U.S. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran is “going to be over with pretty soon. We’ve obliterated just about everything there is to obliterate,” adding that his “little excursion” is “substantially ahead of schedule.”

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Thursday.U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Thursday.Close

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Thursday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Thursday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Following Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said he “told [Netanyahu] not to do that,” but that “we’re independent, get along great, it’s coordinated. On occasion, he’ll do something, and if i dont like it … so we’re not doing that anymore.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials, that Trump had supported Israel’s strike on the gas field, but was now reluctant to greenlight additional strikes on Iranian energy sites.

According to the report, Trump had prior knowledge of the Israeli strike on South Pars and saw it as a message to Tehran regarding its posture in the Strait of Hormuz, officials said.

Speaking alongside the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump said he “expected Japan to step up” in helping secure the safe passage of ships through the strait. “We don’t need much, we don’t need anything from Japan or anyone else. But it’s appropriate they step up.”

Asked if he was satisfied with Japanese support for the war, the president said that “unlike NATO” he and Takaichi have had “a tremendous relationship on everything.”

Only Trump can achieve world peace, Takaichi said, adding that she was ready to reach out to partners in the international community to achieve this objective.

Japan has reached out to Iran, the prime minister said, but it “must never be allowed” to develop nuclear weapons.