Trump predicts US will achieve "total victory" over Iran within two weeks
Washington, DC, June 9
US President Donald Trump has asserted that the United States will achieve "total victory" over Iran within the next fortnight, expressing immense confidence that a fresh nuclear deal is well within reach, according to a CNN report.
This optimistic projection came just as Iran and Israel stepped back from a volatile weekend escalation of retaliatory military strikes.
The US President voiced these claims during a campaign tele-rally, which is a virtual phone event designed to address large groups of supporters remotely. Trump utilised the political platform to generate momentum for Senator Lindsey Graham, who is currently facing a competitive challenge in an upcoming Republican primary election.
Maintaining that backroom diplomacy with Tehran was yielding significant results, Trump detailed the willingness of the other side to capitulate to Washington's key strategic demands.
"We're negotiating now, and they want to make a very good deal. They're willing to give us everything, they're willing to give us no nuclear weapon," Trump said.
Linking the successful resolution of the geopolitical stand-off to domestic economic relief, the US President predicted an imminent breakthrough that would reshape global energy markets.
"I think we are winning that battle, but you're really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It'll be a total victory. It'll happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down," he added.
These confident declarations coincided with a visible de-escalation between regional rivals Iran and Israel, who appeared to halt a sudden flurry of cross-border missile barrages that had erupted over the weekend.
Stepping back from the brink of an all-out war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv had terminated its military strikes against Iranian targets. Netanyahu, however, stopped short of officially endorsing the formal ceasefire that Trump asserted both factions were actively pursuing.
Concurrently, Tehran implemented a matching suspension of its military operations directed at Israel. The Iranian leadership, however, appended a stern caveat, warning that its forces would instantly restart offensive manoeuvres if Israeli forces persisted with air raids across southern Lebanon.
Despite the highly volatile security matrix, Iranian diplomatic channels indicated a clear openness to continuing direct engagements with Washington.
A senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran had "no problem" moving forward with peace talks, provided it was confident the US side was acting in good and sincere faith.
However, scepticism regarding the actual timeline of these diplomatic breakthroughs was raised during a subsequent media appearance by the US President on NBC's Meet the Press. Trump was pressed on why Tehran had still not signed a formal agreement if the regime was in as precarious an economic and strategic position as the White House claimed.
Defending the pace of the ongoing negotiations, Trump attributed the delay to national pride rather than a lack of intent.
"Because they're strong. They're proud. There are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do. They've got no choice. And it takes a little while," Trump said.
The current situation mirrors previous instances where the US President has deployed a strict fortnight deadline to benchmark diplomatic progress in the region. The preceding ceasefire, which was officially declared on April 7, was similarly introduced by the administration as a designated two-week window to permanently finalise a comprehensive treaty ending the hostilities.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, as an Indian watching this from afar, I feel like Trump is just trying to create a distraction from domestic issues. He keeps promising "total victory" but we've seen this movie before. And if oil prices really do tumble, that would be great for our economy. But I'm not holding my breath.
"They're proud" - Trump gets it. Iranians have thousands of years of civilization, they're not going to bow down just because someone in Washington says so. But it's good that cooler heads are prevailing. Meanwhile, we in India are just trying to figure out how this affects our fuel prices. 😅
I'm an American living in Mumbai. Can confirm most of us back home roll our eyes at these "two week" predictions. But honestly, if Iran and Israel are actually stepping back from the brink, that's a win for everyone. Just hope India's diplomatic channels stay open with all parties.
The US has been saying "two weeks" since April 7! At this rate, they'll have a new deadline every month. India should be cautious - we have huge investments in Chabahar port and close ties with both Iran and Israel. We need to ensure this doesn't become a proxy conflict that affects our interests.
Trump is a master of creating drama to stay in headlines. "Total victory" is his version of telling voters what they want to hear. But funny how he kept calling the 2015 Iran deal "the worst deal ever" - now he's negotiating something similar. As an Indian with family in the Gulf, I just
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.