Washington — Confrontation Tense global markets and Poll numbers decline Since its launch War on Iranpresident Donald Trump Rotated from calls to “Unconditional surrender” To make it seem possible to reach a final state in which Iran can trade The hardline Ayatollah to last.
The changing comments from the Republican president and his senior aides add to the seriousness of the conflict that has been going on for 12 days. It affects almost every corner of the Middle East And causing economic shocks around the world. With neither side budging, the war is now on an unpredictable path – one in which a credible endgame remains unclear.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Tuesday that it was up to Trump “whether that’s the beginning, middle or end” of the war. During a speech to a House Republican meeting on Monday, Trump went from describing the war as a “short-term trip” that could end soon to declaring that “we did not win enough.”
This hesitation has drawn criticism from those who say Trump lacks a clear goal. “They didn’t have a plan,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., told reporters. “They don’t have a timetable. Because of that, they don’t have an exit strategy.”
Since ordering the bombing of Iran, Trump has continually changed his timelines and goals for his war against Iran, a cross-current of rhetoric that has raised more questions than answers.
Over the past few days, Trump has called for the “unconditional surrender” of Iran’s leaders, while suggesting that he has already succeeded in achieving his goal of eliminating the Iranian military.
At the same time, Trump’s team sought to calm anxious Americans that this conflict would not be a long and protracted one, even as the president insisted that he had not ruled out the option of sending US troops on the ground.
The US military says it has effectively destroyed Iran’s navy and has made huge strides in disrupting Iran’s ability to fire missiles and drones at its neighbors across the region. And after, The critical Strait of HormuzIran, through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil passes on a typical day, remains effectively closed to business, and Iranian leaders remain resilient.
The Revolutionary Guards pledged that Iran would not allow “a single liter of oil” through the vital waterway until the United States stops its bombing campaign. and Ali LarijaniIran’s top national security official issued a threatening message on Tuesday after Trump threatened to attack Iran “20 times harder” if Tehran stops the flow of oil through the strait.
“The sacrificial nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats,” Larijani wrote on X. “Even those greater than you could not eliminate Iran. Be careful not to be eliminated yourself.”
Trump has struggled to make his case to Americans about why preemptive action against Iran is necessary and how it fits into his pledge to keep America out of the “forever wars” of the past two decades that he bemoaned because they cost so much money and so many American lives. So far, eight American soldiers have been killed About 140 were injured in retaliatory shots From Iran throughout the region.
One of the many reasons Trump has offered to justify waging war is that he did it The “feeling” that Iran is preparing to attack US.
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt modified that position slightly, telling reporters that the president “had a feeling” that he was “based on the truth.”
However, Pentagon officials told congressional staff this in private briefings The United States has no intelligence Which indicates that Iran was planning to attack the United States preemptively
Recent polls show Trump’s decision to attack Iran did not come with the flag-waving effect that usually accompanies the start of recent American wars.
About half of voters in the Quinnipiac and Fox News polls said U.S. military action in Iran makes the United States “less safe,” while about 3 in 10 in each poll said it made the country safer. A CNN poll found that about half of American adults believe military action would make Iran a “more threat” to the United States, while only about 3 in 10 believe it would reduce the risk.
In a CNN poll, about 6 in 10 American adults said they trusted Trump “not a lot” or “not at all” to make the right decisions about the US use of force in Iran.
The European allies are dealing with caution with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer And Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez In the face of Trump’s wrathwho considered them Not supportive enough In support of his chosen war.
But even the German Chancellor Friedrich MerzHe, who has been widely supportive of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, said on Tuesday that “more questions arise with every day of the war.”
“Above all, we are concerned that there appears to be no common plan for how to end this war quickly and convincingly,” Merz said.
Merz stressed that “Germany and Europe have no interest in an endless war” or in the disintegration of Iran’s territorial integrity.
The president chose to disavow responsibility for the bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran on the first day of the conflict, an attack that killed at least 165 people.
Trump on Saturday blamed the attack on Iran, saying its security forces were “very inaccurate” with munitions.
On Monday, after the investigative group Bellingcat published Verified video After a US Tomahawk cruise missile was shown hitting a Revolutionary Guard facility near the school, causing the explosion, Trump again insisted it was probably Iran’s fault, but said he would accept anything the ongoing US investigation into the matter might find.
President Wrong claim Tehran has gained access to the Tomahawk, an American-made weapons system available only to the United States and a few close allies.
In response to a reporter’s question, Levitt did not directly answer why Trump falsely asserted that Iran had access to the American-made missile.
Instead, she responded in part that “the President has the right to share his views with the American public” while noting that “he said he would accept the outcome of this investigation.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters that Trump’s claim was “beyond foolish.”
“Once again, he’s saying whatever comes to mind regardless of the truth,” Schumer said. “And we all know he’s lying, but for something as massive as this, it’s horrific.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, was among Trump’s allies, gently explaining that it was important for the Trump administration to clarify what happened to the school.
Kramer said the military must “do everything in its power to eliminate these mistakes in the future.”
“But you also can’t undo that,” he added.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Ben Finley and Linley Sanders in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed reporting.