President Donald Trump has told aides in private that he wants to end the war in Iran “in the coming weeks,” according to a report.
As the conflict drags on to a fourth week, killing 13 U.S. service members and wounding 300, Trump wants to focus on other matters, including the midterm elections and pushing through legislation that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls and prove their citizenship, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“Trump told an associate that the war was distracting from his other priorities,” according to the WSJ.
The problem, though, is that ending the war is not down to Trump alone, the newspaper noted.
America entered into the conflict in a joint operation with Israel, which could continue its operations in the Middle East without the U.S. At the same time, negotiations between Washington and Tehran do not appear to be progressing, and the Iranian regime has so far rejected direct talks with the Trump administration.
Trump has reportedly told aides that he wants to stick to the four-to-six week timeline outlined publicly at the beginning of the war.
Allies close to the president want him to pivot to addressing the cost of living amid rising gas prices because of the war, which remains one of the most pressing issue for Americans, while others want him to turn to Cuba and emulate the swift operation carried out in Venezuela in January, according to the WSJ.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was “extraordinarily skilled at multi-tasking” and was addressing multiple challenges at once.
“The President is laser focused on fully achieving the military objectives against the terrorist Iranian regime. The president’s sole focus is always victory,” Leavitt told the WSJ.
Those close to the president told the outlet that it is “often difficult to predict” the decisions Trump will make about the war, and reportedly said that he has swayed between embracing diplomatic routes and escalating strikes on Iran.
There are also some advising Trump to “go harder” against Iran because “regime change could be legacy-defining,” if the president were to achieve it.
It comes as reports claim that the Pentagon is preparing scenarios for “a massive final blow” in the war.
Trump could choose from four proposals, including the use of troops on the ground and a possible invasion of Kharg Island, a vital component of Iran’s oil network, according to Axios.
The options, described as “hypothetical” by White House officials, come as Trump claimed Iranian negotiators are “begging” the U.S. to end the conflict despite Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, declaring on state television that the country does not plan on holding “any negotiations.”
Trump has not yet made a decision on any of the options, but the president is “ready to escalate” if negotiations with Iran do not progress soon, the officials told Axios.
The president warned Iran Thursday to make a deal to end the war “before it’s too late.”
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