US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference on March 9, 2026 in Doral, Florida. ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP
US President Donald Trump on Monday, March 9, pushed the idea of the Iran war ending soon, but remained vague on a timeline for ending the attacks that have rocked the Middle East and shaken the global economy. Markets jumped when Trump suggested to CBS News that the US-Israeli assault was "very complete," but during a later speech and press conference he offered shifting accounts of what to expect.
"I think soon. Very soon," Trump told reporters at his Doral National golf club near Miami, Florida, when asked if he thought the war could end in days or weeks. "Everything they have is gone including their leadership."
But Trump also pressed for what he called "ultimate victory" against Tehran's clerical establishment, which over the weekend picked the son of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei as its new chief. Trump said the United States was saving some of the "most important" targets in Iran for possible later strikes if needed, including the country's electrical grid.
The US leader also threatened an attack of "incalculable" size if Tehran blocks oil supplies coming through the Strait of Hormuz, as crude prices spike over the Middle East war. "And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level," Trump told the news conference "We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world, if they do anything."
