US President Donald Trump has reportedly said the “war” against Iran “is very much done”. He also had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing conflict in what the Kremlin said was a “frank and substantive” conversation that lasted about an hour.
“I think the war is very much done, pretty much,” Trump said, according to Weijia Jiang, CBS’s chief White House correspondent. “They have no navy, no communications, no air force,” Trump said, according to Jiang, who posted on X about his conversation with the president.
Trump’s comments come amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, which entered its second week on Saturday, March 7.
“No message for Mojtaba Khamenei”
Of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtab Khamenei, Trump told CBS News, “I don’t have a message for him.” However, POTUS said he intends to replace Khamenei with someone, but did not elaborate.
On Monday, Trump also had a phone call with Putin to discuss the Iran war and other issues.
What did Trump and Putin discuss?
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuriy Ushakov said the Russian president “expressed several thoughts aimed at a quick political and diplomatic settlement” of the conflict after his talks with Gulf leaders and Iran’s president, the AP reported.
Trump offered his assessment of the developing situation, Ushakov said, “in the context of the ongoing US-Israeli operation.”
The two leaders had a “concrete and useful” exchange, touching on Venezuela “in the context of the world oil market situation,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Putin pledged “unwavering support” for Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Russia pledges “unwavering support” to Mojtab Khamenei
Putin told Mojtab Khamenei: “At a time when Iran is facing armed aggression, your remaining in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication.”
According to a Times of Israel report, Putin said he was confident that Khamenei would carry on his father’s work “with honor” and unite the Iranian people “in the face of severe trials.”
On March 7, Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke on the phone as tensions escalated in the Middle East, The Moscow Times reported. The Russian president expressed “deep condolences” over the killing of Khamenei, members of his family and other senior political and military figures, along with civilian casualties, which he blamed on the US and Israel.
