Trump: Middle East conflict nearing end, but US not finished yet

The conflict in the Middle East is close to ending, but Washington’s role is not yet complete, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

Initially, journalist Maria Bartiromo suggested that Trump had declared the operation against Iran finished. However, the full version of the interview made clear that the US leader was referring only to the conflict approaching its conclusion.

“I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over,” he stated, emphasising that they were not finished yet.

"If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished," Trump said. "We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly."

The president’s comments come as peace talks between US officials and Iranian negotiators are reportedly expected to restart on April 16 following stalled weekend talks in Pakistan.

Discussions are focused on extending a ceasefire set to expire on April 22. At the same time, Washington maintains a clear objective in talks with the Islamic Republic, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance stressing that Trump is not pursuing a “minor” agreement but a comprehensive deal aimed at normalising bilateral economic relations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada