President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States could end its war with Iran quickly, then asked whether a fast finish is the right choice at all.
"We could end it very quickly," Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn before boarding a flight to Florida. "Do we want to finish it off or just want to let it wither?"
He said oil is still moving through the Strait of Hormuz and that Washington is getting what it wants from the conflict. "We are getting everything we want," he said.
A fast finish or a slow squeeze
The remark laid out two paths. One is a decisive military push to close the war. The other is to keep pressure on Tehran and let the fighting wind down on Washington's terms over time. Trump did not say which option he prefers, and no decision was announced.
ABC News reported this week, citing sources, that US and Israeli officials are drawing up plans for possible renewed strikes on Iran after next month's midterm elections. The White House has not confirmed those discussions.
Oil markets are already reacting
Crude has become the fastest channel for the war to reach ordinary households. Brent crude jumped nearly 4% to about $117 a barrel on Friday, close to its wartime peak near $122. West Texas Intermediate climbed back above $100.
Traders are pricing the risk of a longer conflict rather than a short one. That matters because fuel costs feed directly into transport, food and electricity prices, and because the Federal Reserve meets next week with energy costs already rising.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters
The strait is the narrow channel at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. A large share of the world's seaborne oil passes through it, so any threat to shipping lifts prices everywhere. Trump's comment that oil keeps flowing was meant to calm that fear, but markets took little comfort from it.
For now, the next step in the war rests on a choice the president described in a single sentence outside the White House.