Washington: US President Donald Trump says Americans want their troops to return home from Iran, even though he would prefer to launch a mission to seize the country’s oil, in a strong signal that he will curb his maximalist ambitions in favour of a ceasefire.
Speaking ahead of a news conference on the war, Trump maintained that he would launch air strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges if the Islamic Republic did not agree to an acceptable deal by the end of Tuesday (US time).
But in remarks that indicate his reluctance to push the limits of public opinion, the president said he did not think Americans would understand the rationale for a mission to “take the oil” – which would require ground forces.
“If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil – because it’s there for the taking, there’s not a thing they can do about it,” Trump told reporters during an Easter function at the White House.
“Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil, and we’d make plenty of money. And I’d also take care of the people of Iran, much better than they’ve been taken care of.”
Asked how he knew that Americans would oppose such an undertaking, Trump said: “I’m pretty good at this stuff, and I go around and I check. They’d like to see us win and come home.”
He then cited a CNN poll showing he had 100 per cent support among self-described MAGA voters.
“If it were up to me, I’d like to keep the oil, I just don’t think the people of the United States would really understand … They support what we’re doing, but they would like to see it end, and [our troops] come back.”
Trump also argued the people of Iran supported the US-Israeli bombing campaign because they wanted to be rid of the oppressive theocratic regime in Tehran.
“The Iranian people – when they don’t hear bombs go off, they’re upset. They want to hear bombs because they want to be free,” he said.
The president was due to hold a news conference at 1pm Washington time (3am AEST). As the clock ticks down to his deadline, Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal through Pakistani mediators, demanding guarantees that it would not face further attacks.
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. “We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
The rejection came as Israel struck a key petrochemical plant in the massive South Pars natural gas field and killed two paramilitary Revolutionary Guard commanders.
with Reuters, AP
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.