 "US President Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24. Seated behind him are Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Reuters")
US President Donald Trump’s aides are reportedly urging him to publicly present an exit plan from the Iran war as he gives vague timelines for the conflict’s end.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump’s White House allies have asked him to make the case that the military has largely achieved its objectives in the war.
While US officials have sometimes presented different lists of war aims, they generally include destroying Iran’s missile program and navy, ending its support for regional proxy groups, and preventing the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Trump aides warn him
Some of Trump’s aides have told him that a drawn-out war is likely to eat into his support, even as most Republicans have backed his military campaign in Iran.
The WSJ report adds that concerned Republicans have reached out to Trump’s close allies to tell them how the war could impact the results of the upcoming midterm elections.
Polling shows that a slight majority of Americans oppose the war, with opinions largely divided along party lines. Despite concerns from some advisers, administration officials told the news outlet that the war was unlikely to end as long as Iran continued attacking countries in the region and Israel wished to keep striking targets inside Iran.
A senior administration official said that the US president “won’t stop fighting until he can claim a satisfactory victory.”
‘Full of crap’
Meanwhile, White House has rejected the WSJ report. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “This story is full of crap from anonymous sources who, I can guarantee, are not in the room with President Trump. The president’s top aides are focused 24/7 on ensuring Operation Epic Fury continues to be a tremendous success, and the end of these operations will ultimately be determined by the commander in chief.”
She added, “The vast majority of Americans support ending the threat posed by the Iranian regime and support killing terrorists, and that’s what President Trump is going to accomplish.”