White House thinks Iran war could last to end of Trump's term

JD Vance and Marco Rubio reportedly think the Iran war could last beyond the end of Donald Trump’s term. Despite the US president’s repeated claims that the conflict will end soon, senior figures within his administration have told him Tehran could resist US pressure for years, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Middle East – and the higher energy prices caused by Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz – has been a major talking point as November’s midterm elections approach. The president suggested that the conflict would end following the November vote. “I think war is going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” he told reporters on Wednesday. Mr Vance, the vice-president, and Mr Rubio, the secretary of state, have reportedly raised privately the possibility that the conflict could extend beyond January 2029, after Mr Trump leaves office. Experts have criticised Washington for underestimating Iran’s resilience under economic and military pressure as the war has continued much longer than previously promised. Iran has reportedly resumed its production recently of ballistic missiles, which could further extend Tehran’s ability to withstand US pressure. Destroying the country’s missile production facilities was a key success of the early stages of the war, but they have since been rebuilt at several underground sites, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US and Middle East officials. Meanwhile, in public, Mr Trump and Mr Vance have both recently tried to play down the impact of the conflict. “I wouldn’t call it a war,” Mr Vance said at a White House press briefing on Sept 3, adding that he did not know when it would end. Asked about Mr Vance’s comments, Mr Trump said: “I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing.” But in recent months, Republicans fighting for re-election in competitive seats have reportedly become increasingly concerned about the administration’s efforts to minimise the impact of the war. “Any time you are at war or in a military escalation, it is certainly not small potatoes. It is serious,” Representative Mike Lawler said during an interview on CNN on Sunday. Multiple estimates suggest the seven-month-long conflict has cost the average American household hundreds of dollars, as energy and airline ticket prices have soared. It has also angered many figures once considered central to Mr Trump’s Maga base – including high-profile commentators, such as Tucker Carlson – after the president promised “no more forever wars” during his campaign for a second term. If the war rumbles on until the end of Mr Trump’s presidency, its effects may be felt not only during the midterm this year , but also in 2028’s presidential race. Mr Vance, who reportedly opposed Mr Trump’s decision to launch air strikes on Iran in February, is tipped as a front-runner for the Republican nomination. Before becoming vice-president, he was a vocal sceptic of US military intervention overseas. He had spoken about his belief that going to war with Iran was not in the US’s best interests, saying that it would be “massively expensive”. But since the start of the conflict, he has had to walk a fine line between publicly supporting the president and acknowledging concerns on an issue that could divide his supporters. “Trump will not get the United States into a years-long conflict with no end in sight and no clear objective,” Mr Vance told Fox News in March, shortly after the initial strikes on Iran. Mr Vance had been involved in peace negotiations with Iran, but so far, those talks have failed. The conflict seems to have escalated again as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has attacked US warships in the Middle East during the past week. The US has responded by targeting Iranian oil carriers, destroying five tankers on Tuesday, according to US Central Command (Centcom). The strikes came as Washington continues to try to squeeze the Iranian economy through sanctions and a naval blockade of its ports. The destroyed tankers were “part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network”, which Iran uses to avoid Western sanctions, Centcom said on Tuesday. Oil prices rise again as hopes fade on Wall Street for a resolution to the conflict. “Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Mr Trump said on Wednesday. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.” A White House spokesman said: “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. “As Commander in Chief, the President keeps all options on the table and will continue advancing America’s interests at home and abroad – never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon. “Only President Trump knows what he will do and when.” Mr Rubio and Mr Vance were approached for comment.