President Donald Trump has signaled that productive conversations with Iran are taking place, raising questions about whether the war could be nearing its end. However, the possibility remains that American service members may be sent into Iran following recent deployments to the region.
This weekend marks one month since the start of Operation Epic Fury. At the beginning of the war, the president said the conflict would last four to five weeks.
Trump has laid out a number of goals since the start of the conflict, promising in recent days a form of regime change.
"There will be a form, a very serious form of regime change," Trump said.
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At the beginning of the war, Ali Khamenei was the supreme leader of Iran. He was killed on the first day of the conflict and has since been replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. While that technically is a change, the Iranian regime has not collapsed, and foreign policy analysts speculate the new supreme leader may be more of a hardliner than his father.
Trump downplayed that the new leader is actually in charge since he has not been seen in public.
"I don’t really consider him the leader," Trump said.
The Trump administration and military leaders have outlined other goals as well, including eliminating Iran's ability to obtain a nuclear weapon.
"They can never have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
Iran still has uranium in its possession. Trump said this week the U.S. will take it when the war ends, something that has yet to happen.
"We want no enrichment but we also want the enriched uranium," Trump said.
Another goal for many Americans and Trump is lower gas prices, which are hovering around $4 a gallon nationally. The president promised that prices will fall once the war is over and is calling on countries that use Middle Eastern energy to help increase the oil flowing out of the Strait of Hormuz. However, not every American ally has shown an eagerness to help.
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Meanwhile, companies are preparing for long-term impacts. The CEO of United Airlines recently wrote to employees about the situation.
"Our plans assume oil goes to $175/barrel and doesn't get back down to $100/barrel until the end of 2027," the CEO of United Airlines said.
