The Four-To-Five-Week Iran War Enters Month Seven Right On Schedule

WASHINGTON—The war President Donald Trump said could take four to five weeks has reached six months, entering month seven with no active peace talks and a new strategy designed to make the original schedule less central to the achievement.

The campaign began February 28 with promises to destroy Iran’s missile capacity, eliminate what remained of its nuclear program, and cripple its navy. By April, the administration had declared military success and accepted a ceasefire. A June memorandum promised an end to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations toward a nuclear agreement. It collapsed within weeks.

The current objective is economic. The United States is blockading Iran and trying to force its government back to negotiations while Trump says he is in no hurry to negotiate. The Strait of Hormuz, open when the war began, has become the center of the conflict. Oil traffic remains constrained, prices remain above prewar levels, and Iran now treats control of the waterway as protection against another attack.

The regional effects have also escaped the original timetable. Iran has not surrendered its nuclear position, while Saudi Arabia has entered a new defense arrangement with Pakistan and Turkey. American officials say the United States has gained an advantage around the strait. The war has therefore succeeded in changing the Middle East, including some alliances the United States had not scheduled for change.

Four to five weeks was enough time to begin the war. Six months has been enough time to rename its goals. Month seven will determine whether the country receives an ending or another updated description of victory.