Trump Wants to Bend Iran. Netanyahu Wants to Break It.

Mr. Hennigan writes about national security for Opinion.

The towering flames and black smoke that filled the skies above Tehran this week after Israel bombarded oil depots there looked apocalyptic.

As soot and black rain fell on the more than 10 million Iranians living in the city, the tremors from those airstrikes vibrated all the way to Washington, where officials felt the unequivocal impact of divergent ambitions in this war.

It seems that President Trump’s aims in joining the air war against Iran are beginning to rub against the long-term objectives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. While Mr. Trump has said in recent days that America’s military goals are nearly complete — even though the ayatollahs remain in power — Israel seeks an end to the regime and to crush its regional influence.

In short, Mr. Trump wants to bend Iran. Mr. Netanyahu seeks to break it.

Images of oil going up in smoke — regardless of whose oil it is — could not have been a welcome sight for the Trump administration as prices skyrocketed at America’s gas pumps. The war in Iran has wreaked havoc on world energy markets, prompting countries to prepare for protracted economic blowback caused by rising fuel costs. At least three ships were hit on Wednesday in and around the Strait of Hormuz, as the fighting chokes off one of the most vital routes for the world’s oil trade. All of this creates political headwinds for Mr. Trump as a war-weary public remains unpersuaded by the arguments for conflict.

At the moment, the leaders’ interests mostly align. As the air campaign enters the middle of its second week, the Israeli and American militaries continue to coordinate to hit thousands of targets across Iran. The U.S. and Israeli objectives overlap in their short-term goals: destroying Iran’s missiles, nuclear program, navy, weapons production and military command-and-control. Both sides agree that the Iranian regime is intent on inflicting as much harm as it can on the United States and Israel while destabilizing the broader Middle East.

But their opposing visions of long-term victory — a more compliant government in Tehran versus a new one altogether — must be resolved if the United States is to avoid another extended war. Sustained attacks on multiple rungs of leadership and infrastructure are the surest way to bring about the kind of protracted nation-building exercise Mr. Trump has railed against for years. White House officials were reportedly dismayed by the burning oil fields in Tehran and not just because of oil prices: The scene conjured the uncontrolled chaos of Iraq and Afghanistan.

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An earlier version of this article misstated a detail about three ships that were hit in or near the Strait of Hormuz. They were cargo ships, not oil tankers.

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W.J. Hennigan writes about national security, foreign policy and conflict for the Opinion section.

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