Trump told reporters that Iran had been beaten and that the prolonged conflict was nearing its conclusion, adding that Tehran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons — even as attempts to broker a renewed ceasefire have so far failed to gain traction.

Speaking at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump told the crowd that fighting was winding down, that the costs borne by Americans represented an acceptable price for keeping nuclear weapons out of Iranian hands — a capability he insisted Iran would not attain — and that energy prices, pushed higher by war-related disruptions, would fall sharply once the fighting ended.

Prior to the rally, Trump told a broadcast outlet that Iran's forces had already lost their fighting capacity, stating that the country had been beaten. Trump stated that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons, and characterised the resulting rise in fuel prices as a trade-off he viewed as acceptable given the goal of keeping such arms out of Tehran's possession.

As the November 3 midterm vote approached, with Republicans seeking to retain their hold on Congress, Trump addressed the public at a moment when energy costs had become a growing concern among voters. In grain-belt states like Nebraska, the cost of running diesel-powered equipment and long-haul trucks had climbed enough to draw fuel pricing into the centre of political debate.

At the rally, Trump signed an executive order broadening eligibility for tax-exempt red-dyed diesel, a move intended to offer near-term cost relief. On multiple occasions, the president attributed the upturn in fuel costs to the conflict with Iran, expressing an expectation that prices would drop noticeably once the fighting ends.

Peace talks have yet to yield any concrete breakthrough, even as Trump has spoken with growing confidence about the prospect of ending the conflict. A plan put forward by Iran called for the removal of restrictions on Iranian ports by the United States, with Tehran committing to restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz within a week.

The conflict has kept the channel — a passage that once carried around a fifth of global oil supplies — largely out of normal operation. Publicly, Trump stated that the Iranian proposal had been turned down, even as officials in Tehran maintained at the time that no formal notification of that decision had reached them.

Tehran confirmed that Qatari intermediaries had carried a response from Washington to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shortly after the exchange took place. Negotiators from the two parties never met face to face in New York, relying instead on Qatari intermediaries to carry proposals back and forth between the American and Iranian delegations.

Those indirect exchanges marked the first contact between the opposing parties since a ceasefire arranged earlier that year unravelled after holding for only a few weeks. People with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations have told reporters that the two sides are not necessarily at odds over every provision of a potential deal, but rather over the order in which each party would be expected to act.

Separate accounts of the talks have pointed in a notably different direction, with some officials characterising both parties as having hardened their positions and noting that a return to large-scale fighting has not been ruled out. Publicly, Trump has maintained that negotiations will ultimately move in his favour, telling reporters the timing remains unclear while voicing confidence in the outcome — a portrayal that Iranian officials have disputed.

Rezaei, serving as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated that Trump had yet to settle on a clear path between negotiation and further confrontation, while Iranian officials have maintained throughout that any agreement must take in the lifting of sanctions, the naval blockade, and arrangements governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fighting that broke out in late February and has since extended across roughly eight months left Iran's armed forces diminished while also sending energy supply chains into disarray around the globe. Keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons has been described as the central aim of the operation, according to statements from Washington.

Speaking at the Nebraska event, Trump told the audience that Iran would be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons, adding that an outcome along those lines was expected within a short period of time.