Trump Trots Out Wildly Contradictory Iran War Claims — And Says He Doesn’t Care If There’s A Peace Deal | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON – America’s NATO allies want to assist open the Strait of Hormuz, but it surely doesn’t matter in the event that they don’t. The struggle towards Iran is already “won,” however 1000’s of floor troops are on the way in which there. If there’s a peace deal quickly, that’s nice, but when there isn’t, that’s nice, too.

Nearing a month into his struggle towards Iran, President Donald Trump continues verbally attacking U.S. allies whereas enriching the purported enemy with billions of {dollars} in sanctions reduction whereas providing no concrete plan to finish the battle.

“They are begging to make a deal, not me. They are begging to make a deal and anybody that saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal,” Trump stated Thursday, including later: “The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit.”

During an hour of monologue and a half-hour question-and-answer session with reporters forward of a Cabinet assembly, Trump but once more supplied wildly contradictory claims a couple of struggle that has killed 13 U.S. service members, significantly injured a whole bunch extra, left 1000’s of Iranians useless and has introduced spiking gasoline costs and a brand new spherical of inflation at dwelling.

As is usually the case with Trump, who’s each a prolific liar in addition to profoundly ignorant, it was inconceivable to understand how a lot of what he stated concerning the struggle was true, how a lot he believed was true however in actuality was not, how a lot was a deliberate lie and the way a lot mirrored an irritation.

Trump was brazenly peeved, for instance, by a Wall Street Journal report revealed Wednesday stating that he was desirous to wrap up the struggle and transfer on. “I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal…. I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care. I want to know ― in fact, we have other targets we want to hit before we leave. We’re hitting them on a daily basis,” he stated.

Trump said that the struggle was over — “We already won” — however then additionally stated that he was nonetheless contemplating seizing Iranian oil and will or might not use the navy to confiscate uranium in Iran’s possession.

Deploying troops would nearly definitely result in the loss of life of extra Americans, as they’d grow to be far simpler targets than U.S. planes and ships have been for the reason that struggle started on Feb. 28. Robert Kagan, a veteran of the Reagan-era State Department and now an analyst on the Brookings Institution, fears that Trump is probably going to make use of the 1000’s of Marines at the moment on their approach there.

“He definitely is going to use ground troops. They wouldn’t be sending them if they didn’t plan to use them,” Kagan stated. “Right now, he’s trying to buy time. Keep markets and oil prices calm. Keep his voters calm. While quietly telling Republicans to get ready to support ground troops. Which they will.”

Trump once more complained that NATO allies weren’t serving to him assault Iran and stated, falsely, that NATO members have by no means helped the United States.

“I said 25 years ago that NATO is a paper tiger, but more importantly, that we’ll come to their rescue, but they will never come to ours,” he stated.

In actuality, the one time the alliance’s mutual protection clause was invoked was after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults. Trump seems to not perceive that the alliance is a defensive one and doesn’t require signatories to help a member that chooses to launch a struggle of aggression, as he has.

And Trump continued to assert that whether or not the Strait of Hormuz, by means of which a fifth of the world’s crude oil usually passes, is open to ship visitors doesn’t matter for Americans as a result of the U.S. is a internet exporter of oil. “We don’t need the Hormuz Strait. We don’t need it. We don’t need it at all. We don’t ― we have so much oil. Our country is not affected by this,” he stated, falsely.

In reality, although, oil is traded on a world market. A discount in provide wherever results in increased prices in all places, as Americans have already seen with gasoline costs greater than $1 a gallon increased than earlier than the struggle began.

Hours later, Trump wrote in a social media publish that he was once more suspending his threatened assault on Iran’s vitality infrastructure, which, if carried out, would seemingly represent a struggle crime.

“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he stated, once more citing so-far nonexistent peace negotiations.

Whether and when a peace settlement will finish the struggle and permit U.S. service members within the area to come back dwelling seems as unclear now because it was when Trump’s assaults began. Trump’s “special envoy” to Iran, his pal and fellow actual property developer Steve Witkoff, on Thursday confirmed that he had offered a 15-point peace plan to Pakistani intermediaries — a plan that Iran rapidly dismissed as unserious.

“I don’t think a deal is coming,” stated John Bolton, certainly one of Trump’s first-term nationwide safety advisers and a longtime proponent of navy intervention in Iran who has nonetheless criticized Trump for missing a coherent plan. “Not clear if there will even be a meeting.”

And within the absence of a fast negotiated finish to the struggle, stated one former nationwide safety council staffer who spoke on situation of anonymity, there are seemingly solely two choices.

“Trump either folds and tries to declare victory, basically another ‘total obliteration,’ or he escalates,” the staffer stated. “The latter is ripe with danger for our forces, and the former may not work if Iran isn’t ready to pull back from the fight.”