Trump says US may exit Iran war in 2 to 3 weeks, threatens to quit Nato
The declaration was the US president’s clearest so far that he intends to soon end a conflict that has disrupted global energy markets
Global oil supplies are expected to be hit twice as hard this month as in March, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, underlining the urgent need to resolve the conflict over Iran that US President Donald Trump said could end soon.
While Trump signalled he could wind down the war within weeks even without a deal, he also scaled up threats to pull the United States out of the Nato defence alliance if European states did not help stop Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way,” Trump told Britain’s Daily Telegraph, saying he had moved beyond merely reconsidering US membership.
The remarks on the war underscored Washington’s shifting and at times contradictory statements about a conflict that has killed thousands, spread across the region and caused unprecedented energy disruption.
“We’ll be leaving very soon,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, saying the exit could take place “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three”.
Asked if successful diplomacy with Iran was a prerequisite for the US to conclude what it has dubbed “Operation Epic Fury”, Trump said it was not.