President Trump dismissed the prospect of a ceasefire with Iran, saying that the U.S. has won the war and has the upper hand over Tehran.
“Well, look, we can have dialogue, but you know, I don’t want to do a ceasefire,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House Friday as he departed for Florida.
“You don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side. They don’t have a Navy. They don’t have an Air Force. They don’t have any equipment. They don’t have any spotters. They don’t have anti-aircraft. They don’t have radar, and their leaders have all been killed at every level.”
“We’re not looking to do that,” he said of a possible ceasefire.
The U.S. had engaged in diplomatic talks with Iran ahead of the war. In recent months, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, tried but failed to reach a resolution with Tehran about ending its missile development and nuclear weapons program.
Mr. Trump also said that a ceasefire isn’t necessary because the U.S. has essentially won the war in Iran.
“I think we’ve won,” he said. “We knocked out their navy, their Air Force, we knocked out their anti-aircraft. We’ve knocked out everything.”
The president said the U.S. military is “roaming free” in the region, but acknowledged that Iran is still “clogging up” the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway where 20% of the world’s oil is shipped.
“From a military standpoint, they’re finished,” Mr. Trump said.
The president insisted that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are on the same page when it comes to ending the war.
“The relationship is a very good one, I think so. We want more or less similar things,” he said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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