By the way , what were those goals, anyway?
Trump says he is considering "reducing" US military efforts against Iran
Harici.com.tr 21.03.2026 09:36 Author
President Donald Trump said that as the conflict that shook the financial markets and the region approached its fourth week, the US was considering “reducing” its military efforts towards Iran, arguing that the US was close to achieving its goals.
"We are very close to achieving our goals when we consider reducing our major military efforts in the Middle East," Trump said in a social media post on Friday. He described these goals as “weakening” Iran's missile capabilities, “destroying” the country's defense industry infrastructure, eliminating its navy and air forces, never allowing Tehran to approach “Nuclear Capacity” and protecting allies in the Middle East.
These statements came after Trump recently left the door open to the possibility of deploying ground troops, suggesting that the president continues to give very different signals about the goals and plans of the US and Israel for the war against Iran.
After recent US attacks targeting the country's energy infrastructure and the killing of high-ranking figures, including security chief Ali Larijani, it is also unclear how Iran will respond to the US's unilateral decision to stop the attacks. Iranian authorities are closed to discuss the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran continues retaliational attacks against its Arab neighbors in the Gulf.
Trump also referred to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carries about a fifth of the global oil and natural gas flow and has almost been completely closed since the conflict began. Trump was pressuring his allies to militarily secure the US strait, but said on Friday he would leave that task to other countries.
“The Strait of Hormuz must be properly protected and supervised by other Countries that use it — not by the United States of America,” Trump said. said. “If desired, we will help the Hormuz efforts of these Countries, but it should not be necessary when the Iran threat is eliminated. The important thing is that this will be an easy Military Operation for them," he said.
Trump's suggestion that countries most dependent on Middle Eastern energy and other goods transported through the strait should take responsibility to protect it, ignoring the global scope of the oil market.
Although the US produces record amounts of oil, crude oil prices are being determined in the global market; therefore, the supply shocks linked to the throat will have a ripple effect from Beijing to Washington and will also affect consumers in the US. The US may be more resistant to the physical impact of millions of barrels that can't reach the market — but it's still inevitably committed to price effects.
Trump's statements came after a Bloomberg News report that Iran refused to negotiate on Hormuz, and with reports that the US was preparing ground troops deployment options, at the end of a turbulent Friday in the financial markets.
Oil prices rose again on Friday, and the global indicator Brent oil closed at over $112 per barrel, reaching its highest level since mid-2022. Following Trump's statements about the possibility of reducing the conflict, prices fell to about $108 per barrel in limited transactions.
Global stocks expanded their decline; the US's main stock market index closed the week with a decline of about 2%. Bond yields rose; investors priced the possibility of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes by October to be 50%. Meanwhile, gold has experienced the worst week of the last forty years.
In a statement in the White House a little earlier than his social media post, Trump rejected the idea of stopping the fighting and expressed confidence that Hormuz would open up "on his own" despite the reluctance of the allies to help.
Trump has recently experienced a growing disappointment with the decline of allies' calls to help ships cross the strait, and has harshly criticized US partners, including NATO and China.
“NATO can help us, but they haven't had the courage to do it so far. Others can help, but we don't use it," he said.
Another factor that increased the turmoil in the markets was the management's evaluation of a ground operation. When asked about his plans for Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export center, Trump gave evasive answers. US officials said the White House ordered the deployment of hundreds of marines to the Middle East and considered a plan to capture this base.
Trump said, “I may or may not have a plan, but how can I tell a journalist?” said.
Any move to use ground troops to control Iran's energy facilities will pose risks for Trump, including putting American forces at greater jeopardis from the risks they are already exposed to and increasing the cost and scope of the campaign.
The Pentagon demanded an additional $200 billion from Congress to finance the war, which sent another conflicting signal about the administration's expectations of how long the conflict will last. According to Western intelligence assessments and people close to the issue, “the regime is not close to collapse” in Iran, and Iranian officials are united around the remaining leaders.
High fuel prices are another challenge for Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections. Gasoline and diesel prices in the US have risen to their highest levels since 2022; California's energy regulator has warned against price abuse over some gas stations applying prices of up to $8 per gallon.