President Donald Trump expressed confidence Monday that the latest confrontation between Israel and Iran won’t escalate into another round of attacks, and declared he expects an announcement of “total victory” over Iran within two weeks.
In a phone call with Sky News correspondent James Matthews, Trump was asked whether he would join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel strikes Iran again. The president said he doesn’t expect that scenario to happen. “I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Trump said. “Everything is working out great. Iran is doing what it needs to do. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Later in the call, Matthews asked Trump how he would respond if Netanyahu chose to act against his wishes, but according to Matthews, the president ended the call without answering the question.
Later, during an online rally supporting Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump addressed the situation with Iran again and offered an optimistic forecast about upcoming developments. “The United States is really going to win in the next two weeks,” Trump said. “We’re going to declare total victory over Iran.”
Vice President JD Vance also addressed the ongoing negotiations with Iran last night in an interview with Fox News, making clear the administration isn’t operating from an assumption of good faith by the parties involved. According to him, the United States is deeply engaged in the talks, with the central goal being the completion of President Trump’s objectives.
Vance emphasized that the American approach will be based on rigorous, long-term verification mechanisms designed to ensure Iran lives up to its commitments. According to him, the administration is in a strong position to achieve its goals, in part because continued confrontation doesn’t serve Tehran’s interests.
He added that in his assessment, the Iranians want to end the crisis and are therefore coming to the negotiating table and presenting practical proposals. Despite this being a “heavy task,” Vance expressed confidence in America’s ability to lead the effort successfully.
Toward the end of the interview, the vice president made clear that any Iranian proposal will undergo a rigorous review process to ensure it’s not just declarations. He added that if the negotiations ripen into a final agreement, it would represent a “crushing victory” for the American people.
As a reminder, last night the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump reached out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the escalation with Iran and initially asked him not to respond to the Iranian missile attack. Later, after it became clear Israel intended to act, the president requested the response be limited and not lead to broad escalation.
According to the report, after the exchange of strikes between the sides, another call took place between the two, during which the American president asked to stop the attacks, and Netanyahu agreed to the request. Sources involved in the details said Trump sought to prevent further deterioration and preserve efforts to advance understandings with Tehran.