Iran: Trump says war to 'end soon,' but not immediately

One person was killed in an Iranian attack on a "residential building" in Bahrain's capital, Manama, the country's Interior Ministry said early Tuesday morning. 

"Initial reports indicate one person died and others were injured in a blatant Iranian attack," the ministry said. 

Although Bahrain is not directly involved in combat operations in Iran, it and other Gulf countries have been targeted since the war started.

On Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized in an address to neighboring countries for Iranian attacks across the region, saying they would not be targeted unless strikes originated from their territory.

US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that the US would wave "certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices" as the ongoing war in Iran continues to disrupt global flows of oil and gas from major Middle Eastern producers.

Trump did not go into detail about specific countries, but his remarks came after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose oil and gas industry has been isolated from global markets by sanctions over Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters news agency reported earlier Monday, citing unnamed officials, that the White House was considering easing sanctions on Russian oil to ease a global supply crunch.

Last week, the US issued a temporary 30-day waiver to allow India to buy Russian oil currently stranded at sea to alleviate pressure on the global market.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the Iran war is "going to be ended soon," without providing any details on a timeline, but seeming to rule out ending the war this week. 

"We can leave it here, but we are going to go further," Trump said in remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a Republican event at his Florida golf club in Doral. 

Trump added that Iran was "going to take over the Middle East" had the US not intervened militarily, and that most of the country's weapons have been destroyed, without providing evidence. 

He said that US forces were also targeting Iranian drone manufacturing, and claimed the number of Iranian drone launches were dropping.

In remarks made earlier to CBS News, Trump said that the US mission on Iran was "very complete," which sent oil prices back below four-year highs notched on Monday amid speculation the US would be ending military operations in Iran. 

"They have no navy, no communications, ​they've got no Air Force," Trump said in an interview with CBS News. 

"Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones," he added. "If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense."

A fact sheet released by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday showed that that US military has struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran over 10 days of war. 

Among the targets were more than 50 Iranian naval vessels, air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, missile and drone manufacturing, and military communications.

Five members of the Iranian women's football team were granted asylum by Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Tuesday in Brisbane.

"I say to the other members of the team the same opportunity is there,” Burke said. “Australia has taken the Iranian women’s soccer team into our hearts."

The Iranian team arrived in Australia before the Iran war began last month for the Women's Asian Cup. The woman stood silent while the national anthem played, before a match last Monday. Iranian state-run media accused them of being traitors.

The Iranian women's team were eliminated from the Asian Cup on Sunday, meaning they face the prospect of going back to Iran.    

Burke's announcement came after US President Donald Trump on Monday called on Australia to grant the women asylum, as "they will most likely be killed" if returned to Iran. 

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the war in Iran was "very far ahead" of his initial four to five week time frame, adding that he thought the war was "very complete." 

"They have no navy, no communications, ​they've got no Air Force," Trump said in an interview with CBS News. 

"Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones," he added. "If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense."

Stocks rallied and the price of Brent crude oil dropped below $90 per barrel in late trading as Trump's comments were taken as a signal that the US could wind down military operations. 

When asked about the ​Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that ships are moving ​through ‌now, adding that he is "thinking about taking it over."

Trump is expected to speak with journalists later on Monday. 

However, it is still unclear what Trump's plans for ending the war are. On Friday, he had said only "unconditional surrender" would be acceptable, a demand which Iran has shown no sign of meeting.

Since the conflict was launched, the Trump administration has provided different reasons for having launched the war ranging from regime change to eliminating Iran's ability to project military force.

Trump had earlier said that Iran's choice of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was an "unacceptable choice."

After speaking with CBS, Trump made comments at a Republican retreat being held at his golf club in Doral, Florida that the war in Iran was "a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some people."

"And I think you'll see it's going to be a short-term excursion," Trump said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that responsibility for ending the war in Iran lay with the Iranian leadership alone. 

"The sooner the mullah regime stops, the sooner this war will end," Merz said at a Berlin press conference. "It is the sole responsibility of this regime and the so-called Revolutionary Guard to cease hostilities. As long as that is not on the case, I work on the assumption that Israel and the US will continue their defense against this regime." 

The comments came on the 10th day of a spiraling conflict that began when the US and Israel launched a widespread attack on Iran's leadership. Hundreds of people have been killed inside Iran, while retaliatory Iranian attacks against a series of other countries have killed far smaller numbers to date. 

The chancellor said that the "threat posed by this regime" stretched "far beyond the region itself," citing Iranian support for Russia as an example.

Merz described Iran as "the center of international terrorism" and said "this center must be shut down." 

"And the Americans and the Israelis are doing it in their own way," he said. 

Speaking on Monday aboard a French aircraft carrier that was dispatched to the Mediterranean, French President Emmanuel Macron said a "defensive" mission is being prepared by France and its allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran's retaliation after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran have choked off oil and gas shipments passing through the narrow strait, sending oil prices to four-year highs of over $100 a barrel. 

Earlier Monday while visiting the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, Marcon said the mission would involve escorting container ships and tankers in order to gradually reopen the strait "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict."

"This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again," he said, adding the mission would involve European and non-European countries. 

Aboard France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, Macron said the war's duration depended on US-Israeli objectives, but warned that regime change in Iran won't happen with airstrikes.

Macron added the "intense phase" of the war could last "several days, perhaps several weeks."

Macron was in Cyprus for a show of support after an Iranian drone struck a British air base on the island's southern coast last week.

He said France would deploy eight warships, two helicopter carriers and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, equipped with its 20 Rafale fighter jets, to the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East to help bolster security. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Iran to not make any further "provocative" actions that could hurt its ties with Turkey. Earlier in the day, NATO intercepted for a second time an Iranian missile which entered Turkish airspace. 

"Despite our sincere warnings, extremely wrong and provocative steps continue to be taken that will jeopardize Turkey's friendship," Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting.

"One should not engage in such behavior," he continued, saying "Persistence and stubbornness in wrongdoing should be avoided."   

New figures from the government statistics agency show Germany imports an unusually small share of oil from the Middle East by the broader standards of the EU. 

Only 6.1% of crude oil imports hailed from the Middle East, most of that from Iraq (4.2%), the UAE (1.1%) and Saudi Arabia (0.8%). 

Several countries from the region including Iran did not deliver any crude oil to Germany last year. 

The EU average is roughly twice as high, with 13% of 2025 crude oil imports hailing from the Middle East according to the Eurostat statistics agency. Saudi Arabia and Iraq are the largest two suppliers. 

Global oil prices have come under strain amid the attacks on Iran, which produces roughly 5% of global oil supplies, and the resultant limitations on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's exported oil typically sails. 

The top sources for German crude oil imports in 2025 were as follows: 

• Norway, 2.5 million tons
• The United States, 12.4 million tons
• Libya, 10.4 million tons
• Kazakhstan, 10.3 million tons
• The UK, 8.7 million tons
• Guyana, 4.2 million tons

Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, said on X "it is unlikely that any security will be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires of the war ignited by the United States and Israel in the region." 

Larijani's comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies were preparing a "defensive" mission to allow trade through the strait. 

"We are in the process of setting up a purely defensive, purely escort mission, which must be prepared together with both European and non-European states, and whose purpose is to enable, as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict has ended, the escort of container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the strait of Hormuz," Macron said during a visit to Cyprus.   

"This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again," the French president said. 

The Strait of Hormuz is just 22 nautical miles (33 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point. It is the only route for the UAE, Qatar and other energy-rich countries to ship their oil and liquefied natural gas to major economies such as China, India, South Korea and Japan.  

 

US President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said Australia should not let the Iranian National Women's Soccer Team to go back to Iran, "where they will most likely be killed."

"Don't do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM," Trump said, in a reference to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "The US will take them if you don't."

The Iranian team had been taking part in the Women's Asian Cup in Australia. The woman stood silent while the national anthem played, before a match last Monday. Iranian state-run media accused them of being traitors.   

It's unclear if the women were silent in protest against the Iranian government or if it was in mourning due to the lives lost in the US-Israel war against Iran.  

The Iranian women's team were eliminated from the Asian Cup on Sunday, meaning they face the prospect of going back to Iran.    

The Australian Iranian Council wrote a letter to Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke urging the Australian government to provide safety to the women's team and to not allow any member of the team to leave Australia amid credible fears for their safety.   

The heir to the ousted Iranian monarchy, Reza Pahlavi, had earlier reposted a statement from his office on X which said that five of the women players had sought refuge in Australia.     

• EU leaders will be speaking with Middle Eastern leaders about the situation in Iran
• Fallout from the war is being felt in global markets as oil prices soar
• France is hosting a video meeting of G7 economies amid the surge in oil prices
• French President Macron is visiting Cyprus as warships are deployed in the region
• Turkey is deploying six fighter jets to northern Cyprus
• Several Gulf nations reported more Iranian air attacks overnight

Turkey's Ministry of National Defense said a "ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean." 

"Some debris from the munition fell onto vacant land in Gaziantep," the statement added, referring to the southern Turkish city. "There have been no casualties or injuries."

Turkey said it emphasizes "that all necessary measures will be taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country's territory and airspace."  

It's the second time an Iranian ballistic missile was fired and had entered Turkish airspace since the US-Israel war with Iran began.  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the knock-on effect of the war in Iran was being felt in Europe, across sectors.

"We are now seeing a regional conflict with unintended consequences. And the spillover is already a reality today," von der Leyen told EU ambassadors, ahead of a midday call with Middle Eastern leaders.

"Our citizens are caught in the crossfire. Our partners are being attacked," she said, citing the drone strike at a British base on EU-member Cyprus, trade disruptions and the "displacement of people."

Von der Leyen emphasized that "there should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime."

"The people of Iran deserve freedom, dignity, and the right to decide their own future — even if we know this will be fraught with danger and instability during and after the war," von der Leyen said.