Minab on 28 February, killing 175 people, including many children. However, video evidence verified by The New York Times shows a Tomahawk missile struck a naval base near the school. Tomahawks are developed by the United States, and only a few allies possess them; Iran does not have Tomahawks but has its own distinct domestically produced cruise missiles.
US Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, admitted America "made a mistake" when the girls' school in Iran was bombed. "It was terrible. We made a mistake," he told NBC News. US military investigators reportedly believe American forces were likely responsible for the strike in Minab late last month, which officials say killed dozens of people, including many students.
Attacks on desalination plants mark a dangerous escalation in the Middle East conflict, with experts warning that the Gulf's most water-scarce nations face an existential threat from such infrastructure targeting.
Economic and Diplomatic Developments
Global oil prices dropped sharply in early Tuesday trading in Asia, with Brent down about 8.5 per cent to $92.50 a barrel and US oil down around 9 per cent to $88.60. The fall followed Trump's comments that the war will end "very soon," though prices remain roughly 30 per cent higher than before the war began. The dip boosted Asian markets, with Japan's Nikkei 225 up 2.8 per cent and South Korea's Kospi rising over 5 per cent.
In diplomatic news, five members of the Iranian women's football team were granted humanitarian visas in Australia after their Asian Cup exit. Trump publicly urged Australia to "give asylum" to the team, later stating he spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and that "five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way." Australia's immigration minister confirmed the women were moved to a safe location by police.
Iranian Response and White House Propaganda
An Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naeini, accused Trump of falsely claiming that Iranian missile launches were declining. He asserted that Iran's missiles were growing more powerful and larger than in the early days of the war. A New York Times tally shows Iran has launched over 2,000 drones and 500 ballistic missiles at American allies in the Middle East since the war began, with strikes continuing into early Tuesday.
The White House has issued a series of promotional videos mixing real Iran war explosions with movie action heroes, video game footage, and sports highlights. Critics, including a top cleric of the US Catholic Church, have condemned this as trivializing deadly real-life conflict. Clips from films like Braveheart and Top Gun, and games like Call of Duty, are spliced with declassified war imagery, sparking debate over the portrayal of military actions.
Trump's Threats and Regional Tensions
Trump warned there will be "fire and fury" if Iran disrupts shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far," he said online. Oil prices had soared to $115 a barrel on Monday but fell dramatically after Trump's claim that the war will be over "soon."
Iran has elected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as its new leader, more than a week after his father was killed in an airstrike, adding to the volatile political landscape in the region.
