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President Donald Trump suggested the end of the Iran war may be in sight, telling FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo, "I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to being over."
His comments came during a taped interview that was set to air Wednesday morning with FOX Business Network's Mornings with Maria."
What they're saying:
"If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly," Trump told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo.
Big picture view:
Speculation over another round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran continued to grow throughout the day Tuesday, with Trump among those predicting even before his interview with FOX Business aired that another sit-down could be imminent.
A second round of talks could happen "over the next two days," the president told the New York Post. Separately, two U.S. officials indicated that discussions for another meeting were ongoing and could happen as soon as Thursday.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres indicated he spoke to Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar, and called another round "highly probable."
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday night that Trump is aiming to strike a ‘grand bargain’ with Iran, as opposed to a smaller deal. Speaking at a Turning Point USA event, Vance said the president is telling Iran, "If you guys commit to not having a nuclear weapon, we are going to make Iran thrive."
Here is the latest:
US Central Command continues to enforce a blockade
1:10 p.m. ET: United States Central Command has released the audio of the broadcast warning that is sent from U.S. Navy ships to shipping vessels heading to or coming from Iranian ports.
No vessels have made it past US forces
12:20 p.m. ET: The United States has held a blockade on Iranian ports at the Strait of Hormuz for 48 hours. Military officials say they have successfully blocked nine oil tankers that were going to or from Iranian ports.
Israel continues airstrikes in Lebanon
8:45 a.m. ET: Israel is continuing their campaign against Lebanon despite recent talks in Washington. Airstrikes and artillery shelling were reported throughout southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in decades in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. A Lebanese official called the meeting "constructive" but still urged to end fighting.
Trump says he's 'Permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz'
President Trump via Truth Social
8:05 a.m. ET: President Trump references China in his latest Truth Social post, saying they're "very happy" that he is reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also added that China has agreed to not send weapons to Iran.
Mediators hoping to extend ceasefire
6:13 a.m. ET: Efforts to extend the two-week ceasefire have made progress. Both sides have expressed interest in returning to in-person negotiations to reach a peace deal.
Regional officials say mediators are hoping to extend the ceasefire for another two weeks, past the current deadline of April 22.
The officials involved in the mediation efforts said the two sides are working on a compromise on three main points, including Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and war compensation.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press, Fox News and U.S. Central Command. This story was reported from Orlando.