(Reuters) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WASHINGTON\/JERUSALEM\/CAIRO, April 1 – U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio \u200bsaid the end of the\u00a0war on Iran<\/a>\u00a0could be near, with Washington signaling potential for both direct talks with Tehran’s leadership and a winding down of the conflict even without a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The remarks underscored Washington’s shifting \u200cand at times contradictory statements about when and how a war that has killed thousands, spread across the region and caused unprecedented energy disruption might end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We’ll be leaving very soon,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, saying that could be “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” he said, when asked if successful diplomacy was a prerequisite for the U.S. to end what it calls “Operation Epic Fury”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States had previously threatened to intensify operations if Tehran did not accept a 15-point U.S. ceasefire framework that had among its core demands required Iran to commit not to pursue nuclear \u200bweapons, halt all uranium enrichment and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The White House said Trump would address the nation “to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (0100 GMT on Thursday).<\/p>\n\n\n\n