Washington, United States. The United States is on course to control Iranian airspace and expects to complete its objectives in Iran within four to six weeks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.
White House timeline and stated objectives
Leavitt told reporters at the White House that Washington expects to meet its objectives in Iran within four to six weeks.
She also elaborated on President Donald Trump’s statement that the United States would accept nothing from Iran short of “unconditional surrender.” Leavitt said Trump meant that when he determines Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, Iran would be “in a place of unconditional surrender,” whether or not it says so.
Pentagon preparations for extended operations
Politico reported that the Pentagon is preparing for a conflict with Iran that could last beyond Trump’s initial four-week timeline. The report said US Central Command is asking for additional military intelligence officers to support operations for at least 100 days and potentially through September.
Discussion of potential Iranian leadership
Leavitt said Washington was examining potential candidates to lead Iran, a day after Trump told Reuters the United States must be involved in choosing the country’s next leader. Leavitt said US intelligence agencies and the government were looking at a number of people, but declined to provide further details.
Trump said on Thursday that the next Iranian leader is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, described in the report as a frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed in a military strike at the start of the war.
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