Trump aides fear Iran could turn into a drawn-out ‘Cold War situation’ with no deal — but no bombs either

President Donald Trump’s aides fear that the conflict in Iran could turn into a drawn-out “Cold War-like” situation with no immediate end in sight.

The U.S.-Israel war with Iran has entered its eighth week, and while both sides are in negotiations and bombs have stopped dropping in Iran for now, the president is unlikely to accept Tehran’s latest proposal to end it.

Officials told Axios that they fear the U.S. could be drawn into “a frozen conflict of no war and no deal.”

At the start of the war, Trump promised that the U.S. would not be dragged into a lengthy conflict in the Middle East. But with the largest presence of American military forces in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, critics have warned that there would likely be no quick resolution.

The president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had set out an initial timeline of “four to five weeks” when they announced the start of Operation Epic Fury February 28. While Trump added that the U.S. had the “capability to go far longer than that,” Hegseth reassured the public that the conflict “is not Iraq,” which lasted nearly nine years.

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With the midterm elections just six months away, and the Iran war proving deeply unpopular with the American public, several U.S. officials are concerned, according to Axios.

“A frozen conflict is the worst thing for Trump politically and economically,” a source close to Trump told the outlet.

That scenario would mean U.S. forces staying in the Middle East for months longer, and the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, with a U.S. blockade in place until one side blinked first.

Trump is wavering between whether to launch fresh strikes on Iran or wait to see how the financial sanctions imposed play out in the hope that it will pressure Tehran into ending its nuclear weapons program, according to the outlet, citing five advisers close to the president.

The president reportedly told one adviser that what Iran’s leaders “understand is bombs.”

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“I would describe him as frustrated but realistic,” the presidential adviser added. “He doesn’t want to use force. But he’s not backing down.”

Trump met with his national security team Monday to review Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, which reportedly included reopening the Strait of Hormuz but delaying discussions on Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump’s core demand, that Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons, remains unchanged.

“What I will reiterate is that the president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

“I wouldn’t say they’re considering it,” she said of the proposal. “I would just say that there was a discussion this morning that I don’t want to get ahead of, and you’ll hear directly from the president, I’m sure, on this topic.”

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