Iran war will end when I ‘feel it in my bones,’ Trump says

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

President Donald Trump offered a visceral and characteristically cryptic assessment of the ongoing war with Iran in a Fox News interview that aired Friday, declaring that he will know when the conflict is over only when he “feels it” and promising that U.S. forces will be “hitting them very hard” in the days ahead.

The interview, conducted with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade, provided a window into the president’s thinking as the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran enters its 14th day with no clear end in sight .

When pressed on when the war might conclude, Trump eschewed conventional timelines in favour of instinct.

“When I feel it, okay? I feel it in my bones,” Trump replied when asked how he would know the conflict had run its course.

The response is consistent with what observers have noted as the president’s shifting timeline throughout the campaign.

Since the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes began on February 28, Trump and his officials have offered conflicting indications on the war’s duration, ranging from “four to five weeks” in early March to suggestions that the mission was “pretty much complete,” followed by demands for “unconditional surrender.”

Turning to Iran’s new leadership, Trump expressed doubt about the viability of Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed the role of Supreme Leader after his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening salvos of the war.

“I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said of the younger Khamenei, who has yet to appear publicly since his appointment.

The president’s skepticism echoes earlier comments in which he described Khamenei’s elevation as “unacceptable” and predicted the new leader would struggle to remain in power without Washington’s backing .

Hardline factions have consolidated control in Tehran following the transition, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps insisting that Iran, not Washington, will determine when the war ends.

On the critical question of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally passes, Trump indicated the U.S. would intervene to protect shipping “if we need to,” while expressing hope that such action would prove unnecessary.

“Hopefully things are going to go very well. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

The White House has previously denied that any U.S. Navy escorts have actually occurred, despite confusion caused by a since-deleted social media post from Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggesting otherwise.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Pentagon is “drawing up additional options” to keep the strait open, but no escorts have been implemented to date .

Trump signaled an escalation in the near term, promising that over the next week “we’re going to be hitting them very hard.”

He claimed the campaign has already inflicted devastating damage on Iran’s military infrastructure. “We’ve already damaged them so badly it would take years for them to ever rebuild,” the president asserted.

The comments come as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim they have fired more projectiles in recent days “than the early days of the war, in larger numbers, and with warheads weighing more than one tonne.”

Trump praised the response of Gulf Arab allies, stating that “unity is tremendous” and that he had spoken with most of them Friday. He added that regional partners are “doing a very good job in protecting themselves.”

The assessment contrasts with reports that Gulf states remain deeply reluctant to be drawn into the conflict, wary of Iranian retaliation and the long-term consequences of aligning too closely with the U.S. campaign.

Iran has deliberately targeted Gulf states in an effort to drive them away from Washington, with more than 2,000 projectiles fired at the region.

The president also acknowledged for the first time that Russia “might be helping” Iran with targeting and drone tactics, while noting that such assistance would mirror U.S. support for Ukraine.

“They do it and we do it, in all fairness,” Trump said.