US President Donald Trump has said the US-Israeli conflict with Iran is “very close to over”, according to Anadolu Ajansi, as diplomatic efforts continue to secure a lasting agreement.
In an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday, Trump said he believed the war was nearing its end when asked directly whether it was over. “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over,” he said, with a video excerpt of the interview later circulating on social media platform X.
Trump added that if the United States were to withdraw its involvement immediately, Iran would take “20 years” to rebuild, while suggesting that negotiations remain possible. “We’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly,” he said.
Bartiromo later noted in a separate Instagram video that Trump repeatedly referred to the conflict in the past tense during their conversation, prompting her to ask whether the war was already over. She said Trump responded: “It’s over.”
Meanwhile, diplomatic discussions have continued in Islamabad over the weekend, aimed at ending the conflict that reportedly began on February 28. However, no agreement was reached, although efforts to hold further talks are ongoing.
Trump also expressed optimism about renewed US-Iran negotiations, suggesting on Tuesday that direct talks could restart in Pakistan within the next two days.
A two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8 is currently holding, even as international stakeholders continue to push for a more permanent resolution.
