Trump predicts a US-Iran ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz agreement within days, despite ongoing regional conflicts.
President Donald Trump expressed strong optimism that the United States and Iran are within days of finalizing an accord to formalize an extended ceasefire and permanently restore commercial navigation through the vital Strait of Hormuz, even as spillover combat across the region threatens to derail fragile backchannel talks.
In a telephone interview with ABC News, Trump characterized ongoing bilateral negotiations with Tehran as advancing steadily toward a resolution, despite friction generated by renewed exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah across southern Lebanon. The president indicated that a comprehensive framework-designed to codify a durable cessation of hostilities while lifting maritime blockades along the world’s most critical energy artery-could be concluded in roughly a week. “Looking good, looking good,” Trump said regarding the diplomatic trajectory, while cautioning that final terms have not yet been formally signed. “We have a few more points to settle, but we’re getting what we need to get.”
The prospective breakthrough comes amid a precarious operational environment across the Levant and the Persian Gulf. Administration officials confirmed that Iranian negotiators had raised urgent objections over intensified Israeli air campaigns targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, warning that expanded kinetic operations could collapse the broader diplomatic architecture established between Washington and Tehran. Trump stated that he intervened directly through multilateral channels to insulate the negotiating track from escalating regional strikes. “I spoke with Hezbollah, and I said no shooting, and I talked to Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu], and said, no shooting, and they both stopped shooting each other,” Trump told ABC News.