Report: Trump's Advisors Urge Him "Secretly" to Exit the Iran War

SadaNews - The Wall Street Journal reported that some advisors to U.S. President Donald Trump are secretly urging him to announce a plan to withdraw from the Iran War.

The American newspaper added, citing unnamed knowledgeable sources, that these advisors are pushing Trump to clarify that the military has "largely achieved its objectives in the war."

While U.S. officials have provided varying lists of war objectives, they generally revolve around destroying the Iranian missile program, dismantling its naval fleet, halting Iran's support for its regional proxies, and preventing it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The report aligns with a statement from the U.S. president on Monday, where he said that "the war on Iran will end soon," without specifying a timeline, while emphasizing that the U.S.-Israeli strikes have achieved their goals.

However, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt strongly denied the Wall Street Journal report.

Levitt stated, "This story is full of nonsense from anonymous sources. I assure you this is not present with President Trump. The president's senior aides are focused around the clock to ensure the continued success of military operations, and the commander-in-chief will ultimately determine the end of these operations."

The newspaper noted that some of Trump's aides have warned him that a prolonged war would negatively affect his popularity, even if Republicans currently support strikes against Iran.

It added that the concerned advisors have received calls from Republicans expressing their worries about the impact of the war on the upcoming midterm elections.

Accordingly, Trump's aides saw the need to implement a firmer media strategy to market the war amidst rising fuel prices, according to the newspaper.

In response to the report, Levitt said, "The vast majority of Americans support ending the threat posed by the Iranian regime, and support killing terrorists, and this is what President Trump will seek to achieve."

Polls have shown that a slim majority of Americans oppose the war, and opinions largely align with party affiliations.

Despite the concerns of some of his advisors, administration officials told the newspaper that the war is unlikely to end as long as Iran continues to attack countries in the region, and as long as Israel wants to continue striking targets within Iran.

A senior administration official told the Wall Street Journal: "Trump will not stop fighting until he achieves a satisfactory victory, especially with the U.S.'s military superiority."

The newspaper cited informed sources about Trump's plans, which were unnamed, stating that the president is surprised by Iran's lack of surrender despite the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes.