President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran is running low on key military equipment and suggested he would be open to working with elements of a new Iranian leadership, as his administration weighs whether to support armed opposition groups inside the country.
In a phone interview with Politico, Trump said Iran’s military capacity is being steadily weakened, even though missile attacks could continue in the near term.
“They’re running out and they’re running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated,” Trump said. “They’re running out of launchers.”
Trump also defended U.S. military readiness, saying the United States has ample supplies of munitions and is accelerating production.
“We have unlimited of the middle- and upper middle- ammunition and things. We save it and we build it,” he said, adding that defense companies are operating under emergency orders to produce what is needed.
The president said the war could last four to five weeks but could also end within days, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the conflict.
He has justified the military campaign by arguing that Iran was on the verge of obtaining a nuclear weapon or developing the capability to attack the United States.
Asked whether he would consider engaging with figures from a reconfigured Iranian government if the current leadership is weakened, Trump signaled openness.
“Nope, not too late,” he said.
Trump noted that 49 senior Iranian leaders had been killed in recent strikes and said new figures are already emerging, with many seeking leadership roles, some of whom he suggested could prove capable. He indicated he would be open to cooperating with a reconstituted Iranian government if one emerges after the war, even if it includes remnants of the current regime.
His remarks come as The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is considering whether to back armed groups inside Iran seeking to topple the ruling regime, citing U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, Trump recently held a call with Kurdish leaders and has continued outreach to other regional actors who might attempt to capitalize on what officials describe as Tehran’s vulnerability. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has been in contact with “many regional partners,” without elaborating.
The Journal reported that no final decision has been made on whether Washington would provide weapons, training or intelligence support to anti-regime factions.
In announcing the start of joint U.S. and Israel military action against Iran, Trump publicly urged Iranians to rise up and “take over your government,” saying the United States was backing them with “overwhelming strength and devastating force.”
On Tuesday, Trump also shared on social media a Washington Post opinion column outlining what it described as a potential “Trump doctrine,” arguing that internal Iranian forces, rather than U.S. ground troops, could ultimately determine the country’s future.