Trump Says War With Iran Could Last Four Weeks, Three U.S. Troops Killed

President Donald Trump has suggested that the military campaign against Iran could last for up to four weeks.
The British tabloid the Daily Mail reported on the 1st local time that Trump made the remarks in a phone interview.
Trump said he sees the operation’s timeline as "about four weeks," adding, "It always takes about that long. Iran is a big country and a strong opponent, so it will take around four weeks."
He also said that three U.S. service members had been killed in the operation, calling them "great people."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he noted, "As you know, unfortunately we expected that this would be inevitable," and warned, "It can keep happening. It can happen again," expressing concern that further casualties may follow.
Trump also vowed retaliation.
In a roughly six-minute video posted to his social media platform Truth Social on the afternoon of the same day, Trump said the three U.S. troops who lost their lives were "true American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," adding that they died "as this righteous operation, for which they gave their lives, continues."
He went on to say, "Sadly, before this war is over, there will be more sacrifice," adding, "That is how it works. There will probably be more casualties."
Trump also described the strikes on Iran as "one of the most complex and most overwhelming military attacks in the history of the world."
He stressed, "Right now, combat operations are continuing with full firepower and will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very clear objectives." However, he did not specify what those objectives were.
Trump argued that the Iranian regime, armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, would have become "an existential threat" to all Americans, offering this as justification for the attack. He also claimed that Iran’s leaders "have been waging a war on civilization itself."
Previously, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a leading Republican presidential hopeful, said in June last year that there had been no intelligence reports indicating that Iran had acquired nuclear weapons or long-range missile capabilities after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, and that there were no signs it was close to obtaining nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States.
With opinion polls showing that only one in four Americans supports the latest strikes on Iran, controversy over the legitimacy of the air campaign is expected to intensify.

dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter