Trump used to say he saw a quick end to his Iran war. Six months later, he claims he's in no hurry

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump arrives at an awkward moment for his presidency on Friday as the U.S.-Israel war against Iran reaches the six-month mark, a notable milestone for a conflict that the Republican leader repeatedly assured Americans would be a “little excursion” lasting a matter of weeks. The war isn’t over, though Trump claims that through bombs and blockade, he has already devastated Iran’s leadership, military and economy. And this week his administration said it would turn its focus to increasing economic pressure — rather than military action — to try to finish off Iran.

The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran. The turn to using sanctions as the cudgel of choice comes as the administration weighs diminished munitions stockpiles after months of war, sparking concerns that the prolonged conflict could undermine U.S. military readiness in other parts of the globe.

As the conflict grinds on, Trump’s talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading. He stressed this week that he’s “not in a hurry” to get Iran back to the negotiating table, and he continues making the case that the Islamic Republic’s leadership is on the ropes. They have very little capacity,” Trump told reporters Thursday.

We’re not looking to meet or anything,” he said. It’s unclear how — or if — Trump will address the six-month anniversary of a conflict that has already cost the United States more than $37.5 billion and done damage to his popularity ahead of critical November elections for his party. The president is spending Friday in Houston, where he’ll honor the Artemis II NASA crew for their 10-day mission around the moon earlier this year.

Trump is declaring ‘mission accomplished’ — a phrase that hurt a Republican predecessor On its face, the moment is complicated for the “America First” leader who fiercely criticized his White House predecessors for wasting American taxpayer money and U.S. troops’ lives in Middle East conflicts and vowed on the campaign trail to keep the military out of “endless wars.” But Trump has bristled at suggestions that this war — in which no American troops have deployed into Iran — can be compared to the yearslong wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in whic… military readiness in other parts of the globe.As the conflict grinds on, Trump's talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading.

We’re not looking to meet or anything,” he said.It's unclear how — or if — Trump will address the six-month anniversary of a conflict that has already cost the United States more than $37.5 billion and done damage to his popularity ahead of critical November elections for his party.