Trump finally admits there's no endgame to Iran war: 'Four to five weeks' is now 'no time frame'

US President Donald Trump started a war in Iran on Feb 28, 2026 along with Israel. Prior to the war, he made several statements hinting that it would be a cakewalk for America to attack the Islamic Republic and come out victorious. Though, he never specified his goals, the attack came in midst of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Trump hinted that his objective was regime change and declared that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. On several occasions after the war began, he insisted that it would end soon. It's been 54 days now. Trump, the oldest person to hold the post of US president, has on Apr 22 said that there is “no time frame” for the Iran war to wind up.

A timeline of Trump's shifting statements about how long the Iran war will last

Talking toFox News, Trump said that there is “no time pressure” on the extended ceasefire. “People say I want to get it over because of the midterms, not true,” adding that the administration wanted to “get a good deal for the American people.” He added, with no remorse, that there is “no time frame” for the war to end. This comes from the same president who on Mar 1, a day after war began, said it would take "four to five weeks." For a week, he insisted that America is “far ahead of schedule and time projections.” On Mar 9, Trump said that the “war is very complete” and then tweaked his statement a bit and said: “We've already won in many ways.” On Mar 11, he again declared victory at a rally in Kentucky. By Mar 20, he said that he “thinks” US has won.

Post Mar 20, Trump's narrative shifted to opening of Strait of Hormuz. While he kept beating his trumpet of winning the war and achieving huge success, he repeated that US will end the war “soon.” By the end of the month, Trump claimed that it is Iran who wants a deal. In his big address on Apr 1, his first since the beginning of the war, the POTUS told the world that America's military objectives will be completed “very shortly.” He then spent the entire Easter weekend hurling F-word at Iran for blocking the strait and warning to “blow up the country" if Hormuz is not opened.

Also Read: Trump wants Iran in 'stone age' but forgets to 'Make Iran Great Again': A look at buzzwords, misses, takeaways from POTUS speech

On the last day in the first week of April, Trump negotiated with the Iranians despite claiming he has won the war and declared a 14-day ceasefire. Threats and violations at Hormuz continued up until April 22, with Iran not agreeing for second round of talks. And then, Trump decided to reveal to the world that there's no endgame to this war.

What now?

Trump had already walked back on his claims of regime change despite American and Israeli strikes killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The only point that he sticks on is: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. There's been a major shift in narrative from the US that claimed to attack Iran to ‘make it great again’. But, as the war progressed, the entire Trump administration and the president himself seemingly gave up on the idea. Trump ultimately chose a new one: to send Iran back to stone age. Here too, he declared that Iran's nuclear sites are obliterated - exactly the same claim that he made in June 2025 after the 12-day war.

Also Read: From 'we'll start shooting' to 'they want to negotiate': What Trump said on Iran protest and will he strike Tehran

Currently, the negotiations between Iran and US are on hold. The first round of the peace talks that was held in Pakistan yielded no result, with Tehran blaming US administration's “excessive demands” for inconclusive talks. While the US is ready to go to Pakistan and hold second round of negotiations despite Vice President JD Vance stating that America has given it “best offer”, Iran doubts America's intent and claims it to be a ploy for a surprise attack on Iran. On the other side, the Hormuz remains a tense area. The US has refused to remove the naval blockade and Iran Revolutionary Guards are stepping up attack on ships in the region. Trump, predictably so, has resorted to threats again. However, this time he has agreed that he isn't aware of at least one thing in the world - the end of war.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)