Trump claims US will achieve 'total victory' over Iran

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the United States will declare a ‘total victory’ over Iran within the next two weeks. This statement was made only hours after Iran and Israel agreed to cease the worst escalation of violence since the ceasefire took effect last April.

“We are a very tough team, and I think we are winning that battle, but you are really going to win it in the next two weeks when we declare total victory,” Trump said during a virtual rally for Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Republican ally. He added, “It will be a total victory. It will happen very soon, and oil prices will drop drastically.”

Earlier on Monday, Iran announced a halt to its attacks against Israel. However, Tehran warned it would deliver a “devastating” response should Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue. The Iranian military stated that Israel and its allies “should have learned” from Tehran’s response.

Tensions in the region escalated sharply on Sunday after Israel bombarded the Lebanese capital, Beirut, despite the ceasefire remaining in effect. The attack prompted Iran to launch retaliatory missiles towards northern Israel, which subsequently triggered waves of Israeli airstrikes against several targets within Iran.

Trump intervened in the early hours of Monday by posting a statement on his Truth Social platform, calling for Israel and Iran to immediately cease fighting. On Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a televised speech that fighting with Iran has stopped “for now,” though he warned that Israel would retaliate if it becomes a target of attacks again.