Washington Examiner White House reporter Mabinty Quarshie said President Donald Trump is facing mounting pressure as a fragile ceasefire with Iran shows signs of unraveling.
Quarshie described the situation as a “quagmire,” noting the conflict has stretched well beyond the timeline Trump initially outlined.
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“This was supposed to be a war that he claimed would be done in four to six weeks,” Quarshie said on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Monday. “We’re now heading into three months.”
Tensions escalated after Trump announced a new initiative dubbed “Project Freedom,” aimed at assisting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global transit route. Iranian officials warned that such a move would violate the ceasefire and could prompt retaliation.
“Iran says if the U.S. does that, they’re going to attack, and that it would be a violation of the ceasefire,” Quarshie said.
The situation is further complicated by conflicting reports on activity in the region. Iran has asserted it struck a U.S. vessel in the strait, though U.S. Central Command has denied the report.
Quarshie warned that without de-escalation, the ceasefire could collapse quickly.
“If Trump and Iran don’t tamp down tensions … we could see an escalation of fighting,” she said.
As the Iran conflict evolves, the White House faces a dual challenge: managing a fragile ceasefire abroad while navigating political and public pressure at home.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Italy, where he is expected to meet with Pope Leo XIV amid tensions between the Vatican and the Trump administration over the conflict. The pope has publicly pushed back on rhetoric suggesting the war carries religious justification, creating friction with some U.S. officials.
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“Trump has also sort of slammed Pope Leo, especially when he’s on the South Lawn taking questions from us,” Quarshie said.
“So this trip that Marco Rubio is taking, I think, is to help sort of tamp down tensions between the Vatican and the U.S,” she continued. “One, because Pope Leo is the first American pope that we’ve had. But two, this administration has been backed by religious conservatives, and there have been people, especially Republicans, who are a bit uncomfortable with… Trump or, you know, Vice President JD Vance, essentially feuding with Pope Leo.”
