Trump says US has ‘won’ Iran war as Rubio reports no progress in talks
US President Donald Trump declared the US has won the war with Iran and that renewed fighting was highly unlikely, as US forces struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made his victory claim during a CBS interview, stating We won in Iran. It's just a matter of closing it out now. The president claimed Iran was collapsing both financially and militarily, citing what he called 301% inflation figures, though Iran's official statistics put inflation at nearly 90% year-on-year in September.
The president highlighted US military strength in the region, noting three aircraft carriers were deployed and that 38 bridges had been identified as potential targets. We have 38 bridges in our sight that we can knock down in literally one hour, Trump said, though he expressed reluctance to destroy infrastructure that would take a decade to rebuild.
Despite Trump's claims of victory, US forces conducted strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions also reported in Mahshahr, Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Iran confirmed the Qeshm strike but attributed other explosions to Iranian security operations in the strait.
Military actions continue
The conflict has seen significant casualties, with the Pentagon's official count putting the US death toll at 23 service members since the war began in late February. Trump, however, claimed we haven't lost anybody. No soldiers. Iran's navy reported an oil tanker struck a naval mine in the strait and caught fire, while the US Central Command accused Iran of using mines against commercial vessels.
CENTCOM announced the creation of a new task force to prevent Iran from transferring weapons via land routes, which Trump described as operating alongside the largest naval blockade in history. The US military has repeatedly accused Iran of threatening maritime security in the strategically vital waterway.
Diplomatic efforts stalled
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported no progress in talks with Iran, describing Iranian demands as overblown, ridiculous and really unrealistic. He stated that steps taken so far had not been very constructive and that while Trump prefers diplomatic solutions, sometimes that's not possible. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected Rubio's characterization, saying pursuing the rights and interests of the Iranian nation was not unreasonable.
Washington must end sanctions, the naval blockade and the war on all fronts before any negotiations could begin, and that Iran's two-day proposal to restore security to the strait remained on the table.
Political impact
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attributed the pause in mediation to the US midterm elections, noting intermediaries had not traveled for several days while the political situation settled. He wrote on social media that the US must now choose between accepting Iran's conditions or resuming the war.
Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into Forever Wars, Araghchi said. They had enough. So has our region. Meanwhile, Trump spoke with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about reducing regional tensions and scheduled a White House meeting with Qatar's prime minister.
Trump told CBS that Iran was close to reaching an agreement but that the midterm result had given Tehran some hope. He reiterated that he was not looking to intensify the war and revealed the US had an undisclosed Iranian underground facility under surveillance that could be struck within an hour if needed.
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