Trump suggests war could end ‘very soon’ but issues threat to Iran over oil

President says US has taken ‘a little excursion … to get rid of some evil’ and warns Iran will be hit ‘so hard’ if it cuts supply

As oil prices surged amid the widening war with Iran, Donald Trump said on Monday that the conflict could be over “very soon” while threatening even more aggressive action if Tehran moved to cut off global energy supplies.

During back-to-back appearances in Florida, Trump said the US had taken a “little excursion” to the Middle East “to get rid of some evil” but suggested the war, now in its second week, was ahead of schedule and near completion.