Facing jittery global markets and drooping poll numbers since the start of a war launched by the United States against Iran, President Donald Trump has repeatedly adjusted his public statements about what the conflict is supposed to achieve and when it should end. In one set of comments, Trump’s administration emphasized a short timeline; in others, it signaled that the war was not finished and that it could still expand.
The vacillation has complicated efforts to describe an exit strategy as the fighting moved into its second week, with the conflict affecting nearly every corner of the Middle East, according to the Associated Press. With neither side appearing to give ground, the Associated Press reported that a credible endgame remained unclear even as Trump cycled between different end-state descriptions.
Trump’s remarks have shifted between calls for “unconditional surrender” and signals that the war’s end could involve Tehran swapping one senior hard-line leader for another. During the course of a speech at a House Republican gathering Monday, the Associated Press said, Trump went from calling the war a “short-term excursion” that could end soon to declaring “we haven’t won enough.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then told reporters Tuesday it was “up to Trump whether it’s the beginning, the middle or the end” of the war.
Trump also told reporters Wednesday that the United States had hit Iran “harder than virtually any country in history has been hit,” and that “we’re not finished yet,” as the Associated Press reported. The shifting message has drawn criticism in Washington, including from Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who told reporters, “They didn’t have a plan,” and added that “They have no timeline. And because of that, they have no exit strategy.”
The conflict’s stakes have also been tied to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil passes on a typical day, according to the Associated Press. While the U.S. military said it had effectively destroyed Iran’s navy and made advances in limiting Iran’s missiles and drones, the report said the strait remained essentially closed to business, and that Iranian leaders were unbowed.
In response to Trump threats over oil flows, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Iran would not allow “a single liter of oil” through the waterway until the United States stopped its bombing campaign. Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official, warned on X that “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats,” and cautioned that “Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.” Newt Gingrich, a former Republican House speaker, argued on Fox Business that the administration should have moved to secure the strait “on Day One,” warning that if it could not keep it open, the war would become “an American defeat” as the world reacts to oil prices.
As Trump’s administration has struggled to explain to Americans why it launched the preemptive action against Iran, the Associated Press reported that one offered justification was that Trump had a “feeling” that Iran was preparing to attack the United States. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described the “feeling” as “based on fact.” The Associated Press also reported that Pentagon officials told congressional staffers in private briefings that the U.S. does not have intelligence indicating Iran was planning a preemptive attack.
Recent polling described by the Associated Press did not show the “rally-around-the-flag” effect that has appeared in some previous U.S. wars. About half of voters in Quinnipiac and Fox News polls said the U.S. military action in Iran makes the United States “less safe,” while only about 3 in 10 said it made the country safer, the report said. A CNN poll found about half of U.S. adults thought the military action would make Iran “more of a threat,” while only about 3 in 10 thought it would lessen the danger; in the same CNN poll, about 6 in 10 adults said they trusted Trump “not much” or “not at all.”
The Associated Press reported that European allies have also been cautious after Trump criticized them for not supporting his war enough. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faced Trump’s anger, the report said, and even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz—broadly supportive of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran—told reporters Tuesday that “more questions arise with every day of war.” On Wednesday, Trump lashed out again at Spain and said, “We may cut off trade with Spain,” after Spain said it would not allow U.S. use of jointly operated bases in southern Spain in strikes not covered by the U.N. charter.
The Associated Press also described how Trump has defended shifting explanations around a bombing of a girl’s school in southern Iran on the first day of the conflict, which the report said killed at least 165 people. Trump on Saturday blamed the attack on Iran, saying its security forces are “very inaccurate” with munitions. On Monday, after Bellingcat posted verified video, the report said Trump again insisted it could have been Iran’s fault, but said he would accept what a U.S. investigation finds.
The Associated Press said Trump then made an incorrect claim that Tehran had access to Tomahawk missiles, which are U.S.-manufactured weapon systems only available to the U.S. and a few close allies. When asked by a reporter, Leavitt did not directly answer why Trump made that claim and instead said, in part, that “the president has a right to share his opinions with the American public” while noting “he has said he’ll accept the conclusion of that investigation.” Sen. Chuck Schumer criticized the statements, telling reporters that Trump’s claim “is beyond asinine” and that “Again, he says whatever pops into his head no matter what the truth is,” adding, “And we all know he lies, but on something as formidable as this, it’s appalling.”
The Associated Press said some of Trump’s allies have urged clarifying what happened. Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican senator who was among those gently pressing for answers, said the military must “do everything you can to eliminate those mistakes going forward,” while adding, “But you also can’t undo it.”
This story has been corrected to show seven, not eight, U.S. troops have been killed.