U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard the new Air Force One on July 8, 2026.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday night that he did not know whether the United States and Iran would return to full-scale war, but said Iran “really” wants a deal to halt escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
President Trump returned to Washington, D.C., via the United Kingdom on Wednesday. The president told reporters aboard Air Force One as he departed Britain’s Air Force Mildenhall that the U.S. military had “just hit[Iran]very hard.”
“We say we beat them 20 to 1. Every time they beat us, we’re going to beat them 20, and we did that last night,” he said. “They did a little bit today, but it was just retaliation for last night…When they attacked, we fought back harder.”
Asked if the United States and Iran would return to full-scale military conflict, Trump said, “I don’t know,” adding that if the war resumed, the United States would “quickly win.”
“We have many ways to win, but militarily we have already won,” he said. “They have very little money left. They want to sign a contract very badly. I got a call a while ago. They want to sign a contract very much. I don’t know if it’s worth it for them to sign a contract. I don’t know if they’ll keep their contract. That’s the question.”
CNBC has reached out to the Iranian government for a response to President Trump’s comments.
Is the ceasefire “over”?
U.S. Central Command said its forces carried out another strike on Wednesday aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and innocent civilian sailors in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strait is a waterway in the Middle East that is a key shipping route for oil and other vital goods, and is a point of contention in negotiations to end the U.S.-Iranian war. The Strait of Hormuz was closed throughout much of the conflict, raising energy costs and raising concerns about rising inflation and a hawkish central bank.
The US military carried out a series of attacks against Iran on Tuesday in retaliation for attacks on three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US Treasury subsequently rescinded the exemption that had allowed Iranian oil sales.
According to Centcom, the U.S. military struck about 170 military targets in Iran in the two operations.
Last month, the US and Iranian governments confirmed they had agreed to a memorandum of understanding to end the war. However, at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday morning, President Trump questioned the fragile ceasefire situation between the two countries.
“I think it’s over,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about the deal during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
“I don’t want anything to do with them anymore…As far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” he said of the Iranian government.
President Trump said the U.S. delegation wants to negotiate a peace deal but believes negotiations with Iran are a “waste of time.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. attack violated a memorandum of understanding agreed within four weeks.
“We emphasize the Islamic Republic of Iran’s determination to protect Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and punish aggressors,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Oil prices rose slightly compared to global standards on Thursday morning brent crude oil futures September delivery remains above $78 per barrel in the US West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil Futures It traded for $73.55.
