US to End Iran Operation in 2 to 3 Weeks, Trump Says

 U.S. forces have struck more than 11,000 targets in Iran in the past month.

WASHINGTON—U.S. forces could conclude combat operations against Iran in as few as two weeks, President Donald Trump said on March 31.

Asked during a White House press conference if he has a plan to help bring down gas prices, which have risen since the start of the conflict, Trump said, “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we‘ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll come tumbling down.”

The president went on to say U.S. forces could conclude combat operations against Iran in two or three weeks.

“I would say that within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three,” he said.

As he spoke during his White House press conference, Trump described a circumstance in which U.S. forces would conclude the conflict without necessarily addressing all Iranian threats on the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he said it will be up to other countries to defend their trade interests in the narrow waterway.

“That’s not for us. That will be for France. That will be for whoever is using the strait,” he said.

Trump did predict threats in the Strait of Hormuz will have largely subsided by the time U.S. combat operations conclude.

“Today, I heard tremendous numbers of ships were sailing through,” the president added.

Since the start of the military campaign—dubbed Operation Epic Fury—U.S. forces have struck more than 11,000 targets.

At a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the previous 24 hours had marked the lowest number of Iranian missile and attack drone launches since the fighting began.

“The latest intel is clear ... our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages, and causing frustrations amongst senior leaders,” Hegseth said.

During the press briefing, Hegseth avoided offering a specific timeline for completing the various military objectives of the conflict.

“Four to six weeks, six to eight weeks, three. It could be any particular number, but we would never reveal precisely what it is because our goal is to finish those objectives, and we’re well on our way,” Hegseth said.

The secretary of war said it will be up to the president to make the final determination on when to finalize a peace deal with Tehran.

Trump’s Tuesday comments are not the first time he has signaled the Iran conflict is nearing an end. He and other members of the administration have repeatedly indicated U.S. forces are ahead of schedule in the operation, but additional U.S. forces have begun to arrive in the region in recent days.

About two weeks into the Iran conflict, the U.S. military dispatched an amphibious ready group and an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of around 4,000 to 5,000 sailors and Marines, to the Middle East. A second amphibious ready group has also departed from California and has been sailing west across the Pacific in recent days.

The Pentagon also dispatched elements of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, including the division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team.

Speaking with reporters as he visited France last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States can complete its military campaign against Iran without needing ground troops. Still, Rubio said additional ground troops heading to the region would provide Trump with a range of military options.

“We are always going to be prepared to give the president maximum optionality,” Rubio said.

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