President Donald Trump has announced that US military operations in Iran could conclude within two to three weeks, stating that the primary objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons has been achieved and that a formal agreement with Tehran is not a condition for ending the war.
WASHINGTON: The end of the US military campaign in Iran may be closer than many expected. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that military operations could wrap up within two to three weeks, in remarks that represent the clearest public timeline yet for how Washington envisages bringing the conflict to a close.
Trump was direct about the primary objective. The United States, he said, has achieved its main goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. With that objective met, the rationale for continuing military operations is narrowing, even as negotiations with Tehran continue in parallel.
The new two to three week timeframe marks an extension of earlier White House estimates, which had put the expected duration of the war at between four and six weeks. That the goalposts have shifted slightly suggests the military and diplomatic picture on the ground is more complex than initial projections anticipated.
On the question of a formal agreement with Iran, Trump was notably relaxed. Reaching a deal with Tehran is not a condition for ending the war, he said, adding that Iranian officials are currently participating in talks aimed at reaching an agreement, which he described as a positive step. But he was equally clear that the absence of such a deal will not stand in the way of bringing operations to a close.
Trump also touched on the change of government in Iran during the conflict, noting that this was not among the planned objectives of the US campaign, a comment that raises its own questions about how Washington is interpreting the political shifts inside Tehran and what they mean for the region going forward.
For Gulf states that have absorbed weeks of missile and drone attacks, and for the millions of civilians on both sides of this conflict, a two to three week horizon offers a cautious but welcome signal that the most intense phase of the fighting may be approaching its end.
The world is watching Washington’s clock very carefully right now.
