US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran would eventually surrender to American pressure, although he acknowledged uncertainty over whether Tehran was ready to concede after seven months of war.
“I don’t know if they are going to give up yet but they’ll give up,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran was doing “very poorly” in the conflict.
His remarks came as Washington continued its economic and military pressure on Tehran, with a US naval blockade severely restricting Iranian oil exports, a crucial source of government revenue.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly last week that his country would never surrender to US pressure, underscoring the differences between Washington and Tehran over how to end the conflict.
The war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory Iranian strikes against Israel and Gulf countries hosting American military bases.
The conflict has also severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handled about one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war.
Rising energy prices have become an increasingly significant issue for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the November US midterm elections.
Trump has repeatedly shifted his stated objectives and timelines for the war, while diplomatic efforts to secure an agreement have yet to produce a breakthrough.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli military operations in Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, deepening the humanitarian consequences of the regional conflict.
