Sean Hannity Says Iran War Ran Longer Than Promised

Sean Hannity told conservatives on Monday that Donald Trump's war with Iran "went longer than was the thought and promise." He said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was right that the administration should have explained the war better.

The Fox News host said it on his radio show the night before Tuesday's midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. He was talking directly to Republican voters who told him they were disappointed or thinking about staying home. He also said several times that the conflict will not become a "forever war."

"I hear the people's criticisms on the issue of Iran that it went on longer than people would have liked and it's going on now," Hannity said on The Sean Hannity Show.

Sean Hannity Concedes Iran Criticism Is 'Legitimate'

Hannity said Gingrich, who led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, had been making the point for a while. "This is something that Newt had been saying 60, 70 days ago that there needed to be a better explanation," he said.

He came back to it a few minutes later. "Now Newt was also right in his belief that you know maybe a deeper explanation why it's taking longer than they had planned but again that you don't have American boots on the ground and this won't be a forever war," Hannity said. "But I understand if that's a point of criticism it's legitimate and I'm listening to it."

"Newt was right they should have explained Iran better I think he was right on that point and it went longer than was the thought and promise." — Sean Hannity

That was a concession, not a break. Hannity defended the war's purpose and said critics had misread what he called the Trump doctrine, pointing to Trump's first term, when he said Trump defeated "the ISIS caliphate" and "took out Soleimani." "Somehow it got perverted into with Iran that that means no use of military force ever and I'm not sure how that happened," he said.

Later in the hour he blamed much of the criticism on the critics themselves. "It's not going to be a forever war and the Trump doctrine never said no use of force I don't know where that came from except a bunch of people with an agenda," Hannity said.

What Donald Trump Promised on Iran

The United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28. Trump said in a March 1 interview, "we intended four to five weeks." The next day he said the war would last "four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that," according to a PolitiFact timeline. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 2 that "this is not endless."

The war is now more than eight months old. On October 1, Trump wrote that he had "stated, numerous times, that it would take 4-6 weeks to get rid of THE IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, and I did it in one night!" PolitiFact rated that claim False, noting that his March statements never separated the nuclear objective from the length of the war itself.

Iran War Polling Shows Doubts Reach Republicans

The doubts Hannity described are common. A Pew Research Center survey conducted September 28 to October 4 found 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of military action in Iran and 33 percent approve. Republican approval fell from 69 percent in March to 63 percent. Forty-seven percent of respondents expect the war to last more than another year.

An AP-NORC poll conducted July 23-27 found 64 percent of adults said the war had not been worth it. Only 30 percent approved of Trump's handling of Iran.

Trump's overall standing is also low: PolitiKool's polling average puts his approval at 37.7 percent and his disapproval at 59.4 percent.

Other right-leaning hosts have gone further than Hannity. Tucker Carlson has said the Iran war will get Republicans "crushed", and Joe Rogan said Trump let down voters who wanted "no more war".

What Comes Next for Republicans

Hannity presented the concession as part of a pitch to turn out wavering voters. Earlier in the show, he had cited Trump's tax cuts and border policy and warned against candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Near the end of the hour, he told wavering voters, "You have legitimate complaints I'm not making fun of your legitimate concerns as a matter of fact I'm learning."

He was cautious about Tuesday's results. When a caller predicted a Republican sweep, Hannity replied, "I don't see a landslide for Republicans I just don't."

The vote will show whether Republicans who are frustrated over Iran still turn out. Hannity said turnout is what will decide the night.