Trump predicts Iran war will end ‘immediately after the election’

President Trump said Wednesday he believes the U.S. war with Iran will end “immediately” after November’s midterm elections.

“I think the war is going to end immediately after the election,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews en route to the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.

“They can’t hold out any longer,” he continued. “They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in there, and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Trump made the prediction when asked at Joint Base Andrews whether he expects negotiations with Iran to resume.

“We’re not looking for it, to be honest,” Trump responded. “Originally, I wanted to make a deal. We’re so far down the line. We have very little country left.”

“Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we’re looking at,” he added.

The president’s comments come after Iran said Wednesday that it targeted 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers. Those strikes followed the U.S. destroying five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday.

“We’ve knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us, and you’re going to see a lot more,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.

Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 33 percent, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey , with the Iran war and rising prices as key factors, causing concerns among Republicans as November approaches.