White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, March 10. AFP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military operation against Iran will end when President Donald Trump determines that military objectives have been met and the Islamic Republic is in a position of "unconditional surrender" whether Tehran says it or not, the White House said Tuesday.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said that the U.S. military is drawing up additional options to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, stressing that the recent rise in oil and gas prices is "temporary."
Her remarks came as questions rise regarding when the U.S. operation, codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," will wind down amid concerns that disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could drive up oil prices ahead of the midterm elections in November where control of Congress is at stake.
"Ultimately, the operations will end when the commander-in-chief determines the military objectives have been met, fully realized, and that Iran is in a position of complete and unconditional surrender, whether they say it or not," Leavitt said.
U.S. officials have said that through the military operation, Washington seeks to destroy Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and its Navy, sever its pathway to nuclear arms and weaken Iran-backed militia groups in the region.
The press secretary elaborated on what Trump meant when he talked about Tehran's "unconditional surrender."
"When President Trump says that Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender, he's not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves. What the president means is that Iran's threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country," she said.
"President Trump will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender when they no longer pose a credible and direct threat to the United States of America and our allies."
Leavitt also addressed growing concerns about oil prices -- a sensitive election-year issue. Oil prices surged to nearly US$120 per barrel earlier this week before falling back.
Source: Korea Times News
