U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that American troops stationed in the Middle East will not be withdrawn until a denuclearization agreement is reached with Iran, despite delays in negotiations.
"We will not let problems arise three years later due to an early withdrawal," Trump said during a speech Tuesday at The Villages, a retirement community in Florida.
The remarks underscore that there will be no hasty troop withdrawal, even as ceasefire negotiations with Iran have shown little progress and political pressure mounts at home amid rising energy prices. On the denuclearization agreement, Trump stressed, "We are going to finish this properly."
Trump also highlighted the military achievements of U.S. forces. "If this conflict were a mixed martial arts match, it would have already been stopped," he said, suggesting that Iranian forces have suffered significant damage.
Trump also played down concerns about the war's impact on markets. On domestic oil prices, he said, "I thought oil prices would rise much more than expected, but it's not that bad," adding, "Once the war ends, prices will come down quickly." He also said, "I expected the stock market to fall as much as 25%, but it hasn't reached that level."
