President Donald Trump said five times in an interview that it is “highly unlikely” he will expand the war in Iran, just days after Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that the conflict contributed to Republicans’ losses in last week’s midterm elections.
During a nearly 20-minute phone interview on Sunday, the president told CNN anchor Jim Sciutto that negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz were making progress.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said, adding that “it’s highly unlikely” further military action would be needed.
“They’re a failing nation,” he said. “It just came out, you saw this year, 301 percent inflation.”
Trump again stressed that another US strike was unlikely.
“I would, if necessary, but we hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” the president said. “So it’s unlikely I’ll have to.”
“They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off,” he added.
Trump’s comments came only hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington to accept Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war or prepare for an escalation of hostilities.
President Donald Trump said five times on Sunday that another war with Iran was “highly unlikely”
His comments followed a warning from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (pictured) that the US must accept Tehran’s latest offer or risk a military escalation
Araghchi invoked Republicans’ midterm defeat in his warning posted on X
“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” Araghchi wrote on X.
“Our two-day proposal stands: meet the requirement, including ending the war on all fronts, and you will see results. Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell.”
Araghchi and other Iranian hardliners have portrayed Tuesday’s midterm results as evidence that Trump’s presidency has been weakened. They believe that could make the White House more open to Tehran’s demands, including permission to continue its nuclear program, which Iran says is needed for energy production and to maintain control of the Strait, CNN reports.
Vance has attributed the “blue tsunami” to the war in Iran, as Democrats flipped seats in both chambers of Congress and captured governorships in traditionally Republican states.
“The reason we lost is the war. The President himself said so last night,” Vance wrote in a lengthy post on X Wednesday.
He also issued a pointed challenge to supporters of the Iran war, calling on them to accept responsibility for urging the United States to intervene in the Middle East.
Asked that day about the election’s damaging results, Trump likewise appeared to acknowledge that the conflict had played a role.
“It is largely true,” he conceded, while insisting: “If I had to do it again, I would do it. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Vice President JD Vance had previously blamed the Iran war for the Democrats’ “blue tsunami”
Trump has said that since the conflict began in February, US forces have severely degraded Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.
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Iran now has only 10 percent of its missile capacity and 15 percent of its drone capability, Trump told Sciutto on Sunday.
The president also said Iran’s air defenses had been wiped out.
“It’s unstoppable because they have no anti-aircraft stuff. All of their anti-aircraft is gone,” Trump said.
US sanctions have also made it difficult for Iran to sell crude oil on international markets, while billions of dollars in Iranian assets remain frozen in overseas banks.
“Most likely, it will not be necessary,” Trump said again when asked about renewed military action. “They want to make a deal so badly.”
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran
The United States has maintained a blockade in the Gulf of Oman. Smoke rises from the stern of a St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship after US Central Command said it attempted to breach the blockade
Trump said Sunday that a task force designed to stop Tehran from moving advanced weapons, sanctioned materials and illicit funds by land is now operational
At the same time, Washington is offering up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear program and has established a task force to disrupt Tehran’s overland movement of advanced weapons, sanctioned goods and illicit revenue.
Trump said on Truth Social that the operation, known as Iron Gate, is now “in full effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“Coupled with history’s greatest Naval Blockade, very little gets into, or out of, Iran!” he wrote.
Trump has also emphasized that US forces are positioned throughout the Middle East should he order another strike.
“I’ve got three aircraft carriers here,” he told CNN. “The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded.”
Should the United States attack, Trump said potential targets include power plants and bridges.
“We have 38 bridges in our sight that we can knock down in literally one hour, they’ll all be down,” he said, while stressing that he would rather avoid destroying Iranian infrastructure.
“I don’t want to do that, because essentially, it’ll take 10 years to rebuild them.”
“I don’t like ripping down bridges,” Trump continued. “And the hardest thing to build is a bridge. It takes years, and I’m a good builder.”
Trump said Sunday that three US aircraft carriers are deployed across the region. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is pictured on Friday
Diplomatic efforts across the Middle East have intensified since Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Qatar said Friday that Trump spoke with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about de-escalation. A day earlier, Araghchi held talks with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Qatar.
As part of the negotiations, Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial channel for global oil shipments whose closure has driven up gas prices. Tehran is seeking several concessions in return, including the removal of sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.
