Apr 01, 2026 18:36 pm IST

Opinion | 'Go Get Your Oil': Is Trump About To Cut And Run On His Own War?

Start alone, end alone - that may be the harshest lesson for Trump as he now tries to dash for the door in Iran.

Naresh Kaushik Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Iran's stubborn resistance and its ability to withstand the US and Israel's relentless military campaign for over a month have disrupted Donald Trump's calculations. The war's increasing economic and political costs have pushed him to seek a quick exit. He now wants to leave Iran in two to three weeks, whether or not there is a deal. His comment, ahead of a national address on Wednesday evening, underlines a stark reality: even after losing its leadership and suffering significant damage to its military and economic infrastructure, Tehran has shown no signs of being as desperate as Trump to end the war.

In his latest comment at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump insisted again that Iran was "begging" for a deal, adding that whether it happens is irrelevant to America's timetable. Iran strongly denied that it was engaged in negotiations with the US to reach a deal, while admitting that messages had been exchanged between the two sides. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said his country has the "necessary will" to end the war with the United States and Israel as long as certain conditions are met.

Trump's comment came amid a growing buildup of US forces in the Gulf. Thousands of US Marines have already reached the region and many more are on their way. The US military also began flying B-52 bomber missions over Iran on Tuesday for the first time in the war, a sign that Trump is keeping the option open of escalating in the belief that it would help end the conflict swiftly. 

Trump's Ever-Changing Wishlist

Trump has maintained that the US has achieved its goal of addressing Iran's nuclear programme, despite roughly 450 kg of enriched uranium still being present in Iran, believed to be hidden in Isfahan. His previous objective of regime change also remains unfulfilled, although he says the regime has already changed. He claims that Iran's new regime is reasonable, disregarding the fact that more hardline elements now appear to be in control of the country. Some of his Gulf allies, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, want him to carry on the........

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