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President Donald Trump says combat will continue in Iran until its “objectives” are complete. Those objectives and the justification for the war have remained fluid more than 48 hours into the conflict.
Trump and his proxies have not been aligned on their narrative, leading to confusion about how Trump and his advisors are defining the endgame for ending the escalating conflict.
Trump began a military buildup near Iran after promising dissidents “help is on its way” when protests against its government rocked the country in January. The stated justification since the attack began Saturday has whipsawed among preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, deposing the Iranian regime that brutally represses dissent, stopping an imminent attack from Iran on U.S. interests and following Israel’s lead.
The muddied messaging underscores a broader question of whether Trump is pursuing solely a military objective or full-blown regime change.
