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US President Donald Trump has said that military operations against Iran will "be finished pretty quickly"
Speaking to congressional Republicans yesterday, 9 March (10 March local time), Trump said Operation Epic Fury in Iran has been successful and suggested that it could end soon, reported Al Jazeera.
He explained that such a swift end to the conflict is the result of the US military's highly effective and "brilliant" operations, noting that it has wiped out about 80% of Iran's missile launchers, reducing its capabilities to a "trickle", with ongoing efforts to eliminate the remaining launchers.
"The missiles have been largely knocked out… the drones have been knocked out, and we're hitting where they make the drones," he was quoted as saying.
He emphasised that the military operation would result in a "much safer world" once it is concluded.
He also claimed that the US military sank "46 top-of-the-line" Iranian naval ships over three and a half days.
However, Trump said, "We haven't won enough"
"We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough.
"We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all. Forty-seven years, it should have been done a long time ago," said the US president.
Trump said he was disappointed that Iran had named Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his father, Ali Khamenei, as the country's supreme leader.
Trump told CBS News in a phone interview that he has someone else in mind to lead the country.
During his speech, he also said Iran is preparing to retaliate against the US, saying there is a "100%" certainty for the country to do so.
He claimed Iran had missiles targeting neutral Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which he said had sided with the US, alleging that they "were looking to take over the Middle East".
Mojtaba Khamenei has been named as the country's supreme leader, succeeding his father.
Image via AFP via Harian MetroAddressing the economic impact of the war on the US stock market, Trump said the recent slump would reverse and that it is "going to go a lot higher as soon as we get rid of this stuff"
On Monday, global markets experienced a sell-off, as oil prices surged, after Iran launched another wave of missiles at its Gulf neighbours and indicated that the strategic Strait of Hormuz could remain closed.
However, Wall Street later moved into positive territory after Trump suggested the conflict would end soon, reported AFP.
Nine of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 ended Monday in the green.
The US index's technology sector led the gains, rising 1.8%, while the communications and healthcare sectors each climbed about 1%, reported the Wall Street Journal.
Consumer staples and industrials also posted increases of more than half a percentage point. Earlier in the day, however, all five sectors had been on track to close lower.
