President Trump said he was eyeing a quick end to the war in Iran, as some of his advisers privately urged him to look for an exit plan amid spiking oil prices and concerns that a lengthy conflict could spark political backlash.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump characterized the military mission as mostly having achieved its goals. “We’re way ahead of schedule,” he said, adding he thought it would be over “very soon.”
Trump won’t stop fighting until he can claim a satisfactory victory, a senior administration official said, especially when the U.S. has a military advantage. Trump has at times been surprised that Tehran won’t cave despite the unrelenting joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign, according to people familiar with his thinking.
Some of Trump’s advisers in recent days have encouraged him to articulate a plan to extract the U.S. from the war and make the case that the military had largely achieved its objectives, according to people familiar with the matter.
Public polls released in recent days show that most Americans oppose the war.
Trump said Monday the U.S. would remove “oil-related sanctions” on some countries to reduce prices, though he didn’t name the nations that might see the measures lifted.
