Donald Trump has told US media that the Iran war is "very complete," in the biggest indication to date the end could be in sight for the 10-day long conflict.
The US President said they were "very far ahead of schedule", and that Iran has "no navy, no communications," as well as "no air force," and claimed their missiles are "down to a scatter".
"Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense," he declared.
Despite the White House previously claiming the war could last up to a month, President Trump insisted: "Wrapping up is all in my mind."
He later told a conference of congressional Republicans at his golf course in the Doral, Miami, that the US are merely "counting down the minutes," in regards to Iran.
But the President also warned Iran over future strikes: "They've shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it's going to be the end of that country... If they do anything bad, that would [be] the end of Iran and you'd never hear the name again."
According to the Kremlin, Mr Trump discussed the Iran and Ukraine conflicts during a "frank and constructive" telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The pair are said to have discussed "a quick political and diplomatic end to the Iranian conflict".
Donald Trump has told US media that the Iran war is 'very complete,' in the biggest indication to date the end could be in sight for the 10-day long war
|GETTY
"The accent was placed on the situation surrounding the conflict with Iran and the bilateral negotiations underway with the representatives of the United States on settling the Ukrainian question," Putin’s diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov said.
But the President's insistence that the war was nearly "complete" was undermined when the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Monday evening they had begun a broad wave of strikes in Tehran, with tensions in the region between Iran and the US remaining extremely high.
Mr Trump has been a vocal critic of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei, who was announced on Sunday.
The son and wife of the new Ayatollah were killed during the US-Israeli air strikes last week, along with his father.
Hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei, the late Ali Khamenei's son, was announced as the new chief Ayatollah yesterday | GETTY
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Monday evening they had begun a broad wave of strikes in Tehran
|REUTERS
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The President had previously expressed his interest in having a say in Iran's next leader - something they vehemently rejected.
When asked if he has preferred leader in mind for the regime, he said: "I don't want to say anything about that but yeah, I do."
And when further pressed on a message for the new Supreme Leader, the President flatly replied: "I have no message for him. None, whatsoever."
The President is coming under increasing pressure to end the war in the Middle East, with the pivotal Strait of Hormuz choked by the conflict.
The strait is critical to energy shipping routes, and is responsible around a fifth of the world's oil shipments.
With prices reaching in excess of $100 per barrel of oil on Monday, Mr Trump said the US is "thinking about taking it over" the region and could do "a lot".
His comments come as French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to deploy a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, in the Mediterranean, with the possibility of two warships reaching the strait.
"Our objective is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation. Ultimately, we aim to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security," President Macron stated to press during his visit to Cyprus.
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