Trump advisers warn Iran war could last years: report

Senior White House advisers cautioned president over possibility that Tehran could continue resisting US pressure

Senior White House advisers have privately warned US President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could continue for years, potentially lasting through the remainder of his term, according to a report Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials have discussed with Trump the possibility that Tehran could continue resisting US pressure despite a naval blockade, sanctions and military operations, the report said.

The private assessments contrast sharply with Trump’s public assurances that the conflict will end soon. On Wednesday, he told reporters that the war would end “immediately” after the November midterm elections, claiming that “they can’t hold out any longer.”

The war, now in its seventh month, has killed 18 US service members and raised concerns over military resources and disruptions to global energy markets. US gasoline prices averaged $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, up from $4.01 a month earlier and $3.19 a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire for a quick resolution while supporting a broader economic campaign against Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has described the strategy, dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast,” as an alternative to major combat operations.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales defended the administration's approach, saying: “President Trump has destroyed Iran’s military capabilities and is crippling what’s left of its abysmal economy with the most powerful naval blockade in world history and crushing sanctions,” she added. “Only President Trump knows what he will do and when.”

Vance has also declined to predict when hostilities will end, saying: “It would be irresponsible for us to write out our strategy and our timeline for an Iranian nation that simply cannot honour its commitments and cannot stop shooting at commercial ships.”

The Pentagon is preparing to extend the deployment of some air defence units in the Middle East without a firm end date, while a third Marine Expeditionary Unit is expected to deploy to the region this fall, the report said.

Iran expert Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution said the blockade was unlikely to deliver a decisive result quickly.

“The US naval blockade is unlikely to produce a decisive outcome in the near or even medium term, so the only realistic use of this tool would have to be predicated on plans for a long-term siege,” she said.

“Even then, its prospects for success are dubious, mainly because of the unintended consequences,” she added.