Just days after Iranian state media and the IRGC celebrated the “capture” of a U.S. underwater drone as proof of their superior intelligence and military prowess (an older Anduril Dive-LD that had already malfunctioned and been “dead in the water” for more than a day, carrying no sensitive data or classified equipment), President Trump delivered a blunt assessment of the real situation.

On Wednesday, Trump said the war with Iran could end “immediately after the election,” declaring that Tehran is running out of options as U.S. attacks continue.

“We’ve knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us. You’re going to see a lot more. We’ve taken out about nine of their tankers,” he told reporters.

“I think the war is going to end immediately after the election,” Trump added, stating Iran “can’t hold out any longer.”

He emphasized that Iran’s sole remaining priority is a nuclear weapon — “and if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble” — while noting the U.S. is looking for “much more than a nuclear deal.” With Iran having “very little country left right now,” Trump said a negotiation could possibly happen but “it’s not something we’re looking at.”

This comes as U.S. forces have in recent days destroyed multiple Iranian oil tankers (CENTCOM confirmed five on Tuesday alone in response to Iranian ballistic-missile attempts on a U.S. warship, on top of earlier strikes), further squeezing the regime’s shadow fleet that funds the IRGC and its proxies. U.S. operations continue uninterrupted.

Iran’s propaganda outlets will keep hyping every recovered wreck or minor incident as a glorious victory. The numbers — and the president’s assessment — tell a different story: Tehran is being steadily degraded, its options are shrinking, and the pressure is only increasing.