Trump weighs ending Iran war as Pentagon extends deployments

US President Donald Trump is privately considering declaring the war with Iran over, even as the Pentagon quietly extends troop deployments in the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that Trump has discussed with senior aides "whether to declare the Iran war over," a move the president reportedly "favors." He believes that maintaining intense economic pressure will eventually force Tehran to "either dismantle its nuclear program or collapse."

The US launched Operation Economic Outcast last week, targeting Iran's key economic lifelines, including its oil, shipping, aviation, gold, technology and digital asset sectors.

Despite the private discussions, the Pentagon is extending deployments in a sign that the war could drag "well into next year."

The military is maintaining 50,000 troops and 19 warships, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers, to provide the president with operational "flexibility."