Technologies

What’s Free on the Epic Games Store This Week?

This week we’ve got River City Girls, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and more. Check out how you can get these games and all their rewards at the Epic Games Store.

Are you eager to play a game but struggling to decide on one? Or perhaps you’re reluctant to spend money on a game that might not meet your expectations. Making the right decision is crucial, particularly with rising gaming costs and 2025 looking unpredictable for the gaming industry. Look no further than the Epic Games Store if you’re after something that makes decision-making easier. Each week, you can download a free game (often two or three, if you’re lucky) and keep it forever—without spending a penny. This is the best way to discover exciting new titles without financial risk.

Fortnite is a major influence in pop culture, and it’s also a video game that helped propel Epic Games into the limelight. Following the game’s success, Epic Games launched its own storefront in 2019, offering various games — from action titles to indie favorites — to attract gamers. It quickly became a direct competitor for Valve’s own gaming store, Steam, especially with its offering of free games to play each week.

Sorry console gamers, but the Epic Games Store is exclusively available on PC. This means you cannot access its free games on systems like the PS5 or Xbox. However, if you have a PC or laptop, now’s the time to dive into the Epic Games Store and take full advantage of its free discounts and deals. Creating an Epic Games account is completely free, and you’ll gain numerous rewards. Don’t miss out.

What is the new free game on the Epic Games Store this week? (April 10 to April 17)

Arcadegeddon

It’s time to head into the future with IIIFonic’s Arcadegeddon, a cooperative rogue-lite shooter multiplayer. It is a third-person POV, and players will go up against a virus injected into the arcade they are part of. To level up and progress, they’ll have to explore multiple biomes, take part in mini-games, search for hidden chests and defeat enemies and bosses.

The game came out in 2023, so its player base isn’t as active as one might expect — so be sure you’ll be able to enjoy the game with friends before you download it. Even so, Arcadegeddon has been praised for its “tight level design” as well as its satisfying gunplay. If you like a challenge, you’ll probably want to take advantage of this shooter.

Players can redeem 5,000 ARC coins, which can be used to purchase items and weapons in-game. So don’t miss out on this limited-time offer.

Arcadegeddon’s offer of 5,000 ARC coins is available for free via the Epic Games Store. Released in 2023, most gamers who enjoyed it liked its diverse characters and found gameplay relaxing. It has a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms: Astarion’s Champions of Renown Pack

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a strategy management game that dares to ask: What if your favorite Dungeons and Dragons characters united and embarked on a grand adventure together? Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing ever? If you think so, then this is the game for you.

If you’ve been a fan of Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, you’ll already know that Baldur’s Gate 3’s most popular character Astarion is a huge reason to jump into the game. With Astarion’s Champions of Renown Pack, players will receive over $100 worth of rewards for free. You’ll need to hurry, though, because this offer ends on April 17.

The rewards of the renown pack are the following:

Unlocks for the following Champions: Artemis (Seat 3), Karlach (Seat 4), Kalix (Seat 5), Astarion (Seat 10) and the Dark Urge (Seat 11)
Exclusive Skin: Tuxedo Kalix
Exclusive Familiar: Rumble the Angry Flumph
Artemis Chests: 32 Platinum Artemis Chests with 2 shiny equipment cards guaranteed.
Karlach Chests: 32 Platinum Karlach chests with 2 shiny equipment cards guaranteed.
Kalix Chests: 32 Platinum Kalix chests with 2 shiny equipment cards guaranteed.
Astarion Chests: 32 Platinum Astarion chests with 2 shiny equipment cards guaranteed.
The Dark Urge Chests: 32 Platinum The Dark Urge chests with 2 shiny equipment cards guaranteed.
Two Week-Long Buff Potions: 1 potion of the Gold Hunter and 1 potion of the Gem Hunter.

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms: Astarion’s Champions of Renown Pack is free via the Epic Games Store. Idle Champions is a free-to-play game, with many gamers praising the game for its selection of iconic characters from the Forgotten Realms and how easy it is to jump into a game without worrying too much about controls.

River City Girls

You wake up one morning only to discover your and your best friend’s boyfriends have been kidnapped. What is a girlie to do? Find out who did it and beat them within an inch of their life, duh.

River City Girls can be best described as a chaotic, action-adventure beat-em up with glorious pixel-art aesthetic and graphics that will leave you wanting more. As the tough-as-nails heroines Misako and Kyoko, players who enjoy using an arsenal of weapons, items and wise-cracking dialogue to put the smackdown on their enemies will love the game’s zany energy.

Better yet, you won’t have to embark on this challenge alone (though you can, if you want to). With 2-player co-op, you and your friend can put the hurt on the bad guys who took your boyfriends while also enjoying the motion-comic story panels and anime cutscenes. If you love anime, you may even recognize some cameo characters featured in-game. And if not characters, recognizable voice actors such as Cristina ‘Vee’ Valenzuela, known for multiple roles in both anime and video games, are sure to entice you.

It isn’t just fights, however. River City Girls also features six large city regions to explore and participate in side quests. Some may even change the ending you get… depending on the choices you make.

Usually $30, River City Girls is now available for free via the Epic Games Store. River City Girls is well-liked, with 79% of critics recommending it, and it boasts a score of Strong on OpenCritic. Most gamers who enjoyed the game liked its appealing aesthetic and diverse characters.

What will be free on the Epic Games Store next week? (April 17 to April 24)

Firestone Online Idle RPG Epic Games Store Offer

If you’re someone who enjoys the aesthetics of fantasy RPGs but doesn’t have time to play them, then you’ll be intrigued by Firestone Online Idle RPG. Alternatively, if you’re someone who prefers the social aspect of multiplayer RPGs, you should also consider jumping in on this game before its offer next week.

While you might be sitting idle, your heroes never are. Even if you don’t have your eyes on the game, your characters will hack, slash and dice their way through waves of enemies. Of course, if you’d like to speed things up, you can treat the game as a clicker, giving you control of the ferocity of battle alongside other players.

With Firestone Online Idle RPG’s Epic Games Store offer, players will get the chance to claim special rewards and an exclusive skin — altogether valued at $100 altogether.

The offer contains the following rewards:

Exclusive skin for the hero, Boris
2 Avatars for your Character Profile
10 Common Chests, each containing at least 1 piece of gear for Heroes
5 Uncommon Chests containing at least 1 Uncommon gear
10 Wooden Chests with at least 1 Heroes Jewels
5 Iron Chests with at least 1 Uncommon Jewel
360 Strange Dust to help train your Guardians or conduct experiments
50 Scrolls to enhance your stats in battle
35 Game Tokens to test your mettle at the Tavern
5 Prestige Tokens
200 Gems

To get this offer, log onto the game through the Epic Games store — it doesn’t matter if you’re a new or existing player. However, new players must reach stage 15 before obtaining the rewards.

Firestone Online Idle RPG Epic Games Store Offer will be available via the Epic Games Store. Firestone Online Idle RPG is a free-to-play game, with a review score of 3.8 out of 5. Many players enjoy the game’s playful visuals and easy controls.

Previous free games on the Epic Games Store

Unsure whether your favorite game has been selected as part of Epic’s free game of the week or curious about what deals you’ve missed? We’ve listed a selection of games from previous weeks.

Epic Games Store free games in 2025

Firestone Online Idle RPG (April 17 to April 24)
River City Girls (April 10 to April 17)
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (April 10 to April 17)
Arcadgeddon (April 10 to April 17)
Cat Quest II (April 3 to April 10)
Cat Quest (March 27 to April 3)
Neko Ghost, Jump (March 27 to April 3)
Jurassic World Evolution 2 (March 20 to 27)
Mortal Shell (March 13 to 20)
World of Warships: Anniversary Party Favor DLC (March 13 to 20)
Them’s Fighting Herds (March 6 to 13)
Mages of Mystralia (Feb. 27 to March 6)
World War Z Aftermath (Feb. 20 to 27)
Garden Story (Feb. 20 to 27)
F1 Manager 2024 (Feb. 13 to 20)
Humankind (Feb. 6 to 13)
Beyond Blue (Feb. 6 to 13)
Undying (Jan. 30 to Feb. 6)
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (Jan. 23 to 30)
Escape Academy (Jan. 16 to 23)
Turmoil (Jan. 9 to 16)
Hell Let Loose (Jan. 2 to 9)
Kingdom Come Deliverance (Jan. 1)

Epic Games Store free games in 2024

Sifu (Dec. 31)
[Redacted] (Dec. 30 to 31)
Orcs Must Die 3 (Dec. 29 to 30)
Kill Knight (Dec. 28 to 29)
Hot Wheels Unleashed (Dec. 27 to 28)
Ghostrunner 2 (Dec. 26 to 27)
Control (Dec. 25 to 26)
Dredge (Dec. 24 to 25)
Darker and Darker: Legendary Status (Dec. 23 to 24)
Wizard of Legend (Dec. 22 to 23)
TerraTech (Dec. 21 to 22)
Astrea: Six Sided Oracles (Dec. 20 to 21)
Vampire Survivors (Dec. 19 to 20)
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (Dec. 12 to 19)
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Dec. 5 to 12)
Brotato (Nov. 28 to Dec. 5)
Beholder (Nov. 21 to 28)
Castlevania Anniversary Collection; Snakebird Complete (Nov. 14 to 21)
Apex Legends Ash Unlock Bundle; Deceive Inc (Nov. 7 to 14)
Witch It; Ghostwire: Tokyo (Oct. 31 to Nov. 7)
Moving Out (Oct. 24 to 31)
Kardboard Kings; Invincible Presents: Atom Eve (Oct. 17 to 24)
Empyrion: Galactic Survival; Outliver: Tribulations (Oct. 10 to 17)
Bear and Breakfast (Oct. 3 to 10)
The Spirit and The Mouse (Sept. 26 to Oct. 3)
TOEM; The Last Stand: Aftermath (Sept. 19 to 26)
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland; Super Crazy Rhythm Castle (Sept. 12 to 19)
Football Manager 2024; Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts (Sept. 5 to 12)
Wild Card Football; Fallout: Classic Collection (Aug. 29 to Sept. 5)
Gigantic: Rampage Edition; The Callisto Protocol (Aug. 22 to 29)
Death’s Gambit: Afterlife (Aug. 15 to 22)
Cygni: All Guns Blazing; DNF Duel (Aug. 8 to 15)
Lumbearjack (Aug. 1 to 8)
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch; Olympics Go! Paris 2024 Exclusive Outfits Pack (July 25 to Aug. 1)
Maid of Sker; Arcade Paradise (July 18 to 25)
Floppy Knights (July 11 to 18)
The Falconeer (July 4 to 11)
Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition (June 27 to July 4)
Rumble Club Free Game of the Week Bonus; Freshly Frosted (June 20 to 27)
Redout 2; Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (June 13 to 20)
Marvel’s Midnight Suns (June 6 to 13)
Chivalry 2 (May 30 to June 6)
Farming Simulator 22 (May 23 to 30)
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition (May 16 to 23)
Firestone Free Offer; Circus Electrique (May 9 to 16)
Orcs Must Die! 3, Cat Quest II (May 2 to 9)
Lisa: Definitive Edition, Industria (April 25 to May. 2)
Town of Salem 2; The Big Con (April 18 to 25)
Ghostrunner (April 11 to 18)
Thief; The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (April 4 to 11)
Islets (March 28 to April 4)
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve; Call of the Wild: The Angler (March 21 to 28)
The Bridge; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (March 14 to 21)
Astro Duel 2 (March 7 to 14)
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (Feb. 29 to March 7)
Super Meat Boy Forever (Feb. 22 to 29)
Dakar Desert Rally (Feb. 15 to 22)
Lost Castle; Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (Feb. 8 to 15)
Doors: Paradox (Feb. 1 to 8)
Infinifactory (Jan. 25 to Feb. 1)
Love (Jan. 18 to 25)
Sail Forth (Jan. 11 to 18)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Jan. 4 to 11)
A Plague Tale: Innocence (Jan. 3 to 4)
20 Minutes Till Dawn (Jan. 2 to 3)
Escape Academy (Jan. 1 to 2)

Epic Games Store free games of 2023

Ghostrunner (Dec. 31, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024)
Saints Row (Dec. 30 to 31)
Snakebird Complete (Dec. 29 to 30)
Cat Quest (Dec. 28 to 29)
Cursed to Golf (Dec. 27 to 28)
Human Resource Machine (Dec. 26 to 27)
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (Dec. 25 to 26)
Ghostwire: Tokyo (Dec. 24 to 25)
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (Dec. 23 to 24)
Art of Rally (Dec. 22 to 23)
Melvor Idle (Dec. 21 to 22)
DNF Duel (Dec. 20 to 21)
Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (Dec. 13 to 20)
Predecessor, Gigabash (Dec. 7 to 13)
Mighty Fight Federation; Jitsu Squad (Nov. 30 to Dec. 7)
Deliver Us Mars (Nov. 23 to 30)
Surviving the Aftermath, Earthlock (Nov. 16 to 23)
Golden Light (Nov. 9 to 16)
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Nov. 2 to 9)
The Evil Within 2; Tandem: A Tale of Shadows (Oct. 26 to Nov. 2)
The Evil Within; Eternal Threads (Oct. 19 to 26)
Q.U.B.E. Ultimate Bundle; Blazing Sails (Oct. 12 to 19)
Godlike Burger (Oct. 5 to 12)
Soulstice; Model Builder (Sept. 28 to Oct. 5)
The Forest Quartet; Out of Line (Sept. 21 to 28)
911 Operator (Sept. 14 to 21)
Spelldrifter (Sept. 7 to 14)
Cave Story Plus (Aug. 31 to Sept. 7)
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (Aug. 24 to 31)
Dodo Peak; Black Book (Aug. 17 to 24)
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You; Europa Universalis IV (Aug. 10 to 17)
Loop Hero, Bloons TD 6 (Aug. 3 to 10)
Severed Steel; Homeworld Remastered Collection (July 27 to Aug. 3)
The Elder Scrolls Online; Murder by Numbers (July 20 to 27)
Train Valley 2 (July 13 to 20)
Grime (July 6 to 13)
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos (June 29 to July 6)
The Hunter: Call of the Wild; Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (June 22 to 29)
Guacamelee 2; Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition (June 15 to 22)
Payday 2 (June 8 to 15)
Midnight Ghost Hunt (June 1 to 8)
Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition (May 25 to June. 1)
Death Stranding (May 18 to 25)
The Sims 4 The Daring Lifestyle Bundle (May 11 to 18)
Kao the Kangaroo; Horizon Chase Turbo, Against All Odds (May 4 to 11)
Poker Club; Breathedge (April 27 to May 4)
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna); Beyond Blue (April 20-27)
Second Extinction; Mordhau (April 13 to 20)
Shapez; Dying Light: The Following — Enhanced Edition (April 6 to 13)
Tunche; The Silent Age (March 30 to April 6)
World of Warships Starter Pack: Ishizuchi; Chess Ultra (March 23 to 30)
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius — Relics of War (March 16 to 23)
Call of the Sea (March 9 to 16)
Rise of Industry (March 2 to 9)
Duskers (Feb. 23 to March 2)
Warpips (Feb. 16 to 23)
Recipe for Disaster (Feb. 9 to 16)
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider; City of Gangsters (Feb. 2 to 9)
Hell Is Others, Adios (Jan. 26 to Feb. 2)
Epistory: Typing Chronicles (Jan. 19 to 26)
Gamedec: Definitive Edition; First Class Trouble; Divine Knockout (Jan. 12 to 19)
Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice; Kerbal Space Program (Jan. 5 to 12)

Epic Games Store free games of 2022

Eximus: Seize the Frontline; Dishonored: Definitive Edition (Dec. 29, 2022 to Jan. 5, 2023)

Epic Store free games FAQ

What do I need to do to get free Epic Store games?

To get free games from the Epic Store each week, you must sign up and make an account.

To register as a user for the Epic Store, first head to the Epic Games website. At the top right-hand corner, click the Sign In button and then Create Account at the bottom of the page.

Can I play the free Epic Store games on Steam?

The Epic Store is different to Steam, so the games that you own on the Epic Store will not be available to play on Steam. If you want to play the free games you’ve downloaded from the Epic Store, you must play them via Epic’s launcher.

Technologies

AI researcher says extinction odds exceed 10% as experts urge caution

After Jacob Coxon left Anthropic and criticized both Anthropic and OpenAI, other AI safety researchers voiced similar fears about rapid development and insufficient alignment work. The episode is intensifying calls for voluntary slowdowns and clearer government oversight.

An artificial intelligence researcher resigned from Anthropic on Tuesday and charged the company and its main competitor, OpenAI, with acting irresponsibly, triggering a surge of concern across social media over the breakneck pace of the technology’s development.

Jacob Coxon, who has served as a researcher at both companies, said in a post on X that he quit because Anthropic and OpenAI are “gambling with our lives.” He said those developing AI “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

“Do not underestimate the power of this technology,” Coxon wrote. “These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”

Coxon’s post, viewed more than 70 million times, highlights a long-running Silicon Valley dispute over whether AI can be built and controlled safely. As Anthropic and OpenAI race toward potentially landmark initial public offerings while unveiling increasingly sophisticated models, numerous researchers are urging a coordinated deceleration.

OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki wrote in a blog post Sunday that no AI company has “solved alignment and monitoring to a sufficient degree to continue responsibly scaling at maximum speed for much longer.” Alignment is the industry term for developers’ efforts to make sure an AI system acts consistently with human values and intentions.

“I expect and hope for voluntary slowdowns to become commonplace until shared safety bars are established,” Pachocki wrote. “And I believe that international coordination on future AI development needs to become a top priority for governments around the world.”

Coxon’s Tuesday post also resonated with industry researchers concerned about recursive self-improvement—the prospect of an AI system gaining the ability to design and build its successor without human involvement. Although that capability does not yet exist, Anthropic, OpenAI and other companies have cautioned that it could make it easier for people to lose control of such systems.

“Neither company is acting responsibly,” Coxon wrote. “They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence.”

Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment lead, supported Coxon’s assessment in a late-Tuesday post on X.

“Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade,” Hubinger wrote. “I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to.”

Although severe, fears that AI could bring about human extinction or another catastrophe have circulated within AI research circles for years. In 2023, leading researchers and executives—including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei—signed a statement declaring that “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Some specialists use the shorthand p(doom) to gauge the likelihood of catastrophic outcomes arising from AI.

Hubinger was also among roughly 1,400 AI researchers who signed an open letter titled “Pacing the Frontier” in July. It called on the U.S. government to create the tools needed to support an effort to “deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development.”

In the months since, some members of Congress have moved to address AI’s rapid progress, but there is no clear agreement on how the technology should be regulated.

In July, Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., introduced the FRONTIER Act, legislation designed to create a framework for overseeing the deployment of advanced AI models. Earlier this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would temporarily halt advanced AI development until federal safety rules are in place. Both proposals have received mixed reactions.

“Safety researchers are resigning, powerful AI models are breaking out of their labs, and companies are racing ahead anyway,” Trahan wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. “It’s past time for Congress to get off the sidelines and do its job.”

Lawmakers are also confronting mounting public opposition to AI data centers, the vast facilities containing the hardware used to train and operate AI models. The backlash has intensified to the point that the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, said last month that data centers have emerged as a “sleeper issue” for the entire midterm election cycle, as Verum previously reported.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this month that AI companies have done a “horrendous job of explaining themselves to the American people.”

“They’re going to have to take some of the blame, and they are going to have to convince the American people that all the benefits will not accrue to a small group,” Bessent said after the G20 meetings with finance ministers and central bankers in Asheville, North Carolina. “That’s what they hear from me.”

Technologies

“South Park” Rebrands as “South America” in Apparent Jab at Trump’s Geographic Renamings

“South Park” will become “South America” ahead of its 29th season, with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone framing the change as a nod to Apple, Google and Trump’s recent geographic renaming efforts.

Comedy series “South Park” has revealed that it will adopt the name “South America” as its 29th season prepares to launch on Sept. 16.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said, “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”

Their announcement followed President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America amid a trade dispute with Canada. Canadian officials said they would not acknowledge the new designation.

Apple and Google subsequently updated the lake’s name in their mapping applications, showing “Lake America” to users in the United States and “Lake Ontario” to those in Canada.

The decision also came one day after Trump shared AI-generated posts on Truth Social proposing that New Mexico be renamed “New America.”

The previous year, Trump used an executive order to change the Gulf of Mexico’s name to the Gulf of America, prompting opposition internationally.

“South Park” received the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for “Sermon on the Mount,” an episode that debuted last year and spoofed Trump’s presidency.

The “Skydance Capitulation” remark followed Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance, which the Federal Communications Commission approved last year after Paramount resolved a lawsuit from Trump with a $16 million settlement.

Trump had claimed that a 2024 CBS “60 Minutes” interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris was misleadingly edited.

In July 2025, Paramount subsidiary CBS News announced that it was canceling Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” for financial reasons, days after Colbert accused Paramount of giving Trump a “big fat bribe.” The program’s final episode aired in May.

Paramount and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Technologies

Trump stands by decision to start Iran war as U.S. tightens economic pressure

Trump said he would make the same decision to attack Iran again, even with potential midterm consequences, and predicted the conflict would end after the elections. The U.S. is increasing sanctions and other economic pressure on Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no regrets about launching the Iran war, adding, “If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did.”

During a Thursday interview with Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham in the United States, Trump said he would have attacked Iran even if the decision affected the midterm elections.

“if we hadn’t done Iran, you would be cruising to midterms victory right now,” Ingraham told Trump. Trump replied, “supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden Iran has a nuclear weapon. They would use it.”

He said that if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon, the Islamic Republic would “wipe out” Israel and the Middle East and begin striking U.S. cities.

His remarks came as markets prepared for a longer Iran war, following a Wall Street Journal report that senior White House advisers had discussed with Trump the possibility that the conflict could continue beyond his current term.

Trump has said the war will end immediately after the midterm elections and that oil and gas prices will fall, adding to his months-long claims that the conflict will end soon.

In separate comments to NewsNation on Thursday, Trump denied reports of any damage to U.S. assets after Iran said it had hit multiple U.S. fighter aircraft at a base in Jordan.

“No damage. No nothing,” Trump said when asked whether the reports were true.

Applying economic pressure

Washington is continuing its efforts to isolate Iran from its economic network, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaling sanctions against “a large bank” next week.

“We’re going to do it on Monday because we want to honor the memory of our fallen citizens on 9/11. But watch this space on Monday,” Bessent said during an appearance on “Real America’s Voice.”

Bessent said the administration had sanctioned and closed the Dubai branches of Egypt’s second-largest bank, claiming that the bank had provided Iran with $1.8 billion. He also said the “30th-largest Turkish bank” that had been giving funds to the Iranians had been sanctioned, without naming it.

The U.S. sanctioned Turkey-based Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi (Golden Global Bank) and its subsidiaries last week.

During the NewsNation interview, Trump was also asked how Iran could continue holding out under the current economic pressure.

“I don’t know that they’re gonna be able to hold out,” Trump said. “But it’ll get settled after the elections. Or maybe sooner. But it’ll get settled right after the election.”

Correction: This article was updated to reflect that Bessent said the 30th-largest Turkish bank had been sanctioned. An earlier version misstated the bank’s ranking.