Trump says Iran war “very complete,” weighs taking over Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on Monday, March 9, that the US war with Iran could be nearing its conclusion, pointing to what he described as extensive damage inflicted on Iran’s military capabilities during the first week of operations.

In a phone interview with CBS News on Monday afternoon, the president suggested the conflict may be close to ending.

"I think the war is very complete, pretty much," the president said, speaking from his golf club in Doral, Florida. "[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they've got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones."

According to the US military, American forces struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets during the first week of the campaign.

"If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense," Mr. Trump said.

Late Sunday, Iran announced that Mojtaba Khamenei would replace his father, Ali Khamenei, as the country’s supreme leader.

"I have no message for him. None, whatsoever," the president said, adding that he has someone else in mind to lead the country.

The conflict has also disrupted global energy routes. Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic waterway through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes—has effectively ground to a halt.

Mr. Trump said the US could take action to secure the waterway and warned Iran against interfering with maritime traffic.

The president said the US "could do a lot" about the strait and threatened Iran if it inhibits the waterway. "They've shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it's going to be the end of that country. … If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran and you'd never hear the name again."

At the same time, Mr. Trump said the strait was currently open and claimed that ships had been entering it, though he added that he is still "thinking about taking it over."

Energy markets reacted sharply to the developments. The US benchmark for crude oil dropped as much as 13.7%, or about $13 per barrel, shortly after the CBS News interview before recovering part of the losses later in the day. Oil prices are now slightly lower than they were on Friday after surging by double-digit margins earlier Monday, though they remain above pre-war levels.

Major stock indices also finished Monday in positive territory after spending most of the trading day in the red.

Mr. Trump had initially estimated the conflict would take about a month to conclude.

"We're very far ahead of schedule," he told CBS News on Monday.

However, messaging from the US government appeared mixed. The same afternoon the president described the war as "very complete, pretty much," the United States Department of Defense posted on X: "We have Only Just Begun to Fight" and "no mercy."

So far, seven Americans have been killed in combat.

Later Monday, Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend a dignified transfer ceremony for the remains of Benjamin Pennington, a US Army sergeant who died from injuries sustained in a March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base.

Asked whether the conflict could end soon, Mr. Trump said the decision ultimately rests with him.

"Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else's."