President Donald Trump said he now believes the war with Iran could last up to five weeks, revising his earlier estimate of four weeks. He emphasized that the conflict could still be shorter or longer, but indicated he had always considered a timeframe of four to five weeks.

Trump, who previously campaigned strongly against foreign intervention, has shifted his stance in recent months. While he has expressed a preference for a short conflict rather than a prolonged Middle East war with limited domestic support, he appears to have accepted the possibility of a longer engagement.

He also stated that potential candidates to replace Iran’s leadership had been identified but were killed during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury. Trump claimed the initial strikes eliminated most leading successors.

In addition, Trump took pride in the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, referencing what he described as two prior assassination attempts against him in 2024. Israel is believed to have carried out the strike that killed Khamenei during coordinated attacks with the United States that began the current conflict.