Trump Can't Decide Whether the Iran War Is Still Going On

"The Trump administration can't say why the United States went to war with Iran, and it can't say what the goal of the war is. Now it can't even decide whether the war is still going on. During an interview with CBS News yesterday afternoon, President Trump all but declared victory. "I think the war is very complete, pretty much," he said."

"Yet the same afternoon, the Department of Defense posted on X, "We have Only Just Begun to Fight," mangling a famous quotation from John Paul Jones, the father of the U.S. Navy. Reporters at the press conference, perplexed, asked Trump about the gap. "You said the war is 'very complete,' but your defense secretary says this is just the beginning, so which is it?" "Well, I think you could say both," Trump replied."

"You could-if you were a pundit making an argument about the future of the war. But people might hope for a bit more clarity from the man who launched the war without congressional authorization, popular support, or even much buy-in from his own advisers."

The Trump administration initiated military action against Iran without establishing clear war objectives, obtaining congressional authorization, or securing broad support from advisers and the public. President Trump declared the war "very complete" during a CBS interview and press conference, claiming major military strides toward completion. Simultaneously, the Department of Defense posted that the fight has "only just begun," creating direct contradiction. When pressed on this inconsistency, Trump stated both positions could be true. This confusion mirrors the Iraq War's ambiguous messaging and reflects broader concerns about the war's justification, goals, and current status. The administration's contradictory statements may reflect attempts to manage economic concerns affecting presidential approval ratings.

Read at The Atlantic