Senior White House officials have privately warned US President Donald Trump that the war with Iran could continue for the rest of his presidency, despite his public prediction that the conflict will end soon after this year’s midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the advisers who reportedly raised the possibility during private discussions with Trump in the Oval Office and Situation Room.According to the report, the officials told Trump that Iran could continue resisting US pressure, potentially keeping the conflict going until after the next US presidential inauguration in January 2029.
Trump expects ‘a quick end’
Trump has publicly offered a much shorter timeline for the conflict. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said he expected the war to end “immediately after” the US midterm elections in November. He argued that Iran was attempting to influence the election but would not be able to maintain its resistance for much longer.“I think the war will end immediately after the election… They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”Trump has also indicated that diplomatic talks remain possible, although he has said negotiations are not his preferred option.
US-Iran fighting continues
Trump also referred to recent US strikes on Iran and attacks involving Iranian and American forces.“We’ve knocked out nine of their ships; I would say that the attacks are caused by us — and you’re going to see a lot more. We’ve taken our about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gone-zo.”The US launched strikes on Iranian oil tankers during its latest offensive after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US naval warships earlier this week.Iran has also retaliated, with multiple explosions reported over an American airbase in Jordan.Trump launched the conflict as an effort to pressure Iran over its nuclear programme. The first US strikes were carried out on February 28 as part of Operation Epic Fury, in coordination with Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The opening strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the material provided.The reported warning from Trump’s senior advisers highlights the gap between the administration’s private assessment of a potentially prolonged conflict and Trump’s public expectation of a rapid end.
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