President Donald Trump on Friday evening suggested the United States is considering “winding down” its military operation in the Middle East, even as his administration authorized the deployment of additional troops and warships to the region and prepared to request billions of dollars in supplemental funding from Congress.
The President’s statement, delivered via social media, came after another surge in oil prices contributed to a sharp decline in the US stock market. “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
The administration’s messaging regarding the strategic Strait of Hormuz remained unclear. Earlier in the week, Trump stated the US did not require assistance, while simultaneously expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of support from other nations. He as well outlined a fifth objective for the ongoing military operation, adding to the previously stated goals of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, halting its support for proxy groups, destroying its navy, and dismantling its ballistic missile capabilities. The new objective, according to Trump, is “Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies,” specifically naming Gulf partner nations.
This came as Iran issued threats to target recreational and tourist sites globally and reaffirmed its continued development of missile technology. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei delivered a defiant statement, nearly three weeks into US-Israeli military actions that have resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian leaders and significant damage to its weapons and energy infrastructure.
The US is deploying three additional warships, including the USS Boxer, and approximately 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, according to a US official. Later Friday, President Trump told reporters that Iran was “finished… from a military standpoint.”
In a move aimed at mitigating soaring oil prices, the Trump administration announced it would temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian oil currently stranded at sea, granting a one-month license effective immediately, expiring on April 19.
Iran responded to the ongoing military pressure with retaliatory strikes against Israel and energy facilities in neighboring Gulf Arab states, coinciding with one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. Simultaneously, Iranians were observing Nowruz, the Persian New Year, a traditionally festive occasion marked with greater restraint this year.
Limited information has emerged from Iran regarding the extent of damage sustained to its military, nuclear, or energy infrastructure since the conflict began on February 28. The identity of the individual currently in control of the country also remains unclear. However, Iran has demonstrated its capacity to disrupt oil supplies and destabilize the global economy, leading to increased food and fuel prices worldwide.
The US and Israel have presented evolving justifications for the military action, ranging from hopes of triggering an uprising against Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. No public evidence of such an uprising has emerged, and no clear end to the conflict is in sight.
Ayatollah Khamenei, in a written statement broadcast on Iranian television, asserted that the US and Israeli attacks were predicated on the false belief that eliminating Iranian leaders would lead to the government’s collapse. He praised the Iranian people for forming a “nationwide defensive front” and inflicting a “bewildering blow” that has left the enemy “in contradictions and irrational statements.” Khamenei has not been seen publicly since assuming the role of Supreme Leader following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Israeli strikes at the start of the war. US and Israeli officials suspect the younger Khamenei was wounded in the attack.
General Abolfazl Shekarchi, Iran’s top military spokesman, warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide would not be safe for Tehran’s adversaries, renewing concerns about Iran potentially reverting to attacks beyond the Middle East as a means of exerting pressure.
A US official confirmed the deployment of additional American forces, stating that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships were being dispatched, though their final destinations were not specified. A White House official indicated that President Trump has stated he has “no plans” to deploy troops into Iran but reserves all options.
US and Israeli officials claim that weeks of strikes have severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities. They report the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including the Supreme Leader, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and numerous other military and political leaders. The Israeli military announced on Friday that Esmail Ahmadi, head of intelligence for the Basij, was killed in a recent strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran’s navy had been sunk and its air force decimated, adding that its ability to produce ballistic missiles had been eliminated. However, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard disputed the claim regarding missile production. “We are producing missiles even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling,” said spokesman General Ali Mohammad Naeini, as quoted in the state-run IRAN newspaper. Shortly after the statement was released, Iranian state television reported that Gen. Naeini was killed in an air strike.
NATO has relocated several hundred personnel from Iraq to Europe, confirmed NATO’s top commander, General Alexus Grynkewich. This move followed a series of Iranian attacks on troops stationed at British, French, and Italian bases within the country.
Iran has intensified its attacks on energy sites in Gulf Arab states following an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars offshore natural gas field. Two waves of Iranian drones targeted a Kuwaiti oil refinery on Friday, causing a fire. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported a fire broke out after shrapnel from an intercepted projectile landed on a warehouse, and Saudi Arabia announced it had intercepted multiple drones targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province. Heavy explosions were reported in Dubai as air defenses intercepted incoming fire during Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
In Iran, many observed Nowruz even as Israel reported launching new strikes and explosions were heard over Tehran.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran during the conflict. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have displaced over one million people, according to the Lebanese government, which also reports more than 1,000 deaths. Israel claims to have killed over 500 Hezbollah militants. Fifteen people have been killed in Israel by Iranian missile fire, and four deaths have been reported in the occupied West Bank. At least 13 US military members have been killed.
Iran’s attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf, coupled with its control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz – through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil and other essential goods transit – have raised concerns about a potential global energy crisis. Trump criticized NATO allies for declining his call for assistance in protecting the strait.
US allies have refused to join the military operation, citing a lack of consultation before the US and Israel initiated it. Trump labeled NATO members “cowards” in a social media post, describing the alliance as a “paper tiger.”
Brent crude oil prices have surged during the fighting, reaching around $108 per barrel on Friday, up from approximately $70 per barrel before the conflict began. Surging fuel prices arrive at a time when many world leaders are already struggling to control high prices for food and consumer goods, with Asia being particularly affected due to its reliance on oil and gas transported through the Strait of Hormuz.
British ministers have agreed to allow the US military to utilize UK bases in operations aimed at preventing Iran from attacking additional ships in the strait. Later Friday, the president said as he prepared to leave the White House that Iran “from a military standpoint, they’re finished” but they’re “clogging up” the Strait of Hormuz. He described keeping the vital shipping lane open as a “simple military manoeuvre” but stated it requires assistance, specifically “ships” and “volume.” He added that it would be “nice” if countries reliant on the strait would contribute to its security.
When questioned about potential US military targeting of Kharg Island in the Gulf, a vital hub for Iran’s oil network, Trump responded, “I may have a plan, I may not,” declining to elaborate.
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