US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that his country's war on Iran will be over "pretty quickly," hours before his address to the nation later in the day.
In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump said the US troops will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" but might return for "spot hits."
"I can't tell you exactly .... we're going to be out pretty quickly," Trump said when asked about a ceasefire.
The US president also stressed that Iran has been made incapable of having a nuclear weapon. Iran has long maintained that it is not developing a nuclear weapon, a claim substantiated by the UN atomic watchdog (IAEA).
"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," Trump said.
He also stated that he "doesn't care" about Iran possessing enriched uranium.
"That's so far underground, I don't care about that. We'll always be watching it by satellite," he said.
Trump further claimed he has achieved "full regime change" in Iran, while also saying he "did not need" it.
"We have had full regime change...I'm dealing with a very good chance that we'll make a deal because they don't want to be blasted anymore," he said.
"I didn't need regime change, but we got it because of the casualties of war. We got it. So we have regime change, and the big thing we have is they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," said Trump, adding: "Nor do they want one," he added.
Trump also signalled US withdrawal from NATO, day after voicing frustration with his allies for not supporting his country in the war on Iran.
"They haven't been friends when we needed them," Trump said. "We've never asked them for much ... it's a one-way street."
Earlier, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Iran had sought a ceasefire, which was dismissed as "false and baseless" by Tehran.
Trump said "Iran’s New Regime President" had reached out to the US seeking a ceasefire, adding that Washington would only consider it if the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free and clear."
It was not immediately clear who Trump was referring to, as there has been no change in Iran's President. Trump, however, described the “new regime president” as “much less radicalised and far more intelligent than his predecessors."
In the same post, Trump also issued a warning, saying that until a ceasefire is reached, the US will blast Iran "back to the Stone Ages."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected Trump's claims regarding Tehran seeking a ceasefire and stressed that "the war will continue until “the aggressor is punished and full compensation is paid to Iran," reported Al Jazeera.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards also dismissed Trump's claims and said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is "firmly and dominantly" under its control and "will not be opened to the enemies of this nation by the ridiculous displays of the US President."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said that his country had the "necessary will" to end the war but was seeking guarantees for a lasting peace.
Trump, in his post, also said he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks once he felt confident Iran would not be able to build a nuclear weapon — even if Tehran does not agree to a ceasefire.
That raised the possibility that the U.S. could withdraw without any guarantee from Iran that it would release its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
A fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through the strait in peacetime and Tehran’s stranglehold, along with its strikes on energy infrastructure in the region, has caused oil prices to skyrocket, with far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Even if the strait were to reopen quickly, some effects like higher food prices could persist for months or longer.
(With inputs from Associated Press)