Trump's team acknowledges the possibility that the war with Iran could continue until the end of his presidency, according to the WSJ
Senior White House officials discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump a scenario in which a war with Iran could continue until the end of his presidential term. If this were to happen, the conflict could potentially continue even after the inauguration of the new U.S. president in January 2029.
According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other senior officials participated in closed-door discussions in the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room.
During the meetings, U.S. officials considered the possibility that Tehran would continue to resist pressure from Washington amid a blockade and military actions.
According to sources interviewed by the publication, Iran could potentially continue the conflict even after the next U.S. president takes office in January 2029.
These concerns arose following Trump’s statement to reporters on Wednesday. The U.S. president said the war could end “immediately” after the midterm elections in November, since, in his words, the Iranians “can no longer hold out.”
The WSJ notes that a protracted conflict could deplete U.S. military resources and cause prolonged disruptions in global oil markets. Such risks could become particularly serious in the run-up to the 2028 U.S. presidential election.
According to U.S. officials, Trump has repeatedly expressed in private conversations with aides his desire to end the war—which has been ongoing for seven months and, according to reports, has claimed the lives of 18 U.S. service members—as quickly as possible.
At the same time, the U.S. president supports a long-term economic blockade of Iran and the use of sanctions as a tool of pressure to force the Iranian regime to dismantle its nuclear program.
The publication emphasizes that the private acknowledgment by high-ranking U.S. aides of the possibility of a long-term conflict contradicts Trump’s public statements.
The U.S. president had previously asserted that the U.S. had already crushed Iranian forces and that the regime in Tehran would soon be forced to capitulate. At the same time, discussions in the White House indicate that some of his advisers anticipate a much longer war.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.
In Israel, Dvora Sharifian Bahar, a Knesset candidate for the Yashar party, stated that the country is capable of defeating Iran under a government led by former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Gadi Eizenkot. She made these remarks during the presentation of the party’s electoral list in Rosh HaAyin.
In the U.S., leading White House advisers have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could last until the end of his presidential term in January 2029.
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