Trump predicts swift war end, refuses to set Iran deadline

The joint military campaign the United States and Israel are waging against Iran will conclude rapidly, US President Donald Trump predicted early Thursday. Speaking at a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones in Georgia, Trump addressed the conflict's trajectory and rationale.

"When you look at what's happening, you find that we're doing it for a very important reason," Trump said. "We cannot allow them [the Iranians] to possess a nuclear weapon. I think most people realize that. They realize what we're doing is right, and it will end quickly."

Earlier reports had indicated Washington and Tehran were nearing agreement on a single-page memorandum to end the war that has inflamed the Middle East. Trump's latest remarks came amid those diplomatic signals.

Pressed by White House reporters on whether a deadline exists for talks with Iran, Trump replied: "There is no deadline. It will happen, but there is no deadline."

The president previously stated that the Iranians "have been defeated militarily" and "perhaps don't realize it deep down," adding: "But I think they realize it because I deal with them. We can never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

"We cannot allow them [the Iranians] to possess a nuclear weapon. I think most people realize that. They realize what we're doing is right, and it will end quickly."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has separately expressed hope that Iranians will develop the ability to resist the regime, though he did not elaborate on the mechanisms for such resistance.