Trump says Iran war will end ‘soon’

President Trump claimed on Friday that the U.S. war against Iran will end “soon” as he mulls authorizing military strikes on the Islamic Republic following the November midterm elections.

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“It’s going to get wrapped up soon ,” the president said in ‌an ⁠interview Friday morning with Kansas-based radio station KCMO. “We need a guarantee there’ll never ⁠be a nuclear weapon.”

The president reiterated during the interview that the U.S. military will not conduct strikes against Iran before the next week’s midterm elections.

The war, which began in late February, is nearing its eight month as the cost of the conflict has risen to $47 billion , according to the Pentagon.

Trump’s comments come as Iran has not yet responded to a letter Vice President Vance sent last week to the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, according to Tasnim News Agency, a semi-official Iranian news agency linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) has drawn up multiple Iranian strike options , which could be exercised after the midterms if there is authorization from the White House, The Hill previously reported .

Centcom Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video posted on Friday that Iran’s navy is decimated and that southern shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz are open.

Cooper’s remarks come as Iran claimed that six commercial ships struck sea mines in the waterway in recent days.

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