President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has no regrets about the U.S. war with Iran and would make the same decision again, even as his advisers reportedly prepare for the possibility of a conflict lasting through the end of his term.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would make the same decisions that led the United States into its ongoing war with Iran if given another opportunity, standing firmly behind the conflict as rising energy costs and questions about its duration become increasingly prominent ahead of the midterm elections.
“I don’t believe in the word regret,” Trump told Laura Ingraham during a Thursday interview on “The Ingraham Angle” when asked about concerns surrounding the war and its effect on the approaching elections. Fox News described Trump as defending his decision to strike Iran’s nuclear capabilities and saying he would make the same choice again.
Trump acknowledged that he has reconsidered aspects of the decision but said that reflection has not changed his conclusion.
“You can always question yourself a little bit. And a few people have asked me that. If I had it to do again, I’d do exactly as I did,” Trump said.
His comments came one day after he suggested the war could end immediately following the November elections, even as senior administration officials have reportedly discussed a considerably longer timetable.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior advisers have discussed with Trump the possibility that Tehran could continue resisting U.S. pressure under the blockade and other military measures, potentially extending the conflict beyond January 2029.
That assessment contrasts with Trump’s public statements about a much faster conclusion. Fox News reported Wednesday that Trump said he believed the war would end “immediately after the election.”
The conflict has become part of Trump’s closing argument ahead of the midterms rather than an issue he is attempting to avoid. During the opening night of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas on Wednesday, Trump defended his handling of Iran while urging voters to support Republican candidates in November.
“Trump is making the Iran war part of his closing midterm argument rather than trying to move past it,” Axios reported Thursday. “Trump used the first night of the GOP midterm convention in Dallas to defend the Iran war and attack Democrats. He also suggested that the war would end after election day.” Axios also confirmed Trump’s Thursday remarks that he would make the same decisions again.
The war began after U.S. military intervention against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, an operation the State Department subsequently addressed in its legal explanation of Operation Epic Fury.
Months later, the possibility of a prolonged conflict has raised questions about military resources, energy markets and the broader economy.
“A yearslong conflict would strain military resources and risk long-term disruptions to global oil markets in the midst of a U.S. presidential election in 2028,” The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The Journal reported that senior advisers have privately raised the possibility that the war could continue through the remainder of Trump’s presidency, while Trump has continued publicly expressing confidence that the conflict can end much sooner.
Energy costs have become one of the most visible economic consequences associated with the conflict. According to figures cited by the Journal, gasoline averaged $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, compared with $4.01 a month earlier and $3.19 a year earlier.
“Trump, who returned to power vowing not to start ‘forever wars’ in the Middle East, has said he isn’t worried about political headwinds facing his party despite the war impacting the price of crude oil. Gas prices averaged $4.22 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA, up from $4.01 a month ago and $3.19 a year ago,” the Journal reported.
Oil-market disruptions have accompanied months of fighting, maritime restrictions and uncertainty surrounding Iranian exports, making the conflict an economic as well as military issue for the administration.
Trump, however, has continued defending the decision to use military force and has shown no indication that concerns about the war’s duration or its political consequences have caused him to reconsider the underlying decision.
His Thursday interview made that position explicit: Whatever questions he may have considered since the conflict began, Trump said his final judgment remains unchanged.
“If I had it to do again,” Trump said, “I’d do exactly as I did.”
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