Trump says US to leave Iran 'very soon', deal or not

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US forces would end operations in Iran "very soon," evoking a timeline of two to three weeks as his administration pursues talks with Iranian authorities while continuing its aerial campaign.

Asked during a White House event about the impact of high fuel prices since the start of the war on February 28, Trump said that "All I have to do is leave Iran, and we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll become tumbling down."

"But we're finishing the job, and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer, to do the job," US forces will leave, he added. 

Trump also said the end to US operations was not dependent on reaching any deal with Iran, which has in retaliation effectively closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic.

"They don't have to make a deal with me," he told journalists in the Oval Office, after signing an executive order to crack down on mail-in voting that he claims without evidence is riddled with fraud.

"When we feel that they are, for a long period of time, put into the stone ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we'll leave," he said. 

"Whether we have a deal or not, it's irrelevant."

Trump also reiterated his call for countries to "get" oil by going to the Strait of Hormuz themselves, after many allies refused US calls for military help to free up tanker traffic. 

He added: "If France or some other country wants to get oil or gas, they'll go up through the Hormuz Strait, they'll go right up there, and they'll be able to fend for themselves."

"What happens with the strait we're not going to have anything to do with, because these countries, China, China will go up and they'll fuel up their beautiful ships... and they'll take care of themselves. There's no reason for us to do it."

In a Truth Social post earlier Tuesday, Trump told countries that are struggling with fuel shortages to "go get your own oil" in the Strait of Hormuz.