Trump holds press conference on Iran : NPR

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President Trump is holding a press conference Monday afternoon, his first because the US and Israel launched a conflict with Iran greater than a month in the past.

Monday’s press conference comes days after Trump formally addressed the nation from the White House final week and mentioned the battle would finish “shortly.” He criticized different international locations, though he did not identify any particularly, and mentioned it was as much as others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the route via which 20% of the world’s oil is transported.

Watch the 1 pm ET information conference right here:

Iran’s closure of the strait in the course of the conflict has led to a soar in gasoline costs globally, hitting round $4 per gallon final week within the US

The president has additionally been threatening a arises in strikes on Iran Tuesday, until the strait is reopened by tomorrow night.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump mentioned on social media over the weekend, “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”

The submit comes as negotiations between the US and Iran have made some progress. A forty five-day ceasefire proposal was submitted to the US and Iran on Sunday. On Monday, Trump referred to as the proposal “a significant step.”

The president has repeatedly mentioned the conflict would final roughly six weeks. But now, in its sixth week, the timeline on when the conflict would finish and the way achievable Trump’s targets are stay unclear.

For weeks, Trump has been transferring the objective posts on the administration’s targets with Iran, together with whether or not the US will take away Iran’s uranium stockpiles. Trump has additionally recommended that the US might finish the conflict however strike Iran once more later in the event that they goal to construct up nuclear defenses.

Polling exhibits that Americans oppose the conflict in Iran. Even amongst Republican supporters of the president, his approval ranking has dipped. TO CNN poll launched final week confirmed that Republicans who strongly approve of Trump’s job efficiency dropped to 43%, in comparison with 52% in January.

High prices, together with gasoline costs, stay a prime of thoughts concern for voters heading into the midterm elections in roughly six months. On Monday, Trump mentioned the excessive costs may final into the summer time.

“We’re never going to let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump mentioned of Iran. “And if we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a couple of months, and we’ll do that, but we’re never going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”