US President Donald Trump has declared that the war with Iran will end soon, asserting in an interview aired on 4 September that American forces have crippled Tehran's military capabilities, are actively monitoring its nuclear sites, and now control the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Trump made the remarks to British broadcaster GB News, in conversation with interviewer Bev Turner.

Trump's Claims on the Nuclear Programme

Trump stated that the United States entered the conflict specifically to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He claimed Iran had been between two and four weeks away from obtaining one before American forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites, which he described as 'obliterated.' He added that nuclear material at those locations is now buried beneath 'millions of tons of mountain' and would be extremely difficult to recover.

'As soon as we win, which will not be long,' Trump said when asked about public support for the conflict. 'We've already won because they can't have a nuclear weapon.' He argued that even if the US were to withdraw today, it would take Iran 25 years to rebuild its nuclear programme — though he added, 'We're not going to do that.'

Washington is reportedly using its space-based surveillance capabilities to monitor the struck sites as well as a location Trump identified as Pickax Mountain. 'We know everybody that walks in and walks out,' he said. 'You can literally from space read their name tag.'

Military Operations and the Strait of Hormuz

Trump claimed the US has effectively dismantled Iran's navy and air force and has recently struck its radar installations. He said American forces are 'taking out 30, 40 boats a night' in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints for global energy supplies. He also criticised NATO allies, including Britain, for not contributing to operations there despite their dependence on oil transiting the waterway.

Economic Pressure on Iran

Trump claimed Iran's economy is collapsing under the weight of the conflict, suggesting inflation could be as high as 300 per cent. The President, however, offered no supporting evidence for that figure during the interview. He also alleged that 75,000 Iranian protesters have been killed by security forces attempting to suppress internal dissent, saying, 'They tried to rise but when you have somebody with a machine gun or snipers all over the place shooting the people, it's very hard to rise up.' These figures could not be independently verified.

Warning to Europe and Domestic Justification

Trump issued a pointed warning to European nations, arguing that an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose a more immediate danger to the continent than to the United States. 'I'm saving your country from the threat, too, because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, they're more likely to use it in Europe, where they do have missile capability than they are to America, where they don't,' he told Turner.

Defending the conflict to American voters, Trump drew a parallel with what he described as a successful prior operation. 'I did the right thing,' he said. 'And I think the American people, you know, they were very much against my going into Venezuela, then I went in and won and now everybody's saying what a great deal it was.' How the conflict's stated objectives translate into a formal end-state — and on what timeline — remains to be seen.