US President Donald Trump has said that the US-Israel war on Iran was a "little diversion" during his second term in power, as recent polling shows the conflict's unpopularity with the American public, especially among young Republican voters.
At an event in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, touting his "no tax on tips" measure from the major tax reform bill passed last year, the 79-year-old president boasted about his economic record since returning to office in 2025.
"We had the best economy in the history of our country in my first term. And we're blowing it out now...And despite our little diversion to the lovely country of Iran, lovely place," Trump told the crowd of supporters.
"But we had to do that, because otherwise, bad things could happen, the really bad thing," he continued, referencing Iran's apparent nuclear potential.
Trump added that "the war in Iran is going along swimmingly."
"We can do whatever we want. And it should be ending pretty soon. It was perfect," he said.
Next potential round in Islamabad
An Ipsos poll conducted last weekend found 51 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents thought the Iran war was not worth the costs associated with it.
Less than a quarter of respondents, 24 percent, said the opposite.
Another recent poll published on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University found 65 percent of American voters blame the US administration for the recent rise in gas prices prompted by the Strait of Hormuz closing since the start of the Iran war.
The same poll reported only 36 percent of voters approved of how Trump was handling the situation with Iran, while 58 percent disapproved.
Ahead of his Nevada trip, Trump told reporters the US is "very close" to making a deal with Iran, as a two-week ceasefire between the two countries nears its expiration.
"And if that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, and you won't have nuclear holocaust," Trump said at the White House. "We're getting along very well with the new Iranian leaders. It really is a regime change."
Trump said he might visit Islamabad if a deal is reached.
Asked about the next round of direct talks, Trump responded that it would happen "maybe over the weekend."
The first round was held on Saturday in the Pakistani capital, but an immediate agreement to permanently end the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28 was not reached.
He said the deal would be announced "fairly soon," adding: "That'll give us free oil and free Hormuz Strait. Everything will be nice and I think your oil price will go down lower than it was before."
