US President Donald Trump said the United States had achieved a military victory over Iran, but stressed that Washington would not settle for what he described as a “93% victory.”
Speaking on Wednesday during a Veterans Day ceremony in Virginia, Trump said the United States had fought a major confrontation with Iran and emerged victorious, adding that the question now was when to make the decision to end the war.
He said the United States was working to ensure that Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons, noting that Iran would need approximately 25 years to rebuild what had been destroyed in the war.
Trump expressed hope that the United States would not have to destroy any more Iranian facilities or territory, pointing out that rebuilding the damage caused by the war would require extensive work.
Referring to the future of the confrontation, Trump predicted that the conflict would end soon, saying the world would become safer and more peaceful once it was over. He also said the United States had not started the war with Iran, arguing that Tehran had been in confrontation with Washington since 1979.
He said the issue should have been addressed a long time ago.
Trump’s remarks come as diplomatic efforts intensify to end the war and prevent a renewed military confrontation, led by Qatar and Pakistan, amid attempts to bring the two sides’ positions closer.
These efforts saw a notable development this week with a visit to Washington by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. He held a closed-door meeting with Trump at the White House to discuss ways to advance US-Iran negotiations and narrow differences between the two sides.
