President has said US will shortly achieve its objectives – but it is not clear what exactly those objectives are
Middle East crisis – live updates
In his address to the nation on Wednesday evening Donald Trump said the US would “very shortly” achieve its strategic objectives in Iran – partly because the White House has constantly adjusted its goals since the start of the war on 28 February.
In an eight-minute video released on 28 February, Trump promised that the US would “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground”. Before the war Iran was estimated to have about 2,500 high speed ballistic missiles and destroying the programme was a key goal for Israel too.
Iran’s missile launch rates have been reduced by about 90% and its long-term manufacturing capacity has been significantly degraded. However, Tehran has retained a continued, if modest, capacity to strike Israel and the Gulf, causing fear, damage and small numbers of casualties.
