Trump’s Past-Tense Talk Sets Up Question On Whether Operation Epic Fury Is Over

President Donald Trump said the situation with Iran is “very close to over,” defending the moment he chose to step in and warning what could have happened if he didn’t.

“I had to divert because if I didn’t do that right now, you would have Iran with a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And if they had a nuclear weapon, you would be calling everybody over there, ‘sir’ — and you don’t want to do that.”

Trump made the remarks during an interview that aired Wednesday morning on Mornings with Maria, where he was pressed on whether the conflict is nearing an end.

“Well you keep saying ‘was’… Is this war over?” host Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo asked.

“I think it’s close to over. I mean, I view it as very close to over,” Trump responded.

He added that even if the United States pulled back now, the damage has already been done.

“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” Trump said.

Still, Trump made clear the situation remains ongoing.

“We’re not finished. We’ll see what happens,” he said, adding that he believes Iran is now eager to reach an agreement. “I think they want to make a deal very badly.”