Trump Leaves Allies and Foes Guessing on Endgame for Iran

President Trump takes questions from the media before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on March 13.Photographer: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, pressure is growing on the person in the best position to end it: Donald Trump.

But the US president’s ever-shifting explanations for why he went to war leave friends and adversaries at a loss to forecast when he’ll be ready to stop. And even if he does, Iran has shown little willingness to go along. Trump has gone from declaring the war over soon to calling on European and Gulf allies to help. They’re reluctant, and the likes of Russia are benefiting.