Trump says Iran wants to talk, even as military strike looms after midterms

US President Donald Trump said Washington is engaged in end-of-war negotiations with Iran, signaling that the US is pursuing military pressure and diplomatic talks simultaneously amid growing speculation that large-scale strikes could resume after the midterm elections.

Responding to reporters' questions at the White House on Friday (local time), Trump confirmed that the two sides are in contact. "We're talking. Iran wants to talk, and we keep talking," Trump said, according to Yonhap.

Trump added that Iran "can't even pay their soldiers and police" and is "in a very difficult situation," then said, "Frankly, we have time." The remarks were widely interpreted as signaling that Washington sees no urgency to rush a deal, given Iran's economic strain.

The comments came amid reports that the US could resume large-scale military strikes against Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. With military tensions running high, attention has turned to whether the end-of-war negotiations can make meaningful progress while back-channel dialogue continues.

Earlier, US media reported that Trump had directed Vice President JD Vance to send a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a hardline figure, urging a resumption of negotiations. Trump, however, said the letter concerned medical supply support, not a resumption of talks.

In a radio interview earlier that day, Trump also said the war with Iran would "wrap up soon," and went on to say, "We need a guarantee that there will be absolutely no nuclear weapons." The statement reaffirmed Trump's longstanding position that Iran will not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons.

Trump also addressed the financial cost of the Iran campaign, claiming the US has "spent relatively little" and asserting, "What we spent, we got back more than 10 times over from Venezuela."

The remark appeared to refer to oil-related revenues secured following the operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year, which Trump suggested had more than offset the cost of the Iran campaign.

"We spent a lot of money to get rid of nuclear weapons," Trump doubled down, "but what we spent in Iran, we more than made back through what we did in Venezuela."