Trump said the US may withdraw

US President Donald Trump said Washington is close to achieving its main military goals against Iran and is weighing a reduction of large-scale operations in the Middle East. Writing on Truth Social on March 20, he said American forces were "very close" to meeting their objectives. Reports Dw.com.

Trump said those goals include destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, launch systems and related infrastructure, as well as damaging its defense industry. He also listed the elimination of Iran’s naval and air forces, including air defense systems, and said the campaign aims to keep Iran non-nuclear while protecting US partners in the region, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.

In the same post, Trump argued that security in the Strait of Hormuz should be handled by other countries that depend on the waterway, not by the United States. He said Washington could assist if asked, but claimed such help should not be necessary once the threat from Iran is removed. Earlier, he criticized NATO allies, calling them unwilling to help reopen the strait despite what he described as limited risk.

Hours before that message, Trump told reporters he did not want a ceasefire with Iran. He said Tehran had lost much of its military capacity and argued that a truce was not appropriate while the United States was, in his words, defeating its opponent.