US President Donald Trump predicted on Monday that the war in the Middle East could end soon, as Iran’s hardliners staged a show of loyalty to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a sign they are not ready to back down anytime soon.
Conflicting signals sent markets on a rollercoaster, with oil prices rising and stock markets nosediving after Trump’s comments and reports of possible easing of sanctions on Russian energy before swinging in the other direction.
Khamenei, 56, a Shiite cleric who wields power between security forces and his vast business empire, has called for Iran’s unconditional surrender, which Trump has declared unacceptable.
Trump said the war would continue until Iran was “totally and decisively defeated” but predicted it would end soon.
“It’s going to be over pretty quickly,” he told Republican lawmakers. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.”
However, Trump did not exactly define what victory in war would look like.
He later told a separate press conference that the war would end “very soon” but denied suggestions it could end this week.
Trump added that he was “disappointed” in the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader.
“We think this could lead to a similar problem for the country,” he said.
Iranian state media showed large crowds rallying behind the new leader in several cities, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of the supreme leader’s father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed by an Israeli strike on the first day of the war.
In Isfahan, worshipers gathered in historic Imam Square, chanting “God is great” beneath a stage with portraits of Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei, as nearby explosions from apparent airstrikes sounded, state TV reported.
In a further sign of defiance, Iran’s military said it would increase its missile strikes.
The political system rallies behind the new leader
Politicians and institutions pledged allegiance to the new supreme leader, whose wife, son and mother also died in the start of the US-Israeli airstrikes, according to Iranian state media.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
“We will obey the Commander-in-Chief till the last drop of our blood,” a Defense Council statement said.
Iranians reached by telephone were divided, with supporters of the authorities hailing the choice as a declaration of defiance and opponents fearing it would undermine the promise of change.
“I am very happy that he is our new leader. It is a slap in the face to our enemies who thought the system would collapse with the killing of his father. The path of our late leader will continue,” said Zahra Mirbagheri, 21, a university student in Tehran.
Many Iranians initially celebrated the death of the elder Khamenei, weeks after his security forces killed thousands of anti-government protesters in the worst civil unrest since Iran’s 1979 revolution era. But there has been no sign of anti-government activity, with activists fearing to take to the streets while Iran is under attack.
“The (elite revolutionary) guards and the system are still powerful. They have tens of thousands of troops to fight to keep this regime in place. We, the people, have nothing,” said Babak, 34, in the central city of Arak, who asked not to be named after his family.
Israel says its war aims to overthrow Iran’s system of clerical rule. US officials have mainly said Washington’s goal is to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear program, but Trump has said the war will end only with the Iranian government.
Israel has said it will kill the elder Khamenei’s successor unless Iran ends its hostile policies.
Oil surges, then dips back
The war has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to stop pumping as storage fills.
Brent crude futures jumped nearly 7% to settle at the highest price since 2022 after rising 29% in the session as Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members cut supply. But prices fell in post-colonial trade.
The price of gasoline has particular political resonance in the United States, where voters cite rising costs as a major concern ahead of the November midterm elections, as Trump’s Republicans try to retain control of Congress.
Speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said the United States would waive some oil-related sanctions to reduce the deficit. According to multiple sources, that means further easing of sanctions on Russian oil, which could complicate efforts to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine.
Other options include releasing oil from strategic reserves or restricting US exports, sources said.
Tehran choked on black smoke after an oil refinery was hit, as strikes on Iran’s domestic energy supplies escalated. Tedros Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, warned of the risk of fires contaminating food, water and air.
Turkey said on Monday NATO air defense forces shot down a ballistic missile fired from Iran and entered Turkish airspace, the second incident of the war. Iran did not immediately comment on the report.
Iran’s neighbor Turkey, with NATO’s second-largest army, warned Tehran on Saturday not to strike again, but it has not indicated it wants to formally call on bloc members for more protection.
Israel’s military said it launched fresh strikes in central Iran and hit the Lebanese capital Beirut, where Israel has expanded its operations after Iran-backed militia Hezbollah opened fire across the border.
According to Iran’s UN ambassador, US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more. Lebanon reported that more than 400 people were killed, with nearly 700,000 people fleeing their homes.
In Israel, ambulance workers said a man died of shrapnel wounds at a construction site near Tel Aviv’s international airport, raising the death toll from Iranian strikes to 11.
(tags to translate)Iran(T)Donald Trump(T)Middle East Conflict(T)US News(T)World
