Trump says he wants to ‘wind down’ Iran war as he claims US is close to destroying ALL of Tehran’s military capabilities… and reveals plan for the future of the crucial Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump says he is considering halting attacks on Iran and ending the war in the Middle East as he moves one step closer to destroying Tehran’s military capabilities.

The President wrote on Truth Social on Friday evening: ‘We are getting very close to achieving our goals as we consider discontinuing our major Military efforts in the Middle East regarding the Iranian Terrorist Regime.

‘(1) Completely insulting to Iran’s Missile Capabilities, Launchers and everything related to them.

‘(2) Destruction of Iran’s Defense Industrial Base.

‘(3) Elimination of the Navy and Air Force, including Anti-Aircraft Guns.

‘(4) To never allow Iran to approach Nuclear Capability and always to be in a position where the United States can respond quickly and forcefully to such a situation.

Trump added a fifth statement to his post on Friday: ‘To protect our Middle Eastern Allies at the highest level’ and listed America’s Gulf partners: Israel, Saudi Arabia, TrainUnited Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and others.’

He then went on to explain how he sees the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping waterway vital to international trade.

Smoke rises from the strike site in Tehran on March 17, 2026

Trump added: ‘The Strait of Hormuz should be protected and controlled, when necessary, by other countries that use it; USA does not do this!

‘We will assist these countries in their Hormuz efforts if desired, but this should not be necessary once the Iranian threat is eliminated.

‘Most importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them. Thank you for your interest in this topic! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

The post appeared to contradict his administration’s move to increase firepower in the region and ask Congress for another $200 billion to fund the war.

Trump’s post came after US Central Command shared a dramatic video showing US missile strikes targeting weapons trucks, missile launchers and warplanes.

‘Iran’s capabilities are decreasing…’ – CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper tweeted along with the video.

The United States will deploy three amphibious assault ships and approximately 2,500 additional marines to the Middle East, a US official told The Associated Press.

Two other U.S. officials confirmed the ships were deployed without saying where they were going.

Video shared by US Central Command shows targeted missile strikes, including attacks targeting trucks carrying weapons

After a while, it was seen that the truck was broken into pieces.

Another attack sees a missile launcher hit in the final attack round

Final frames show fighter jets being shot down before, left and after right shots

All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

News of the deployment comes just days after the United States rerouted another group of amphibious assault ships carrying another 2,500 Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East.

The Marines will join more than 50,000 U.S. troops already in the region.

Trump also stated that he had no plans to send ground forces to Iran, but that he kept all options.

US and Israeli leaders say weeks of attacks have decimated Iran’s military.

In addition to Iran’s religious leader, the head of the Supreme National Security Council and many other senior military and political leaders were also killed in the airstrikes.

Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, told a state-run newspaper on Friday that Iran continues to produce missiles despite Israel’s claim that it has destroyed Iran’s production capacity.

Iranian families gather behind the ruins of a building in Tehran

Iranian state television later announced that Naeini was killed in the airstrike.

Iran launched more attacks on Israel and energy facilities in neighboring Gulf Arab states on Friday as Israeli air strikes descended on Tehran and the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar.

Iranians also celebrated the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, which is normally a public holiday.

With little information coming from Iran, it was unclear how much damage Iran’s weapons, nuclear or energy facilities had suffered in the US and Israeli attacks that began on February 28, or even who was actually responsible for the country.

But Iran’s attacks are still disrupting oil supplies and hurting the global economy, causing food and fuel prices to rise far beyond the Middle East.

J.D. Vance (pictured center) leads a briefing with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in the Situation Room

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting an area in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut

The United States and Israel have offered varying justifications for war, from hoping to incite an uprising that would overthrow Iran’s leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs.

There are no public signs of such an uprising taking place, and there is no end to the war in sight.

So far, 13 American soldiers have lost their lives in the conflict.