Axios Named A Date Before Which Trump Is Determined To Continue The War With Iran
- 13.03.2026, 15:17
The president of the United States is enthusiastic.
No one - not leaders of other countries, nor advisers to Donald Trump himself - understands what he wants from the war in Iran and when he intends to end it.
An illustration of the U.S. president's conflicting statements can be seen in his speech in Kentucky to a rally of supporters on Wednesday, when he said: "It is never too early to declare victory. We won. In the first hour, it was over." The U.S. "pretty much destroyed Iran," Trump added, but moments later said, "We don't want to leave early, do we? We need to finish our business."
The president is "enthusiastic" to wage the war for at least another 3-4 weeks before deciding whether to end or continue it, a person who communicated with Trump on Tuesday night told Axios. At that point, he said, U.S. forces will primarily try to weaken the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps enough to make an internal uprising possible. "Right now they are not yet weak enough, but in three to four weeks they will be," the source said. Israeli officials told Axios that they feel Trump does not plan to end the war in the next two to three weeks; but they factor in the possibility that he could stop suddenly if he decides he has achieved his goals.
"The US president will have to clarify both his ultimate goals and the pace at which he intends to conduct the operation," French President Emmanuel Macron said after the G7 leaders spoke on Wednesday. According to two people familiar with its content, Trump's explanations were "ambiguous and evasive," with some participants deciding at the end of the meeting that he wanted to end the war, while others came to the exact opposite conclusion.
An "battle for Trump's ear" has broken out in the administration, Reuters wrote, based on conversations with a presidential adviser and people familiar with discussions about the war against Iran. There are three main factions:
Economic advisers and officials, including from the Treasury Department and the National Economic Council, warn that rising fuel prices could quickly erode even the public support for the war that is still there. Political advisers, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, point to negative political fallout, especially in the run-up to November's midterm congressional elections (including from the same rising fuel prices), call on Trump to define victory narrowly and indicate that the operation is nearly complete.
"Hawks," including a number of Republican senators and media figures, call for continued military pressure on Iran. In their view, Tehran should be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons and given a strong response to strikes on U.S. bases and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Representatives of Trump's populist base, including far-right activist and strategist Steve Bannon and TV host Tucker Carlson, are demanding that the president and his closest aides not be drawn into another prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Trump has to try to satisfy everyone's interests, says a presidential adviser: "He lets the hawks believe the campaign is ongoing, wants the markets to believe the war could end soon, and his base to believe escalation will be limited."