U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that the Iran war will end “whenever I want it to,” but insists that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, Trump said “Somebody asked me before, ‘When will the war in Iran end?’ I said, ‘Whenever I want it to end.'”
Trump said it “would be very quick, but we have to have an end properly,” with a “total statement” that Iran would never have a nuclear weapon.
His statement comes as the president grapples with poll numbers that are near a record low due to rising energy costs and affordability issues as the U.S. heads into the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Currently, Trump’s approval ratings stand at 32%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Monday.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said on Oct. 12 that the war was costing American families an average of $2,000 so far, where $1,100 comes from higher energy costs, $540 from heightened interest rate costs and $360 due to increased military spending.
The Iran conflict shows no sign of winding down, with Trump saying that he will soon decide whether to “make a deal” with Iran or “finish it off.”
Earlier in the month, the U.S. had evacuated diplomats from Saudi Arabia, as The New York Times reported that U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for a “short but intensive” operation for strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.
An estimate by U.S. Central Command on Oct. 16, according to a report by The Hill, also revealed that the cost of the Iran war has ballooned to $47 billion, about $3 billion more than the previous numbers.
The bulk of the costs was reportedly for munitions replacements at $29 billion. Washington’s conflict with Iran has caused “shortfalls” in U.S. munitions, despite Trump claiming on Sept. 3 that the U.S. had “virtually unlimited” amounts of ammunition.
The massive price tag on the war does not include the costs of damaged military bases in the Middle East, which is estimated at $184 million as of June 29, according to a lead inspector general report to Congress.
This figure counts damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in four countries — Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — from Iranian strikes.
Correction: The bulk of the costs was reportedly for munitions replacements at $29 billion. An earlier version misstated the figure.