WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he does not plan to launch fresh strikes on Iran for now, even as he doubles down on his decision to go to war, a policy he acknowledges drove voters away from the Republican Party on Election Day.
Trump, who had threatened to “finish the job” in Iran after the midterms, is hosting Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Monday. The two have served as mediators between U.S. and Iranian officials, and the meeting could signal that more peace talks are in the works.
Asked in an interview that aired Sunday on “60 Minutes” whether he would escalate the war now that the midterms are over, Trump: “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.”
Trump also said he would make the same decision again.
“This historically, for history, will go down as one of the best things we ever did,” he told reporters Sunday night.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also defended the president’s stance, telling reporters this past weekend that some of Iran’s demands for a deal have been “unacceptable” and “unrealistic.”
“I think the president took on something that other presidents have failed to do,” Rubio said. “ … I don’t know if it’s popular or not, but it’s the right thing to do, and presidents are elected to do the hard things.”
Rubio’s tone differs notably from that of Vice President JD Vance. Both men are considered top contenders for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Vance wrote on social media the day after the election that “the reason Republicans lost is the war” and that it drove Republicans to vote for Democrats.
Trump claimed in February that the war would end within six weeks. In the run-up to the midterms, he said multiple times that it would end shortly after the election.
With Democrats set to take the majority in Congress next year, the White House will face more pressure than ever to end the war.
“This war must end,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed Rubio’s characterization of its demands as unreasonable, calling U.S. actions in the Middle East “interventionist” and “unlawful.”
Iran has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. must lift sanctions and its ongoing naval blockade, among other priorities, to reach a deal.
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
