President Donald Trump has suggested the war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel could end “soon”, even as hostilities intensify across the Middle East and regional tensions continue to escalate.
Speaking in a brief phone interview with US media outlet Axios on Wednesday, Trump said there was “practically nothing left to target” in Iran and insisted that the decision to end the conflict ultimately rested with him.
“Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” he said.
The US president also claimed the campaign had exceeded expectations, saying American and allied forces had inflicted more damage than initially anticipated.
“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period,” he said.
Trump’s comments appeared to signal that Washington may be considering winding down military operations. However, critics say the administration’s objectives in the war have shifted repeatedly, creating uncertainty over the ultimate strategy and endgame. Opinion polls in the United States also suggest that many Americans oppose the conflict.
At the same time, Israel has indicated it is preparing for a longer campaign, according to international media.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country’s military operation in Iran, dubbed “Roaring Lion,” would continue indefinitely until its objectives were achieved.
“This operation will proceed without any time limit, until we reach all the goals and decisively win the campaign,” Katz said during a meeting at Israel Defence Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Katz did not specify the military goals of the campaign but suggested that pressure from the war could encourage political change within Iran.
“We should also continue to do it in order to enable the Iranian people to rise and act, and get rid of this regime,” he said.
His remarks drew criticism from Israeli opposition figures. Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, said the government was pursuing military action without a clear exit strategy.
“A war doesn’t need a time limit, it needs an exit strategy,” he wrote on social media.
Escalation across the region
Despite Trump’s suggestion that the conflict could end soon, fighting continued across several fronts.
Explosions were reported in Tehran as Iran said US and Israeli forces had bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites since the conflict began. Iranian authorities say more than 1,300 people have been killed in the country.
Iran’s Red Crescent also reported widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, saying almost 20,000 buildings had been affected, including hospitals, schools and aid facilities.
In Lorestan province alone, local officials said 52 schools and five medical centres had been damaged.
Iran’s education minister said 206 students and teachers had been killed in the attacks since late February.
Meanwhile Israel continued strikes beyond Iran’s borders, including attacks in Lebanon. The United Nations says more than 570 people have been killed there since Israeli bombardment intensified last week.
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is worsening rapidly. According to the UN, more than 750,000 people have been displaced, with tens of thousands crossing into neighbouring Syria.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council that shelters across the country were severely overstretched.
Maritime tensions and oil fears
The conflict has also spread into the waters of the Persian Gulf, raising fears of a major disruption to global energy supplies.
Iran has warned it could block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil normally passes.
Iran’s military said ships belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies passing through the strait could be considered legitimate targets.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its naval forces fired on two vessels that ignored warnings while attempting to pass through the waterway.
The UK’s maritime security agency has reported at least 13 attacks on vessels in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman since the war began.
Iranian officials have warned that oil prices could surge dramatically if the conflict continues.
“Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command said.
In response to the disruption, the International Energy Agency announced what it described as the largest release of emergency oil reserves in its history.
The agency said member countries would release around 400 million barrels of oil to offset supply losses caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
IEA director Fatih Birol said the move was intended to stabilise markets and prevent sharp price spikes.
Several G7 countries, including Germany and Japan, have indicated they are willing to release oil from their strategic reserves.
Iran leadership and regional alignments
Amid the conflict, questions have emerged about the condition of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
A source familiar with the situation told CNN that he suffered a fractured foot and minor facial injuries during an assassination attempt on the first day of the US-Israeli bombardment campaign.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since being appointed after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian officials insist he is safe.
Meanwhile regional political alliances appear to be hardening.
Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei and reaffirmed support for Iran’s leadership, saying the Lebanese group remained committed to what it described as the path of Iran’s Islamic revolution.
Iraq has also condemned the war, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani calling it an “unjust” conflict and saying Iraqi territory would not be used as a launch point for attacks on Iran.
Elsewhere in Europe, Spain has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, further downgrading diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Rising casualty toll
The war has caused deaths across multiple countries in the region.
According to regional authorities and compiled figures, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began, including civilians and military personnel.
In Lebanon, at least 570 people have died in Israeli strikes.
Elsewhere, casualties have been reported in Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman.
Several of those killed were foreign nationals, including workers on ships and military personnel stationed in Gulf states.
Uncertain endgame
Although Trump suggested the war could end quickly, the situation on the ground suggests a conflict that continues to expand across military, economic and humanitarian fronts.
Israel has indicated its campaign will continue until its goals are met, while Iran has warned it will escalate attacks and potentially target economic infrastructure across the region.
For now, the fighting shows little sign of slowing — even as the US president hints that the decision to end it may ultimately rest with him.
