U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Monday that the war in the Middle East could be over soon — though not this week, he specified — even as hardliners pledged loyalty to their new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a sign that they are not ready to back down any time soon.
But just a few minutes later, in remarks made during a news conference in Doral, Fla., Trump suggested things could get worse in the region, as he threatened to increase attacks if Iran made any attempt to disrupt the world's oil supply.
The conflicting signals sent markets on a rollercoaster, with oil prices surging and stock markets nosediving before swinging in the other direction after Trump's comments and reports of a possible ease in sanctions on Russian energy.
Trump said the war would continue until Iran is "totally and decisively defeated," but predicted that would come soon.
"It's going to be finished pretty quickly," he said in an earlier speech to Republican lawmakers, also in Doral. "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough," he said.
