US President Donald Trump dances after speaking at a campaign rally to support Republican House of Representatives candidate Ed Gallrein and Senate candidate Andy Barr, at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, US, October 17, 2026.  | Photo Credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) expressed confidence that the ongoing war with Iran would end “very quickly”, claiming that the conclusion of hostilities would bring down energy costs for American consumers.

Addressing a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally in Kentucky, Trump linked the outcome of the Middle East conflict directly to domestic gas prices, promising that fuel costs would plummet once operations conclude.

“It’s going to end very quickly. When it ends, your gas prices are going to be lower than what they were before,” Trump said.

During his speech, the President revisited previous military strikes against Iranian targets, framing the operations as a necessary preemptive action to neutralise Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump defended the decisions made during what he described as an “excursion,” asserting that the strikes successfully crippled Iran’s nuclear development capabilities.

“You know, when I did the little excursion to the Islamic, the beautiful Islamic Republic of Iran, we beat the shit out of them. But when I did that excursion, we knocked out their nuclear capacity,” Trump told the rally.

Addressing lingering debates over the strategic cost of the strikes, Trump insisted that preventing a nuclear-armed Iran was the paramount priority for national security.

“Somebody said, ‘Oh, well, was it worth it?’ I said, ‘They cannot have a nuclear weapon; they can’t, because they’ll use it,’” Trump added.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that ending hostilities across all fronts was essential to achieving lasting peace in the region, warning that continued fighting in any area would prolong the wider conflict.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, citing Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television network, Khatibzadeh said Iran remained committed to ending the Israeli war on Lebanon and had secured this objective in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, which Iran and the United States signed in mid-June this year. He said Lebanon was among the key issues discussed between Iran and the US, adding that he sought to bring the two sides closer during his visit to Beirut.

The senior Iranian official, who reached the Lebanese capital on Wednesday for talks with local leaders, described the exchanges as “good” and confirmed meetings with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Ministry representatives. He insisted that Israel must stop its war in Lebanon and the Levant, pointing out that events in the two areas remain closely linked.

Khatibzadeh also charged that Washington and Tel Aviv had breached the Islamabad memorandum of understanding by launching strikes on Iran and Lebanon. He observed that American attempts to arrange a ceasefire and end Israel’s war on Lebanon had stalled, declaring that Israel could not be relied upon to keep its word and that the United States bore responsibility for reining in its ally.

Labelling the US war on Iran unlawful under international law, the deputy foreign minister said Washington had been unable to eliminate Iran’s air defences or its ability to deter attacks. Tehran, he added, had withstood an existential war and would continue safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Iran stood prepared to respond to questions raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United States concerning its peaceful nuclear programme, he stated, referring to more than 15 IAEA reports that verified Iranian compliance. Tehran had further offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, stressing that it did not pursue war but would counter any imposed conflict.

Published on October 18, 2026