Opinion

Trump is winning every battle in Iran—and risking the war that matters

The danger isn't that America cannot destroy targets. It is appearing trapped in a cycle of retaliation without a defined political end state

By Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.) Fox News

Published August 3, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Lt Gen Keith Kellogg: Iran’s regime looks at negotiations as a way of delaying

Ret. Lt. Gen Keith Kellogg says that the Trump administration should use a combination of diplomacy, military strength, and economic power to defeat Iran’s regime on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

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Five months into the Iran war, America is winning almost every battle. The harder question is whether we are winning the war.

No one should minimize what the U.S. military has accomplished. American air and naval power have inflicted extraordinary damage on Iran's military infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost command centers, missile launchers, drone facilities, air defenses, coastal installations, logistics hubs, and key personnel. Our servicemen and women have once again demonstrated unmatched professionalism, precision, and courage.

Those are genuine tactical successes.

I'VE STUDIED MILITARY STRATEGY. TRUMP NOW FACES IRAN'S OLDEST BATTLEFIELD TRICK

But military history teaches a hard lesson: tactical success does not necessarily produce strategic success.

President Trump now has an opportunity to restore strategic momentum by matching military power with a more clearly defined political strategy.

That distinction matters because the strategic center of gravity in this conflict is shifting. In the opening weeks, the focus was rightly on degrading Iran's military and nuclear capabilities. Today, the consequences increasingly extend beyond the battlefield to American credibility at home and abroad.

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Iran has shown greater resilience than many anticipated, dispersing forces, hardening underground facilities, shifting to mobile launchers, and continuing to launch missiles and drones despite sustained bombing. Determined adversaries often adapt faster than expected when fighting for regime survival.

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Washington’s campaign appears to assume that destroying Iran’s senior leadership could cause the system to........

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