President Donald Trump said the situation with Iran is “very close to over,” defending the moment he chose to step in and warning what could have happened if he didn’t.
“I had to divert because if I didn’t do that right now, you would have Iran with a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And if they had a nuclear weapon, you would be calling everybody over there, ‘sir’ — and you don’t want to do that.”
Trump made the remarks during an interview that aired Wednesday morning on Mornings with Maria, where he was pressed on whether the conflict is nearing an end.
“Well you keep saying ‘was’… Is this war over?” host Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo asked.
“I think it’s close to over. I mean, I view it as very close to over,” Trump responded.
He added that even if the United States pulled back now, the damage has already been done.
“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” Trump said.
Still, Trump made clear the situation remains ongoing.
“We’re not finished. We’ll see what happens,” he said, adding that he believes Iran is now eager to reach an agreement. “I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
Trump also weighed in on oil prices, brushing off concerns about the spike tied to the conflict.
Speaking in the same interview, Trump said he expected things to get much worse and suggested where prices are now is not nearly as bad as some predicted.
“A lot of people said it would be $200,” Trump said. “I think we’re doing very well.”
Bartiromo pointed out oil has still surged and markets have taken a hit, but Trump made clear he was willing to accept that tradeoff.
“You’re right,” he said. “I was willing to do that, to stop a nuclear weapon from being used against this country or the Middle East.”
Trump added that the current price actually caught him off guard.
“If you told me that we were gonna be at only $92 a barrel, I would have been very surprised,” he said. “I am very happy.”
He also predicted prices could fall quickly if the situation wraps up.
“It’s gonna come dropping down very big as soon as it’s over,” Trump said, doubling down on his view that it could be “very soon.”
