Trump on new Iranian leaders: ‘Let’s see what happens to them’

President Trump on Wednesday said the Iran war is turning out to be “easier than we thought.”

“I would say, to put it mildly, way ahead of schedule,” Mr. Trump said during a tour of Thermo Fisher Scientific, a life science and clinical research company in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“We’ve knocked out just about everything there is, including their leadership. Now they have a new group coming up,” he said. “Let’s see what happens to them.”

The president repeated his assertion that the attacks on Iran amount to an “excursion.” He also promised that oil prices would come back down.

He toured Thermo Fisher Scientific with company Chairman and CEO Marc Casper and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, as the president touts his plan to rejuvenate American manufacturing and jobs.

Still, the Iran war has thrown a curveball into the economy.

Wall Street and oil prices have been on a roller-coaster ride since the U.S. and Israel launched the military operation against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated by striking oil-rich Gulf states and clamping down on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for 20% of the world’s oil shipments.

Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel earlier in the week before easing below $90 when Mr. Trump said the war would end soon and developed countries worked to tap oil stockpiles.

Oil prices, Mr. Trump said in Ohio, are “gonna come down more than anyone understands.

The national average price for a gallon of gas has risen to $3.58, up from below $3 a month ago.

Democrats are trying to make it a political liability for Mr. Trump.

“Americans are tired of this president putting his own ego first, while he jeopardizes American lives abroad and leaves working families here at home to fend for themselves,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said.

The International Energy Agency said Wednesday that member countries will release 400 million barrels of oil to alleviate price pressures from the war in Iran.

IEA Fatih Birol said shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have “all but stopped,” and Middle East oil refineries have been caught in the crossfire of the conflict.

It is unclear if the stockpile release will be able to make up for the 20 million barrels that travel the strait each day.

“To be clear, the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr. Birol said.

New challenges are appearing in the waterway, including reports that projectiles hit three vessels near the strait on Wednesday.

Asked if ships should still use the waterway, Mr. Trump said: “I think they should.”

“I think they should use it,” Mr. Trump said as he left the White House for Kentucky and Ohio. “We took out just about all of [Iran’s] mine ships in one night.”