WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump has listed five objectives the U.S. aims to achieve before ending its war with Iran. Now, one month into the conflict, he has suggested the U.S. may soon be “winding down” the operation—even as some of his key aims remain undefined or unfulfilled.
Trump last week outlined five goals for the massive air campaign, up from the four cited by his staff since the war began Feb. 28 (and up from the three generally enumerated by the Pentagon and Secretary of State Marco Rubio).
Though the Trump administration has insisted its objectives are clear and unchanging, the list has expanded and shifted as the war has taken a toll on the global economy, tested alliances, and raised unanswered questions about the conflict’s planning, justification, and aftermath.
By most accounts, U.S. and Israeli strikes have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders. But those tactical successes do not necessarily translate into achieving all of the president’s strategic aims.
Some of his objectives remain difficult to reach. If the U.S. walks away with unfinished goals and Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard still in power, Trump could face political fallout at home and global scrutiny over what was accomplished in a war of choice that upended the Middle East and roiled the global economy.
By James Kisoo
