Axios: Trump says war with Iran to end "soon"

US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would end “soon,” telling Axios in a brief phone interview on March 11 that there was “practically nothing left to target.”

"Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump said during the five-minute call.

Despite the president’s public remarks suggesting that the operation has largely achieved its objectives, US and Israeli officials indicated there has been no internal directive setting a timeline for an end to hostilities.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on March 11 that military operations would continue "without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign."

According to Israeli and US officials, preparations are underway for at least two more weeks of strikes inside Iran.

"The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period," Trump told Axios.

He added that Iran’s hostility was directed not only at Israel and the United States but also at Gulf states across the region.

"They were after the rest of the Middle East. They are paying for 47 years of death and destruction they caused. This is payback. They will not get off that easy," Trump said.

By Sabina Mammadli