US hints at war's end, Iran seeks pledge

Global optimism on a potential de-escalation of the Middle East conflict was reignited after United States President Donald Trump said the US military could end its Iran offensive in a few weeks, and he claimed in a social media post that Iran's president wanted a ceasefire.

Trump's comments highlighted the fluid and often contradictory timelines and statements from Washington on how and when the five-week-old war might draw to a close. "We'll be leaving very soon," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, adding that the pullout could happen within "maybe two weeks, maybe three".

"Iran doesn't have to make a deal, no," he said, when asked if successful diplomacy was a prerequisite for the US to end the mission. Trump is expected to address the nation "to deliver an important update on Iran" on Wednesday.

Iran had no immediate response to Trump's claim on social media that "Iran's New Regime President" was seeking a ceasefire, which Trump said would only happen once the Strait of Hormuz was "open, free, clear".

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, Trump said the US will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if ‌needed.

He said that US ‌action has ensured Iran will not have a nuclear weapon."They won't have a ‌nuclear ​weapon because they are incapable of that now, and then I'll leave, and I'll take everybody with me, and if we have to we'll come back to do spot hits," he said.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his country has the "necessary will" to end the war, but is seeking guarantees that the conflict will not be repeated.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Tuesday he had received direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but stressed they do not amount to formal negotiations. He said that Iran has no faith that talks with the US would yield any results, as "the trust level is at zero". The communications include message exchanges relayed via "friends", he told Al Jazeera.

Araghchi also warned against any ground offensive, saying "we are waiting for them". "We know very well how to defend ourselves," he said, as thousands of US Marines and paratroopers were deployed to the region in a possible preparation for launching a fresh assault.

Iran has so far rejected Trump's claims of direct talks and has continued launching attacks against Israeli and US targets in the Gulf. The monthlong conflict has killed thousands, disrupted energy supplies and threatened to plunge the global economy into a crisis.

On Wednesday, Asian shares surged after US stocks posted their best daily performance in nearly a year, fueled by renewed hopes that the conflict could end soon.

In another development, Trump said he is strongly considering pulling the US out of NATO, ratcheting up his criticism of European allies and exposing a wider rift in the transatlantic alliance.

The comments to The Telegraph newspaper, published on Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet, suggesting the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.

Previously, Trump criticized countries, such as the United Kingdom, that did not help in the US' war efforts. In a social media post, he said that in response to the global fuel shortage, these countries should buy energy from the US or "find some delayed courage, go to the strait and just take it".

France and Italy have pushed back against certain US-Israeli military operations, sources said, exposing rifts among NATO allies over the conflict.

Spain, which has emerged as Europe's loudest critic of the war, said on Monday that it had closed its airspace for US planes involved in the conflict.

The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, is preparing to help the US and its allies forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, saying that the UAE is seeking a United Nations Security Council resolution for the action and has suggested that the US occupy strategic islands.

Meanwhile, a number of attacks took place early on Wednesday, with drones hitting fuel tanks at Kuwait's international airport, causing a massive blaze. Qatar said a tanker leased to its state-owned energy company was struck by an Iranian missile in its territorial waters.

Explosions were heard in multiple areas in Tehran after US-Israeli air attacks, Iranian state media reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would press ahead with its campaign, vowing to continue "crushing Iran's terror regime".

However, opposition leader Yair Lapid hit back, saying that Netanyahu "is unable to reach a strategic resolution; the time has come to recognize that he is simply incapable".

Iran's Revolutionary Guard also issued a new threat targeting US businesses across the region, starting on Wednesday. It named 18 companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing, that could be targeted from 8 pm Tehran time.

Gianni Infantino, president of world soccer governing body FIFA, said he will "continue to support" Iran's preparations for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico starting in June.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn