WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday did not provide a timeline for ending President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, which the former News host said earlier this month could end as early as Saturday.

Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that while America’s biggest war in two decades was “on the way,” it would end only when Trump wanted it to end and that he could not set a date.

“It will ultimately be when the president chooses, when we say, hey, we’ve accomplished what we need to on behalf of the American people to ensure our security. So no, there’s no set time for that, but we’re on the right track,” he said.

A few hours later, at a photo opportunity at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump was not asked about the duration of the Iran war but claimed, once again, that it was going better than planned. “I would say we are substantially ahead of schedule,” he said.

At the beginning of the attacks, Trump said that the war was “projected” to last four to five weeks, but that the United States had the “ability” to continue waging it for much longer.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speak with members of the media during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington on March 19.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speak with members of the media during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington on March 19.

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

On March 4, four days after the air assault began on February 28, Hegseth said the war could end even sooner. “You know, you can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and pace,” he said in a briefing.

The three-week period would extend through Friday, and the fourth week would begin overnight on Saturday. However, there is no indication that the United States will end the attacks and withdraw ships, planes and personnel deployed to the Middle East for what Trump calls “a jaunt” in the near future.

Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the White House will seek a large supplemental appropriations package to pay for the war, which officials have estimated costs up to $2 billion a day.

“I think that number could rise to $200 billion. Obviously, it takes money to kill the bad guys. So we’re going to go back to Congress and the people there to make sure that we have adequate funding for what’s been done, for what we need to do in the future, to make sure that our munitions are recharged and not just recharged, but beyond,” Hegseth said.