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President Donald Trump says the United States is considering winding down military operations in the Middle East with respect to the war in Iran.
In a Truth Social post on Friday night, Trump said the US is “getting very close” to meeting its war goals.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” he wrote.
He said the objectives entail degrading Iranian missile capability; destroying Iran’s defence industrial base; eliminating their navy and air force; clipping their nuclear power capability; and protecting American Middle Eastern allies, including Israel.
Trump’s comments come as a second marine expeditionary unit of about 2,200 marines and three warships heads toward the Middle East.
The unit departed California earlier this week, CBS News reported, citing two US officials.
The first unit, which is coming from the Pacific, is still making its way toward the region, and the second unit may take a few weeks to be in place.
The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship that had been deployed to Japan, is said to be part of the first group.
It is the most updated of the amphibious warships, known as a “big deck,” which allows more room for F-35 stealth fighter jets, ospreys and other aircraft.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Trump administration was weighing deploying thousands of American troops to bolster its war against Iran in what could be a new phase of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the US president has ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire with Iran.
“I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” Trump told reporters on Friday, before his Truth Social post.
Asked whether Israel will be ready to end the war when he is, Trump replied: “I think so.”
On the other hand, Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said Iran’s enemies are being “defeated”.
