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 said on Sunday that the US had won in Iran and that it was just a matter of closing it out now.
Trump stated that Iran was collapsing financially and militarily, claiming the nation faced 301% inflation this year and noting the US had three aircraft carriers in the region. He warned that his final decision on possible strikes depends on whether Iran signs a very strong agreement, adding that the US had 38 bridges in sight that could be knocked down in an hour.
While Trump claimed the US had suffered no fatalities, the Pentagon’s official count puts the death toll at 23 service members killed since the war began in late February. Explosions were reported on Sunday evening in Mahshahr, Qeshm, Sirik and Bandar Abbas, with Iran’s Tasnim news agency confirming a US projectile struck Qeshm Island.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported no progress in talks, describing Iran’s demands as unacceptable, overblown, ridiculous and really unrealistic. Rubio stated that steps taken so far had not been very constructive and that US actions in the Strait of Hormuz were defensive.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected Rubio’s characterisation, stating that Washington must end sanctions, the naval blockade and the war on all fronts before negotiations could begin. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Democratic victory in the US midterm elections had paused the mediation process, adding that the US must choose between accepting Iran’s conditions or resuming the war.
Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗