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As the United States and Israel began to bomb Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a wide range of ambitious objectives that his administration would accomplish. Trump noted that “for 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.” He then condemned Iran for killing tens of thousands of its own protesting citizens and funding “terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts.” He also argued (with far less evidence to back him) that Iran is rebuilding its nuclear program, developing long-range missiles that “could soon reach the American homeland.”

Trump promised to end all of these dangers, claiming that the United States would destroy Iran’s missile program and navy, end its support for terrorist proxies, and “ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.” Perhaps most consequentially, and most dangerously, the president told the Iranian people, “When we are finished, take over your government. … This is the moment for action.”

As the United States and Israel began to bomb Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a wide range of ambitious objectives that his administration would accomplish. Trump noted that “for 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.” He then condemned Iran for killing tens of thousands of its own protesting citizens and funding “terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts.” He also argued (with far less evidence to back him) that Iran is rebuilding its nuclear program, developing long-range missiles that “could soon reach the American homeland.”

Trump promised to end all of these dangers, claiming that the United States would destroy Iran’s missile program and navy, end its support for terrorist proxies, and “ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.” Perhaps most consequentially, and most dangerously, the president told the Iranian people, “When we are finished, take over your government. … This is the moment for action.”

By presenting the entire laundry list of U.S. grievances against Iran, Trump has set the bar very high while avoiding the most difficult tasks of a wartime leader—choosing among competing objectives, allocating resources accordingly, and pursuing these objectives through diplomacy as well as force. Given the president’s unwillingness to lay out a clear vision for what the United States seeks, how can we judge the operation short of the complete collapse of the Iranian regime and its transformation into a pro-U.S. democracy? Below are six questions to ask in determining whether Epic Fury is a success or failure.

Who will win the endurance contest?

Epic Fury is off to a dramatic start. The United States and Israel have already tried to kill Iranian leaders and hit a wide........

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