Trump holds phone call with Putin to discuss ‘quick’ ending to Iran war

US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that American military objectives in Iran were nearly complete and the conflict could be nearing an end - a declaration met with a defiant vow from Tehran that the war would end on its own terms.

Speaking at a news conference in Florida on the same day he discussed the war in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump claimed the US was “achieving major strides towards completing our military objective”, adding that “some people could say they’re pretty well complete”.

In an apparent response to Trump’s remarks, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Tuesday: “It is we who will determine the end of the war”.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News: “We are well prepared to continue attacking them with our missiles as long as needed and as long as it takes”, while Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani brushed off Trump’s threats to hit the Islamic Republic harder if the flow of oil stops through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!” he wrote in a post on X.

Trump said he was committed to keeping safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran that any attempt to block it would result in “incalculable” damage.

The strategic waterway, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, is a crucial artery for global trade and the transport of crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

Speaking about the narrow maritime corridor, Trump said it did not pertain to the US so much as it does to China. “We’re really helping China here and other countries, because they get a lot of their energy from the straits,” he said, adding: “But hey, look, we have a good relationship with China. It’s my honour to do it”.

Trump referenced his “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his coming trip to China at the end of this month.

China has called for restraint and appealed for dialogue to resume since the US-Israel military campaign began, with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi urging his Israeli counterpart to help bring an immediate end to the war last week.

While the US president said the war would be over “very soon”, he was clear that it would not be this week. Trump also said the US would be waiving certain oil sanctions to help lower prices, but did not immediately specify which countries would get relief.

“In some countries, we’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out,” he said, indicating that there could be “so much peace” that they may not have to reimpose them in the future.

His comments came on the same day he discussed the war with Russian leader Putin in a phone call the Kremlin described as “serious and constructive”.

The Russian president called for a “quick political and diplomatic settlement” to the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran, according to Putin’s diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov.

The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine conflict in the call, which Washington had requested, Ushakov said.

Trump, Putin discuss settling Ukraine conflict

“The accent was placed on the situation surrounding the conflict with Iran and the bilateral negotiations under way with the representatives of the United States on settling the Ukrainian question,” he told Russian news agencies.

Ushakov said Washington had requested the call to “discuss a series of extremely important questions linked to the current international situation”, adding that “the conversation was serious and constructive”. Iran is considered a key ally of Russia.

The one-hour call, which Trump described as “very good”, was the first between Putin and the US president since December.

The talks on Monday followed the announcement that Iran has chosen the son of assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the new supreme leader.

At his news conference, Trump expressed disappointment over Mojtaba Khamenei being chosen as Iran’s leader, though he declined to say whether the US would target him for assassination.

“I was disappointed because we think it’s going to lead to more of the same problem for the country, so I was disappointed to see their choice,” Trump said.

In a sign of continuity for Iran’s hardline establishment, the 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric with deep Revolutionary Guard ties was named about a week after his father’s death in US-Israel air strikes.

On Monday, thousands poured into a central square in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and other locations in a show of allegiance to the new supreme leader, waving flags and shouting phrases like “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.

Trump had called Mojtaba an “unacceptable” choice to lead Iran, just days before the decision. “We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump told Axios last Thursday, adding that he thought the late supreme leader’s son was a “lightweight”.

“Even the Great Satan [the US] has mentioned his name,” said Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, a member of the Assembly of Experts, referring to Trump’s remarks.

Trump said earlier on Monday that the war “is very complete” and the US is “very far ahead” of the initial time frame. The US president had previously said he expected the war to last four or five weeks.

“They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” he said during an interview with CBS.

“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

He was more conservative in his later comments, saying they’re “ahead of our initial timeline by a lot” and that “we probably would not have thought after a month we’d be here”.

The president has faced pressure over surging oil prices as the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran entered its 10th day on Monday, climbing past US$100 a barrel. Prices then fell back toward US$90, following Trump’s CBS comments.

Oil prices spike ‘temporary’, says White House

The White House said on Monday that the president is reviewing “all credible options” to control oil prices, insisting the spike is temporary.

“President Trump and his entire energy team have had a strong game plan to keep the energy markets stable well before Operation Epic Fury began, and they will continue to review all credible options,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

Oil prices topped US$118 a barrel over the weekend but pared some gains on Monday as countries considered coordinating a release of emergency stockpiles. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping.

“We don’t have a shortage of oil, we have a transit problem,” said US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in an interview with Fox News about the dramatic increase in oil prices in the last week. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get that oil flowing.”

“Americans should know we are completely well supplied; we do not depend on oil brought through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Burgum.

Referring to surging oil prices, Trump told the New York Post earlier on Monday that he has a “plan for everything”, adding, “you’ll be very happy”.

The US president also told NBC it was “too soon to talk about” seizing Iran’s oil.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST