Trump Says Iran War Will End "Pretty Soon"
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- Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office he expects the war with Iran to end "pretty soon," claiming Iran "can't go much longer" after months of fighting
- Trump confirmed Sunday he cancelled planned US strikes after requests from Iran and several Middle Eastern countries, citing progress toward a broader agreement
- The emerging deal framework includes the "Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and measures aimed at addressing Iran's nuclear programme, with Trump saying the strike pause holds only if a final deal is reached quickly
- Trump acknowledged the US faces tighter supplies of certain munitions categories, though said others have "virtual unlimited" supply and that defence manufacturers are expanding production capacity for Patriot and Tomahawk missiles
- A prior US-Iran ceasefire brokered earlier this year collapsed amid allegations of mutual violations, prompting renewed US strikes on Iranian military targets before the current pause
Why it matters: The strike pause buys negotiating time, but Trump's own admission of munitions shortages reveals a constraint behind the pivot from escalation to diplomacy. With a prior ceasefire already collapsed once, the question is whether a Hormuz reopening deal holds where the last arrangement didn't.
