Iran war could ‘wrap up soon,’ allies not eager to secure Hormuz: Trump

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran could “wrap up soon,” claiming that, without Washington’s intervention to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, it would’ve “taken over the Middle East.” He also criticized allies for their lack of enthusiasm in securing the Strait of Hormuz, lamenting they were not “eager to help” reopen the vital oil route.

Trump slammed the Iranian leadership as “violent, vicious people,” claiming that “if they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it… and they would blow up the entire Middle East, not just Israel.”

He argued that Iran’s actions reflect its ambition to “take over the Middle East” and insisted that had he not withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear deal - officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - during his first term, Tehran would “have had a nuclear weapon three years ago.”

Referring to US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war in June, Trump claimed that had he not directed the attacks, Iran “would’ve had a nuclear weapon within one month… they would have used it first on Israel, then the Middle East.”

The US and Israel on February 28 launched a joint campaign against Iran, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcing in its latest tally on Tuesday that the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, had targeted more than 7,000 sites across Iran since its start with the stated aim of dismantling Iran’s security structure.

Trump remarked on Monday that “in two weeks, we have decimated them. They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft weapons, they have no leadership.”

During the first day of the aerial campaign, a strike in Tehran killed longtime Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (1939 - 2026). Iran’s Assembly of Experts later named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor, though Trump suggested that “the son may also be gone,” implying he might have been killed. He further predicted that Iran would be “wrapped up soon” but did not provide a timeline.

In response to the US-Israeli campaign, Iran earlier this month said it launched more than 2,000 drones and over 600 missiles targeting US and Israeli positions in the region, especially in Gulf Arab states, as part of its multi-front response, titled Operation True Promise 4.

Tehran has also tightened its grip on the vital Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing it to commercial traffic. Early in the conflict, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait a restricted war zone, warning it would “set ablaze” any ship attempting passage. The strait handles roughly 20 percent of global seaborne oil trade, and its closure has caused regional oil disruptions, driving global prices up 40 to 50 percent.

Trump on Monday reiterated his call on US allies to help secure the strait, criticizing their lack of support. “They should be helping us. What does surprise me is that they are not eager to help.”

Earlier in the day, European foreign ministers had discussed the Iran war in Brussels, but showed “no appetite” to help reopen Hormuz.

During a press conference she held following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in the Belgian capital, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief was asked specifically about the possibility of extending the mandate of Operation Aspides - an EU naval mission launched in early 2024 to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait - to the Strait of Hormuz.

"The shipping in the region - this is not Europe's war,” Kallas said, noting that discussions on whether EU states were extending Operation Aspides to cover Hormuz, saw “no appetite from the member states to do that. As I said, nobody wants to go actively in this war."

Kallas’ remarks came as European countries had also ruled out sending warships to the key waterway, despite US President Trump’s warning that NATO would face “a very bad future” if these states do not step up to reopen it.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the war on Iran “was never a joint decision,” adding that “that is why the question of how Germany might contribute militarily does not arise. We will not do so,” Merz said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom would not be “drawn into the wider war” but was working on “a viable plan.” He further added, “Ultimately, we have to reopen the strait of Hormuz to ensure stability in the [oil] market. That is not a simple task,” noting that such an effort has to be agreed on by “as many partners as possible.”

For his part, Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, on the same day urged diplomacy, questioning whether EU member states would extend their maritime efforts in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Hormuz, “since they are anti-piracy and defensive missions,” Tajani said.