In the shadow of an ongoing war with Iran, Donald Trump has publicly tied the conflict's resolution to the rhythm of the electoral calendar, predicting that Tehran will yield shortly after Election Day and that energy prices will follow suit. The declaration is as much a political act as a military forecast — a promise inscribed in time, against which history will render its own verdict. Yet within the administration itself, a quieter reckoning is underway, as senior advisers privately weigh the possibility that the war may outlast not just the midterms, but the presidency itself.