'They’re a failing nation': Trump says fresh strikes on Iran 'highly unlikely' if peace talks progress

Donald Trump on Sunday told CNN in a phone interview that it is "highly unlikely" that the US will strike Iran again if the ongoing peace talks progress. Trump on Sunday told CNN that he doesn't think a fresh round of strikes in Iran "will be necessary" if talks progress.

“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” the 81-year-old said. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation.

“Highly unlikely it will be necessary,” Trump continued. "I would, if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them. “So it’s highly unlikely I’ll have to,” Trump added, “They’re withering away financially.

We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.” Donald Trump has been softening his stance on the Iran war since the Republican Party, under his leadership, suffered a rout in the midterm elections. The day after the elections results came, Vice President JD Vance made a X post with a lengthy analysis of what went wrong for the Republicans.

In short, the Ohio Republican laid the blame on the impact of the Iran war on American lives. Trump, when asked about Vance's comments, said that the Iran war was partly responsible for the election rout, but defended it anyway, saying he "would do it again." On Thursday, Trump said that the US is "locked and loaded" for a potential strike on Iran.

"We're building more weapons right now in our military than we've ever built before," he said. "If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we're very much locked and loaded." However, whether or not the US will go ahead and launch another large-scale operation was uncertain at the time.

"We'll make a decision," Trump told reporters. Shamik is a journalist covering the United States for Hindustan Times. He has more than four years of experience reporting on US politics, sports, and major breaking stories across fast-moving cycles.

He previously worked at Times Now and Sportskeeda, building strong newsroom instincts and digital storytelling skills. At HT.com, he focuses on day-to-day coverage of US political developments while also handling high-impact stories that demand speed, accuracy, clarity, and context under pressure.

Shamik has extensive experience covering NFL game days over the past two years, coordinating live updates, analysis, and explainers. He is particularly drawn to large news moments such as US elections and the Super Bowl, where he thrives at the news desk working alongside the team.

He holds degrees in Media Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and English Literature from Jadavpur University. Before entering journalism, he briefly worked in digital marketing and political consultancy roles. Currently a Senior Content Producer at HT Digital, he is driven by curiosity, discipline, and a constant desire to explore new and obscure topics.

Outside work, he enjoys reading, films, sports, and learning continuously.Read More