US President Donald Trump has said that he believes the war with Iran could end soon. He expressed confidence that Tehran “can’t go much longer” and also sounded hopeful about negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office he reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and said he expected the fighting to come to an end before long.
“When I started the very important excursion into the Islamic Republic of Iran, it was a very important excursion because they can’t have a nuclear weapon, otherwise the whole world would get blown up. We’re not gonna let that happen. Not only us, not only the Middle East, the whole world would have been… It would have been catastrophic. We had no choice… We will see those days pretty soon again, based on everything I see, as soon as the war ends. And I think the war’s got to end pretty soon. I don’t think they can go much longer,” said the US president.
Strait of Hormuz talks
Trump also talked about talks on the Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The maritime route carries a large share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it strategically important for energy supplies to the world.
Asked about the possibility of an agreement with Iran, Trump said negotiations are going on and claimed progress is being made.
“I don’t want to say it has been… it’s sort of open right now. We have a thing called the blockade headed up by the US Navy, and we control it. But they can always shoot something or drop a mine… if you have one mine sitting out there, you sort of mess things up because people don’t want to take their billion-dollar boats and accidentally get hit by a mine. But I think we’re doing very well. I am involved in the negotiations. I think we are doing fine… it could be soon,” he said.
Iran says it is ready to respond
Trump’s remarks came as Iranian leaders continued to project confidence in the country’s military preparedness.
On Wednesday (August 5), Iran’s Acting Defence Minister Brigadier General Seyed Majid Ibn Reza said the country’s armed forces are ready to respond to any threat from the United States or Israel.
“Every day, the signs of the enemy’s declining capabilities become more evident. But our armed forces, backed by the country’s defense industry, have everything they need to respond to any threat,” he said, according to the Fars news agency.
His comments followed a series of statements from senior Iranian leaders after the collapse of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed in June to halt hostilities.
Ghalibaf attacks US approach
Iran’s top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also criticised Washington’s handling of the diplomatic process.
In a post on X, he wrote, “Massive attack coming… wait, never mind, they want to negotiate. That’s theater diplomacy on loop. Using bullying + broken promises + fake news as leverage is a failed strategy. Acknowledge the facts and fulfill your commitments. We don’t need more theater.”
His remarks came a day after he accused the United States of relying on “theater diplomacy” instead of honouring its commitments.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations with Tehran are unlikely to be straightforward. Speaking to Fox News, he described Iran’s leadership as divided and said any talks would be “messy” and take time.
He added the Trump administration will continue using military, economic and diplomatic pressure while maintaining that Iran will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
The latest statements from Washington and Tehran show that both sides continue to exchange strong public messages even as negotiations over the Strait continue. Trump has shown confidence that the conflict can end soon, while Iranian leaders have insisted they are prepared to respond to any military strike.
