Donald Trump speaks with reporters in Miami, Florida, March 9, 2026
“A Sense of Normalcy”: Life in the UAE Amid the US-Israel War on Iran
US-Israel War: Iran Names Khamenei’s Son as New Supreme Leader
The surge in the global oil price reversed on Monday as Donald Trump wobbled on the 10th day of the US-Israel War on Iran.
Rattled by the economic shock amid Iran’s retaliation, which has suspended oil and gas production and cut traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump blustered in a phone call with CBS News, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force.”
He told Republicans, “We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.”
Trump made the comments before a speech and press conference in Florida where he sought to emphasise that the US military campaign would be ending soon amid concerns from Republican allies that the US was being dragged into another long-term conflict in the region.
In fact, Iran continued its retaliatory strikes as Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as Supreme Leader, succeeding his father Ali who was killed in the first US-Israel strikes on February 28.
At least 17 missiles were fired on the UAE; others were launched on its fellow Gulf States; and one was intercepted heading towards Turkey. Bahrain declared force majeure, suspending the legal obligations of its oil company.
However, the global oil price, which had opened above $118 per barrel on Monday morning, tumbled to $100. Brent crude is trading at just above $90 on Tuesday morning.
Trump’s Contradictions
As soon as oil markets closed in the US, Trump returned to his declarations of widespread US attacks: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.”
At a press conference in Florida, he evaded reporters’ questions about whether the war could finish this week, “No but soon. I think soon. Very soon.”
A journalist followed up, “You said the war is ‘very complete’. But your Defense Secretary says, ‘This is just the beginning.’ So which is it?”
“I think you could say both,” Trump replied. Then, having said that the US would not be involved in nation-building in Iran, he proclaimed, “It’s the beginning of building a new country.”
He added, “We could call it a tremendous success right now or we could go further. And we’re going to go further.”
The confusion continued over specific steps. Having relaxed sanctions on Russian oil over its 4-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine, notably with a 30-day waiver to India, Trump said he would relax over measures.
He then said the US might not reimpose the sanctions if markets stabilized, “Who knows?…Maybe we won’t have to put them on, there will be so much peace.”
The reality TV star added lies, notably over the US strike that killed at least 168 people at a girls’s school in southern Iran on February 28.
“Tomahawks are used by many countries,” he said. “Iran has some Tomahawks.”
A reporter noted that US intelligence services have assessed an American strike was responsible: “You’re the only person in your government saying this”.
Trump fumbled, “I just don’t know enough about it. I think it’s something that I was told is under investigation.”
