Since almost the beginning of the US-Israeli war in Iran in February, President Trump has insisted that it is coming to an end. And he continued to give timelines from a few days to a few weeks.
Fifteen weeks later – three times longer than his original estimate of four to five weeks – ending the war proved impossible. The president has varied his language about the conflict, sometimes calling it a “journey” rather than a war. After a sometimes shaky ceasefire was reached in April, Mr. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have suggested that the “war” phase – Operation Epic Fury – is over, despite intermittent attacks and the lack of an agreement to denuclearize Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz without conditions.
US and Israeli attacks against Iran started on February 28with the assurance of Mr. Trump that it will not last long.
“Four to five weeks”
March 1
Mr. Trump said the day after the airstrikes began that the US military intended to continue its attack on Iran for “four to five weeks” if necessary. He said it “will not be difficult” for Israel and the US to maintain the intensity of the war, as he warned that there could be more American casualties.
“Four Weeks”
March 2
“I don't want to see it go on for too long,” Mr. Trump told CNN during a phone interview. “I always thought it would be four weeks. And we're ahead of schedule.”
“We plan four to five weeks”
March 2
At the Medal of Honor ceremony the same day, the president offered a similar timeline, but hinted that the war could be long.
“We are already ahead of our time to speculate,” he said. “But whatever time it is, that's fine. Whatever it takes, we'll do it – and we have it – from scratch, we're building for four to five weeks, but we have the ability to go longer than that. We'll do it.”
The war is “too perfect”
on March 9
“I think the war is very complete,” Mr. Trump told CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang on the phone.
“Soon”
March 9
Asked during a news conference in Miami if he thought the war would end in a few days, the president replied, “No, but I think soon – soon.”
“As long as necessary”
March 13
A few days later, as he headed to Florida, the president was asked how long the war would last.
“I can't tell you that,” he replied. “I mean I have my own opinion, but what's the point? It will be as long as necessary.”
In five days, it could end up being “good for everyone”
March 23
At an event in Memphis, the president said, “We'll see what happens. I think there's a very good chance we'll keep the deal, so we're giving it five days and we'll see where that takes us. And I can say that at the end of this time, I think it could be a very good thing for everybody.”
“Really a lot ahead of schedule”
March 26
About four weeks after the war started, Mr. Trump said at a Cabinet meeting, “We have estimated that it will take about four to six weeks to achieve our goal. At twenty-six days, we are well ahead of schedule – well ahead of schedule.”
The US is leaving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz “soon … two to 3 weeks”
March 31
Like average US gasoline prices increased by $4 per gallon on March 31 for the first time since 2022, the president faced questions about his plans to bring them back down.
“All I have to do is leave Iran, and we will do that very soon,” he said while signing an unrelated executive order.
Asked if the war would end in two weeks, the president replied, “I think two or three weeks, yes, we will go…
US to hit Iran for “two to three weeks”
April 1
In his address to the nation, as the war was in the middle of its fifth week, the president said, “We will hit them hard in the next two to three weeks.”
About a week later, the groups announced a ceasefire.
A ceasefire has been declared
April 7
“I agree to stop bombing and attacking Iran for two weeks,” Mr. Trump said in the Community Truth post.
“They like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran”
April 20
In the Truth Social post, Mr. Trump said, “…[T]Hello, I would like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran, and in fact, from the point of view of the Army, it was much faster than that, but I will not let them rush the United States to make a deal that is as bad as it could be. ”
“I read Fake News that I am under 'pressure' to do Dili,” he added. “THIS IS NOT TRUE! I'm under no pressure, although, everything will happen, relatively quickly! Time is not my enemy, the only important thing is that finally, after 47 years, we straighten out the MESS that other Presidents allowed to happen because they didn't have the Courage or Foresight to do what needed to be done about Iran.”
The deal is “under negotiation” and an announcement is coming “soon”
May 23
The president applied to a True Social post“The agreement has been extensively negotiated, under finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and various other countries, as listed.” He added, “Final features and details of the Deal are being discussed, and will be announced soon.”
But in just a few hours, Iran said it had not yet agreed to some of Mr the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
They will not “rush to a deal” and “Both sides should take their time and adjust”
May 24
“Discussions are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I informed my representatives not to rush to make an agreement while we are on our side,” said Mr. Trump in the book Truth Social. “The Blockade will remain in full force until an agreement is reached, ratified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and adjust.”
Iran said on May 25 that although an understanding had been reached on “a large part of the issues,” an agreement had been reached not the closest.
Vance: It's still “TBD” whether Trump will sign an agreement to extend the ceasefire
May 28
Vice President JD Vance he told reporters it was not clear that Mr. Will Trump sign a deal to extend the ceasefire by 60 days, citing “linguistic points” that require resolution.
But earlier in the day, a White House press release cited US sources as saying a tentative deal had been made in a memorandum.
Trump reveals deal, says he's in “final commitment meeting”
May 29
“No money will be changed until further notice,” the president said said in True Social. “Some things, less important, have been agreed upon. I will meet now, in the Status Room, to make a final decision.”
But Fars, Iran's official news agency, said Iran it had not been approved agreement and said that the Iranian officials were referring to the statement of Mr. Trump called it “a mixture of truth and lies.”
A deal is reached “in the next week”
June 1
Mr. Trump told ABC News on June 1 that he thinks he will have a deal with Iran to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “next week.”
“It's looking good, it's looking good,” he told ABC News' Washington anchor Jonathan Karl in a phone interview Monday.
Iran talks continue at “fast pace”
June 1
The president wrote on Truth Social, “Negotiations continue, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
“Two Weeks”
June 8
In a conference call with his colleague and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mr. Trump told his supporters, “You're really going to win this in the next two weeks when we declare a total victory. It's going to be a total victory, it's going to happen very soon, and oil prices are going to go down.”
The deal could be signed in “two to three days”
June 9
“And now we are in the final stages of what is going to be a very good agreement that will not allow in any way the formation or development of nuclear weapons,” Mr. Trump told reporters afterward. attending game three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York. “And the strait will open right away. It will open as soon as it is signed, which will be in two or three days.”
Vance: US 'very close' to Iran deal, but could be weeks or months away
June 9
In an interview with Robert Costa of CBS “Sunday Morning,” Vance said the U.S. is “very close” to reaching an agreement that will deal with Iran's nuclear program “for a long time,” but that it could come next week or months from now.
He said a deal could be reached “in full” before November mid-term elections but did not give a specific timeline.
“I think we will know a lot before the mid-term elections,” he said. “Look, I think a deal can happen next week, but a deal can also happen months from now.”
