Ret. four-star Army Gen. Jack Keane suggested on Sunday that the conflict with Iran could be over in "likely less than 60 days" if the U.S. keeps up the pace of its bombing campaign against Tehran.
"I think we're going to wrap this operation up if we stay able to continue to execute at the speed we're executing in likely less than 60 days," Keane told John Catsimatidis in a radio interview on "The Cats Roundtable" show.
The U.S. and Israel have been hammering Iran through the first five weeks of the conflict, seeking to topple the regime's leadership and stifle their nuclear and missile capabilities.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 13 that combined U.S.-Israeli forces had struck more than 15,000 targets inside Iran since the joint operation began on Feb. 28, about 2,000 more than the 13,000 targets President Trump claimed in an interview with The Financial Times last Sunday.
"We've got about 3,000 targets left -- we've bombed 13,000 targets -- and another couple of thousand targets to go," Trump told the outlet.
Trump declared in a primetime address to the nation on Wednesday that the military operation was "nearing completion," reiterating that the U.S. was close to achieving its objectives.
"Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten," Trump said. "Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran's military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb."
The U.S. campaign has shown no signs of slowing, with Trump threatening on Saturday to rain "all Hell" down on Iran if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by his Monday deadline.
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!"
The warning echoed Trump's vow on Wednesday to hit Tehran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks, adding to a series of mixed messages about how long the war could last.
Keane, who served a brief stint as acting Army chief of staff in 1993, praised the "significant progress" made by U.S. forces in the conflict, citing the disruption of Tehran's ballistic missile program.
"This has been systematic, deliberate work," he said.
The notion of air dominance coming from U.S. officials was challenged when Iranian forces shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle inside the country on Friday.
One service member ejected from the fighter jet was rescued by American forces, according to a U.S. official. The status of the second service member is currently unknown.
Two helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue mission, including a U.S. Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk, were struck during recovery operations but were able to escape, a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to share operational matters, told The Hill.