US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press aboard the new Air Force One on July 8, 2026.
Vin McNamee | getty images
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that he did not know whether Washington and Iran were returning to full-scale war, but he told reporters that Iran “badly” wants a deal to stop escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
Trump flew back to Washington, DC, via the UK on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as it departed from Mildenhall Air Force Base in the UK, the president said the US military had “just struck (Iran) very, very hard.”
He said, “I say we beat them 20 to 1 – every time they beat us, we beat them 20, and we did that last night.” “They did a little bit of things today, but it was really revenge for last night… When they hit, we hit back harder.”
Asked whether the US and Iran were returning to full-scale military conflict, Trump responded: “I don’t know,” before adding that if war broke out again the US would “win it very quickly.”
“We have many ways to win, but we have already won militarily,” he said. “They have very little left, and they want to make a deal so badly. They called a while ago. They want to make a deal so badly. I don’t know if they’re worth making a deal. I don’t know if they’ll honor the deal. That’s the problem.”
CNBC has contacted the Iranian government for comment on Trump’s comments.
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