Trump says US could end Iran war in two to three weeks
"We'll be leaving very soon," Mr Trump told reporters, adding that this could happen "within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three."
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the end of the war with Iran may be coming into view, as Washington signalled room for direct contact with Tehran’s leadership and indicated the conflict could wind down even without a formal agreement.
The comments highlighted the administration’s evolving — and at times conflicting — messaging over when and under what conditions a war that has killed thousands, engulfed the region and triggered severe energy disruption might be brought to a close.
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“We’ll be leaving very soon,” Mr Trump told reporters, adding that this could happen “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three.”
Asked whether diplomacy had to succeed before the US would end what it calls ‘Operation Epic Fury’, he replied: “Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no.”
The White House said Mr Trump would address the nation “to provide an important update on Iran” at 9pm EDT tonight (2am Irish time tomorrow).
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” he said. “No, they don’t have to make a deal with me.”
The White House later repeated that Mr Trump would deliver an address to the nation “to provide an important update on Iran” at 2am Irish time tomorrow.
Washington had earlier warned it could escalate military action if Tehran rejected a 15-point US ceasefire framework whose central demands included a commitment by Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons, a halt to all uranium enrichment and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
TUNE IN: Tomorrow night at 9PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 31, 2026
Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Mr Trump remained open to a deal with Iran to end a war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East, shaken energy markets and threatened broader global economic fallout.
Negotiations were continuing and gathering momentum, Mr Hegseth said, though he stressed the US was ready to press ahead militarily if Iran failed to comply.
“We have more and more options, and they have less … in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive,” Mr Hegseth said in Washington.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded with a fresh threat against US companies in the region starting today.
They named 18 firms — among them Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing — and said they would be targeted from 8pm Tehran time (4.30pm Irish time).
Donald Trump will deliver a national address at 2am Irish time tomorrow related to the war against Iran
Mr Rubio told Fox News Channel’s Hannity programme there was scope for a meeting between the two sides “at some point” and said the United States could “see the finish line”.
“It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, but it is coming,” Mr Rubio added.
Tanker hit off Qatar, blazes in Bahrain, Kuwait
Even so, the conflict widened on several fronts early this morning. Drones struck fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport, sparking a major blaze, while authorities in Bahrain reported a fire at an undisclosed company facility following an Iranian attack.
A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile off Doha, the Qatari capital, causing a fire and damage to the hull, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said, adding that all crew members were safe.
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Explosions were heard across several parts of Tehran after US-Israeli air strikes, Iranian state media reported, saying air defences had been activated.
Shahid Haghani Port, Iran’s largest passenger terminal, was hit in an overnight strike, though there were no casualties, deputy regional governor Ahmad Nafisi told state media, describing it as a “criminal” attack on civilian infrastructure.
The US national average retail price of gasoline crossed $4 a gallon for the first time in over three years
Gulf states, some of them hosts to US military bases, have repeatedly come under Iranian fire during the war, fuelling concern over Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its ability to wield the key shipping lane — which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas — as leverage.
Oil climbed more than 1%, with Brent futures adding to gains after March’s record monthly surge despite Mr Trump’s talk of an exit from the war, while stocks and bonds advanced at the start of the Asian trading session on hopes of de-escalation.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 2.7%, snapping a four-day losing streak after Wall Street stocks jumped yesterday as investors wagered on the possibility of an off-ramp.
US messaging is not negotiations, Iran says
Rising oil and fuel costs are squeezing US household budgets and creating a political problem for Mr Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections, with two-thirds of Americans saying the United States should move quickly to leave the Iran war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Although Washington has said talks with Iran are continuing and has struck an upbeat tone, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said yesterday that he had received direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but that they did not amount to “negotiations”, Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV cited him as saying.
Those communications included threats or exchanges of views passed along through “friends”, he added.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said other countries must “be prepared to stand up” and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, echoing criticism from Mr Trump, who has singled out NATO allies Britain and France.
Mr Rubio told Fox News that NATO was a “one-way street” and said Europe wanted US protection without offering the support Washington had requested.
“After this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship,” Mr Rubio said.
Crowds gather in Enghelab Square in Tehran to mark Islamic Republic Day
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to assist the US and its allies in reopening the Strait by force, the Wall Street Journal has reported. According to the report, the UAE is pursuing a UN Security Council resolution for such action and has proposed that the US occupy strategic islands.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards again warned US companies in the region they could be targeted from 8pm Tehran time, (5.30pm Irish time), naming 18 businesses including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, Tesla and Boeing.
Asked whether he was worried by the threats, Mr Trump said he was not.
Houthis launch coordinated attack
Missile debris hit several locations in central Israel after an early morning barrage of rockets from Iran. Israeli authorities reported no immediate fatalities.
Many of Israel’s 19 deaths in the conflict so far have resulted from falling rocket debris after interceptions.
Yemen’s Houthis, who have entered the regional war in recent days, said they launched a missile strike on Israel in what they described as a joint operation with Iran and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon — the first such coordination between the groups during the war.
Israel’s military said its air-defence systems were working to intercept the incoming threats.
The war has also reignited fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. At least seven people were killed and 24 wounded in two Israeli strikes in the Beirut area, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Israel’s military said it carried out two separate strikes targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and another senior member in the Beirut area. It did not identify either target or say whether they had been killed.
Indonesia, meanwhile, said it had called for an investigation into the deaths of three of its peacekeepers after Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon.
“We demand a direct investigation from the UN, not just Israel’s excuses,” its UN representative Umar Hadi told an emergency Security Council meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement.