President Trump offered reporters a bold prediction on the state of the ongoing conflict with Iran Wednesday, telling the press pool waiting to board Air Force One that he believes the war will conclude right after the midterm elections in November.
Trump’s comments came during an unplanned delay on the runway, after the inflatable emergency slide accidentally deployed on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One, giving reporters extra time to press him on a range of topics.
Asked about recent U.S. military action against Iran, Trump confirmed American forces have been carrying out strikes, telling reporters, “We’ve knocked out nine of their ships… And you’re going to see — you’re gonna see a lot more. We’ve taken out about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gonezo.”
When pressed further on when hostilities might wrap up, Trump offered his prediction with confidence. “I think the war is going to end immediately after the election. I think that war will end immediately after the election, because they can’t hold out any longer,” he said. He argued Iran is desperate to influence the outcome of the midterms in hopes of a weaker American government that would leave them alone to pursue nuclear weapons. “All they want is a nuclear weapon, and if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world would be in deep trouble,” Trump said.
A reporter also asked whether a nuclear deal with Iran was still on the table, noting that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had suggested one might no longer be possible. Trump pushed back on that characterization, insisting the administration is pursuing something even bigger than a traditional nuclear agreement. “There’s a lot more than nuclear — we’re going to have nuclear, that’s 99.9% — but there’s going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn’t have been on the table three months ago,” he said.
Trump was also asked about Canada’s newly imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, though he indicated he had only just learned of the move and planned to speak with Israeli officials to get their read on the decision before commenting further.
The president’s remarks underscore his continued confidence that decisive American military pressure — combined with the coming political calendar — will force Iran’s hand, bringing the conflict to a close once voters have had their say at the ballot box in November.
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