Trump hails Iran successes, doesn’t give war’s time frame : NPR

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth signals further escalation in the Iran war.

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PETE HEGSETH: Today will once again be our most intense day of strikes in Iran.

INSKEEP: Hegseth spoke after President Trump made contradictory statements suggesting the end of the war was near – or not. here it is Monday.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We are making major progress toward achieving our military objective. And some might say they’re pretty comprehensive. We have wiped out all the forces in Iran.

INSKEEP: It was one of several contradictory statements from the president throughout the day suggesting the end of the war was near – or not. In a few moments, we will know how Republican voters receive the president’s various statements. NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson listened to it all. Mara, hello.

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hello.

INSKEEP: What do you think of many of the president’s comments?

LIASSON: I think the dominant message was one of victory. And after declaring victory, you tend to look for an exit.

INSKEEP: Yeah.

LIASSON: He said, quote, “this was just a field trip. We’re about to finish very soon.” He said we had already won. But then he said: “We haven’t won enough and we are determined to achieve complete victory.” Here is a small sample.

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TRUMP: We could call it a huge success right now, leaving here. I could call him, or we could go further. And we will go further.

LIASSON: But he didn’t say what it means to go further. President Trump’s model, at least in past military excursions, has been an example and a reality. Venezuela – very quickly, I left. Same thing with the Iranian bombings in June. Looks like that’s what he wants to do now.

INSKEEP: Mara, I just want to note that the president’s remarks moved the markets. Before that afternoon press conference, while financial markets were still open, Trump told CBS that the war was, quote, “very complete.” The shares immediately soared. Someone made billions of dollars. And then he comes to the press conference. He declares victory but also covers himself. I mean, I guess we could blame ourselves, the media, in a sense, because Trump always says a lot of words, and people take a few and try to interpret them. But are you able to get a guideline from all these different statements?

LIASSON: Well, yes, there were some things that were different yesterday. He was not talking about unconditional surrender or regime change. He was asked: What does victory mean to you? Here’s what he said.

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TRUMP: Where they will not start developing a nuclear weapon the next day.

LIASSON: And that shouldn’t be difficult to say. He also raised the possibility, instead of regime change, of having an internal candidate he would endorse to become Iran’s new leader. And he compared it to Venezuela. He said the Venezuelan model works very well. In other words, we leave the regime in place but the leader changes. Today, Venezuela is a small, weak country in the backyard of the United States. Iran is very different, it is a large country with regional ambitions. He was also asked why he promised the Iranian people that he would come to their aid. And he was asked: are you not betraying them if you do not insist to the end on a change of regime? But he did not answer this question.

INSKEEP: I guess it’s a good point to remember that a war has two parties, has two voting people, as the military would say. What about Iran?

LIASSON: Well, I think their goal is to survive and make the cost of continuing the war as high as possible for the United States and Israel. This means keeping gas prices high and keeping the Strait of Hormuz strangled, if not closed. And the president spoke about it yesterday. He has said he wants to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. And it could have military escorts for tankers crossing the Gulf. But right now, the price of oil in the United States, the price of gasoline at the pump is increasing. And if that number continues to rise, it could make continuing the war politically difficult for the president.

INSKEEP: Mara, the president also talked about an Iranian girls’ school that was hit very early in the war. What does he say about this?

LIASSON: He seemed to suggest that Iran did this itself. This is something that no one else in his administration, including his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has asserted. He said it was easy to get a Tomahawk missile, even though we know Iran does not have Tomahawk missiles. But he seems to suggest that Iran obtained a Tomahawk and used it against its own civilians. But he also said the United States was conducting an investigation and he would support the findings of that investigation.

INSKEEP: OK, so statements that haven’t yet been supported by evidence. Mara, thank you very much.

LIASSON: You’re welcome.

INSKEEP: That’s NPR’s Mara Liasson.

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