Trump says Iran war could last weeks as Netanyahu defends decision to attack

This official White House photograph taken on March 1 and released on March 2 on the White House X account shows U.S. President Donald Trump overseeing "Operation Epic Fury" activity against Iran from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. AFP-Yonhap

As the war in the Middle East intensifies , U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. has “the capability to go far longer" than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.

Across Tehran, the sound of explosions rang out through the night and into the early morning hours Tuesday, as the U.S. and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.

The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Israel and the U.S. have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war’s objectives are or what the endgame might be.

A handout photo made available by Israel's Government Press Office (GPO) shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering an address from the roof of the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 1. EPA-Yonhap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Monday defended the decision to go to war, contending in an interview on Fox News Channel’s "Hannity" that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” that would make “their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months,” without providing evidence.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war, with analysts saying it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.