WASHINGTON, November 2. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is looking for someone to blame for the protracted war with Iran and is questioning his advisers about the performance of Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, The Atlantic reported, citing sources close to the US leader.

According to the magazine, Trump has focused his attention on those who assured him that the war would end quickly and well before the midterm congressional elections. Hegseth and Caine were among those who viewed the conflict’s prospects positively in its early stages.

The sources noted that the Pentagon chief is unpopular in the White House and that several of Trump’s close associates believe he is painting an overly optimistic picture of the conflict with Iran for the president. "Hegseth is good at telling the president what he wants to hear," one source told the magazine.

According to The Atlantic, as the conflict drags on, Trump is becoming increasingly convinced that it is one of the reasons for the Republican Party’s declining political standing.

On October 8, US President Donald Trump said that Washington does not intend to launch strikes against Iran before the midterm congressional elections, which will take place on November 3. On October 31, he assured that talks with Tehran were going well but expressed doubts about Iran’s good faith. When asked whether he planned to resume military action against Iran the following week, he refused to give a clear answer. According to the Axios news outlet, Trump does not intend to resume military action against Iran immediately after the midterm congressional elections, as he wants to focus on negotiations with Tehran.