President Donald Trump said Wednesday the war with Iran could end "soon," because there is "practically nothing left to target" after a series of U.S. and Israeli strikes.
In a brief phone interview with Axios, Trump described the military campaign as nearing completion and suggested the timeline for ending the conflict rests largely with him.
"Little this and that. ... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump said.
Trump also said the joint U.S.-Israeli operation has progressed faster than originally expected.
"The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period," Trump said.
The conflict is now in its eleventh day, and has been accompanied by retaliatory strikes from Iran, while the Trump administration has offered shifting timelines and objectives for the campaign.
Trump initially said the war was expected to last four to five weeks. He said Monday that the operation was "pretty much" complete and would end "soon," but a day later, he threatened to escalate attacks following reports Iran had begun placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. officials said intelligence received Tuesday suggested Iran had started laying naval mines in the strait, one of the world's most important chokepoints for global oil supply. Officials said the number of mines appears to be small.
Trump confirmed to Axios that U.S. strikes on Tuesday destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying boats and disrupted Tehran's plans in the waterway.
Despite Trump's remarks about the war nearing its end, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday the operation would continue as long as necessary.
"The war will continue without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign," Katz said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth also signaled the campaign would continue until its goals are met.
"The U.S. military will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated," Hegseth said Tuesday, adding that operations would proceed "on our timeline and at our choosing."
U.S. officials said the primary goals of the campaign include eliminating Iran's naval and missile threat and destroying its missile and drone manufacturing capacity, while downplaying the possibility of regime change or efforts to eliminate Iran's nuclear stockpiles.
In a video message on Wednesday, Adm. Brad Cooper, U.S. Central Command commander, said the U.S. military has struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran since the start of the conflict, including more than 60 ships.
"U.S. combat power is building. Iranian combat power is declining," Cooper said. "And we remain centered on very clear military objectives in eliminating Iran's ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors."
Cooper added that on Tuesday, there were "strike waves nearly every hour from different locations and directions going into Iran," and that four ships were "taken out."
"Since the first 24 hours of this campaign, Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks have dropped drastically," Cooper said, adding that Iran has been launching attacks on civilians in Gulf countries from "highly populated" Iranian cities.
"U.S. forces continue delivering devastating combat power against the Iranian regime," Cooper said. "Just last night, our bomber force hit a large ballistic missile manufacturing facility."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.