Trump says war with Iran will end ‘very soon,’ urges Tehran to make ‘right, smart’ decision

What happened: Former U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday night in Texas that the war with the Islamic Republic will end "very soon" and that Iran must make a "right and smart decision," arguing otherwise it will lose its current position. He referred to the slogan "Death to America," saying, "These are crazy people. They've been shouting 'Death to America' for 50 years. I said, now what do you think?" He also said the U.S. had no choice but to enter the war and noted that oil prices, contrary to forecasts of $300–$400, are about $90. (Source: ایران اینترنشنال)

Additional reporting: In a longer interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump said he rejected a recent Iranian proposal to end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as "insufficient," and he did not rule out increasing U.S. military strikes against Iran. The interview was conducted at the White House on Mehr 6 and published on Mehr 9. Responding to why the conflict has continued into a seventh month despite his earlier assessment, Trump said he could have stopped operations after B-2 bomber strikes on nuclear facilities but chose to "go further" so the Iranian government could not rebuild capabilities "in a different way." He said, "I've destroyed their nuclear capability. I've destroyed their navy." (Source: وحید آنلاین)

Initial synthesis; final edit pending