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U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington has "dominated" Iran and "can close them down anytime we want," as Gulf and Egyptian diplomats warned a renewed round of the Iran war would be more destructive than the last.
"We’re trying to be nice, sometimes you don’t do that. We’re trying to be a little nice but I think, you know, it’s going to be very close. We’re just going to close them down. That’s going to be the end of it," Trump said at his final midterm rally in Salina, Kansas.
"Either they’ll make a deal, or we just end it. I guess you could say maybe the easy way," he said. In an interview with RSBN in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump said the war would be "put away" very soon, "one way or another."
"The only reason I haven't finished with Iran is because I want to be a good guy. I want to try to save lives there. But at some point, we'll have to hit them with a hammer," Trump said, claiming that most of Iran's planes and ships had been destroyed.
Trump told reporters Saturday the U.S. still has to "take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes," pointing to Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain.
He confirmed he discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but did not elaborate.
"A potential future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion," Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to state television.
"In a conflict with America, there are no geographical limitations," Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said.
Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said he had received a letter from Vice President JD Vance and noted a positive change in "tone" but had yet to respond.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said mediators were discussing a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the U.S. met Iran’s conditions.
Gulf Arab states reportedly fear another U.S.-Israeli attack on a better-prepared Iran could unleash an even more destructive war across the region.
"If these positions are not bridged, then we have to worry about the worst," UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. "We are clearly seeking a political off-ramp."
"The second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.
"The GCC states were not a party to the war and did not seek it," Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi said.
Saudi Arabia mandated remote learning for schools nationwide as Houthi attacks continued. Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan traveled to Tehran last week as part of regional diplomacy to head off another attack.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said two tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz while using an unauthorized route, with one supertanker still burning.
The vessels were not identified.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated against Israel and U.S. targets in the region before a ceasefire was reached in April.
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the strait on June 18, but implementation stalled over disagreements concerning security arrangements.
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