Trump says Iran war will end 'soon' while Israel says 'no time limit' -- messaging whiplash clouds US endgame

Axios reported a deepening pattern of 'Iran war whiplash' as Trump's messaging careened between contradictory positions within the same day. Trump claimed 'Any time I want it to end, it will end' and said there was 'practically nothing left to target,' implying the war was effectively over. But Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated the war would continue 'without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign.' No internal directive on when fighting might stop had been issued, according to US and Israeli officials. Defense Secretary Hegseth said strikes were 'ramping up and only up.' The contradictions between Trump's public victory lap and the reality of an open-ended military campaign left allies, markets, and the American public without any coherent understanding of the war's objectives or timeline.

"Any time I want it to end, it will end" — Said to Axios in phone interview, contradicted by Israeli statement of 'no time limit' and Hegseth saying strikes were 'ramping up and only up'