Trump estimates Iran war should be over in two or three weeks

President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. could end the Iran conflict in two to three weeks, sooner if Iran wants to make a deal.

“We’re finishing the job, and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job, but we want to knock out every single thing there,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The president said the conflict would end much sooner if Iran came to the negotiating table.

“If they come to the table, that’ll be good. But it doesn’t matter whether they come or not. We’ve set them back. It’ll take 15 to 20 years for them to rebuild what we’ve done to them,” he said.

The president’s declaration was his clearest to date that he intends to end the month-old war, which has reshaped the Middle East and disrupted energy markets worldwide, though it is consistent with Mr. Trump’s initial estimate of a war that would last four to six weeks.

Still, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Iran can still project power beyond its borders with drone and missile barrages despite a month of consistent U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Mr. Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that the U.S. had begun flying B-52 Stratofortress bomber missions over Iran. They told reporters that the Pentagon is close to achieving its operational objectives and suggested that Iran’s air defenses have been significantly battered.

Mr. Hegseth highlighted recent U.S. strikes on the central Iranian city of Isfahan. Referencing a video posted by Mr. Trump overnight, Mr. Hegseth said the strikes on Isfahan targeted large ammunition depots.

Isfahan is also the center of Iran’s nuclear development program and houses several uranium enrichment facilities. Iran’s massive Isfahan enrichment facility, located outside city limits, is thought to house much of Tehran’s remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Mr. Hegseth announced that he paid a surprise visit to U.S. troops in the Middle East over the weekend and said morale was high.

“I witnessed urgency to finish the job, urgency to achieve mission success. Not looking at the next rotation, only moving as fast as possible to win,” Mr. Hegseth said. “What I witnessed was motivation. It was sheer mission focus. It was the American warrior unleashed.”

U.S. warplanes will be focused on weakening the Iranian military supply chain that would allow Tehran to replace the thousands of strategic munitions used against U.S., Israeli and Persian Gulf targets over the past month, Mr. Hegseth said.

Mr. Hegseth said “regime change has occurred” in Iran and that U.S. strikes are creating massive confusion among leadership in Tehran and dissensions on the battlefield.

Still, Iran continued to strike at regional targets, showcasing the regime’s surprisingly resilient offensive capabilities.

Several Gulf nations took defensive action against incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure, and one Iranian strike set a massive Kuwaiti oil tanker ablaze off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Iranian authorities threatened to strike at U.S.-linked businesses in the region. They said companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft would be considered “legitimate targets.”

Iran previously threatened to strike at U.S. and Israeli-linked technology companies after an Israeli strike on a civilian bank in Tehran.

Mr. Hegseth downplayed the significance of the Iranian strikes. He told reporters that U.S. and Gulf defenses are protecting facilities and personnel.

“They will shoot some missiles, we will shoot them down,” he said.

The U.S. bombing campaign and Iran’s ability to maintain pressure on Gulf states and Israel could signal that the war, which began Feb. 28, could last much longer.

At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed since the start of the war, and U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed nearly 2,000 people and injured thousands more in Iran.

Diplomatic progress to end the war continues. Mr. Trump has insisted that U.S. diplomats have been in contact with Iranian officials, and Washington last week reportedly offered a 15-point peace proposal to Tehran. The proposal included provisions that would severely limit Iran’s nuclear, missile and drone programs and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he had been in contact with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff but that Iran had not officially responded to the 15-point plan.

He said Iran would not accept a temporary ceasefire and would consider proposals that would only end the war.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth lashed out at U.S. allies in Europe again over their reluctance to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In a Truth Social post early Tuesday, Mr. Trump told European nations concerned about the strait’s closure that “the hard part is done,” and he urged them to reopen the waterway themselves.

“I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself; the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” he wrote.

Mr. Trump specifically lashed out at France. He said Paris had refused to allow U.S. warplanes to fly in its airspace. The French government did not deny the charges but said it was surprised by Mr. Trump’s allegation.

Earlier this week, Spain announced it would not allow U.S. warplanes to use its airspace for operations against Iran. Italy also has reportedly restricted the use of an air base in Sicily for the Iran war.

Mr. Hegseth echoed Mr. Trump’s complaints in his remarks before the press. He implied that Europe’s reaction to the war would affect the U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective defense.

“When we ask for additional assistance or simple access, basing and overflight, we get questions or roadblocks or hesitations,” Mr. Hegseth said. “You don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them.”

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which at least one-fifth of the world’s oil passes each year, has sent shock waves through global markets.

Brent crude prices touched $116 a barrel on Monday, and the S&P 500 has recorded four consecutive weeks of decline.

However, markets surged Tuesday after Mr. Trump said he was considering winding down the operation, suggesting an end to the current phase of the war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by approximately 2%, or 900 points, the S&P 500 climbed 2.9% for its largest gain since May, and the Nasdaq composite gained just over 3%.

Mr. Trump insisted that the war wouldn’t last “much longer” and suggested that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen automatically once U.S. forces leave the region.

Average U.S. gas prices rose to more than $4 a gallon in a dangerous development for Mr. Trump’s political future. The White House has insisted that U.S. consumers are willing to experience short-term economic pain for the sake of curbing Iranian power and that gas prices will quickly fall after the war.