President Donald Trump’s war with Iran is expected to last a lot longer than the four to five weeks the administration originally claimed.
U.S. Central Command has asked the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support the ongoing large-scale operation against Iran, Politico reported.
The officers are being asked to report to headquarters for at least 100 days but likely through September, according to a notification obtained by the outlet.
That suggests the Pentagon is allocating funding and resources for at least the next seven months, and not the four- or five-week timeline that Trump provided over the weekend.
It also means the operation is likely to continue until uncomfortably close to the midterms, despite Republican insiders warning the war will be a “f—ing nightmare” if it’s not over quickly.
Six U.S. servicemembers stationed in Kuwait have been killed so far in retaliatory strikes, and the president has warned that more casualties could be coming.
“When you’re at war, that is 75 percent of your time,” a Republican insider told Politico’s Playbook on Wednesday. “It already is a nightmare, because you’ve got the MAGA coalition just tearing at the seams. Anything in a game subtraction right now is a f—ing disastrous.”
White House officials including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles have been trying to focus on affordability messaging ahead of the midterms, including pointing to gas prices as one of the few bright spots for the president in terms of cost of living.
But the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has undermined that argument, as prices leapt Tuesday by the biggest single-day margin since 2022.
With Tehran targeting the Gulf’s energy sector as part of its retaliation against the U.S.-Israeli joint operation, crude oil prices are up by more than $10 per barrel, and gas has gone up 20 percent per gallon since Saturday.
A Reuters poll found that just 27 percent of Americans approved of the strikes, including only 55 percent of Republicans. By comparison, 93 percent of Republicans supported George W. Bush’s Iraq War in 2003.
About 60 percent of independents said Trump’s use of military force was “too much,” according to Reuters.
A YouGov/Economist poll that was largely conducted after the war had begun found the president is facing the highest disapproval rating of his second term in office.
Multiple MAGA figures have also blasted the “America First” president for launching a war after campaigning in 2024 on a vow to avoid new conflicts.
The president has tried to cheer himself up by sharing articles on his Truth Social platform arguing that his defectors are powerless against him.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Defense Department for comment.
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