WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday (Mar 26) that the Iran war was “extremely” ahead of schedule, as he pushed Tehran to make a deal at his first cabinet meeting since the conflict began nearly a month ago.
As Tehran publicly rebuffed negotiations, Trump again cited the original timeframe of four to six weeks that he gave early on in the joint US-Israeli military offensive.
“They’re lousy fighters, but they’re great negotiators, and they are begging to work out a deal,” Trump said at the White House alongside top officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
“We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. Twenty-six days in we’re extremely, really, a lot ahead of schedule,” added Trump.
“The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated.”
Trump has been saying for days that Iran wants to make a deal, amid growing signs he is seeking a quick end to the conflict. Iran, however, says there are no direct negotiations.
The US leader also launched a fresh attack on NATO allies after they rejected his appeals to send naval assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the oil chokepoint Iran has effectively closed in response to the US-Israeli attacks.
“I’ll say it publicly. We’re very disappointed with NATO, because NATO has done absolutely nothing,” Trump said.
He particularly lambasted Britain, saying it had offered to send aircraft carriers too late and describing the UK ships as “toys” compared to their US equivalents.
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