Trump: Iran wants talks, war could end soon

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran was seeking negotiations with Washington and facing serious internal difficulties, hours after predicting that the war between the two countries would soon come to an end. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Tehran was continuing to pursue talks while struggling to meet its financial obligations to security personnel. "There are talks. They want to talk. They keep talking.

They're not paying their soldiers. They're not paying their police. They're in a lot of trouble." The President also suggested that Washington was not under immediate pressure to bring the conflict to a conclusion. "We have time, frankly. It's a war, but it is not a typical war." Earlier Friday, Trump told Kansas City radio station KCMO that the military confrontation with Iran was approaching its conclusion, although he did not provide a timetable or explain how an agreement might be reached.

"It's going to get wrapped ⁠up soon," Trump said during the interview, which took place ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. "We need a guarantee there'll never be a nuclear weapon," he added, reiterating Washington's demand that any settlement prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The comments came as the administration continued weighing the possibility of renewed military strikes against Iran, potentially before or after Tuesday's elections.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), had met with Trump at the White House to discuss possible military operations against Tehran. The meeting, an unusual in-person briefing by the senior American commander responsible for the Middle East, also included Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, according to officials and other individuals familiar with the discussions.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had alerted several Gulf Arab countries to the possibility of a brief but intensive military campaign against Iran following the midterms. According to the report, Washington was also reinforcing air defense systems in the region and moving personnel away from military installations considered particularly vulnerable to Iranian retaliation. Although Trump has repeatedly declined to confirm whether he intends to authorize additional strikes, he has defended his previous decision to attack Iran and indicated that he would make the same choice again if necessary.

At the same time, the administration has maintained diplomatic contacts aimed at exploring a possible settlement. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance had reached out to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former longtime commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the newspaper, Vance sent Rezaei a letter intended to examine the possibility of resuming negotiations between Washington and Tehran. (Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York.

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