Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Sep 28: US President Donald Trump has said he expects the conflict with Iran to end “very soon”, while declining to rule out further American military strikes before the US midterm elections.

Speaking to Fox News on the sidelines of the PGA Tour Presidents Cup on Sunday, Trump said the primary US objective was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He also said the end of the conflict would lead to a sharp fall in global oil prices.

“I think what's going to happen is we're going to win this war very soon, and as soon as we win it, the oil will go down, way down to what it was before the war,” Trump said.

Asked whether the US could carry out further military strikes before the midterm elections, Trump declined to rule out the possibility.

“I don't want to say that. I don't want to say that. I mean, it's possible, but I just don't want to say that,” he said.

Trump reiterated that Iran would not have a nuclear weapon, describing nuclear deterrence as “key to the whole thing”.

On whether the US was making progress through military action or economic sanctions under what he called “Operation Economic Outcast”, Trump said Washington was succeeding on both fronts.

“I think both. I think we'll win it both ways. We've already won it really from a military standpoint,” he said, adding that this did not mean the US had stopped its efforts.

Trump also claimed that US pressure had severely damaged Iran's economy, saying the country was facing soaring inflation and a collapse in the value of its currency.

“We're certainly winning it very big. If you look at their economy, it's gone. They have no economy,” he said.

Trump claimed Iran's inflation had reached nearly 300 per cent, citing a figure of 318 per cent, though the figure was not independently established in his remarks.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for a prolonged conflict with the US while maintaining that Iran remained open to diplomacy.

Speaking to NBC News' Meet the Press, Araghchi said Iran was ready for a “doomsday war” after Trump publicly rejected Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war. We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections. We care about our national interests. At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose,” he said.

Araghchi said Trump's rejection of the proposal had not been formally communicated to Tehran through designated diplomatic channels.

He reiterated that Iran was willing to reopen the maritime corridor as part of a negotiated settlement to end the hostilities.

“We want our monies, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil,” he said.

Araghchi said the conditions were consistent with a memorandum of understanding signed in June for a temporary ceasefire, which later collapsed following reciprocal strikes.

“If you ask us, there is no reason why we should go back to diplomacy,” Araghchi said. “But I am still trying diplomacy because I think we shouldn’t miss any chance for peace.”