Journal (ASIa‑Pacific) News. The US Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday (Sep 2) local time that according to US officials and insiders, US President Donald Trump is privately weighing whether to declare an end to the war with Iran. Meanwhile, the Pentagon under his administration is quietly extending deployment periods for US troops stationed in the Middle East, sending a distinctly different signal‑‑the conflict could drag on into next year.

Officials stated that Trump has told senior aides he leans toward declaring an end to this six‑month‑long conflict. He believes sustained economic pressure will eventually force Tehran to yield, either compelling Iran to dismantle its nuclear programme or ultimately bringing about the collapse of the Iranian regime.

Trump posted on social media that the United States now holds “almost complete control” over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s economy is collapsing. He added: “They are just waiting for the inevitable to happen.” Trump also questioned when the Iranian people would rise up in resistance.

Nevertheless, this inclination of Trump to end the war stands in clear contradiction to the current military posture maintained by US forces in the Middle East.

According to informed sources, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised that strikes launched against Iran six months ago would be a “swift and decisive” military operation. Now, however, he is quietly extending deployment cycles for warship personnel, air‑defense units and paratrooper forces.

This measure is described as part of America’s “open‑ended military strategy”, whose goal is not to swiftly conclude the conflict but to keep all military options available for Trump.

Currently, the United States maintains roughly 50,000 service members, 19 warships, 2 aircraft carriers and 13 missile destroyers across the region. These military assets are actively engaged in intercepting Iranian missiles, escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and blockading Iranian ports.

As military deployments keep getting extended, associated strains are becoming increASIngly evident.

Tom Karako, Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), commented that the mission tempo of US Army air‑defense units already ranked high among US joint forces before the war broke out. Today, the standard deployment cycle for these units has been extended from 9 months to 12 months.

Certain units originally based in Europe and the Pacific have now been stationed in the Middle East for more than one year.

US Navy destroyers face similar circumstances. Vessels including the USS Delbert D. Black and USS Spruance arrived in the region to carry out strikes at the early stage of hostilities. They are now compelled to perform blockade missions at sea for months on end without regular rotation home as in past practice.

Karako warned that prolonged deployments may lead to excessive personnel fatigue, backlogs in equipment maintenance, and delays to long‑term US military modernisation programmes. Such repercussions could take years to resolve.

Notably, even as Trump discusses the possibility of eventually ending the conflict, he has not ruled out options for further war escalation.

Last month, Trump received briefings covering multiple military options, including intensifying air strikes, dispatching ground troops to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, and potential attacks against a hardened facility known as “Pickaxe Mountain”, which is believed to be linked to Iran’s secret nuclear activities.

Implementation of any of these options would demand substantial additional military resources. This further explains why, regardless of public signals sent by Trump, the Pentagon appears to prepare for a scenario where the United States remains long‑term entangled in this conflict.

On the political front, Trump’s aides have warned him that if the conflict escalates beyond the current pattern of tit‑for‑tat reciprocal strikes, Republican prospects in November’s mid‑term elections could suffer damage.

Trump, however, stated that he does not factor electoral considerations when making war‑policy decisions.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined specific comment on US troop‑deployment plans, only stating that the Department of Defense presents a full range of options to the Commander‑in‑Chief. US Central Command refused to comment citing “operational security”. The White House directed media to refer to Trump’s prior public remarks regarding the conflict when asked about relevant matters.

Iran still shows no sign of backing down, and US‑Iranian forces continue exchanging strikes around the Strait of Hormuz.

Sharp divergence exists between Trump’s private inclination to end the war and the US military’s clear preparations for a protracted conflict. What path this war will take in the near term remains highly uncertain. The war‑driven risk premium for crude oil and broader financial markets is far from vanishing.