Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday indicated that President Donald Trump had articulated conflicting timelines for the end of the war and that the conflict could last well past the 4-5 week timeline that the White House outlined at the start.

"He said four to six weeks, six to eight weeks, three weeks. It could be any particular number, but we would never reveal precisely what it is," Hegseth said. "Because our goal is to finish those objectives and we're well on our way... It will be the president's determination and the president's determination alone when those objectives are complete."

Despite initial optimism from the White House that the conflict would last only a few weeks, Iran has mounted stiff resistance and shows no signs of capitulating before this weekend, which would mark the five-week milestone.

Conflicting reports about the progress of negotiations have also clouded the prospects of a potential resolution. Trump, for his part, has repeatedly insisted that the conflict was either over or nearly won.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.