Piers Morgan blasts Trump over Iran strategy, war objective 

The latest criticism of President Trump’s strategy in Iran is coming from an unlikely place — Piers Morgan, someone who has had a friendly relationship with the president in the past. But speaking on the BBC, Morgan didn’t mince words when asked about the administration’s goals in the Middle East.  

“Host: Do you think he has a clue what he’s trying to achieve in the Middle East? 

Piers: No I don’t. I think he’s thought that he could pull a Venezuela here, decapitate the leadership of Iran, and it would all get settled quite quickly. And I’d think two weeks in, what is very clear is this is not going to get settled quickly.”  

He went on to say: “All the mission statements he’s laid out have changed day by day, sometimes hour by hour. It was going to be regime change. It was after the nuclear capability, which we’d been assured only 10 months ago had been dismantled already.”  

Morgan’s point speaks to something deeper about this conflict: The strategy, or at least the public explanation of it, has shifted repeatedly.  

Two weeks ago, the United States launched a war aimed at toppling the Iranian regime. The expectation inside the administration, according to reporting in The Washington Post, was that American military power could deliver a swift and decisive outcome. President Trump reportedly believed Iran might even capitulate before escalating.  

But military dominance doesn’t always translate to strategic control.  

The Washington Post reports that before the first strike, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the president that Iran’s most powerful response wouldn’t necessarily be military, it would be economic. U.S. officials had long believed Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.  

That’s exactly what’s happening now.  

Iran has blocked tankers and struck cargo ships in the area, sending global energy markets into turmoil and creating what analysts describe as the largest oil supply shock in history. The ripple effects go far beyond the battlefield, higher energy prices, economic instability, and fears of stagflation at home.  

Piers Morgan touched on Iran’s strategy as well. “By controlling the Strait of Hormuz and by attacking its neighboring gulf states in the touristy areas, they’re sending a signal, that we can’t beat you militarily but economically we can paralyze you.”  

Meanwhile, the human and financial cost is mounting. The war is costing billions of dollars a week. At least 13 Americans have been killed and more than 140 wounded. A U.S. strike hit a girls’ school in Iran that killed roughly 175 people, most of them children.  

And despite the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and major damage to its military infrastructure, the regime hasn’t collapsed. In fact, Tehran quickly replaced him with his hardline son, signaling that the government intends to endure rather than surrender.  

That’s the reality of modern conflict. Toppling leadership isn’t the same thing as winning a war. Military superiority can change the battlefield, but it doesn’t always change the political outcome. 

And right now, two weeks in, the central question isn’t whether the United States can overpower Iran militarily. It’s whether the strategy behind this war fully accounted for the ways Iran could fight back, and whether that miscalculation is now shaping a much longer, much more complicated conflict than anyone expected.  

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.   

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Opinions - Lindsey's Lens News

Trump allies plan Senate floor takeover to pass SAVE America Act

‘Lobstergate’ shows just how far our media have sunk

Senate Republican rebukes Carr’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses over ...

Trump to Kennedy Center board ahead of vote on 2-year shutdown: ‘You have to ...

Live updates: Trump says US attacks are ‘aggressively dismantling’ Iran’s ...

Susie Wiles diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, Trump says

Trump reveals story about GOP lawmaker Neal Dunn’s health

Jeffries seeks to force vote on DHS funding without ICE and CBP

Jimmy Kimmel takes swipe at ‘Melania’ documentary at Oscars

If you’re worried about a fair midterm vote, you should be

It’s all about China: Trump’s seemingly chaotic global policy all makes ...

Khamenei had reservations about son, says US intelligence: Report

Greene sides with Megyn Kelly in Iran fight with Trump, Mark Levin

Schumer says SAVE America Act among ‘most despicable’ bills he’s ever seen

Trump ‘strongly’ encourages other nations to help on ‘paper ...

Trump: NATO facing ‘very bad’ future if countries don’t help with Strait ...

Germany’s defense minister rebuffs Trump’s Strait of Hormuz ...

The return-to-the-office trend backfires

© The Hill