U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the war with Iran would end “soon,” arguing that there was “practically nothing left” to strike in the country after nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks. “It will end when I want it to end,” Trump said in an interview with Axios.
Axios reported that, despite Trump’s comments suggesting the United States has largely achieved its objectives in the war, U.S. and Israeli officials said there had been no directive on when the fighting might stop. The report said officials on both sides were preparing for at least two more weeks of military action.
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US President Donald Trump
(Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Trump’s remarks contrasted with those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said the war could continue for weeks, though possibly less, and that he could not say precisely when it would end.
In a closed-door meeting with local government leaders, Netanyahu said Israel was operating on the assumption that the conflict would last “a few weeks” rather than days, according to people who attended the discussion. Those present said Israel’s aim was to conclude the most intensive phase of the war before Passover, or at least to degrade Iran’s launch capabilities enough to allow a shift to what officials described as an emergency routine.
“There are various factors that we are taking into account. It is not a day or two, and I cannot tell you with 100% certainty whether it will be a month or a week,” Netanyahu said, according to participants in the meeting. “At the moment, we are working on the assumption that this will definitely be measured in a few weeks and not days. At the same time, I say honestly: I do not know with 100% certainty. We are completing the mission now and not resting for a second. We are moving forward as fast as possible. I do not know how long it will take.”