Trump says renewed US attacks on Iran will be brief amid escalating tensions

President Donald Trump said the United States' renewed campaign against Iran would likely be short-lived, and warned the U.S. could strike again at any moment . At a White House appearance, Trump described the prior night's operation as "a very heavy attack" and said the country was "prepared to do another one anytime we want" . He also repeated his claim that the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that historically carried roughly a fifth of global oil consumption before the conflict began.

At the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Iran's outside backers to "stay away," saying the administration is combining sanctions with the military campaign and blockade to "asphyxiate" Tehran's economy: "We had these six weeks of successful kinetic strikes, then we have imposed the blockade, which is quarantining and isolating the country, and now we are applying sanctions like have never been seen before." Bessent pointed to signs of strain inside Iran, including inflation above 100%, a collapsing currency, and hours-long gas lines. Separately, reporting has framed Trump's declared "Economic D-Day" against Iran as facing a difficult path, though the specifics of that assessment are not fully available outside a paywall.

Markets have reacted to the fresh exchange of strikes: Brent and WTI crude both rose roughly 1% in a volatile session, swinging between gains of about $2 a barrel and losses of $1 a barrel intraday, with analysts continuing to watch the Strait of Hormuz for signs of a broader escalation . The moves reflect a market still assigning meaningful geopolitical risk premium to oil despite Trump's short-timeline rhetoric.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Trump is privately weighing declaring the Iran conflict "over," even as roughly 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed in the region and the Pentagon has reportedly extended some deployment rotations into 2027, a posture that sits in tension with an imminent wind-down .

Taken together, the rhetoric points to a dual-track strategy of continued military pressure alongside economic sanctions aimed at weakening Iran's regime. Whether Trump's assurances of a brief campaign hold up will matter for risk assets: a credible de-escalation could unwind the oil risk premium quickly, while continued strikes or a stalled diplomatic track would likely keep energy prices and volatility elevated. Investors should watch for concrete shifts in strike activity or troop posture rather than statements alone before pricing in a resolution.

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