Washington: US President Donald Trump says Americans want their troops home from Iran, even though he would prefer to start a mission to seize the country’s oil, in a strong signal that he will hold back his willingness to extend support for a ceasefire.
Speaking ahead of a press conference on the war, Trump maintained that he would launch airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear 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 show his reluctance to push the boundaries of public opinion, the president said he didn’t think Americans would understand the logic of a “refueling” mission — one that would require ground forces.
“If I had my choice, what would I want to do? Take the oil — because it’s there for the taking, there’s nothing they can do about it,” Trump told reporters during an Easter event at the White House.
“Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us go home. If it were up to me, I would take the oil, I would put the oil, and we would make a lot of money. And I would also take care of the Iranian people, better than they were taken care of.”
Asked how he knew Americans would oppose such a pledge, Trump said: “I’m very good at these things, and I go around and check. They’d like to see us win and go home.”
He then cited a CNN poll that showed he had 100 percent of MAGA voters.
“If it were up to me, I would like to keep the oil, I don’t think the American people would understand … They support what we are doing, but they would like to see the end, and (our forces) come back.”
Trump also said that the Iranian people support the US and Israeli bombing campaign because they wanted to remove the oppressive theocratic regime in Tehran.
“The people of Iran – when they don’t hear the bombs going off, they get angry. They want to hear the bombs because they want to be free,” he said.
The President was due to hold a press conference at 1pm Washington time (3am AEST). As the clock ticked down, Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal through Pakistani mediators, seeking assurances that it would not face further attacks.
“We will not just accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told. The Associated Press. “We accept the end of the war confident that we will not be attacked again.”
The rejection came as Israel struck a key petrochemical plant in the large South Pars natural gas field, killing two Revolutionary Guard commanders.
with Reuters, AP
Michael Koziol is the North American correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, deputy editor of the Sun-Herald and federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect through X or email address.
