US leaders gave diverging indications of how long the Iran conflict would endure, though the impact on global security and energy markets looked set to persist.
President Donald Trump told reporters the war would not last “too long,” but The Wall Street Journal said his defense secretary was nevertheless extending troop deployments in the Middle East into 2027, potentially creating a yearslong maintenance backlog.
US diesel retail prices hit their highest level since 2022, adding to ongoing inflation fears. The civilian impact of the Middle East conflict is also mounting: The recent return to military exchanges has likely increased a death toll that already topped 3,600 in Iran alone, with Tehran accusing Washington of hitting a wedding party.