Trump declines to say how long Iran war will last as negotiations drag on: 'I don't want to rush it'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump refused to say on Thursday, April 23, how long the war with Iran will go on. Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, the Republican leader also claimed that he does not “want to rush” himself as negotiations with Tehran drag on.

Giving an example of the Vietnam War, he stated, “Don't rush me... So we’re in Vietnam, like, for 18 years; we’re in Iraq for many, many years. … I don’t like to say World War II, because that was a biggie, but we were four and a half, almost five years in World War II.”

Trump says if Iran doesn't want to make a deal, 'I'll finish it up militarily'

However, when a reporter asked him, "What do you say to the American people who question how much longer this will take? Obviously, you know that they are having higher gas prices.”

Trump fired back, saying, “You are such a disgrace. Did you know what I just said? Vietnam. How many years was Vietnam? How many was Vietnam?” 

But the reporter reminded him about the six-week deadline and also told him that the Americans are wondering about “the length of this operation.”

“Well, I did my... I took... I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks. I took it out militarily. Now all we're doing is sitting back and seeing what the deal. And if they don't want to make a deal, then I'll finish it up militarily with the other 25 percent of the targets. We've hit 78 percent of the targets that we've wanted to hit,” the commander-in-chief replied.

Trump claims he's not under time pressure but Iran is

Further hailing himself, Trump noted, “We've knocked out their manufacturing. We've knocked out their missile production. We've knocked out their drone production. We've knocked out everything. In some cases, when I say knocked it out, 70, 80, 90 percent, it's amazing what we've done. So I've done that within that period of time that I mentioned.”

The 79-year-old then claimed that he does not “want to rush myself. You know, because every story says, 'Oh, Trump is under time pressure.' I'm not. No, no. You know who's under time pressure? They are.”

“I don't want to rush it, I want to take my time. We have plenty of time, and I want to get a great deal. I want to get a deal where our nation and the world is safe from lunatics with nuclear weapons,” he reiterated.

Iran has yet to decide if it will participate in a second round of peace talks on how to end the war. 

Moreover, amid tensions between the two nations, Trump has extended the ceasefire until they reach a deal. But the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports by the US Navy seems to create an issue, as Tehran wants the end of the blockade before resuming negotiations.

Trump justifies actions, saying he's doing it for the country, even the world'

Trump was then asked if Americans “should anticipate spending more on gasoline for the foreseeable future?”

“For a little while. And you know what they get for that? Iran without a nuclear weapon that's going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East,” the Republican leader said.

When questioned about the consequences of the war on the economy, Trump asserted that “the stock market is at an all-time high right. I projected — and I'm pretty good at this — that the stock market, Howard (Lutnick), would drop maybe 20 percent, 25 percent. And I understood that. And I said, 'Hey, it's a bad thing, but I have to do what's right for the country, even the world.”