US President Donald Trump is willing to end the war in Iran without forcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources close to the White House.
Reports said that recently, Trump’s aides have assessed that any military mission to reopen the strategic chokepoint would extend the conflict well beyond the President’s desired timeline of four to six weeks.
Trump has reportedly decided that the US should focus on achieving its main objectives — significantly reducing Iran’s naval capabilities and missile stockpiles — before winding down the fighting.
The US would then shift to diplomatic pressure on Iran to resume oil trade while encouraging allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead, the sources added.
The development comes even as Israel passed a $270 billion budget on Monday, raising fresh speculation about Tel Aviv’s long-term military ambitions in the region.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli forces continued airstrikes on Iran’s Isfahan province late on Monday night.
President Trump, while acknowledging the strikes, posted on Truth Social, “We do not know the details of what happened and what the targets were, but it seems to be huge strikes.”
Several locations in Isfahan province were hit in the latest wave of attacks.
According to sources, at least eight people were killed in a strike on a cargo boat near the island of Qeshm, not far from the Strait of Hormuz.
The scale of the latest attacks suggests that neither Israel nor the US appears ready to wind down the air campaign against Iran in the immediate future.
Also read: No talks with US to end war: Tehran rebuts Trump's claims
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