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Should Trump Just Declare Victory In Iran And End The War?

As the war with Iran enters its fifth week, President Trump has no good options for winning quickly.

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The American-Israeli war against Iran is now in its fifth week and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Despite the heavy aerial and naval bombardment of Iran, the regime in Tehran is still intact, Iran retains control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian military is still capable of launching attacks against U.S. positions in the region.

Amid these challenges, the Trump administration’s objectives for the war keep shifting. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that the American war aims are: 1) the destruction of Iran’s air force, 2) the destruction of its navy, 3) the severe diminishing of Iran’s missile launching capability, and 4) the destruction of Iran’s factories.

This list is different from the three-part mission Secretary of War Pete Hegseth laid out in the opening days of the war. On March 2, Hegseth said Operation Epic Fury’s three objectives were to destroy Iran’s offensive missile capabilities, cripple its navy, and prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Moreover, Rubio’s list makes no mention of other war aims that have been floated by President Trump, such as taking control of Iran’s nuclear materials (which was arguably the casus belli), regime change, or opening the Strait of Hormuz. Regarding the strait, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday night that Trump has told aides that he’s willing to end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, “likely extending Tehran’s firm grip on the waterway and leaving a complex operation to reopen it for a later date.” The reason for Trump’s sudden willingness to compromise, we’re told, is that a mission to reopen the strait would extend the conflict beyond Trump’s four- to six-week timeline.

Clearly, the administration views its war aims as malleable, or at least........

© The Federalist