US President Donald Trump on 2 October 2026 declared that the ongoing conflict with Iran would end 'very quickly' and predicted that oil prices would 'drop like a rock' once the war concluded, portraying Tehran as militarily and economically crippled. Trump made the remarks to reporters upon arriving in Texas and later during a visit to a Peterbilt Motors facility in Denton, Texas.

Trump's Warning to Tehran

Speaking with characteristic bluntness, Trump said Iran was facing a stark choice about how the conflict would conclude. 'Iran will very soon be ending one way or the other,' he told reporters. 'It'll either just say, look, they have 301 percent inflation. They have no money, they have no currency. Their military has been defeated, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, everything's gone.'

He doubled down on the warning during his remarks at the Peterbilt facility: 'Either they'll do something very proper and smart or they won't be around very long.' Trump's comments signal that Washington sees the conflict entering a decisive phase, with Operation Epic Fury — the White House's stated military campaign — targeting Iran's missile capabilities, naval assets and nuclear ambitions.

Oil Prices and the Strait of Hormuz

Trump linked the war's conclusion directly to global energy markets. He argued that the United States had maintained the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian restrictions, and that an end to hostilities would cause prices to fall sharply. 'And when that ends, oil prices are going to drop like a rock,' he said.

While acknowledging that oil prices remained elevated, Trump contrasted current levels favourably with those under former President Joe Biden. 'Oil is a little high, but oil is much lower than it was for Biden,' he said. He also indicated the US could explore releasing diesel stocks held by an unidentified European country to ease prices, though he provided no further details.

Nuclear Weapons and Operation Epic Fury

Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a stated cornerstone of Trump's foreign policy. 'We did something that Biden didn't do. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,' he said. The White House has publicly listed the objectives of Operation Epic Fury as destroying Iran's missile production capacity, eliminating its naval capabilities, and blocking any path to a nuclear weapon.

Trump also declined to confirm Iran's alleged involvement in what a reporter described as a failed terror plot linked to RAF Fairford in Britain, saying only: 'I can't say that with confirmation, but it's looking like that.'

Economic Messaging in Texas

Alongside his Iran remarks, Trump used the Texas visit to push back on critics of his economic record. He argued his administration had not received adequate credit for stock market gains, growth in retirement accounts and new factory investments. 'We have great numbers, we're doing a great job of management,' he said. 'So I say we've done a bad public relations job, but a great management job and that's more important.'

With both the conflict's trajectory and global energy prices hanging in the balance, the coming days will be closely watched for any Iranian response to Trump's escalating rhetoric.