"We will leave Iran very soon." Trump announced the end of the war regardless of whether there is a deal with Iran

Photo: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Just two days ago, Trump claimed that progress had been made in negotiations with Iran and threatened a devastating strike in case of their failure, writes the BBC.

Trump's new statements only underscore how contradictory and sometimes ambiguous Washington's remarks can be about how the war, now in its fifth week, might end, Reuters comments.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that on Wednesday at 9:00 PM Washington time, the US President would provide an update on Iran in an address to the nation.

"We will be leaving very soon," Trump told reporters on Tuesday. According to him, this could happen "within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three."

Asked if successful diplomacy was a prerequisite for the US ending Operation "Epic Fury," Trump responded negatively.

"Iran doesn't have to make a deal, no," he said. "No, they don't have to make a deal with me."

According to Trump, the United States has achieved the goals set before the start of airstrikes on Iran in late February – limiting Iran's ability to acquire nuclear weapons, and now the US is "finishing the job." He also said that the Iranian authorities are "asking for a deal."

Tehran categorically denies holding negotiations. Iranian authorities state that contacts with the US have been limited to the transmission of messages from Washington through regional intermediaries, including Pakistan.

Over the past few days, the US has been deploying rapid response forces to the Persian Gulf region. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is already there, with the 11th MEU and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division heading to the region.

On March 26, Trump stated that he had postponed strikes on Iran's energy sector for 10 days, meaning until April 6. On March 30, the American president claimed that progress had been made in negotiations with Iran and threatened a devastating strike in case of their failure.

"Significant progress has been made, but if for any reason a deal is not reached in the near future, which is likely to happen, and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately 'open for business,' we will conclude our wonderful 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all their power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island (and perhaps all desalination plants!), which we have intentionally not yet 'touched'," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, expanding on Trump's statements, told reporters at a briefing that the president is ready to make a deal with Iran to end the war, which has claimed thousands of lives, spread throughout the Middle East, disrupted global energy supplies, and threatens to collapse the world economy.

Negotiations are "very real, active, and gaining momentum," Hegseth said, however, the US is prepared to continue the war with "even greater intensity" if Iran does not meet American conditions.

Like Trump, the Pentagon chief also states that a regime change has occurred in the country, and the new Iranian leadership must be "smarter than the previous one." "We have more and more options, and they have fewer," Hegseth asserts. "The coming days will be decisive."

On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with a new threat against American companies in the Middle East, threatening to attack offices of Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, Boeing, Hewlett Packard, Dell, and JP Morgan, among others.

"We advise employees of these institutions to immediately evacuate their workplaces to protect their lives," the IRGC statement read. Asked if he was concerned by the threats against these companies, Trump responded negatively. "They have almost nothing left to threaten with," he said.

Tehran continues to rule out the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Although Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed in an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he is receiving messages from US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff. According to him, messages are coming not only through intermediaries but also "directly, as before, but this does not mean we are negotiating."

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