President Donald Trump tried to calm voters’ concerns about Iran a day before the midterm elections, describing the conflict as a “soft war” rather than a drawn-out one and saying the U.S. could bring it to an end at any time.
“We’re not fighting a war,” Trump said Monday during an interview with Sean Hannity. He argued that a war involves sustained combat, adding that there had been no shooting for months and that the two sides had spent much of that time talking.
The conflict could influence Tuesday’s election as voters contend with rising gas prices and broader economic effects. The fighting began eight months ago, and the Pentagon estimates it has cost taxpayers more than $47 billion.
Trump’s remarks followed a U.S. strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, after Iran fired on a U.S. aircraft. U.S. officials described the strike as defensive and said it did not signal a return to a wider campaign of attacks inside Iran.
Trump said he was not rushing to resume military strikes, but warned that Iran could face severe consequences if the latest peace talks fail. He said earlier U.S. attacks had destroyed Iran’s potential to develop nuclear weapons, while suggesting the U.S. could still target Pickaxe Mountain if necessary.
He said there was no active, large-scale war underway, but that fighting could resume if Iran did not reach an agreement. Trump also said he believed Tehran wanted a deal and that an agreement was possible.
Trump brushed aside criticism of the conflict’s cost, calling the expense “peanuts” and saying the campaign was needed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. He also claimed Iran’s military, navy, air force and air defenses had been largely destroyed, and that its remaining missile and drone capabilities were limited.
The president said the U.S. was negotiating from a position of “total strength” and could end the conflict whenever it chose.
