Iran conflict could stretch into September despite 4-week timeline pitched by Donald Trump: Report
According to a Politico report citing an internal Pentagon notification, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested additional military intelligence officers to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days and possibly through September.
- Mar 5, 2026,
- Updated Mar 5, 2026 6:29 PM IST
A new report by Politico suggests the ongoing war against Iran could extend far beyond the timeline initially projected by the Trump administration.
When the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran last Saturday, the operation was framed as a swift military campaign. Donald Trump later described it as a limited effort expected to last roughly four to five weeks.
However, less than a week into the conflict, signals emerging from within the US national security apparatus indicate the campaign could stretch significantly longer.
According to a Politico report citing an internal Pentagon notification, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested additional military intelligence officers to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days and possibly through September.
“US Central Command is asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September,” the report said, describing it as the first known request for additional intelligence personnel tied to the war.
The request is seen as an indication that the Pentagon is already allocating resources for a campaign that may last far longer than Trump’s initial four-week projection.
The report also suggests that the rush to mobilise personnel and resources points to gaps in pre-war planning. According to officials cited by Politico, several parts of the US government were not fully prepared for the wider fallout of the conflict launched alongside Israel.
Initially, the Trump administration had indicated that the operation would be limited in both scope and duration. But that estimate began to shift within days.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged this week that the duration of the campaign remains uncertain.
“You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” Hegseth said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”
Former US diplomat Gerald Feierstein told Politico the process appeared improvised.
“What we’ve seen is a completely ad hoc operation where it appeared that nobody actually understood or believed that military action was imminent,” he said. “It seems like they woke up on Saturday morning and decided that they were going to start a war.”
Another factor that could prolong the conflict is the scale of Iran’s retaliation. Tehran has responded to the US-Israeli strikes with drone and missile attacks across the region targeting American and allied facilities.
One such attack reportedly killed six US troops at a port facility in Kuwait, underscoring the vulnerability of US installations to Iran’s expanding drone capabilities.
Iran’s use of relatively inexpensive Shahed drones has created a strategic challenge for US forces. The drones can fly at low altitudes and evade some radar systems, while intercepting them often requires missiles costing millions of dollars.
Iran is believed to possess thousands of such drones, raising concerns that even limited retaliatory strikes could sustain a prolonged cycle of escalation and counter-attacks.
A new report by Politico suggests the ongoing war against Iran could extend far beyond the timeline initially projected by the Trump administration.
When the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran last Saturday, the operation was framed as a swift military campaign. Donald Trump later described it as a limited effort expected to last roughly four to five weeks.
However, less than a week into the conflict, signals emerging from within the US national security apparatus indicate the campaign could stretch significantly longer.
According to a Politico report citing an internal Pentagon notification, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested additional military intelligence officers to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days and possibly through September.
“US Central Command is asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September,” the report said, describing it as the first known request for additional intelligence personnel tied to the war.
The request is seen as an indication that the Pentagon is already allocating resources for a campaign that may last far longer than Trump’s initial four-week projection.
The report also suggests that the rush to mobilise personnel and resources points to gaps in pre-war planning. According to officials cited by Politico, several parts of the US government were not fully prepared for the wider fallout of the conflict launched alongside Israel.
Initially, the Trump administration had indicated that the operation would be limited in both scope and duration. But that estimate began to shift within days.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged this week that the duration of the campaign remains uncertain.
“You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” Hegseth said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”
Former US diplomat Gerald Feierstein told Politico the process appeared improvised.
“What we’ve seen is a completely ad hoc operation where it appeared that nobody actually understood or believed that military action was imminent,” he said. “It seems like they woke up on Saturday morning and decided that they were going to start a war.”
Another factor that could prolong the conflict is the scale of Iran’s retaliation. Tehran has responded to the US-Israeli strikes with drone and missile attacks across the region targeting American and allied facilities.
One such attack reportedly killed six US troops at a port facility in Kuwait, underscoring the vulnerability of US installations to Iran’s expanding drone capabilities.
Iran’s use of relatively inexpensive Shahed drones has created a strategic challenge for US forces. The drones can fly at low altitudes and evade some radar systems, while intercepting them often requires missiles costing millions of dollars.
Iran is believed to possess thousands of such drones, raising concerns that even limited retaliatory strikes could sustain a prolonged cycle of escalation and counter-attacks.