US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the war involving Iran could be nearing its end, claiming Tehran has already lost significant leadership and military resources.
Speaking at a press conference at his Miami resort after addressing House Republicans at their annual retreat, Trump said the conflict might conclude “very soon” and signaled support for internal political change in Iran rather than a full overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
Trump said he preferred working with figures inside the current system rather than dismantling it entirely, pointing to Iraq after the 2003 invasion as an example of how removing an entire governing structure created instability and contributed to the rise of ISIS.
Over the weekend, Iran’s ruling clerics chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader. The decision was widely viewed as a challenge to Trump’s stance toward Tehran.
Trump also softened some of his earlier claims about Iran’s responsibility for a deadly attack on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, which killed more than 160 people, many of them children.
Trump claimed, “Iran and numerous other countries possess Tomahawk missiles like the one that appears to have struck an elementary school in southern Iran.”
But in reality the United Kingdom and Australia possess Tomahawks. Japan has bought 400 Tomahawks from the US.
The strike is being investigated by the US military. When asked about evidence suggesting a Tomahawk missile was used in the attack, Trump asserted that Tomahawk missiles are being used by several countries and even claimed Iran possessed them, though publicly known operators of Tomahawk missiles include only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Although Trump criticised Iran’s choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, describing it as “more of the same problem” he said he would rather see changes within the existing government, including potentially a different president. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was elected in 2024 and is generally seen as a more reform-minded figure.
Trump also warned Iran against interfering with oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, which carries about 20% of global oil supplies. In a message on Truth Social, he said that if Iran attempted to block the waterway, the United States would strike back “twenty times harder” than before.
Trump added that the US would target “easily destroyable targets” to ensure it would be “virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back as a nation again.”
However, he added that he hoped such escalation would not occur.
He characterized the protection of the waterway as a “gift from the United States of America to China” and other nations dependent on the route.
The Strait of Hormuz has been largely closed since the conflict began, disrupting global energy markets and particularly affecting Asian economies such as China that rely heavily on oil and natural gas transported through the passage.
Earlier Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that any Arab or European country that expels Israeli and American ambassadors would be granted unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz starting Tuesday.
Speaking earlier to Republican lawmakers, Trump said the United States had already made “major strides” in the conflict and suggested the military operation could be close to completion. According to Trump, US forces have struck more than 5,000 targets since the war began, though some major targets are being held in reserve if further action becomes necessary.
Trump also said he may temporarily waive certain oil-related sanctions to help reduce rising global energy prices, arguing that the conflict could ultimately lower oil prices in the long term.
The president defended the initial strikes on Iran, claiming that Tehran was preparing to dominate the Middle East if the US and Israel had not acted first.
