US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects the United States to prevail in the war against Iran in the near future, while stressing that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains central to the conflict.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the US was making progress against Iran on both the military and economic fronts.
“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon," he said, adding that stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was “key to the whole thing."
“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint," the President added, while noting that the campaign had not necessarily ended.
Trump also declined to rule out renewed US strikes against Iran before the midterm elections. “I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that," he said.
Earlier Sunday, Trump told Axios that he expects another round of talks with Iran this week despite rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal to end the conflict.
"I expect more talks with Iran [this week]. They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand," Trump said.
Asked by Axios whether he was considering additional military action, Trump replied: "I am always thinking about it."
According to Axios, Qatar and other regional mediators are working to facilitate another round of indirect US-Iran negotiations, possibly as early as Monday. Washington and Tehran remain divided over the terms of any agreement, with Iran seeking provisions addressing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade, while the United States is demanding concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program.
The latest diplomatic push follows talks last Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi through Qatari intermediaries.
Iran presented a proposal during those discussions that called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations within a week, in exchange for Washington ending its naval blockade, lifting restrictions on Iranian oil exports and restoring a regional ceasefire. Trump rejected the proposal Saturday.