Trump considers declaring an end to the war with Iran

Washington – Agencies: The Wall Street Journal revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering announcing an end to the war with Iran, betting on intense economic pressure against Tehran. The newspaper cited senior U.S. officials as saying Trump discussed the issue of declaring an end to the war with Iran with his top advisors. Officials stated that Trump supports this move, believing that sustained, intense economic pressure will force Tehran to end its nuclear program or cause it to collapse. The newspaper reported that despite these closed-door discussions, the Pentagon has extended the deployment of its military forces in the region, and the war could continue into next year. Conversely, the newspaper noted that U.S. military preparations are moving in a different direction, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decided to extend the deployment of U.S. forces in the Middle East until 2027, indicating the possibility of a prolonged conflict with Iran. It noted that “when the U.S. launched its campaign against Iran six months ago, Hegseth promised a swift and decisive strike to avoid the country becoming embroiled in a protracted conflict, but he is now quietly extending deployment periods, signaling that the conflict may extend beyond the beginning of next year.” Sources explained that “this step is part of an open-ended military strategy aimed at giving President Donald Trump options in the war, but deploying 19 warships, air defense units, fighter aircraft squadrons, and paratroopers across the region places heavy burdens on military personnel and their families, and leads to an accumulation of maintenance work that could take years to complete.” Reuters had previously revealed that senior advisors to President Donald Trump are pushing to limit the escalation of the war with Iran ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November, in order to minimize electoral losses for Republicans. The agency cited four informed sources, who requested anonymity, as saying White House officials are seeking to prevent this conflict from dominating the electoral landscape to protect the Republicans’ narrow majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, with plans to escalate military operations after voting concludes. A White House official said, “We continue to pressure Iran... but November is a priority.” These deliberations come as a late-August Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that only 31% of Americans support the war, while about 63% oppose it, amid widespread voter discontent over rising gasoline prices. Sources added that the tactical pause also aims to give the U.S. military time to replenish stocks of precision-guided munitions. However, implementing a strategy of restraint faces field difficulties, as both sides continue to exchange strikes. Commenting on the developments, Barbara Lev, who served as the State Department’s top official for Middle East affairs under former President Joe Biden, said the Iranian regime has incentives to undermine de-escalation, because the explicit goal of the U.S. administration is to significantly increase economic pressure.