As the war on Iran enters its second month, signs are mounting that the conflict could drag on for weeks, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling Washington’s allies that fighting may last another two to four weeks.
The assessment underscores the risk of a wider regional escalation, as diplomatic efforts continue while talk of possible US ground operations grows and Iran steps up threats against Gulf infrastructure and universities.
With Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, set to host a Sunday evening meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, aimed at de-escalation, Rubio told G7 foreign ministers that the war would continue for another two to four weeks, Axios reported, citing three informed sources.
Axios said Rubio also told his counterparts that Washington is determined to achieve all its war aims and does not need help reopening the Strait of Hormuz, though it wants allies to join a maritime task force to secure the waterway after the war ends.
Rubio also said two Iranian officials want to negotiate with the United States but still need approval from the top leadership, adding that mediators have struggled to communicate with Iranian officials because they avoid using phones for fear of being tracked and killed.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that “the enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack,” adding that Tehran is continuing to fire and launch missiles.
He said US talk of negotiations was aimed at securing through diplomacy what Washington had failed to achieve militarily.
Speculation has grown over the past week about a possible US ground assault, including scenarios involving Iran’s Kharg Island, from which Tehran exports about 90% of its oil, especially to China.
The Washington Post also reported, citing unnamed US officials, that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, with thousands of US troops and Marines arriving in the Middle East pending President Donald Trump’s decision on escalation and troop deployment.
The report pointed to wavering within the Trump administration between declaring that the war is nearing its end and escalating militarily. While Trump has expressed a desire to negotiate an end to the conflict, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that Trump is ready to “unleash hell” on the regime in Tehran.
According to the newspaper, seizing the oil island could take anywhere from several weeks to two months.
But the option of ground intervention in Iran faces broad opposition among Americans. A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll at the University of Chicago found that 62% oppose ground action, while only 12% support it.
Iran has also pressed ahead with the war, targeting industrial sites in Gulf states and threatening to bomb US and Israeli universities in the region in response to recent attacks on Iranian higher education institutions.
Aluminium Bahrain, Alba, came under attack from Iran on Saturday, wounding two people, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also targeted Emirates Global Aluminium in response to US-Israeli attacks on two Iranian steel plants.
In its latest escalation, the Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday it would target US and Israeli universities in the region in response to the recent attacks on Iranian higher education institutions.
The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that those institutions were now considered “legitimate targets until two universities are struck,” adding that Iranian institutions, including Tehran University of Science and Technology had been struck.
The Revolutionary Guard warned students, employees, and residents of nearby areas to remain at least one kilometer away from the campuses of US universities in the region.
These developments come as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, amid US anger over Washington’s allies’ rejection of joining the war and growing concern that any attempt to force Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could deepen disruption to energy supplies, drive oil prices higher, and fuel a new wave of inflation.
