Trump: Iran ceasefire was a ‘waste of time,’ Iran was 2 weeks from getting nukes

President warns Iranian missiles could threaten American cities, boasts of US military victories and predicts conflict will end soon.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump defended the war against Iran on Monday, saying military action was necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and threatening American cities, while dismissing an earlier ceasefire as a waste of time.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Corinth, Mississippi, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Trump said Iran’s decades of hostility toward the United States justified the military campaign and insisted Washington had little choice but to confront the Islamic Republic.

“We didn’t start the war with Iran. Iran started the war with us,” Trump declared, referring to Iranian actions dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump accused Iran of responsibility for the deaths of American military personnel over several decades, particularly through its support for armed groups and the provision of roadside bombs used against US troops in Iraq.

The president singled out former Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, accusing him of directing attacks that killed and wounded American soldiers.

Trump also acknowledged Iran’s military capabilities while boasting about the damage inflicted by American forces.

“Iranians make great weapons. They are very smart people, but we beat the s–t out of them,” he said.

The president said Tehran had been on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons when the US and Israel launched their military campaign on February 28.

“They were two weeks away from having a nuclear missile,” Trump asserted.

He said the American strikes had devastated Iran’s nuclear facilities, pointing to the use of B-2 stealth bombers against heavily fortified underground sites.

Trump maintained that the military campaign had to continue until Washington could ensure Iran would never obtain nuclear weapons.

He also warned that Iranian missile development posed a growing threat beyond the Middle East, claiming Tehran had acquired missiles capable of reaching Europe and could eventually threaten the American mainland.

“They’d hit San Diego. They’d hit Los Angeles,” he warned.

Trump said military action was necessary before Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, which he argued would have made confronting Tehran considerably more difficult.

He also claimed American strikes had virtually destroyed Iran’s naval and air capabilities, asserting that 159 Iranian vessels had been sunk and 268 fighter aircraft destroyed.

According to Trump, Iranian forces were attempting to rebuild their damaged military infrastructure, including radar installations and drone production facilities, whenever American attacks paused.

The president reserved particularly sharp criticism for the ceasefire arrangements reached earlier in the conflict, saying he had opposed the temporary cessation of hostilities from the outset.

“We did a little ceasefire, which I never liked very much,” he said.

Trump described the arrangement as “sort of a waste of time,” suggesting that he had accepted it despite his reservations because of advice from officials involved in managing the conflict.

The comments marked a departure from his earlier public praise for diplomatic efforts.

In April, Trump had welcomed a temporary arrangement intended to ease the confrontation, describing it as a “big day for world peace” and raising the possibility of a new era of regional stability.

The June interim agreement, brokered with assistance from Pakistan and Qatar, was intended to facilitate negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and reopen maritime trade routes, but failed to produce a lasting settlement.

Trump also praised the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, claiming it had effectively prevented Tehran from exporting oil while allowing other countries to continue shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have the greatest blockade probably in naval history,” he said.

The president claimed Iranian shipping had been almost completely halted, with exceptions permitted during the temporary ceasefire.

He said Washington now had “total control” over the situation and predicted that the confrontation would end in the near future.

Trump also addressed the economic consequences of the war, acknowledging that he had anticipated substantial increases in oil prices when he authorized the initial attacks.

“I thought the price of oil was going to go much, much higher,” he said, adding that he had been prepared to accept the economic consequences because of the perceived danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program.

“The price of oil is lower than it was,” he asserted.

The president predicted that the conflict would soon conclude without Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The remarks followed several days of renewed speculation about possible American military action against Tehran.

Asked by reporters on Saturday whether he was preparing additional strikes, Trump declined to disclose his intentions, while acknowledging that military action remained under consideration alongside diplomatic negotiations.

On Sunday, he ruled out an American strike that day.

In a separate interview during a campaign stop in Michigan, Trump stressed that securing a lasting agreement preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was more important than ending the confrontation immediately.

“I’m going to make a great deal. I’m a longterm person; I’m not a short term person,” he said.

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