Trump Mulls 'Winding Down' Iran War, Says Other Nations Will Have To Guard Strait Of Hormuz

<p>US President Donald Trump said Washington is "very close" to the completion of its military objectives against Iran, signalling a potential wind-down of US operations in the Middle East. He also urged other nations "who use the Strait of Hormuz" to take the responsibility of guarding it.&nbsp;</p> <p>In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump outlined what he described as key achievements of the US campaign targeting what he called Iran&rsquo;s &ldquo;terrorist regime.&rdquo; These include the degradation of Iran&rsquo;s missile capabilities, the dismantling of its defence industrial base, and the elimination of its naval and air power, including anti-aircraft systems.</p> <p>&nbsp;&ldquo;We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,&rdquo; he wrote.</p> <p>Trump also emphasised the protection of US allies in the region. &ldquo;Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others,&rdquo; he added.</p> <p>The US President also reiterated Washington&rsquo;s longstanding position of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, stating that the United States would remain prepared to respond &ldquo;quickly and powerfully&rdquo; to any such threat.</p> <h3>Other Nations Will Have To Guard Hormuz</h3> <p>On the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, Trump said responsibility for security should shift to other nations that rely on the passage for energy supplies.</p> <p>&ldquo;The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other nations who use it &mdash; The United States does not!&rdquo; he said.</p> <p>While the United States could assist if requested, he suggested such involvement may not be necessary once Iran&rsquo;s threat is neutralised.</p> <p>&ldquo;If asked, we will help these countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be necessary once Iran&rsquo;s threat is eradicated," he added.</p> <p>The remarks come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and ongoing military engagements involving US forces and Iranian-linked targets. Iran has not yet issued an official response to Trump&rsquo;s latest statements.</p>

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/trump-mulls-winding-down-us-operations-in-iran-war-says-strait-of-hormuz-to-be-policed-by-nations-who-use-it-1832212