The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night that Hegseth is “quietly” extending troop deployments to the Middle East into 2027, showing that the Iran war, instead of being “quick and decisive,” will be long and drawn out with no end in sight. It is part of an open-ended military strategy designed to give President Trump options in the war, the Journal’s sources said. But the deployment of 19 warships, air-defense units, fighter squadrons and paratroopers across the region is straining servicemembers and their families and creating a maintenance backlog that could take years to unwind, the Journal’s sources added.
At the same time, Trump is reported to be having private discussions with senior aides about whether to declare the Iran war over, U.S. officials said, noting Trump has said he favors the idea. Trump also tells aides that he believes sticking with economic pressure will eventually force the regime either to dismantle its nuclear program or collapse, they said. Aides are also said to be advising Trump that an escalation of the Iran war beyond recent tit-for-tat strikes could endanger Republican prospects in the November midterm elections. The president has said he isn’t taking electoral consequences into account when making decisions on the war.
As for military options, Trump is said to be considering stepped up air strikes, assaults to seize some islands in the Strait of Hormuz and/or bombing the nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain, any of which require significant military assets.
The view in Tehran is that Iran has caught the U.S. in a quagmire. The United States will continue getting bogged further down in the crisis around Iran and will have to extend its military presence in the region, a high-ranking Iranian source [told TASS](https://tass.com/world/2182347 ). “During the 12-day war, Iranian strategists proved that they are prepared for a long confrontation, to the reality that is clearly observed on the battlefield of the confrontation,” he said. The source added that Iran has been under military, economic and political pressure for decades and has found ways to survive it.
