NEWS DESK (MNN); United States President Donald Trump has said that the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran is “pretty much” over, according to remarks he made in an interview with CBS News.
Speaking by telephone to the American broadcaster, Trump claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely weakened during the conflict.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” Trump said, repeating assessments about the extent of the damage that he had mentioned in previous statements.
The US president also said that the conflict had progressed much faster than initially expected. He noted that the United States was now “very far ahead” of the original timeline he had set for the war, which he earlier estimated would last about four to five weeks.
Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump discussed the situation in Iran as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during a telephone conversation described by the Kremlin as “frank and constructive.”
According to Russian officials, the two leaders spoke for about one hour in their first known conversation since December. The call reportedly took place after Washington sought the discussion.
Yuri Ushakov, a diplomatic adviser to President Putin, told Russian news agencies that the conversation focused primarily on the situation surrounding the war involving Iran and the ongoing negotiations between Russia and the United States regarding the Ukraine conflict.
“The accent was placed on the situation surrounding the conflict with Iran and the bilateral negotiations underway with the representatives of the United States on settling the Ukrainian question,” Ushakov said.
He added that President Putin emphasized the need for a swift political and diplomatic solution to the war involving Iran.
Russia has traditionally maintained close ties with Iran and has repeatedly called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
According to reports, Putin shared with President Trump several proposals aimed at achieving a rapid settlement of the conflict with Iran.
The discussion between the two leaders comes at a time when tensions in the Middle East remain high despite claims that the military phase of the conflict may be nearing its end.
