Trump predicts US will ‘win’ Iran war soon, keeps door open to renewed strikes

US has “already won from a military standpoint,” says President Trump, adding that ensuring Iran can never acquire nuclear weapons is “the key to the whole thing.”

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump predicted Sunday that the United States will prevail in its war with Iran in the near future, even as Washington and Tehran prepare for another possible round of indirect negotiations aimed at ending the seven-month conflict.

“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News at the Presidents Cup golf tournament in Illinois.

Trump portrayed the US campaign as succeeding through a combination of military operations and economic pressure, saying Washington had already achieved substantial military gains against Tehran.

“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” he said.

The president nevertheless stopped short of declaring the military phase of the conflict over and declined to rule out additional US strikes on Iran before the November midterm elections.

Trump also reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central US objective in any settlement, an issue that continues to divide the two sides as mediators attempt to revive negotiations.

The comments came a day after Trump rejected an Iranian proposal intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and establish another regional ceasefire.

Under the Iranian proposal presented during diplomatic contacts in New York, Tehran would begin reopening the strait and restart nuclear negotiations within approximately a week in exchange for an end to the US naval blockade, relief from restrictions on Iranian oil exports and the restoration of a regional ceasefire.

Washington has rejected those terms and is seeking concessions on Iran’s nuclear program before providing the economic relief Tehran is demanding.

Despite dismissing the proposal, Trump indicated Sunday that negotiations have not ended.

He said he expects further discussions with Iran during the coming week and argued that Tehran had miscalculated its position, saying the Iranians had “overplayed their hand.”

Asked separately whether he was considering renewed US military action, Trump responded: “I am always thinking about it.”

Qatar has continued mediating between the two governments, with officials passing messages between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The latest round of indirect contacts took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the biggest obstacles to an agreement. Iran wants restrictions on its own shipping and oil exports lifted as part of any arrangement reopening the strategic waterway, while Washington insists international shipping must be able to move through the strait without Iranian control or interference.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Sunday that the administration objected to Tehran demanding sanctions relief and access to frozen assets before reaching a broader agreement on its nuclear program.

Iran, meanwhile, has continued to insist that diplomacy remains possible despite Trump’s rejection of its latest proposal.

Araghchi said Tehran had not yet received a definitive rejection through the diplomatic intermediaries handling the talks and maintained that Iran remained prepared to negotiate.

“Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock,” he said.

Iranian officials have also rejected US demands that Tehran relinquish its claimed right to enrich uranium, while repeatedly maintaining that the country does not intend to build nuclear weapons.