President Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that the recent conflict with Iran exposed limits to his ability to project power, insisting that he still believes there are “no limits” to what he can achieve.
Speaking on "The Axios Show" with Marc Caputo, Trump rejected the idea that the war had humbled him, despite ending with a limited Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) rather than the “unconditional surrender” he had initially demanded from Tehran, reported by Axios.
When asked what the conflict had taught him about the limits of presidential power, Trump responded, “I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but there are no limits.”
Trump argued that the outcome of the war reflected American military dominance, claiming that Iran had been “defeated totally militarily.” He also suggested that the MoU amounted to a form of unconditional surrender, despite falling short of his earlier demands.
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Highlighting the role of US military operations during the conflict, Trump pointed to the naval blockade imposed on Iran, claiming it effectively halted maritime traffic. “Who else could have done a blockade like that? I did a naval blockade where not one ship was able to get through,” he said.
At the same time, Trump acknowledged that pursuing a more aggressive military strategy could have carried significant economic consequences. He said extending the conflict through continued bombing would likely have kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, disrupting global energy supplies.
President Trump defended his diplomatic approach by highlighting the severe economic consequences of continued military action, according to Axios. "The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of 'em. Right?" Trump said. "But what does that get us? The Strait of Hormuz will not be open."
“We wouldn't have oil for months. As long as you're dropping bombs, that thing is automatically closed,” Trump said, warning that such a scenario could trigger a worldwide economic depression.
According to a source, Trump had privately expressed concerns about declining global petroleum reserves and the risk of a major oil shock if the crucial shipping route remained blocked.
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