President Donald Trump‘s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, admitted on live television that he does not know how or when the war in Iran will end. This directly contradicts Trump’s recent claim that the conflict is “very complete.” The admission came just a day after the U.S. military reported sinking 16 Iranian mine-laying ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Witkoff was asked by host Sara Eisen on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street about how he sees the war ending. His response was straightforward: “I don’t know, Sara.” He did, however, warn Iran, saying, “President Trump is the wrong guy to go up against. He has drawn a red line, and that is that Iran cannot have a [nuclear] weapon.”
The messaging from the Trump administration has been inconsistent. Trump told CBS News on Monday that the war was “very complete, pretty much.” But almost at the same time, the Defense Department’s rapid response social media page posted, “We Have Only Just Begun to Fight.” According to the Independent, when ABC News asked Trump to clarify, he said, “Well, I think you can say both,” and hinted at going “further.”
The war in Iran is far from over, and the administration’s mixed signals only make things more confusing
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also gave no timeline. He said the U.S. would end the conflict “on our timeline” and “at our choosing,” adding that Trump has a “very specific mission to accomplish” and “gets to control the throttle” on when the war ends.
Trump has also faced pushback from allies, with his frustration over the UK’s refusal to join the Iran war spilling out publicly on Truth Social.On the ground, the situation looks like an escalation.
Q: How do you see this war ending?
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 10, 2026
Steve Witkoff: I don’t know. pic.twitter.com/9SiL3gqGRR
U.S. Central Command confirmed the military destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump then posted a strong warning on Truth Social: “If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait…we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.”
He added that any ship caught placing mines would be “dealt with quickly and violently.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani responded with his own warning, saying, “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on…
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) March 10, 2026
The conflict has taken a heavy toll. According to the Associated Press, at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, and seven U.S. service members have also died. The war began after Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a joint attack on Iran, even while Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were in negotiations with Iranian officials about its nuclear program.
Analysts have noted that one aggressive shift that changed the Iran war caught even Trump’s own team off guard. The Trump administration has justified the war by claiming Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. This is despite Trump saying last year that Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely obliterated” by his earlier airstrikes.
