U.S. President Donald Trump is privately discussing with senior officials about whether to formally declare an end to the U.S. conflict with Iran.
The Wall Street Journal cited officials who said that the US President favours the idea of ending the conflict, now in its seventh month.
Sources say he believes that U.S. military dominance and intense economic pressure, such as the recent Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iranian oil, shipping, and financial lifelines will force Tehran to either dismantle its nuclear program or face total economic collapse
Meanwhile, his advisors are warning Trump that an escalation of the Iran war beyond recent strikes could endanger Republican prospects in the November midterm elections.
However the President said he isn’t taking electoral consequences into account when making decisions on the war.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said that the US military would remain prepared to launch more strikes ‘any time we want,’ similarly to its offensive this week after Iran tried to lay new mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
‘We see everything that they’re doing,’ Trump said. ‘They can’t go to the bathroom without us seeing it.’
Writing on social media, Trump said: ‘I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing.’
‘They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?’
Previously, Trump had appeared to pivot towards trying to bend Iran to his will through economic sanctions.
He warned that if Iran retaliated for the new strikes ‘they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level’.
