WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/CAIRO, April 1 — US President Donald Trump said the United States could end its military attacks on Iran within two to three weeks, adding that Tehran does not have to agree to a deal for the conflict to wind down.
The remarks highlight shifting and at times contradictory signals from Washington on how the war, now in its fifth week, might end.
“We’ll be leaving very soon,” Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday, saying the withdrawal could take place “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three”.
Asked whether successful diplomacy with Iran was a prerequisite for ending what Washington has dubbed ‘Operation Epic Fury’, Trump said it was not.
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” he said. “No, they don’t have to make a deal with me.”
The White House later said Trump would address the nation at 9 pm on Wednesday (10 am tomorrow in Malaysia) to provide an update on Iran.
Washington had previously threatened to intensify military operations if Tehran did not accept a 15-point US ceasefire framework, which includes demands that Iran commit not to pursue nuclear weapons, halt uranium enrichment and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier yesterday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump remained open to a deal to end the war, which has killed thousands, spread across the region, disrupted energy supplies and threatened the global economy.
Talks are ongoing and gaining momentum, he said, but the US is prepared to continue military action if Iran does not comply.
“We have more and more options, and they have less. In only one month we have set the terms. The coming days will be decisive,” Hegseth said in Washington.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he has received direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but stressed these do not constitute negotiations, according to Qatar’s Al Jazeera.
The messages include threats and exchanged views delivered through intermediaries, he added.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued fresh threats yesterday against US companies operating in the region.
It named 18 firms — including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing — as potential targets from 8 pm Tehran time.
When asked about the threats, Trump said he was unconcerned. “They don’t have much left to threaten,” he said.
Trump also criticised countries that have not supported the US war effort, including Britain.
In a social media post, he urged them to buy energy from the US or show “delayed courage” by securing access through the Strait of Hormuz.
France and Italy have pushed back against some US-Israeli military operations, exposing divisions among NATO allies, sources said.
War continues to rage
The conflict has also reignited hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
At least seven people were killed and 24 injured in two Israeli strikes in the Beirut area today, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The attacks targeted vehicles in the southern outskirts of Beirut and an area just south of the capital.
Israel’s military said it carried out two separate strikes targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and another senior member of the group, but did not identify them or confirm whether they were killed.
Hezbollah has yet to comment on the strikes.
With no signs of de-escalation, Pakistan is seeking to mediate in the conflict.
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan yesterday called for an immediate ceasefire and urged peace talks following a meeting in Beijing.
Despite sustained US and Israeli attacks over the past month, Iran has remained defiant as the conflict draws in neighbouring countries.
Syrian state television reported that explosions heard in Damascus were caused by Israeli air defences intercepting Iranian missiles.
In Iran, a weather station radar and building at the port of Bushehr were put out of service after being hit twice in US-Israeli attacks, a regional official told state media.
The Mobarakeh steel plant in Isfahan was attacked for the second time in a week, while parts of the Sefiddasht Steel Complex in Borujen were also targeted, according to Iranian media reports.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts.
Rising oil and fuel prices are beginning to weigh on US households and pose a political challenge for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.
The US national average price of gasoline surpassed US$4 per gallon on Monday for the first time in more than three years, according to GasBuddy data.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe the US should end its involvement in the Iran conflict quickly, even if it means falling short of the administration’s objectives.
