US President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that the war with Iran would end soon, warning that Tehran would use nuclear weapons against the Middle East and Western countries if it possessed them.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Arizona ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Trump also claimed that repeated American military operations had severely weakened Iran's leadership.
"Their first level leaders are gone, they picked a second level. Their second level leaders are gone, they picked a third level. Half of them are gone. They made me promise not to take out any more and I did. I promised them. But nobody wants to be the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump asserted.
Turning to the conflict's future, the president declared, "That's going to end very soon."
He also warned that Iran would pose an immediate threat to countries across the region and beyond if it acquired nuclear weapons.
"if [Iran] had a nuclear weapon, within 24 hours they would use it. They'll knock out the Middle East, then they'll start hitting us on the West Coast. They'll hit Europe - because they're crazy. They're crazy people," Trump said.
The president again said the American military campaign was a necessary measure to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, explaining that the United States had acted "because you don’t want them to have a weapon that can blow up millions of people in one shot."
Trump's latest remarks come amid speculation that Washington could resume strikes against Iranian targets before the congressional elections, despite his earlier announcement of a temporary pause in military action.
Last Thursday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States would not carry out additional strikes against Iran until after November 3.
However, he told reporters Monday that the election timetable would not determine his administration's policy toward Tehran.
During another campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday night, Trump adopted a more threatening tone, suggesting that further American action against Iran could be imminent.
"Oh, wait till you see what we do to Iran. We're going to do a number. Wait till you see," he told supporters.
"They're just waiting. They're waiting. Wait till you see what we do to Iran, because we've sort of had it. You know, we've had it," Trump continued.
He also reiterated his position that Iran would not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon, declaring, "But, you know, it doesn't matter. The big thing is they were not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they won't. That's buried under thousands of tons of rock."
Earlier Tuesday, Trump indicated that a decision on Washington's next steps was approaching “very soon", while describing Iran as a “failed country".
Speaking outside the White House, he cited what he characterized as the Islamic Republic's severe economic difficulties, including soaring inflation and an inability to pay government personnel.
"They have no economy. They have 300% inflation. They have no money. They're not paying their troops. They're not paying anybody. We'll make a decision on Iran very soon," Trump said.