Ever since Israel and the US declared war against Iran, there have been questions over the goal of the conflict, when it will end and when will they get a free flow of energy from Strait of Hormuz which is now almost closed despite America's bold warnings When asked, US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the Strait of Hormuz would soon be secured, saying it "won't be too long," even though NATO countries would not assist in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
"I don't believe, too long"
"It won't be, I don't believe, too long. We're knocking the hell out of the coast. It's basically the coast and the water. And it won't be too long," Trump told reporters. He did not provide a specific timeline or outline how the US plans to secure the strategic waterway.
The statement from Trump came hours after Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism Centre, became the first senior official in Trump's administration to resign over the conflict, now in its third week.
He raised serious questions over the intention of Trump and asserted that Tehran posed no serious threat to America. He criticised the Israeli lobby and claimed it forced America to wage an attack on Iran.
"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby," Kent wrote in a letter posted to social media.
President Trump also praised regional partners, stating, "The Middle Eastern states, including Israel, by the way, who have been terrific, the Middle Eastern states have been helping us a lot."
Operation proceeding very well: Trump
Trump on Tuesday described the ongoing US-Israel military operations against Iran as "proceeding very well," warning that Tehran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and that it would take atleast a decade to rebuild whatever has been destroyed in the course of bombing across the region.
"The war is proceeding very well... We can't let them have a nuclear weapon... They would have used it very gladly... We did a good job... Every time you see somebody with no legs, no arms, a face that's been really so badly damaged, lives destroyed, 95% chance it came right out of Iran," Trump said.
Trump further said that it would take ten years to rebuild the damage that had been done to Iran. He added that he believes measures need to be made more permanent so that no other president has to face the same situation. "We have a country that was hotter than any country anywhere in the world... They could leave today, and it would take 10 years to rebuild the damage that's been done. But I think we have to make it a little bit more permanent so that no other President has to go through this," he said.
(With inputs from agency)