Trump exposes how Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE got dragged into Iran's war

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has asserted that US military action against Iran last year prevented what he described as an imminent attempt by Tehran to dominate the Middle East, saying the intervention altered the trajectory of the current conflict.

In an interview with Fox Business aired on Wednesday, April 15, Trump portrayed Iran as being on the brink of a sweeping regional offensive, claiming that Washington’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities disrupted those plans at a critical moment.

“They were going to take over the Middle East, and we stopped them,” Trump said, presenting the US action as a decisive factor in curbing Iran’s ambitions.

The president suggested that without the strikes, the region would already be facing a far more expansive and destructive conflict involving multiple countries.

Claims of imminent nuclear breakthrough

Trump also reiterated longstanding criticism of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration, arguing that the agreement failed to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

According to Trump, Iran was extremely close to acquiring nuclear weapons capability before the US intervened.

“They would have had a nuclear weapon within one month, maybe two weeks,” he said, underscoring what he described as the urgency behind the decision to strike.

He further claimed that Iran would not have hesitated to use such weapons, warning that potential targets would have included Israel, Gulf nations, and even the United States.

“They would have used it on Israel and the Middle East. And they would have used it on us, too,” Trump said.

Trump says Gulf nations caught off guard

Addressing Iran’s retaliatory actions since the outbreak of the current war on February 28, Trump said several Gulf countries were not initially expected to come under attack, suggesting that Tehran’s response expanded beyond its original targets.

“Countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE were shocked when they got hit,” he said, referring to strikes that followed joint US-Israel military operations.

“You know, these countries were not expected to be hit, because they were going after those countries,” Trump added, though his remarks appeared to blur distinctions between Iran’s intended targets and its eventual actions.

Trump maintained that US intervention disrupted Iran’s broader regional strategy, preventing what he described as a coordinated attempt to assert control across the Middle East.

CENTCOM announces full naval blockade

As the conflict intensifies, the US military has moved to escalate economic pressure on Iran. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Tuesday that it has fully implemented a blockade of Iranian ports, effectively shutting down the country’s maritime trade.

In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM commander Adm Brad Cooper said the operation had achieved rapid and comprehensive results.

“In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea,” Cooper said.

The blockade marks a significant escalation in the US strategy, targeting Iran’s economic lifelines in addition to ongoing military operations.