Trump Says He Hopes to End Iran War ‘Very Quickly’

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he hopes to end the war with Iran “very quickly,” speaking at the annual congressional picnic at the White House as pressure grows in Congress over the conflict.

Addressing lawmakers and their families, Trump said Iran wants a deal and that an agreement could bring down oil prices.

“We’re going to end that war very quickly,” Trump said. “They want to make a deal so badly.”

He said the issue should have been addressed decades ago and predicted that the conflict would soon be resolved.

“Somebody should have done something about it,” Trump said. “And it’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen fast. And you’re going to see oil prices plummet.”

Trump said he believed the war would end with Iran blocked from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“I think we’re going to be finished with that very quickly, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “And hopefully, we’re going to get it done in a very nice manner.”

The comments came as the administration continues efforts to reach an agreement with Tehran after weeks of stalled negotiations and continued tensions in the Gulf. Trump said Monday that he had delayed a planned attack on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, citing renewed diplomatic efforts.

His remarks also came hours after the Senate advanced a war powers resolution that would force him to withdraw US forces deployed against Iran.

Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy, Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in voting to advance the measure. It was the eighth Senate vote since the start of the war on a motion to move forward with a resolution ordering Trump to end hostilities against Iran, but the first time such a motion passed.

It was also the second time this year that Republican senators crossed party lines to help advance a war powers resolution out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Paul attended Tuesday’s White House picnic, along with other lawmakers including Sens. John Curtis and James Lankford, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. Virginia Foxx and Rep. Shri Thanedar.