US President Donald Trump has made a striking admission about the ongoing war with Iran, saying the United States “shouldn’t have been in Iran” in the first place -- even as he defended the military campaign, warned Tehran against pursuing nuclear weapons and signaled no urgency to end the conflict.
In an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News aired Saturday night, Trump compared the more than three-month Iran war to the US invasion of Iraq, calling the Iraq conflict “such a foolish thing” and suggesting Washington had made a similar mistake by becoming involved in Iran.
“If you look at what happened with Iraq, we did so bad, that was such a foolish thing, what we did,” Trump said.
“Shouldn’t have been there in the first place, by the way, and we shouldn’t have been in Iran.”
The remarks marked one of Trump’s clearest acknowledgements yet questioning the origins of a war his own administration launched, while simultaneously insisting the military intervention was necessary.
Moments after criticizing US involvement, Trump defended the strikes by arguing that Iran would have acquired a nuclear weapon if Washington had not acted first and claimed Israel’s survival was at stake.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
The comments come as the conflict enters its fourth month amid fragile diplomatic efforts, ceasefire negotiations and growing international concern over regional instability.
Despite reports of backchannel talks between Washington and Tehran, Trump signaled he is not rushing toward a settlement.
“I’m in no hurry,” he said.
“I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gas prices will come down, but if you are in a hurry, you won’t make a good deal.”
He also warned that if negotiations fail, the conflict could be resolved “in a different way,” leaving open the possibility of renewed military escalation.
The White House confirmed Trump held discussions in the Situation Room on Friday as his administration weighed a potential agreement with Iran.
Trump later said any deal must guarantee unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and require Iran to cooperate in destroying its highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
Multiple media reports said US and Iranian officials have been discussing a preliminary memorandum of understanding that could extend the current ceasefire by another 60 days and open negotiations aimed at permanently ending the war.
However, neither government has formally confirmed such an agreement.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that no final text had been approved, while Iranian officials publicly rejected suggestions that a comprehensive settlement had already been reached.
According to reports, the proposed framework would include commitments to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping, remove naval mines from key waterways and prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
The agreement could also address broader regional conflicts, including Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Trump’s latest remarks are likely to intensify debate inside the United States over the war’s objectives and justification.
While the president continues to argue the campaign prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, his admission that America “shouldn’t have been in Iran” echoes criticism long directed at previous US interventions in the Middle East, particularly the Iraq war, which Trump himself cited as a historic mistake.
