WASHINGTON D.C Sept 2, 2026 – President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he does not expect the U.S. conflict with Iran to continue “much longer,” even as Washington and Tehran exchanged the heaviest fire in weeks over the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said a renewed U.S. bombing campaign would not last “too long” and that American forces were ready to strike again “any time we want.” In remarks circulating from the same appearance, he added: “As soon as it’s over, which I don’t think will be very much longer. I don’t know how much more they can take.”
The comments came after U.S. Central Command said it had completed a new wave of strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including air defenses, radar, maritime assets, mine-laying sites and communications facilities along Iran’s southern coast. Washington said the attacks answered Iranian attempts to mine the strait and fire on U.S. forces in the region.
Iran said a U.S. strike hit a home during a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, near the strait, killing at least four or five people, including a child, and wounding dozens. Tehran then launched missiles and drones at U.S. and allied sites in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. U.S. officials said they had no confirmed American casualties from those retaliatory attacks.
The fighting has again centered on the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which a large share of global oil normally flows. Iran has used threats and mines to restrict shipping; the United States has blockaded Iranian ports and tried to keep a lane open. Oil prices rose again after the latest exchange.
The war began on February 28, 2026, when the United States joined Israel in strikes on Iran. Trump first described the operation as a short “excursion” of four to five weeks. Six months later, the conflict has moved through cycles of intense bombing, paused talks, economic pressure and sudden flare-ups. Trump has repeatedly said it was nearly over — calling it a “skirmish,” a “little war,” or something that would end “pretty soon.”
The administration has lately emphasized economic isolation of Iran alongside intermittent military action. Trump has argued Iran is a “failed nation” whose military and economy are collapsing, while insisting the United States will not allow Tehran a nuclear weapon. Critics note that each earlier deadline has slipped and that midterm elections are two months away.
Whether Wednesday’s prediction holds will depend on whether both sides return to an uneasy standoff — or whether the latest strikes become another round in a war that has already lasted far longer than first advertised.
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