Hegseth Muddies Iran Timeline: 'We Haven't Stated How Long It Will Take'Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth muddied the waters further on how long the war in Iran would last after a confusing series of statements from the Trump administration. Asked about a prior assessment that the conflict could last between three and eight weeks, Hegseth said that “from the beginning, from this podium, we haven't stated how long it will take.”He added that President Donald Trump “has set a very specific mission to accomplish, and our job is to unrelentingly deliver that,” dismissing any “mission creep.”“It's not for me to posit whether it's the beginning, the middle or the end, that's [Trump's decision],” he continued.On Monday, Hegseth told CBS News that this was “only just the beginning” of the war.Trump caused massive stock market swings when he told the same network hours later that the conflict was “very complete.”At a press conference Monday night, Trump was asked about the differing assessments and suggested "both" could be true.Reporter: Last week you talked about this being the beginnings of an air campaign that could last 3 to 8 weeks. Can you give us your assessment on where we are now?Hegseth: Where we are is in a very strong place, giving the president maximum options and from the beginning, from… pic.twitter.com/qPJV2SbR7G— Acyn (@Acyn) March 10, 2026See All UpdatesClose