Trump mulling unilateral declaration of victory, end to Iran war – report

President reportedly considering unliterally declaring Iran war over before de-escalating tensions with Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

The White House is considering a unilateral declaration of victory over Iran, followed by a de-escalation with the Islamic Republic, according to three sources cited in a report published by Reuters on Tuesday night.

Two US officials and a person familiar with the matter said that US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Donald Trump unilaterally declared victory in the two-month-old war and moved to pull back from the conflict.

The review was requested by senior administration officials as the White House weighs the political and strategic costs of continuing the war.

No decision has been made, and military options remain on the table, including renewed strikes. But officials and advisers are increasingly concerned that the conflict could hurt Republicans in the midterm elections later this year.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found that only 26% of respondents said the military campaign had been worth the cost, while 25% said it had made the United States safer.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Washington is still engaging with Tehran but will “not be rushed into making a bad deal.”

“The president will only enter into an agreement that puts US national security first, and he has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” she said.

According to one source, US intelligence agencies previously assessed that Iran would likely view a US declaration of victory and regional drawdown as a win for Tehran.

If Trump declared victory but kept a large US military presence in the region, Iran would likely see the move as a negotiating tactic rather than a true end to the war, the source added.

The war has also carried growing economic costs. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted a major route for global oil shipments and driven up energy prices.

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to fully reopen the waterway. Trump recently canceled a planned trip by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet Iranian officials in Pakistan, saying talks would take “too much time.”

A White House official described the domestic pressure on Trump to end the war as “enormous.”

At the same time, officials warned that Iran has used the ceasefire to recover launchers, munitions, drones and other equipment buried during earlier US and Israeli strikes.

That could make a return to full-scale fighting more difficult than it was when the ceasefire began on April 8.