Trump: War with Iran will end very soon

US President Donald Trump has said that the war with Iran could end "very soon", claiming that Tehran is trying to prolong the conflict to influence the election.

Speaking after a meeting in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Trump said he expected the war to end soon, while reiterating that Iran should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

"I think very soon. I think it will probably be right after the election," Trump said when asked when the war would end.

Trump claimed that Iran is trying to "hold out as long as it can to complicate the election," but said the US would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.

"Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. It's very simple," he said, adding that oil prices would fall significantly once the conflict ended.

He also spoke about tensions in the Red Sea, noting that Yemen's Houthis had contacted the US and made it known that they did not want confrontation with Washington.

"They don't want to fight us," Trump said, adding that the group is allowing most ships to pass through this waterway.

Trump claimed that the US has established strong control over the area through an aggressive naval blockade and that it is stopping around 25 ships a day, "most of them at night."

He said the US had predicted the conflict would raise oil prices, but suggested they would fall once the war with Iran ended.

Trump also defended his administration's role in Gaza, rejecting criticism that Washington was facilitating genocide or the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

"When you say Gaza, you know we put out the fire and got all the hostages out," he said, referring to the efforts that, he said, had secured the release and return of hostages held in Gaza. /AA