US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to make a deal with Washington and expressed hope that the conflict is nearing an end. At the same time, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson declared the issue of Tehran's possible acquisition of nuclear weapons, one of the main goals of the American campaign, virtually resolved. Trump intends to discuss further actions with Gulf leaders next week, and US diplomats have already held direct talks with the Iran-backed Houthis.
“I hope we are approaching the end of the war. They want to make a deal. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said at a campaign rally for North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
The president did not provide details of the possible deal, but said that the United States received relevant signals from Tehran “directly.” Previously, he has repeatedly spoken about Iran's readiness for an agreement, but negotiations have not yet led to a stable agreement.
Almost simultaneously with Trump’s words, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that he considered the issue of Iran’s possible acquisition of nuclear weapons resolved.
“Iran will not have nuclear weapons. This has been an important goal of American foreign policy for the past half century. This has been sorted out, and now we need to lower gasoline prices,” CBS News quotes him as saying.
At the same time, he said that it is not so much the conflict in the Middle East that influences high prices, but “the result of bad policies of the Democrats.”
A gallon of gas now costs $4.37, up 30 cents from a month ago and $1.18 from a year ago, according to American Automobile Association data cited by CBS. And according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average price of gasoline in January 2025, when Trump succeeded Joe Biden as president, was $3.08.
“[Демократы] want to cut US oil and gas production, and this is a disaster for the American people. So we need to get the right people in power to bring fuel prices down,” Johnson said.
Iran did not directly comment on the statements of Trump and Johnson, but said that in general they were ready for negotiations.
As Axios reports, citing three sources, on September 22, Trump plans to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York with leaders or representatives of six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The main topic will be further steps in the conflict with Iran and American proposals for a post-war strategy. According to Axios, the Trump administration is already working on a post-war plan that is expected to be finalized after the midterm elections in November.
The publication adds that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wants to hold negotiations with Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, but a meeting with him has not yet been officially scheduled.
At the same time, Washington is in direct contact with the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis. American diplomats met with their representatives at the US Embassy in Oman over the weekend, Reuters reported. According to Axios, the parties discussed maintaining the truce between the United States and the Houthis and ensuring freedom of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The very fact of direct contacts was previously confirmed by US Vice President J.D. Vance.
