"We Knocked Out Their Nuclear Capacity" — Trump Says Iran War Will End "Very Quickly," Promises Cheaper Gas

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Kentucky — President Donald Trump told supporters Saturday night that the nearly eight-month U.S.-Israel war against Iran would end "very quickly," claiming American strikes had crippled Tehran's nuclear programme and promising that gas prices would fall below pre-war levels once the fighting stops.

Speaking at a packed midterm campaign rally at Northern Kentucky University's Truist Arena, Trump defended the military campaign as a necessary preemptive action to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"It's going to end very quickly. When it ends, your gas prices are going to be lower than what they were before," Trump said.

The president revisited the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, insisting they had succeeded in neutralizing Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"You know, when I did the little excursion to the Islamic, the beautiful Islamic Republic of Iran, we beat the shit out of them. But when I did that excursion, we knocked out their nuclear capacity," Trump told the crowd, drawing cheers.

Addressing critics who questioned whether the campaign was worth the cost, Trump was blunt: "Somebody said, 'Oh, well, was it worth it?' I said, 'They cannot have a nuclear weapon; they can't, because they'll use it.'"

He added that the United States was now making sure Iran's nuclear programme cannot come back.

The rally, held in support of Republican House candidate Ed Gallrein and Senate candidate Andy Barr, comes just over two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections. Trump used the stage to tie foreign policy directly to kitchen-table economics, arguing the war's end would bring immediate relief at the pump.

Tehran Pushes Back

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the American narrative, calling the U.S.-led campaign unlawful under international law and insisting Tehran had retained its capacity to deter attacks. He said Iran had "withstood an existential conflict" and maintained that its nuclear programme was peaceful, citing more than 15 IAEA reports verifying compliance.

Khatibzadeh also said Iran had offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, while warning that continued fighting anywhere in the region would prolong the wider conflict.

The Broader Conflict

The war has sent oil prices soaring and dragged multiple countries into the crisis. U.S. officials have said that 97 percent of vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz have passed safely, despite Iranian attacks, and that the strategic shipping lane remains open. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has spent days intercepting Houthi drones and missiles, and residents of Riyadh received a mobile-phone alert early Sunday warning of a "hostile aerial threat."

Saturday's rally fell on the same day as nationwide "No Kings" protest events opposing the administration's policies — a counterpoint to Trump's campaign swing through Kentucky.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press (via The Economic Times), The Hindu BusinessLine, Gulf News, News18