'Iran war to end very soon': Trump says fresh strikes before midterms are possible

“I don't want to say that. I mean, it's possible, but I just don't want to say that,” he said.

Trump said the US was making progress through both military action and an economic campaign aimed at putting pressure on Tehran.

“I think we'll win it both ways. We've already won it really from a military standpoint,” he said, referring to what he called Operation Economic Outcast.

“But that doesn't mean we've stopped that,” he added.

Trump claimed that Iran's economy and military had been severely weakened, saying, “We're certainly winning it very big. If you look at their economy, it's gone. They have no economy.”

He also predicted that the conflict would end soon and that oil prices would fall once fighting stopped.

“I think what's going to happen is we're going to win this war very soon, and as soon as we win it, the oil will go down, way down to what it was before the war,” Trump said at the PGA Tour Presidents Cup.

“And the key is, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Trump repeated the message earlier at the White House, saying oil prices would fall once the war ended.

“As soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon, oil is going to come plummeting down,” he said before leaving for Illinois.

Despite keeping military action on the table, Trump said he expected further negotiations with Iran during the week.

In a telephone interview with Axios cited by Fox News, he said Tehran wanted a deal but that its latest proposal did not meet Washington's demands.

“They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” Trump said. “It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand.”

Asked whether he was considering resuming strikes, Trump said, “I am always thinking about it.”

Trump also said a record amount of oil had moved through the Strait of Hormuz overnight. According to Axios, a US defence official confirmed that 22 million barrels had been exported through the strait on Friday night.

The waterway is a major route for global oil and gas shipments, making any prolonged disruption a potential source of pressure on energy prices and shipping costs.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained engaged in dialogue and was prepared to discuss limits on its nuclear programme.

“We're still talking, we're still engaging in dialogue, and we're making our demands within the framework of international law,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS' “Face the Nation”.

Pezeshkian said Iran was also prepared to negotiate access for international nuclear inspectors, but wanted assurances that Washington was not seeking regime change.

“We don't want to fight, but certainly if they strike us, we will defend ourselves,” he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a similar balance, saying Tehran was ready for renewed fighting but had not closed the door to diplomacy.

“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi told NBC News' “Meet the Press”.

“At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose,” he added.

Araghchi also said Iran had not received a formal US response to its proposal through diplomatic channels. The proposal involved reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting nuclear talks under certain conditions.

The comments come as Washington and Tehran remain at odds over the terms of a possible settlement, with mediators continuing efforts to keep negotiations alive.

For now, Trump has signalled that both economic pressure and the threat of further military action remain available to his administration, while Iran says it is prepared for renewed conflict but still willing to pursue diplomacy.