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U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego, two of California’s largest cities, in a possible attack, while arguing that Americans should accept higher prices as a cost of maintaining national and global security.
"They can take out a city," Trump said at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska. "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."
Referring to the higher prices, Trump asserted that they were a small price to pay for keeping the United States and the world safe. "And again, remember, with the war, it’s just artificial," he said. "It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe."
Energy costs have risen sharply during the conflict, with disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz adding pressure to global markets. The waterway normally handles about one-fifth of the world's oil shipments, while Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and refinery constraints have also contributed to higher fuel prices.
Trump described the war as "essentially almost over with," while acknowledging that it could continue for a longer period. Trump also discussed Iran’s ability to withstand economic pressure, saying Iranian leaders had described themselves as having a "big threshold for pain."
"They need it, let me tell you," he said. Trump predicted that the conflict would eventually end "one way or the other" and that prices would fall sharply. "But it's going to end very soon, and it'll end one way or the other," he said, adding that prices would come down "very sharply."
Earlier Monday, Trump confirmed that a threat had prompted the United States to move its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, suggesting the incident could be linked to Iran. Asked at the White House whether a specific threat had led to the withdrawal, Trump indicated that the aircraft had not left the British base by accident.
The redeployment of a dozen B-1 aircraft came after British counter-terrorism police arrested six suspects in connection with a planned attack on the base. U.S. and British officials said the attack was disrupted on Sept. 27.
"There were some threats, and rather than tempting the enemy, we'll capture the enemy and beat the enemy," Trump said. "But why should we leave them there? So we moved them around a little bit, not very far."
Trump explained that the bombers had been moved to avoid exposing them to further danger and said the relocation "costs very little money." He added that U.S. authorities knew who had made the threat and, when pressed about its source, indicated that it was linked to Iran.
Iran had earlier rejected allegations that it was involved in the incident in response to the claims. Its embassy in London called speculation linking Tehran to the arrests "unfounded and malicious," while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later dismissed the allegations, saying Britain was "barking up the wrong tree."
Asked whether Iran had gotten combat drones into the U.K., Trump declined to provide details, warning that Iran would "suffer greatly" if that had happened.
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