(Seoul, Berlin = Yonhap News) Reporter Go Il-hwan Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon = U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes the war with Iran will end immediately after the U.S. midterm elections in November.
According to Reuters on the 12th (local time), President Trump met with reporters in Dublin, Ireland, and when asked when the war with Iran would end, he responded, "I think it's very close. It will probably be right after the midterm elections."
“Iran is trying to hold out as long as possible to complicate the election, but I think people know that,” he said.
“If that happens, oil prices will plummet,” he said.
When asked by reporters whether Iran was behind the attack that halted the operation of Saudi Arabia's east-west oil pipeline, President Trump responded, "I think so. Probably yes."
However, he expressed an optimistic stance on the situation in the Middle East, including ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked whether the United States could help ease shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said, "Everything will work out fine."
Previously, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, requested President Trump to directly attack the US military against pro-Iranian Yemeni rebels Houthis, but was reportedly rejected.
In response, President Trump said the Houthi rebels had asked the United States not to intervene, saying, "They don't want to fight with us."
Meanwhile, President Trump said on this day that an agreement on trade negotiations with Canada could be reached soon.
"Canada is very desperate for an agreement," he said. "Canada should treat our farmers better. They should not be imposing tariffs on our farmers."
He added, “We will probably reach an agreement with Canada very soon.”
President Trump mentioned the conflict surrounding Northern Ireland and the Falklands and indirectly expressed his dissatisfaction with his ally, the United Kingdom, with whom he has had an estranged relationship since last year.
After meeting with Irish Prime Minister Michal Martin, he said regarding British Northern Ireland, "I would like to see unification (with Ireland)," and "I think it will happen eventually. If so, it would be better to do it now." While speaking at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Britain, he repeatedly said that Irish unification would be "wonderful."
Ireland gained independence after a war with Britain from 1919 to 1921, but Northern Ireland, in the northeast, which is religiously and ethnically close to Britain, remained in the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland, armed conflict between the British Remain faction and the Irish Unity faction continued for decades. Political parties in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement (Belfast Agreement) in 1998, agreeing to follow the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland on the border issue. The U.S. government mediated the peace agreement at the time.
A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister's Office said that there was no change in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's position despite Trump's remarks that day. Prime Minister Burnham said in parliament on the 9th that the majority did not support a referendum on Northern Ireland and that "there will not be a referendum until this situation changes."
President Trump also said of the Falkland Islands (Argentine name Malvinas) in the South Atlantic, "They are really far away (from the UK). It takes several weeks by boat," and added, "I will definitely be caught up in this potential disaster, but then maybe we can solve the problem."
Britain has effectively controlled the Falkland Islands since 1833, but Argentina, which claims sovereignty over them, invaded in 1982 and started a war. Argentine President Javier Millais, who is close to President Trump, has pledged to reclaim the Falklands.
President Trump visited Ireland on this day to attend the Irish Open golf tournament held at his own Doonbeg Golf Course.
He also met Irish President Catherine Connolly in Dublin before heading to the golf course. President Connolly, who has radical leftist tendencies, is an anti-Trump figure who protested against Trump's visit in 2019. Even after taking office as president, he criticized the Iran war started by President Trump as a violation of international law. On this day, anti-Trump protests were held in downtown Dublin and near Doonbeg Golf Course.
