US President Donald Trump said he sees “no limits” to his power, in an interview with “The Axios Show,” in a controversial comment that came after the end of the war with Iran and the reaching of a memorandum of understanding that he considered less than the level of “unconditional surrender” that he had demanded at the beginning of the war.
During the interview, Trump asserted that the war had not diminished his ability to project power; on the contrary, he argued, it had demonstrated the strength of the United States' military. He added, "I haven't learned that lesson yet… I know there are limits, but there are no limits."
Trump had entered the confrontation with Iran demanding “unconditional surrender,” but the war ended with a limited understanding that observers described as a settlement that fell short of the initial ambitions of the US administration.
During the interview with journalist Mark Caputo, Trump admitted that he agreed to the deal in order to avoid potential global economic repercussions, noting concerns that continued escalation could lead to a global economic recession.
In contrast, Trump stressed that the US military operations had achieved their objectives, saying that the United States had “completely defeated Iran militarily,” and describing the agreement as “potentially amounting to an unconditional surrender.”
He added that Washington imposed a severe naval blockade during the war, claiming that it prevented any ships from passing through it, in reference to operations related to the crisis in the region.
In defending his approach, Trump criticized those he called “hardliners” who called for a greater escalation against Iran, saying that the only option to increase pressure would have meant “more weeks of bombing,” warning that this would have led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a halt to global oil supplies.
Trump indicated that continued escalation would have threatened the stability of global energy markets, saying that it “could have led to a global recession,” which he said was one of the reasons he accepted compromise instead of continuing the war.
According to sources cited by Axios, Trump has privately expressed concern about dwindling global oil reserves and the potential for a shock to energy markets if the Strait remains closed.
Observers believe that these facts explain why the US administration accepted an agreement with a lower ceiling than the conditions that were put forward at the beginning of the war, despite Trump's insistence that what happened reflects the expansion of his power and not its decline.
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