Trump predicts end to Iran conflict, energy price drop

US President Donald Trump has expressed the view that the armed conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran will soon come to an end, while also outlining Washington’s stance on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.

Speaking to journalists at the White House, Trump said that, in his view, the conflict with Iran “will soon end—very soon,” and suggested that once it does, gasoline prices in the United States would fall below previous levels.

He also pointed to strong domestic employment figures, describing them as “one of my favorite numbers in the statistics,” and noting that more people are currently working in the United States than at any other point in history.

Addressing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that the United States opposes any attempt by Iran to impose fees on vessels passing through the waterway. He emphasized that Washington wants the strait to remain open, describing it as an international shipping route, and reiterated opposition to any transit charges.

The US president further claimed that Washington effectively controls shipping related to Iran, asserting that no vessel enters or leaves the country without US approval. He added that, as a result, Tehran is “losing a lot of money,” estimating the losses at up to “$500 million per day.”

Trump also addressed Iran’s nuclear program, stating that the United States would likely destroy Iran’s highly enriched uranium if Tehran agreed to transfer its nuclear fuel stocks to Washington. He said the US would not allow Iran to retain such materials, adding that they would likely be destroyed after being received.

"We will get it. ​We don't need it, we don't ⁠want it. We'll probably destroy ​it after we get it, but ​we're not going to let them have it," Trump said.

Iran ​is believed to possess about ​900 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which Trump ‌says ⁠was buried by US and Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago.

Retrieving the uranium is part of Trump's ​central objective ​of ⁠his war on Iran that Tehran will not be ​allowed to develop a nuclear ​weapon.

By Vafa Guliyeva