Donald Trump claims the Iran war has proven that his power is limitless, despite conceding hours earlier that he had to cut a deal to avoid a global “economic catastrophe.”
“There are no limits,” the president, 80, said of his own power in an interview with The Axios Show released Thursday. Host Marc Caputo had asked what the Iran war that he launched on Feb. 28 had revealed about the limits of his ability to exert power.
“I haven’t learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but there are no limits,” Trump continued.
It was the first sit-down interview given by Trump after he announced a deal with Iran, which he insisted would prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon while ending months of economic disruption tied to the conflict.
“We defeated them totally militarily,” the president claimed, as critics accused him of giving in to Iran’s economic pressure.
The president also insisted that the deal he cut with Tehran amounts to “unconditional surrender” by the regime.
Under the framework, Iran would be allowed to resume oil exports during negotiations and could secure broader sanctions relief and access to frozen Iranian assets if it meets certain conditions.
Trump also used the interview to brag about Washington’s military strength.
“Who else could have done a blockade like that? I did a naval blockade where not one ship was able to get through. Some tried. It didn’t last very long,” the president said, referring to the U.S. Navy blockade of Iran’s ports and coastal areas.
On Wednesday, Trump scrambled to defend his tentative agreement with Tehran, telling the G7 summit in France that the conflict “could have caused an international depression.”
“I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened,” he told reporters.
The conflict has cost U.S. consumers and taxpayers an estimated $132 billion, while Americans continue to struggle with rising living costs.
Weeks more of conflict with Iran “could cause a worldwide depression,” Trump told Axios on Thursday.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Negotiations in Switzerland to finalize the details of a peace deal were delayed on Friday, though both sides have agreed to work out the remaining terms within 60 days, with the deadline subject to mutual extension.
