Top White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately cautioned President Donald Trump that the war with Iran could continue for the rest of his presidency, potentially extending until January 2029, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
The warning was conveyed during private discussions in the Oval Office and Situation Room, where advisers told Trump that Tehran could continue to resist US pressure and potentially prolong the conflict beyond the next presidential inauguration.
The assessment stands in contrast to Trump’s public prediction that the conflict will end “immediately after” the November US midterm elections.
Trump accused Iran of attempting to influence the elections by prolonging the war, saying Tehran was “desperate” and would not be able to sustain the conflict for much longer.
“We are not looking for negotiations with Iran. A negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we are looking at. This war will end immediately after our election,” Trump said.
Iran-US tensions escalate around Hormuz
The latest warning came amid an escalation in Iranian and US attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it had attacked 10 ships after the US destroyed five Iranian oil tankers. At least one seafarer was killed, while another was reported missing.
Iran also claimed to have launched ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan. Jordan said its air defences intercepted 18 missiles, while a US official said all American troops were accounted for.
The US said its strikes on the tankers followed an attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on a US Navy warship using ballistic missiles. Rubio warned that any Iranian attacks on US naval vessels would prompt further strikes against Iranian tankers.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Oil prices crosses $100
The renewed fighting has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy route that accounted for around one-fifth of oil supplies before the war.
Claudio Galimberti, chief economist at Rystad Energy, said oil flows through the strait had fallen to as low as 2 million barrels per day, down from 8–9 million bpd before fighting resumed on August 30.
Brent crude prices crossed $100 a barrel on Wednesday, while the average US diesel price reached a record high of more than $5.94 per gallon.
The developments underscore the growing gap between Trump’s expectation of a swift end to the war and his advisers’ assessment that the conflict could continue for the remainder of his presidency.
