Trump Says He'd Fight the Iran War Again, Denies Jordan Base Damage as Treasury Preps Monday Bank Sanctions

Since the U.S. entered the war against Iran in February, the conflict has stretched past seven months, and President Trump is still telling voters it will be over right after the midterms.

In a Thursday interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on "The Ingraham Angle," Trump said he has no regrets about starting the war and would make the identical call again. "If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did," he said, according to CNBC.

Ingraham pushed back, telling Trump he'd be "cruising to midterms victory right now" without the war. Trump rejected that, arguing the alternative was worse. "Supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden Iran has a nuclear weapon," he said. "They would use it." He said Iran would have "wiped out" Israel and the Middle East before hitting American cities, according to CNBC and Ground News.

Denying Damage in Jordan

In a separate interview with NewsNation the same day, Trump was asked about Iranian claims that Tehran had struck multiple U.S. fighter aircraft at a base in Jordan. He denied it flatly. "No damage. No nothing," he said. Iran's claim remains unverified and Trump's denial is likewise unconfirmed by independent battlefield assessment in the available reporting. Neither claim has been substantiated beyond the two governments' own statements.

A War That Might Outlast His Term

Trump's comments come days after a Wall Street Journal report, cited by CNBC and other outlets, that top White House advisers have discussed with Trump the possibility the war drags on beyond his current term, which ends in January 2029. Trump has said for months the war will end "immediately after the midterm elections," and that oil and gas prices will fall once it does. Asked directly by Ground News's aggregated reporting whether the conflict could run into 2029, Trump declined to give a firm timeline.

Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh posted on X that Trump is "incapable of feeling regret." This reflects a broader criticism echoed across the reporting: Trump has repeated the same "it'll end after the election" prediction for months without it coming true, which is a fair basis for skepticism about the latest version of that promise. Trump's own defense, that failing to act risked a nuclear-armed Iran striking Israel and eventually U.S. cities, is the argument he has offered consistently and is the central justification his administration has given publicly for the war.

New Sanctions Coming Monday

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration will announce sanctions against "a large bank" on Monday, deliberately timed after the 9/11 anniversary. "We're going to do it on Monday because we want to honor the memory of our fallen citizens on 9/11," Bessent said on "Real America's Voice," according to CNBC. He did not name the bank.

Bessent said the U.S. has already sanctioned and shut down the Dubai branches of Egypt's second-largest bank, alleging it funneled $1.8 billion to Iran. He also said a Turkish bank tied to Iran financing had been sanctioned.

PrimeXBT, Traders Union, and Mandatory described the Turkish institution as the "largest Turkish bank." CNBC's own report carries a correction: Bessent actually referred to the "30th-largest" Turkish bank, not the largest, and CNBC updated its story to reflect that after an earlier misstatement. The bank in question was previously identified as Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi, sanctioned the week prior. Several outlets that republished the claim did not catch or reflect the correction.

The Political and Market Backdrop

Rising oil prices tied to the war have become a genuine liability for Republicans heading into the midterms, and Ground News's aggregated coverage notes Brent crude has traded above $100 a barrel amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea. Trump dismissed the idea that his own supporters are demoralized by the war's cost, saying they are "very proud" of his effort to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Voters paying more at the pump have every reason to ask whether a war promised to end "soon" for months is actually close to resolution. Trump's own uncertainty about Iran's staying power undercuts the confidence of his public timeline. Asked how long Tehran can hold out economically, Trump told NewsNation, "I don't know that they're gonna be able to hold out. But it'll get settled after the elections. Or maybe sooner."

That leaves two open questions heading into next week: which bank Bessent will name on Monday, and whether the administration's timeline for ending the war, repeated for months without a resolution, holds up any better this time than it has before.