Washington: U.S. President Donald J. Trump signalled yet another conclusion to hostilities with Iran, suggesting that the conflict has reached its final stages.

In the segments of the unreleased footage of an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, the president defended his military strategy, asserting that his intervention was necessary to prevent Tehran from achieving nuclear capabilities.

“I had to divert because if I didn't do that, right now, you would have Iran with a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "And if they had a nuclear weapon, you would be calling everybody over there, sir. And you don't want to do that.”

A Conflict Near Completion

When pressed by the interviewer on whether the hostilities had officially ceased, the president described the war as being in its twilight.

“I think it's close to over. Yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over," Trump remarked. He further contended that the scale of the American military campaign has left the Islamic Republic in a state of prolonged domestic ruin. "You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country."

Prospects for a Settlement

Despite the devastation described, the president indicated that he is not yet prepared to withdraw entirely, though he expressed confidence that a diplomatic resolution is imminent.

"And we're not finished. We'll see what happens," Trump added. "I think they want to make a deal very badly.”

The comments suggest that the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign, which recently escalated into open conflict and a maritime blockade, may be shifting back toward a negotiated framework as the Trump administration assesses the impact of the military operations.