In a 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday November 8, 2026, President Donald Trump said he is not looking to escalate the war with Iran and sees no reason to do so now that the midterm elections are over. The interview, recorded Friday at the White House, put a direct question to the president about whether the fighting would grow after the vote. His answer was short and plain. He said he was not looking to escalate and did not think there was any reason to. At the same time, he defended the decision to attack Iran and said he would make the same choice again.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Interview | 60 Minutes with Ross Douthat of CBS News, recorded Friday at the White House |
| Aired | Sunday November 8, 2026 at 7 p.m. Eastern |
| Key quote on escalation | “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.” |
| Election | November 3 midterm elections |
| Vice President | JD Vance said in a social media post: “The reason we lost is the war.” |
| Secretary of State | Marco Rubio spoke Sunday at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida |
| Next meeting | Trump meets Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday November 9 |
| Planned talks | US-Iran talks in Abu Dhabi scheduled for November 10-11 |
What Trump Said on 60 Minutes
The central moment came when Ross Douthat asked Trump whether he would escalate the war with Iran now that the midterms were over. The question mattered because Trump had hinted before the vote that he might renew major attacks once the elections had passed. Many people watching the war were waiting to hear whether that hint would turn into action. Trump gave a clear answer in the other direction. He said he was not looking to escalate and did not think there was any reason to.
In a separate CNN phone interview on Sunday, Trump added more detail about the conditions that would keep the United States from striking again. He said renewed US military attacks are “highly unlikely” if Tehran makes progress toward a “very strong agreement” and reopens the Strait of Hormuz. That statement links the military question directly to the talks. If progress is made, attacks are unlikely. If progress is not made, the question stays open. Trump also said that if strikes resume, the US has identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally one hour.” That line shows that military planning has not gone away, even as the president says he does not want to use it now.
Why He Defended the Strikes
Trump did not use the interview to walk back the decision to attack Iran. He defended it in strong terms. Asked whether he would make the same decision again, he said his answer would be “an emphatic yes.” His reason was simple and direct. He said Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. That point has been the core of his public case for the strikes, and he repeated it here without softening it.
Trump also spoke about the state of Iran’s nuclear material. He said it is buried under thousands of tons of rock. That claim is his statement, and it should be read as his statement, not as an independently verified assessment. No independent check of that claim is included in the verified facts for this article, and none is offered here. The distinction matters in a war story. What a president says about a target is not the same as a confirmed result, and readers should keep that line clear.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a similar point on Sunday at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida. Rubio said Trump launched the war even if it was not “necessarily popular” to safeguard the world from Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Political Cost After the Midterms
The interview also addressed the political price of the war. Trump agreed with Vice President JD Vance that the war hurt Republicans in the November 3 midterm elections. Vance had written in a social media post: “The reason we lost is the war.” That is a blunt judgment from inside the administration, and Trump did not dispute it. He said voters “didn’t like the war” but he still stood by the decision.
That exchange separates two questions that are often mixed together. The first question is whether the war was popular. Trump and Vance both accept that it was not, and that it cost Republicans votes. The second question is whether the war was right. On that question, Trump says yes, and he says he would do it again.
For readers following the debate inside the administration, the earlier report on how JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the Republican midterm defeat gives the background to Vance’s post and the reaction it drew. The 60 Minutes interview now adds Trump’s own reply to that same question, in his own words, on camera.
What Comes Next: Talks and the Qatar Meeting
Trump claimed the two countries had been close to a deal before the midterms and would still reach an agreement. That claim is his view of the talks, not a confirmed outcome. The path to a deal is still open, but it is also still narrow. Iran has publicly set seven preconditions for talks, including ending the war on all fronts and lifting the maritime blockade. Iran defended a proposed two-day path to negotiations after Washington rejected its conditions. Those facts show that the two sides are not starting from the same place. One side is talking about a deal that was close. The other side is setting terms that Washington has already turned down.
Rubio was cautious about the talks when he spoke on Sunday. He said: “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough.” That sentence does not say the talks have failed. It does not say they are close to success. It says the moment is not a breakthrough moment.
The Blockade and Task Force Iron Gate
The military picture has not stood still while the diplomacy moves. On Sunday afternoon Trump posted on Truth Social that “Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect” on Iran. US Central Command announced Saturday that the task force extends the naval blockade to overland routes of trade. That is a widening of the pressure on Iran, even as Trump says he does not want to escalate the war itself. A blockade is not the same as a new strike, but it is still a form of pressure, and it is still in force.
Readers who want the detail on that step can read the report on Task Force Iron Gate and the move to extend the blockade to land routes. The move matters because it shows that the United States is keeping economic and military pressure in place while it talks about a deal. It also matters because Iran has listed lifting the maritime blockade among its preconditions for talks. The earlier report on Iran lifting its missile range limit gives the background to a decision that came just before this interview aired.
Trump had hinted he might renew major attacks once the elections were over, but there has been no sign of a large-scale US military operation since. The remarks in the interview and in the CNN phone call do not establish a ceasefire or a new military order. They show a president who is choosing, for now, to point to talks rather than to new strikes, while keeping targets identified and pressure in place.
FAQs
Did Trump say he will not escalate the war with Iran?
He said he is not looking to escalate and does not think there is any reason to. He gave that answer in the 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday November 8, 2026. He also said in a CNN phone interview on Sunday that renewed attacks are “highly unlikely” if Tehran makes progress toward a “very strong agreement” and reopens the Strait of Hormuz. Neither statement is a formal ceasefire or a promise that strikes can never resume.
Did Trump say he regrets attacking Iran?
No. He defended the decision and said his answer would be “an emphatic yes” if asked whether he would do it again. He said Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and said that historically it will be a very good decision. He also agreed the war hurt Republicans in the midterms, but he still stood by the choice.
What did JD Vance and Marco Rubio say?
Vance wrote in a social media post: “The reason we lost is the war.” Trump agreed with him and said voters “didn’t like the war.” Rubio said Sunday at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida that Trump launched the war even if it was not “necessarily popular” to safeguard the world from Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Rubio also said of the talks: “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough.”
What happens next in the talks?
Trump is scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday November 9. US-Iran talks in Abu Dhabi are scheduled for November 10-11. Iran has publicly set seven preconditions for talks, including ending the war on all fronts and lifting the maritime blockade.
Sources
Final Thoughts
The interview leaves the public with a clear statement and an open question. The clear statement is that Trump says he is not looking to escalate the war with Iran and sees no reason to do so now. The open question is whether the talks in the days ahead can turn that statement into a deal. Until then, the war has not ended and the blockade is still in force. Readers should watch the talks, not just the words, to see which direction holds.
