US President Donald Trump has declined to outline a clear timetable for the ongoing conflict with Iran, suggesting instead that its conclusion will ultimately depend on his personal judgement as commander-in-chief.
In a radio interview on Fox News, the US president indicated that he did not expect the war to drag on for an extended period. At the same time, he acknowledged that its duration could not be predicted with certainty and implied that the decision to end the military campaign would rest largely on his own instincts. Trump said the fighting would conclude “when I feel it, feel it in my bones”.
The remarks come amid differing signals from members of his administration about how long the conflict could last. Senior officials have previously suggested that military operations might range from a short campaign lasting days to a longer confrontation extending for months.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the timeline, the administration has sought to present the operation as progressing successfully. Trump insisted the United States possessed overwhelming military capacity and dismissed suggestions that American forces were facing shortages of munitions.
“Nobody has the technology or the weapons that we have,” Trump stated, adding that US forces were “way ahead of schedule”. He also asserted that the country had “virtually unlimited ammunition. We’re using it, we’re using it. We can go forever.”
While emphasising his own authority over the final decision, Trump noted that he remains in regular consultation with senior officials including War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
“Operation Epic Fury will continue until President Trump, as Commander-in-Chief, determines that the goals of Operation Epic Fury, including for Iran to no longer pose a military threat, have been fully realised,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
The conflict, which began after joint US and Israeli military action against Iran earlier this year, has already had significant economic repercussions. According to figures cited by the Pentagon, the first week of fighting alone generated costs estimated at around $11 billion and triggered what has been described as the largest disruption to global oil supplies on record.
