How much longer will the fighting continue? White House and Israeli military respond

Questions about AI · The White House and the Israeli military have differing estimates on the duration of the war. What strategic considerations are behind this?

According to Reference News, citing Bloomberg News on March 15, a senior aide to U.S. President Trump revealed that the Pentagon estimates the Iran conflict, now in its third week, will last four to six weeks.

The report states that Kevin Hasset, director of the White House National Economic Council, also said that the final decision on when the war ends rests with Trump. On the 15th, several government officials, including Hasset, urged the American public to be patient with the current surge in energy prices, stating that the cost is worth eliminating Iran’s threat in the Middle East.

Hasset said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” “The Pentagon believes this mission will take four to six weeks, and our current progress is ahead of schedule. We expect that once the war ends, the global economy will see a significant boost.”

The report also notes that, meanwhile, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wray hinted that the war could continue for several more weeks, and as the U.S. and Israel attempt to destroy Iran’s military capabilities, oil prices will remain high.

Wray said on ABC’s “This Week,” “I believe this conflict will definitely end within the next few weeks — possibly sooner. When that happens, energy supplies will rebound, and prices will fall accordingly.”

Wray stated that the Trump administration is aware that going to war with Iran will cause “short-term turbulence” and a “slight increase” in prices.

He said, “Short-term pain is better than long-term pain. The top priority now is to completely destroy Iran’s ability to project military power in the region and globally.”

Latest! Israeli military prepares for another three weeks

According to DPA on March 15, Israeli military spokesperson Efraim Duvlin said that the Israeli military plans for the campaign against Iran to last at least another three weeks, with “thousands of targets” remaining.

Duvlin said, “We have thousands of targets ahead. We are ready, in coordination with our U.S. allies, to continue at least until about three weeks after the Jewish holiday Passover. For the next three weeks, we have more in-depth plans.”

Passover is a key date on the Jewish religious calendar, beginning on the evening of April 1 this year. During this time, families gather to commemorate the Jewish people’s liberation from Egyptian slavery thousands of years ago.

The Israeli military claims that since the resumption of hostilities on February 28, the Israeli Air Force has conducted over 400 airstrikes, especially targeting Iranian infrastructure.

Duvlin told CNN that the Israeli military “does not operate on a stopwatch or timetable, but to achieve our goals.” He said the goal is to severely weaken the Iranian regime.

Source: Reference News

Headline: “How much longer? White House and Israeli military respond”

Editor: Han Jiao Jiao

Chief Editor: Ji Xiang