Trump sends confusing signals on when military operations against Iran will end

Washington — President Donald Trump characterised US military operations in Iran as both a war and a short-term “excursion” on Wednesday, sending mixed signals about when the strikes will conclude.

When questioned by a journalist travelling with him in Ohio about the apparent contradiction, Trump responded: “Yes, both. It is an excursion that will keep us away from war, and war will happen, I mean for them, it is war.”

During remarks to Republican members of the US House of Representatives on Monday, Trump had described the military operation against Iran as a short-term excursion. However, he subsequently pledged to proceed with greater determination than before to achieve absolute victory, and demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender.

Earlier on the same Wednesday, Trump stated that the US-Israel war with Iran would end “soon” because “there is almost nothing left to target,” according to Axios.

US and Israeli officials said they were preparing for strikes in Iran for at least two more weeks, with no internal orders yet issued regarding when operations would be halted.

Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, reported on Tuesday that more than 1,300 civilians had been killed and 9,669 civilian locations destroyed in Iran as a result of US-Israeli strikes since 28 February.