WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump expressed concern that the strikes against Iran could lead to a new leadership that’s equally troubling to Washington as the regime the U.S. and Israel are fighting to topple.

Trump’s comments are likely to spur concerns on the administration’s endgame with the conflict well into its fourth day and retaliatory actions from Iran against Saudi Arabia exacerbating fears of further escalation across the region.

“I guess the worst case would be, we do this, and then somebody takes over, who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office. “You go through this, and then in five years, you realize you put somebody in who is no better.”

The U.S. president, who was speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reiterated that he’d like to see a more moderate leader emerge in Iran, but that his top candidates were killed amid strikes and a second group of officials “may be dead also,” based on reports.

“So I guess you have a third wave coming in pretty soon,” he added.

In a social media post earlier Tuesday Trump said “wars can be fought ‘forever’” and said the U.S. had an unlimited supply of the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles that the U.S. wanted to prevent Iran from obtaining. Earlier, he claimed Iran’s “air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone.”

Trump maintained that oil and gas prices would return to a steady state even though he’s been unclear about how long the military operations could last.

“If we have a little high oil prices for a little while — but as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe, lower than ever before,” Trump told reporters.

Later on Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. would provide insurance guarantees and naval escorts to ensure safe passage for oil tankers and other vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that has remained all but shut. He said the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation would offer insurance “at a very reasonable price” to help ensure the flow of energy and other commercial trade in the Gulf.

Oil prices pared gains briefly on the news, with global benchmark Brent trading near $80 a barrel after settlement.

Israel bombarded Tehran with a fresh wave of strikes on Tuesday, and hit a building in the city of Qom where Iranian clerics were meeting to elect a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel’s Kan News reported. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said the building was attacked but wasn’t in use at the time.

Trump pushed back on questions around whether the U.S. undertook strikes on Iran at Israel’s behest, saying Tuesday that “I might have forced their hand.”

The Islamic Republic fired missiles at countries including Qatar, Bahrain and Oman that host U.S. bases, with Doha saying targets weren’t limited to military interests. Qatar and Iraq halted production at major energy sites, heightening concern over supply and prices.

China, which buys most of Iran’s oil, urged “all sides” to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are privately lobbying allies to help them persuade Trump to reach for an off-ramp that would keep the conflict short, according to people familiar with the matter.

QatarEnergy halted the production of some chemicals after Iranian attacks forced the shutdown of its major liquefied natural gas plant. Iraq started shutting oil production at the giant Rumaila field operated by BP Plc, according to a person familiar with the operation, who said storage space is running out while tankers struggle to exit the Persian Gulf.

Falling debris from an intercepted drone caused a major fire at the UAE oil-trading hub of Fujairah.

Iran’s Red Crescent has reported a death toll of 787 since the conflict began, while the US said six servicemen have been killed. About a dozen people have died in Israel.

Israel sent soldiers into southern Lebanon, where the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia is based, and carried out a wave of strikes on targets in Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 50 people have been killed in the offensive.

The U.S. military said in a Tuesday post on X that it destroyed “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.” Iran acknowledged overnight that its Natanz nuclear facilities had been attacked.

The State Department on Monday urged Americans to leave the Middle East, citing “serious safety risks” amid dangers from the war. It suggested U.S. citizens in more than a dozen countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, depart by “available commercial transportation.”

That message sowed confusion as there was no similar announcement on the State Department’s website. As of Tuesday morning, it listed Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as “Do Not Travel” zones. But the other countries had lesser warnings.

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said in a post on X later on Tuesday that the department is “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East” and that it has been in direct contact with almost 3,000 Americans abroad.

Departures from the region are likely to be challenging as nearly all civilian air traffic is closed across the Gulf after Dubai’s main airport, the world’s busiest aviation hub, was hit over the weekend. Emirates and Etihad Airways plan to resume limited operations to ease some of the congestion.

Speaking on national television on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has no quarrel with neighboring countries but is “taking on the American soldiers stationed there.” Saudi Arabia and the UAE have strongly criticized Iran for widening the conflict to their territories.

Two drones struck near the U.S. embassy in Riyadh overnight, causing limited damage. The U.S. said three fighter jets crashed in Kuwait due to an apparent friendly-fire incident, with aircrew ejecting safely.

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(With assistance from Meghashyam Mali, Eric Martin, Devika Krishna Kumar, Christine Burke, John Bowker, Mike Cohen and Jennifer A. Dlouhy.)

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