Trump stuns world by declaring Iran war nearly finished | US | News
The bombshell news about Trump’s statement came via Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump stunned the world on Tuesday by declaring the Iran war over; all while his own administration is scrambling to arrange a second round of peace talks that has not yet been scheduled.
The bombshell came via Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, who spent the evening interviewing the president at the White House. When asked if the war was over, Trump replied: “I think it’s close to over, yes. I see it as very close to being over. If I pick up the stick now, it’ll take them close to 20 years to rebuild that country.”
In a teaser clip released after his departure, Bartiromo described the purchase that stopped him in his tracks.
“‘Is it over?’ I said. “It’s over,” he told his followers.
The question of whether this statement reflects reality is complicated by what is happening behind the scenes. American officials are trying to send J.D. Vance back to Islamabad for another attempt to reach a negotiated agreement, but a date has not yet been set.
“Further talks are being discussed, but nothing is planned at this time,” a US official told CNN.
Read more: X users notice disturbing shadowy figures in Trump’s Al Jesus image
Read more: Trump shares ‘mindless’ image depicting himself as Jesus Christ
Iran-US peace talks
Vance led the first round of talks in Pakistan on Saturday, sitting at the same table with his Iranian counterparts during a fragile two-week ceasefire.
Discussions ended without an agreement after Tehran insisted for two decades that it retained the ability to enrich uranium; A demand that Washington cannot accept.
According to the Daily Mail, back channels remained open. According to CNN, a team including Vance, presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner is working through intermediaries to keep the diplomatic process alive.
Trump, meanwhile, had hinted at the move even before his announcement, suggesting to the New York Post that “something could happen” before the ceasefire window closes.
Options on the table
The victory declaration sits oddly next to reports that the administration is preparing contingency plans for every non-peace scenario. Three approaches were being evaluated.
The most timid may see Washington maintaining a formidable presence in the region, maintaining its fire militarily, and not escalating the pressure.
A more assertive path involved precision strikes on specific targets: Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, and energy sector. The most aggressive scenario was considered to go even further: a sustained campaign designed not just to humiliate the regime but to topple it itself, with attacks reaching the highest levels of the Iranian leadership.
The Wall Street Journal report suggested that Trump was reluctant to return to full-scale bombardment, worrying that it would set fire to a larger area. That risk has been exacerbated by the economic consequences of its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway that carries a fifth of the global oil supply), which is already squeezing American consumers and roiling financial markets.
