Trump Says U.S. Military Campaign in Iran Will End in Weeks

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered his clearest signal yet that the month-long U.S. military campaign in Iran was nearing its end, telling reporters the United States would be "leaving very soon" and putting a specific window on the exit: "within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three."

The remarks came on day 32 of the war and cut against the grain of Pentagon planning that had been pointing in the opposite direction. As recently as late March, the Defense Department was preparing for weeks of limited ground operations in Iran, with thousands of Marines and soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division positioning in the Middle East.

Trump signaled Tuesday that the operation's stated purpose was close to complete. "We're finishing the job, and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer, to do the job," he said. He also underscored that a formal diplomatic agreement was not a condition for withdrawal. "Iran doesn't have to make a deal, no," he said when asked whether negotiations were a prerequisite. "No, they don't have to make a deal with me."

Trump added that "We want to knock out every single thing they have," while acknowledging that a negotiated settlement remained possible, adding "it's possible that we'll make a deal before that."

The announcement came with a significant geopolitical caveat. The Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil normally passes, remains blockaded by Iran, and Trump made clear he did not intend to keep American forces in the region to manage the waterway once the campaign ended. "What happens in the Strait, we're going to have nothing to do with," he told reporters, saying France, China and other countries that rely on the channel would have to "fend for themselves."

The remarks landed against a backdrop of mounting economic strain. The average price of one gallon of regular gasoline in Los Angeles County reached $5.99, climbing from $4.69 one month ago, amid the ongoing war. The declaration was Trump's clearest to date that he intends to soon end a war that has reordered the Middle East, disrupted global energy markets and changed the trajectory of his presidency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately called out Spain for denying U.S. access to its airspace and military bases, a NATO member the U.S. is pledged to defend.

The White House also announced a prime-time presidential address Wednesday evening on the war, a sign the administration views a turning point as imminent. The conflict has been marked by shifting signals from Washington throughout. Trump postponed threatened strikes on Iran's power grid on March 26, pausing the action by ten days to April 6 amid ongoing talks. Even as Trump spoke of winding the operation down, Iranian state media reported that the country's Revolutionary Guards fired three waves of missiles at Israel within a single hour on Wednesday morning.

Whether the two-to-three week timeline holds, or whether battlefield and diplomatic dynamics force another course correction, remains the central uncertainty hanging over a war that has already reshaped the political geography of the Middle East.