With the price of oil soaring and the stock market rollercoaster wreaking havoc on retirement funds and portfolios, President Trump recently said the objectives of the war on Iran are “very complete.” While providing no timeline, Trump seems to be departing from initial projections that the conflict would last 4 to 5 weeks.

Depending on how one defines “war,” if the bombing by Israel and the U.S. ended today, a war, armed conflict, or military operation involving live ammunition and risking the lives of Americans would still continue for months, possibly years to come.

Here’s why:

Despite killing at least 40 leaders in the Iranian government and military on the first day of strikes by Israel and the U.S., the theocrats remain in control of the government and the military. Whether bluster or serious threat, public statements from the government have remained defiant. Iran continues to snub its nose and fire its drones and missiles at U.S. allies in the region, and even fired on NATO member Turkey. The continued fight and outward appearance of shunning negotiation is a sign to anti-U.S. and Israel nations and organizations that “The Great Satan” has not defeated them.

The defiance and scattered attacks on bases, nations, and oil tankers are largely at the behest of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Most experts believe the son is harder-line than the father, making “unconditional surrender” highly unlikely anytime soon.

Reports of the CIA negotiating to arm the Kurds have a high potential of sparking a civil war, drawing in factions from outside the Iranian borders. Subsequent entangling alliances can keep the U.S. engaged militarily. More likely, it is reliving our history of arming insurgents who require “advisors” and “trainers” from either the clandestine service or elite military units.

Russia and China are trading partners and allies with Iran. Recent reports of Russia providing intelligence to Iran on the locations of U. S. service members indicated no trepidation on the part of Vladimir Putin about assisting Iran in relatively provocative ways. China has attempted to intervene in the crisis by offering to mediate an end. The Chinese government, which relies on Iranian oil, has tightened oil exports as the price of a barrel of crude continues to rise. It is in the economic and geopolitical interests of both China and Russia to move quickly to rebuild infrastructure once bombing eases.

It’s not that it won’t be difficult, but support from Russia and China to rebuild and free-flowing oil again can prop up the Iranian economy and allow the replenishment of military hardware. Iran has shown a capacity in the past to rebuild its arsenal and to do so at the expense of the welfare of its people. While there might be a pause in hostilities, a partially reconstituted Iranian military could draw the U. S. military into a “phase II” conflict.

Hezbollah may have been forced underground, but they remain capable of threatening Israel and, by extension, U. S. military assets and service members. The Houthis in Yemen, remnants of ISIS, and a resurgence of Hamas could keep the fire of war smoldering.

It has long been the tactic of radical Islam and its agents to carry out brazen attacks on civilians and against emblems of Western cultural values. Already, there has been an attack on patrons of an Austin bar that is being investigated as a terrorist attack. Bomb threats on a Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville and at the Kansas City Airport, and Iranian-sponsored cyber attacks on medical device manufacturer Stryker signal an increase in terror activities. A state-sponsored attack resulting in the loss of American lives would necessitate a military response.

Former Marine four-star general Jim Mattis once said, “No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it’s over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.”

When it comes to a referendum on ending the war, for the foreseeable future, Iran is a hard “no.”