Trump says considering "winding down" strikes on Iran--Chin

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering "winding down" the U.S. military strikes against Iran, claiming the United States is "getting very close to" meeting its objectives.

"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East" with respect to Iran, Trump said on Truth Social.

The objectives Trump outlined include degrading Iran's missile capabilities, destroying its defense industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from ever approaching nuclear capability and protecting U.S. allies across the region.

Also on Friday afternoon, Trump said that he does not want a ceasefire with Iran.

"We can have dialogue, but you know, I don't want to do a ceasefire," Trump told reporters before he departed the White House for Florida. "You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side."

"From a military standpoint, they're finished," Trump claimed. "They don't have a Navy. They don't have an Air Force. They don't have any equipment. They don't have any spotters. They don't have anti-aircraft. They don't have radar. And their leaders have all been killed at every level."

"U.S. government says one thing, reality says another," Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday on X, questioning White House's repeated claims that Iran's air defenses and Navy have been destroyed.

Trump on Truth Social also said that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy waterway, should be secured by the countries that rely on it and Washington would assist if asked.

"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it -- The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran's threat is eradicated," Trump added.

Earlier, Trump slammed NATO allies as "cowards" over their reluctance to help escort.

"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump said in a previous post on Truth Social. "COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"

"Europe has no interest in an open-ended war," Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Monday. "This is not Europe's war, but Europe's interests are directly at stake."

The United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global shipping, sending oil prices soaring and shaking the global economy.