Trump: "We've won" Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the United States had already achieved victory in Iran, telling journalists traveling with him to Washington, D.C. that the only remaining question was when the operation would come to an end, CNN reports.

Trump said the situation was developing very positively and stressed that Washington’s main objective was to secure a swift and decisive victory. He added that many commentators already considered the United States to have effectively won, while the key issue now was determining the moment to stop. The president also noted that Washington would ideally like to see competent leadership in Iran capable of rebuilding and governing the country effectively.

Speaking in a campaign-style rally in Hebron, Kentucky on March 11 morning, Trump told supporters: "You never like to say too ⁠early you won. We have won. In the first hour it was over."

"We don't want to leave early do we?" Trump said. "We got to ⁠finish the job."

He said the United States has "virtually destroyed Iran." He seemed to signal that the ⁠United States would continue the fight for now.

"We don't want to go ⁠back every two years," he said.

The U.S. president also did not answer reporters’ questions about whether he still believes the war will end within four weeks.

By Khagan Isayev