Trump says Iran wants a deal
The Iran war is “very close to being over” and officials in Tehran are willing to agree to a peace deal, US President Donald Trump said in an interview published Wednesday.
Trump: “We completely defeated them militarily” said in a pre-recorded interview on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.” “I think it’s close to being over, I see it very close to being over. … If I take the risk now, it’ll take them 20 years to rebuild that country, and we’re not done yet.”
“We’ll see what happens, I think they really want to make a deal.” added.
The president’s latest comments come as market optimism grows that a diplomatic solution to the US-Iran war can be found, despite the failure of peace talks last weekend.
The United States and Iran have reached an “agreement in principle” to extend a fragile two-week ceasefire to allow for more diplomacy, the Associated Press reported Wednesday morning, citing regional officials.
However, a senior US official told CNBC that the US “has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire.”
“There is ongoing interaction between the United States and Iran to reach an agreement,” added the official, who discussed the administration’s internal plans on condition of anonymity.
Multiple news outlets have reported that negotiations could restart before the ceasefire expires next week. A White House official told CNBC on Tuesday morning that a second round of talks was being discussed between Washington and Tehran, but nothing was officially planned as of that date.
Trump later Tuesday said The New York Post wrote that new US-Iran talks in Islamabad “could take place in the next two days.”
In an interview with Fox Business airing Wednesday, Trump downplayed the global market turmoil caused by the war and said oil prices, which have risen because of supply disruptions, will soon fall.
He once again defended US military operations against Iran and said, “We must prevent them from having nuclear weapons.”
Trump predicted that once the war was over, “the stock market will go up, it’s already going up.”
Washington continues to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime passage largely controlled by Iran, as the Trump administration considers further talks with Tehran.
US Central Command he said late Tuesday. It was stated that the blockade, which does not allow ships to enter or exit Iranian ports, has been fully implemented and Tehran has “completely” cut off international maritime trade.
Correction April 15, 2026: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Fox interview was pre-recorded.
