WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said the war is “very close to being over,” signaling optimism even as the U.S. military said it has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” as its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continued for a second day.
In an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo, Trump said, “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over.” He also said, “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
Trump’s comments came as peace talks between U.S. officials and Iranian negotiators were reportedly expected to restart as soon as Thursday following stalled weekend talks in Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also begun a four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye ahead of a possible second round of U.S.-Iran talks.
At the same time, the broader regional conflict continued to intensify. Two Israeli strikes hit vehicles south of Beirut, while Israel also launched several other strikes across southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it launched rockets at 10 areas in northern Israel.
The Israeli army also issued a forced evacuation threat for residents south of the Zahrani River in southern Lebanon, saying air strikes were ongoing as forces operated “with significant force in the area.”
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund warned that a further escalation of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, coupled with continued disruption to oil markets, could push the global economy to the brink of recession.
Fox Business also reported that Trump said the U.S. is not finished, telling Bartiromo, “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished.” He added that his intervention was necessary because, “If I didn’t do that, right now, you’d have Iran with a nuclear weapon.”
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