Trump weighs declaring Iran war over as Pentagon extends troop deployments, report says

Donald Trump is weighing a declaration that the Iran war is over while the Pentagon quietly extends troop deployments, a contradiction that points to a conflict still moving in two directions.

The US president has discussed the question with senior aides, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump privately supports ending the war as midterm elections approach and energy prices rise because of the fighting. He believes Iran will eventually dismantle its nuclear program under intense economic pressure.

That pressure includes Operation Economic Outcast, which the United States launched last week to target Tehran’s main economic supports, including oil, shipping, aviation and digital assets. At the same time, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is extending troop deployments in West Asia. The Wall Street Journal reported that the move could allow the president to retain “options in the war” and signals that the conflict could continue well into next year.

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whether to declare the Iran war over

The discussion came as a new round of strikes unfolded on Tuesday. US Central Command said on Wednesday that American forces had attacked multiple sites inside Iran. Iranian officials said Tehran responded by striking US-linked facilities across the Gulf, with 18 people killed and 142 wounded in the latest US strikes.

Washington also guided 40 commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, two US officials told CNN. They described it as the largest number of vessels protected in a single operation during the war. US forces struck nearly 60 Iranian military sites around the waterway, including air-defense installations, radar systems, maritime infrastructure, mine-laying facilities and communications networks.

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options in the war