The Wall Street Journal reports U.S. officials say a senior White House adviser
privately raised the possibility that a conflict with Iran could continue
through the remainder of Trump’s term. Officials said discussions in the Oval
Office and the White House Situation Room, involving Vice President Vance and
Secretary of State Rubio, outlined a scenario in which Tehran could continue to
resist under blockade and other military pressure, potentially extending the
fighting into and beyond the Jan. 2029 presidential inauguration. The private
assessments conflict with Trump’s public assurances the war would be brief; on
Wednesday he told reporters the war would end 'immediately' after the November
midterms because 'Iran can’t hold out.'
