Trump says war with Iran could be over soon, warns NATO exit

Speaking a few hours before giving a speech to the nation on April 1st, Trump told Reuters news agency that “will be finished very soon, when asked when the US would appreciate the end of the war.

Although he said that “cannot say exactly” when the war ends, he argued that one of the main goals has already been achieved, as US military actions have ruined Iran's nuclear capacity.

They won't have nuclear weapons because now they're incapable of it, and then I'll leave and I'll take everyone with me”, he said. “And, if necessary, we'll be back for a quick hit”.

Trump also said on social networks that Iran had sought ceasefire, but he would not consider his request unless Tehran opens Hormuz's Strait, which is a vital route to transporting fuel.

In a post on his Social Truth platform, Trump said that “the president of Iran's new regime has just asked THE United States of America! ”

We will examine it when the Hormuz Strait is open, free and clean”, he added. Until then, we're hitting Iran to extinction or, as they say, back to the Stone Age! ”

Iran has denied Trump's claims, state television reported, citing the foreign ministry.

The Trump Declarations for an Iran truce request are false and groundless”, spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei was quoted as saying.

Trump also told Reuters that in his April 1st speech, he would say he is considering the US withdrawal from NATO, due to the lack of support of the alliance for American goals in Iran.

His comments reflected earlier statements in an interview for Telegraph, where he called the military alliance “player from paper” and said that NATO exit “is being reviewed”.

The interview was published hours after State Secretary Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would have to review the value of NATO and that alliance for our country”.

Trump and other American officials have often questioned the value of the alliance if the US cannot freely use bases in allied countries to protect its interests.

The media reported this week that Spain and Italy both NATO members had refused to allow American military planes to use their air bases for operations in Iran.

The US administration has also criticised NATO members' reluctance to send warships to break up the Iranian blockade of the Hormuz Strait, an important water route used for transporting about 20% of oil and gas to the world.

Some European allies have refused to get directly involved in the US-Israel War against Iran, where daily air strikes were carried out on the Middle East country. Tehran has responded by launching missiles and fearing targets in the region, increasing fears of a wider escalation of the conflict.

Some of NATO's key members reacted sharply to Trump's comments, defending the alliance and its actions.

When asked about Trump's interview, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “first, NATO is the most effective military alliance the world has ever seen and has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully devoted to it”.

Second “, despite pressure on me and others, despite noise, I will act on British national interest in any decision I make... And that's why I've been very clear that this isn't our war and we're not going to sink into this”.

A German Government spokesman also reaffirmed Berlin's commitment to the alliance, while Alice Rufo declared at a conference April 1st that NATO is <x0th) a military alliance focused on the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not designed to perform operations on the Strait of Hormuz, which would be a violation of international law”.

The possibilities for an agreement to end the war, which began on February 28th, have increased in recent days.

Iranian President Masud Pnezkian said on March 31st that his country has the “necessary willpower to end the conflict with the US and Israel, depending on conditions as security guarantees.

The United States said last week that it proposed a 15-point plan, which includes dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities, limiting its missile capacities and preventing support for representative forces in the region.

Trump said on March 31st that fighting could end within two to three weeks, further boosting optimism that an agreement is reachable.

“There are messages being exchanged, there are talks being held. There's a possibility of a direct meeting”, Ruby told Fox News. / REL