Trump advisers push for Iran war exit strategy as political costs mount and oil prices spike

Advisers to President Donald Trump are pushing for Washington to develop a clear exit strategy from its military conflict with Iran, driven by mounting political pressure, according to information obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

Officials are urging Trump to announce a roadmap toward ending the war, arguing that the military has largely achieved its operational objectives.

A notable internal divide has emerged within the administration: while some officials advocate for continuing the campaign, a separate faction of advisers is warning that a prolonged conflict risks eroding the president’s political base.

Recent polling in the United States shows that a substantial majority of the American public opposes the strikes on Iran, which were launched without congressional authorisation.

Sources familiar with the matter who spoke to the Journal said some of Trump’s advisers have grown alarmed by the prospect of oil prices climbing above $100 per barrel. Those same sources revealed that certain Republican lawmakers have been calling the White House in the run-up to the midterm elections to relay their concerns about the political cost of the war. Oil prices, which had surged to $120, have since retreated to $90 following Trump’s remarks suggesting the conflict would be resolved quickly.

Contradictions persist in Trump’s messaging

President Trump’s public statements on the conflict have been markedly inconsistent. On Monday, he signalled an escalatory posture, declaring, “We can go further, and we will” — only to tell reporters shortly afterward, “The war is largely done.”

In a separate interview with CBS News, Trump struck a more equivocal note, saying, “In many ways we’ve already won, but we haven’t won enough yet,” while characterising the operation as “a short-term mission aimed at eliminating very bad people.”

The president added that he has not yet reached a definitive decision on deploying ground troops. Tehran, meanwhile, has stated explicitly that it is expecting American ground forces and will respond with overwhelming force should they arrive.

Diplomatic overtures yield no results

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff conducted back-channel diplomacy with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to test Tehran’s openness to a ceasefire. The initiative was rejected by the Iranian government, according to reports.

Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), turned the spotlight on US military losses in the region. “Trump does not want the American people to know that the military infrastructure in the Persian Gulf has been largely destroyed,” he said. “Around ten advanced US radar systems have been eliminated in the region, and numerous costly American drones have been shot down by Iranian air defences.”

The Iranian commander asserted that Iran possesses the capacity to widen the scope of the conflict, declaring: “There will be security for everyone, or there will be insecurity for everyone. We will decide when this war ends.”

The US military is reported to have spent more than $10 billion from its annual budget since the start of hostilities. Washington has officially acknowledged the deaths of nine American service members to date.

US military bases in the region continue to be targeted by drone and missile strikes.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has claimed that Iran’s missile capabilities have been significantly degraded — a claim that stands in tension with battlefield reports indicating that coordinated missile strikes by Iran and Hezbollah are ongoing.