The US announces that it is about to control Iran's airspace. White House: The military operation could last four to six weeks
The US military campaign against Iran could last between four and six weeks, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Friday, adding that the US is about to take control of Iranian airspace, The Guardian reports, according to News.ro.
Donald Trump had previously suggested the war could last about four to five weeks, but also admitted it could last “much longer”.
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, said the US operation would continue “as long as necessary” to achieve its objectives in Iran. “Our calendar is ours and only we can control it,” Hegseth said.
Leavitt, who spoke Friday before a meeting between Trump and major defense contractors, told reporters at the White House that the U.S. has sufficient stockpiles of weapons to meet all of its operational needs in Iran.
She added that the US is looking at a number of potential candidates for Iran's leadership, but did not give details. “I know there are a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I'm not going to elaborate on that,” the spokeswoman said.
Following the US president's comments on Friday that he was seeking the “unconditional surrender” of the Iranian government, Leavitt said: “What the president is saying is that when he, as supreme commander of the US military, decides that Iran is no longer a threat to the United States of America and that the objectives of Operation Epic Fury have been fully met, Iran will essentially be in a situation of unconditional surrender, regardless of whether he will admit it or not”.
“Honestly,” she continued, “they don't have many people to say that for them because the United States and the State of Israel have completely eliminated almost 50 leaders of the former terrorist regime, including the Supreme Leader himself.”
Trump made the statement on Truth Social hours after Iran's president announced that unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, one of the first signs of a diplomatic push to end the war.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender!” Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, posted on X: “Let's be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we never hesitate to defend the dignity and authority of our country.”
The surrender demand, and the likelihood that it would complicate any quick way to end a conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies, caused an immediate shock to financial markets.
