US sailors are stuck at sea in brutal conditions as the war with Iran drags on with no end in sight, a grim sign the conflict is turning into a long, open-ended fight.

• Sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush report low food, water, and soap, rotten supplies, and crews at sea for over 130 days.
• The Lincoln crew was supposed to come home in May; a replacement ship may not arrive until October, meaning months more of hardship.
• The war was sold as a four-to-six week operation but is now six months in, with officials admitting the Navy can blockade Iran indefinitely by rotating ships.
• Families say morale is collapsing, with one sailor's wife alleging the Navy tried to cover up her burnt-out husband's breakdown.
• Trump brushed off the sailors' complaints, denying the conditions and saying they haven't been deployed long enough.

Outlook: The blockade looks set to continue indefinitely, keeping US forces overextended and stirring pressure to bring the troops home.