Trump says he’s considering ‘winding down’ Iran war
Washington—President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering “winding down” military operations against Iran, as the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis.
The United States, however, is sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the region.
Trump’s post Friday on social media followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational and tourist sites worldwide and another day of the airstrikes and drone and missile attacks that have engulfed the region.
The mixed messages from the United States came after another climb in oil prices plunged the US stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement it was lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.
The three-week-old war has shown no signs of abating, with Israel saying Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations.
The attacks came a day after Israeli airstrikes hit in Tehran as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that has been muted by the war.
The United Srtates and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. There have been no public signs of any such uprising and no end to the war in sight.
On social media, Trump said, “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.”
That seemed at odds with his administration’s move to bolster its firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund the war.
The United States is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the Middle East, an official told The Associated Press (AP). Two other US officials confirmed that ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and Israel after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei claimed to have dealt a “dizzying blow” to his country’s enemies.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the United States was “getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.”
Temporary lifting
His post was the strongest indication yet that he may be prepared to soon end hostilities that began on Feb. 28.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a post on X shortly after Trump’s message, said “the President and the Pentagon predicted it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve this mission.”
“Tomorrow marks week 3—and the US Armed Forces are doing an exceptional job,” Leavitt continued. “Day by day, the Iranian Regime is being crippled, and their ability to threaten the United States and our allies is being significantly weakened.”
Amid growing concern over oil prices and global supply shortages, the US Treasury said it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels.
The authorization allows for the delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil and other petroleum products loaded onto ships before March 20 and will last through April 19, it said.
“By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas normally flows, and the numerous attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East have sent crude oil prices soaring.
A barrel of North Sea Brent crude was up 3.26 percent on Friday to $112.19.
Attacks on holy sites
On Wall Street, stocks ended sharply lower after oil prices shot up on fears that lengthy supply disruptions would lead to a global economic downturn.Fresh blasts hit Tehran on Friday and Israel accused Iran of attacking holy sites in Jerusalem after a strike left a crater in the Old City near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Saudi Arabia said it “intercepted and destroyed” more than 20 Iranian drones in the east of the kingdom early Saturday, while Israel said a new wave of missiles had been fired from Iran.
Iranian attacks continued meanwhile on energy infrastructure in the Gulf.
On Friday, drone attacks hit Kuwait’s giant Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, causing a fire that was later brought under control, a day after a direct hit on Qatar’s vital Ras Laffan natural gas facility.
