President Donald Trump said five times in an interview that it is “highly unlikely” he will launch another military escalation against Iran, days after Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that the conflict contributed to Republicans’ losses in last week’s midterm elections.
In a nearly 20-minute phone interview on Sunday, Trump told CNN Anchor Jim Sciutto that negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz were making progress.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. He added that “it’s highly unlikely” further military action would be needed.
“They’re a failing nation,” Trump said, pointing to what he described as 301 percent inflation in Iran this year.
The president again emphasized that another military operation was unlikely to be necessary.
“I would, if necessary, but we hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” Trump 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 face a further military escalation.
President Donald Trump said five times on Sunday that another war with Iran was “highly unlikely”
The remarks followed a warning from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (pictured) that the US must accept Tehran’s latest offer or face an escalation
Araghchi invoked Republicans’ midterm losses in his warning 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 of a weakened Trump administration that may be more prepared to meet Tehran’s demands. Iran says it needs to continue its nuclear program for energy purposes and to retain control of the Strait, CNN reports.
Vance has attributed the Democrats’ “blue tsunami” — which saw the party flip seats in both chambers of Congress and win governorships in deeply Republican states — in part to the war in Iran.
“The reason we lost is the war. The President himself said so last night,” Vance wrote in a lengthy post on X on Wednesday.
He also delivered a pointed message to supporters of the war, calling on them to accept responsibility for encouraging US military action in the Middle East.
Asked that day about the damaging election results, Trump likewise appeared to acknowledge that the conflict had played a role.
“It is largely true,” he conceded, while adding: “If I had to do it again, I would do it. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Vice President JD Vance previously blamed the Iran war for the Democrats’ “blue tsunami”
Trump has said that, since the conflict began in February, US strikes have severely damaged Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.
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Iran now has only 10 percent of its previous missile capacity and 15 percent of its drone capability, Trump told Sciutto on Sunday.
The country’s air-defense network has also been destroyed, he said.
“It’s unstoppable because they have no anti-aircraft stuff. All of their anti-aircraft is gone,” Trump said.
Iran has also faced difficulty selling crude oil on international markets because of US sanctions, while billions of dollars in assets held overseas remain frozen.
“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 vessel 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 revenue overland is now operating
At the same time, the United States is offering up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear program and has created a task force to prevent Tehran from transporting advanced weapons, sanctioned materials and illicit funds by land.
Trump announced on Truth Social that the task force, called Iron Gate, was 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.
The president has also stressed that US forces are positioned throughout the Middle East and ready to act if he orders a strike.
“I’ve got three aircraft carriers here,” Trump told CNN. “The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded.”
Should the US attack, Trump said infrastructure targets had been identified, including 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 adding that he would prefer not to destroy 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 were positioned 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 had spoken with Qatari 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 route for global oil shipments whose closure has driven up gas prices. Tehran is seeking several concessions in return, including the lifting of sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.