The president Donald Trump assured this Tuesday in an interview with Fox News that his decision to intervene militarily against Iran has prevented the Persian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and he stated that the conflict is "close to ending."
In statements to the program "Mornings with Maria", Trump justified the Epic Fury Operation —a joint offensive by the United States and Israel that began on February 28—as a necessary action to prevent a global nuclear threat.
"I had to divert, because if I hadn't, right now they would have a nuclear weapon in Iran," Trump stated. "And if they had a nuclear weapon, you would be calling everyone over there, sir. And you don't want to do that."
The leader also warned that military pressure has not concluded: "If I were to withdraw right now, it would take 20 years to rebuild that country. And we are not finished."
Regarding the state of the conflict, Trump was straightforward: "Has this war ended? I think it is close to ending. I mean, I see it very close to ending."
The context of these statements is one of a conflict that, after 38 days of fighting, reached a bilateral ceasefire on April 7, followed by peace negotiations in Islamabad from April 10 to April 12 that failed to reach an agreement after 21 hours of talks.
The U.S. delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, demanded the complete dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program and a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment.
Iran, for its part, only accepted a five-year pause and demanded compensations of 270 billion dollars.
At the end of those conversations, Vance was emphatic: "They have chosen not to accept our terms... bad news for Iran".
After the diplomatic failure, Trump announced a naval blockade against Iranian ports to cut off the regime's oil exports.
The Epic Fury Operation destroyed the Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, and according to figures from Trump himself, eliminated 90% of Iranian missiles, 95% of their drones, and killed 49 high-ranking officials of the regime, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who passed away on March 1.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in March that Iran possessed 5,500 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, an amount sufficient to produce nine nuclear bombs.
Despite the naval blockade and diplomatic tensions, Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of an agreement: "I believe they want to make a deal very desperately."
The UN declared on Tuesday that it was highly likely negotiations between Washington and Tehran would resume, which could open a new diplomatic window in the coming days.
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