US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the war with Iran is “very close to being over,” while asserting that the United States is “not done” with its military campaign, as Washington prepares for a second round of talks with Tehran amid continuing tensions in West Asia alongside parallel diplomatic efforts.
"I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over," Trump told Fox Business in an interview.
The remarks come amid an ongoing US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz targeting Iranian ports, launched after earlier peace talks in Islamabad collapsed. The blockade, enforced by thousands of American personnel and multiple warships, has already forced several vessels to turn back from Iranian waters.
Immediately after saying the war is nearing an end, Trump asserted the US is not done in the conflict with Iran.
"If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished," he said. "We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly."
NEW: Trump says the war with Iran is “close to over” pic.twitter.com/FF54F9mBdr— Resist Wire (@ResistWire) April 15, 2026
The US, along with Israel, launched a military campaign against Iran on February 28, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons of mass destruction. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several key figures, while inflicting significant damage on critical infrastructure. However, Iran mounted a strong retaliation, targeting US interests across West Asia, an escalation that Trump himself earlier described as surprising.
Justifying his decision to launch a direct military strike on Iran, the US President told Fox Business that the move was necessary to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
"I had to divert because if I didn’t do that, right now, you’d have Iran with a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, you’d be calling everybody over there 'sir,' and you don’t want to do that," Trump said.
On Tuesday, Trump said that a second round of talks with Iran “could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there (Islamabad)." The first round ended without an agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the White House says is a sticking point.
Vice President JD Vance also said Trump wanted to make a "grand bargain" with Iran but there was a lot of mistrust between the two countries, adding, "You are not going to solve that problem overnight."
Though the ceasefire appears to be holding, tensions over the strategic Strait of Hormuz risk reigniting hostilities and exacerbating the war’s economic fallout. However, neither side has clarified what course of action it will take once the ceasefire expires on April 22.
Source: India Today