Donald Trump delivered another nonsensical update on the Iran war while speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, declaring that Iran has been incapacitated, that its regime has been unseated, and that the “war has been won.”
Never mind that more American troops are reportedly heading to the Middle East in support of … it’s not entirely clear. The president has repeatedly declared the “war” wrapped up, while also insisting it isn’t a war, only a “military operation.”
It’s the Democrats, Trump says, who call the Iran war a “war,” and it’s the “fake news” who is responsible for the narrative that it is still ongoing.
According to reports from multiple outlets released around the time Trump declared the war won, the president has authorized the deployment of thousands more American troops to the Gulf region. NBC News reported that Trump green lit sending over 1,000 members of the 82nd Airborne Division, with the Wall Street Journal adding in a separate report that the administration plans to send up to 3,000 members of the division.
This is on top of the roughly 50,000 American service members who were already stationed throughout the region before the administration launched its offensive against Iran. Earlier this month, the Pentagon began directing members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) towards the region three weeks ahead of their scheduled departure from San Diego. The forces within that unit include amphibious assault ships. The Pentagon is also seeking $200 billion for the war. When asked on Monday if the sum is still required if the war is ending — as Trump keeps claiming — Trump said “it’s always nice to have,” because “it’s a very inflamed world and the Democrats inflame it.”
Trump over the weekend gave Iran a sternly worded ultimatum: open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or the United States would attack the nation’s energy infrastructure. Trump then backed off of the threat, claiming his administration was in talks with Iran’s leadership. When asked with whom, exactly, Trump said “a top person” who is “respected.”
Trump claimed in the Oval Office on Tuesday that Iran is ready to “make a deal.”
“They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present, and the present arrived today,” he continued, cryptically. “It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. I’m not gonna tell you what that present is but it was a very significant prize.”
Trump added that the “prize” was “oil and gas related.”
