Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to provide a time frame for ending Donald Trump’s war against Iran, which the former Fox News host earlier this month said could be over by Saturday. Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that while the United States’ largest war in two decades was “on track,” it would end only when Trump wanted it to end and that he could not set a date. “It will be at the president’s choosing ultimately where we say, hey, we’ve achieved what we need to on behalf of the American people to ensure our security. So no, no time set on that, but we’re very much on track,” he said. At a White House photo opportunity a few hours later with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump was not asked about the duration of the Iran war but claimed, yet again, that it was going better than planned. “I would say we are substantially ahead of schedule,” he said. Trump at the outset of the attacks said the war was “projected” to last four to five weeks but that the United States had the “capability” to continue waging it for far longer. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speak to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on March 19. On March 4, four days after the air assault began, Hegseth said the war could end even sooner. “You know, you can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo,” he said in a briefing. The three-week time frame would run through Friday, with week four starting in the overnight hours Saturday. There is no indication, however, that the US will end the attacks and withdraw the ships, planes and personnel deployed to the Middle East for what Trump calls “an excursion” in the near future. Hegseth on Thursday confirmed that the White House will be seeking a large supplemental appropriations package to pay for the war, which officials have estimated is costing as much as $2 billion a day. “As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move. Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys. So we’re going back to Congress and folks there to ― to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is ― everything’s refilled and not just refilled, but above and beyond,” Hegseth said.