Pentagon plans air-defense deployment extensions with no firm end date
WASHINGTON — Top White House advisers have privately raised with President Trump the prospect that the Iran war could continue through the remainder of his term, U.S. officials said. Trump told reporters Wednesday that the war will end “immediately” after the November midterm elections “because they can’t hold out any longer.”
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others have discussed in Oval Office and Situation Room meetings the possibility that Tehran could continue resisting U.S. pressure under a blockade and other military tactics, potentially extending the conflict past Inauguration Day in January 2029, the officials said.
Trump often speaks privately with aides about his desire for a quick resolution, the officials said. The conflict is in its seventh month and has killed 18 servicemembers.
The private assessment that the conflict could last for years differs from Trump’s public assurances that the U.S. has already defeated Iran’s forces and that Iran will soon surrender. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales defended the president’s position.
“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,” Wales said. “Only President Trump knows what he will do and when.”
Vance told reporters last week that he would not call the current military conflict a “war,” despite the continuing blockade and intermittent attacks. He said he was unsure when hostilities would end and declined to provide an “artificial timeline” for Iran to exploit.
“It would be irresponsible for us to write out our strategy and our timeline for an Iranian nation that simply cannot honor its commitments and cannot stop shooting at commercial ships,” Vance said.
Operational preparations also point toward a continued U.S. military presence. Hegseth has extended some Middle East troop deployments into 2027, The Wall Street Journal reported, giving Trump military options as the conflict continues. A Defense Department official declined to comment on future operations.
The Pentagon has planned to extend the deployment of some air-defense units in the Middle East with no firm end date, according to people familiar with the matter. The units are part of some 50,000 troops deployed to the region and are spread across the Gulf to shoot down missiles and drones.
A third Marine Expeditionary Unit is preparing to deploy to the region this fall, a U.S. official said. The preparation signals a continuing rotation of amphibious units that operate from a group of warships. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the region in March and was replaced by the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in June.
The Pentagon is also rotating Air Force fighter squadrons in the region. Air National Guard F-16s are replacing warplanes returning to the U.S. base at Aviano, Italy.
Trump also supports a long-term economic siege using the naval blockade and sanctions in a bid to force Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, the Journal reported. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has portrayed the strategy, called “Operation Economic Outcast,” as an alternative to major combat operations.
Iran launched missile strikes in response to the U.S.-led pressure campaign, the Journal reported. The Journal said the strikes suggested that periodic military clashes in the Strait of Hormuz would be difficult to avoid.
The U.S. destroyed five Iranian tankers Tuesday after Tehran targeted several U.S. military ships, the Journal reported. The U.S. military said all of the attacks failed, though officials described some of them as close calls.
A yearslong blockade and military presence would divert resources from Europe and Asia, the Journal reported. U.S. officials are also increasingly concerned about Iran’s ability to adapt its attacks and reconstitute its supply of missiles, drones, radar and other military equipment.
Analysts cited by the Journal said it makes sense that the Trump administration might be settling in for a lengthy conflict.
“The U.S. 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,” said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert and vice president for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.
“Even then its prospects for success are dubious, mainly because of the unintended consequences,” Maloney added, citing attacks on energy and economic targets in the Gulf states.
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group consulting firm, said Washington and Tehran could continue bearing costs without either leadership accepting the other’s terms.
“Washington can keep grinding Iran down at a manageable cost, while Tehran can shift much of the pain onto its population and still protect the institutions essential to regime survival,” Vaez said. “Everyone pays, but neither leadership is yet paying enough to accept the other side’s terms.”
A yearslong conflict would strain military resources and risk long-term disruptions to global oil markets during a U.S. presidential election in 2028, the Journal reported. Vance and Rubio are considered presidential election hopefuls, although neither has said whether he will run.
Trump returned to power vowing not to start “forever wars” in the Middle East. He has said he is not worried about political headwinds facing his party despite the war’s effect on crude oil prices. Gas prices averaged $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, up from $4.01 a month earlier and $3.19 a year earlier.