Top White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could extend through the remainder of his presidency, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US officials.
The advisers told Trump in private discussions in the Oval Office and the Situation Room that Tehran could continue to resist U.S. pressure, potentially prolonging the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029, the Journal added.
The reported warning contrasts with Trump’s own public remarks about the war. The president on Wednesday predicted the war with Iran would end “immediately after” the US midterm elections in November because Tehran was trying to influence the vote but would not be able to withstand American economic pressure.
Top White House advisers have raised privately with President Trump the prospect that the Iran war could drag on through the remainder of his term, U.S. officials said, a message at odds with Trump’s public assurances of a swift victory. https://t.co/w9zU9xHBXs pic.twitter.com/ym4oY7fQNO
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 10, 2026
“I think war is going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer. They’re desperate to try and affect the election,” he told reporters before departing for the Republican National Convention in Dallas.
The US-Israel war on Iran, which recently entered its seventh month, has no immediate end in sight. On Wednesday, Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian oil tankers. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also fired missiles at US’ Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, damaging multiple American military aircraft.
Iranian BM releasing submunitions over Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. https://t.co/hxkx6hoW5F pic.twitter.com/KZzMBanz3i
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) September 8, 2026
One A-10 Thunderbolt, known as the Warthog, was struck and left with a missing wing, while roughly eight F-15s sustained light damage and were placed back into service, CBS reported.
Furthermore, the renewed fighting sent the price of oil surging with benchmark Brent crude future breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July.
Source: WSJ (edited by Al-Manar)