Trump on Iran war: It’s going to get wrapped up soon
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he believed the war with Iran would end soon, but did not say how.
He spoke days before the November 3 midterm congressional elections.
“It’s going to get wrapped up soon,” Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO. “We need a guarantee there’ll never be a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has said the US would not strike Iran before the elections.
Washington has told mediators that Iran abandoning its nuclear programme is a basic condition for any negotiations, Al Arabiya English reported, citing sources.
The mediators are discussing with Tehran a possible release of some frozen Iranian funds in return for access for international inspectors to nuclear sites, the sources said.
Signals from Washington remain mixed. US media reports say Trump is considering a new wave of strikes on Iran after the elections.
US officials have also urged allies to take precautions, expecting Iran to respond with strikes on energy facilities and other crucial infrastructure, according to The Associated Press. The White House and US officials declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Gulf states were told to prepare for a possible short, intense campaign against Iran after the vote. Trump is leaning towards a large strike on infrastructure and nuclear sites but has not decided, the newspaper said.
At the same time, diplomacy continues. Vice President JD Vance is in contact with Tehran under a proposed new peace framework.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance wrote to Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei at Trump’s direction to revive talks. The contacts so far cover a negotiating framework, not a deal.
Trump has predicted an early end to the war before. In April, he said the war was close to over. On September 30, he said it would end very soon, without giving details.
The war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Pakistan and Qatar mediated US-Iran talks in Switzerland in June, where both sides agreed on a roadmap towards a permanent deal.