Hegseth’s Iran War Plans Could Keep U.S. Forces Deployed Into 2027

Kevin Lamarque / Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has quietly put plans in place that could see the Iran war drag on well into next year, according to a report.

Hegseth is extending military deployments in and around the Middle Eastern country as part of an “open-ended” strategy to give President Donald Trump options on how to proceed with his deeply unpopular conflict, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

This includes keeping around 50,000 troops in the region should Trump decide to drastically escalate the war, as well as deploying multiple warships, air-defense units and fighter squadrons for extended periods.

The plans signal that the war in Iran could continue into 2027, putting increasing pressure and strain on military personnel who are already being deployed for longer than expected in a war that has dragged on for more than six months.

The moves also come as the constantly embattled Hegseth has faced numerous other headaches while leading the Pentagon.

This includes pulling decades of classified documents from a secret computer system after it was leaked to the Washington Post that top military leaders formally signaled their opposition to plans to keep tens of thousands of troops in the Middle East for an extended period.

After joining Israel in attacking Iran on Feb.

28, Trump repeatedly insisted that the war would be over in a matter of weeks.

Sources told the Journal that the president has privately discussed declaring that the war is over , even as both countries resume fighting around the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Trump also believes that his current plan of increasing economic pressure on Iran with additional sanctions to force Tehran to negotiate an end to the war will ultimately prove successful.

Aides have also warned Trump that escalating the fighting could severely damage Republicans in the midterm elections.

Trump has said that he is not considering the possibility of the GOP suffering an electoral wipeout in November when making decisions regarding the war, according to the Journal.

Hegseth is expanding troop deployments around Iran to provide the 80-year-old president with more options on how to proceed with the war.

It was previously reported that Trump is weighing sending ground forces to seize islands near the Strait of Hormuz , as well as bombing Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified site that Tehran could be using for covert nuclear work.