One month into Iran war, some Trump objectives are unfulfilled as he looks to wind down the conflict

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 2026-03-28T04:02:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has listed five objectives that the U.S. wants to achieve before ending its war with Iran.

Now, one month into the conflict, he has suggested the U.S. may soon be “winding down” the operation, even though some of his key aims remain undefined or unfulfilled.

Trump last week outlined five goals for the massive air campaign.

That’s up from four laid out by his staff since the war’s start on Feb. 28 (and up from the three generally enumerated by the Pentagon and Secretary of State Marco Rubio).

Though the Trump administration has said its objectives are clear and unchanging, the list of priorities has expanded and shifted as the war has taken a toll on the global economy, tested alliances and raised unanswered questions about the planning for the conflict, its justification and its aftermath.

By most accounts, the strikes by the U.S. and Israel have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders.

But those tactical successes don’t necessarily translate to achieving all the president’s strategic aims.

Some of his objectives are difficult to achieve and if the U.S. walks away with unfinished aims and Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard in power, Trump could face political fallout at home and global repercussions about what was accomplished in his decision to launch a war of choice that upended the Middle East and roiled the global economy.

Trump and the White House have insisted the operation is going well and on track to meet its goals. “We are very close to meeting the core objectives of Operation Epic Fury, and this military mission continues unabated,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters this week, saying the operation was “ahead of schedule and performing exceptionally.” Here’s a look at the objectives as laid out by Trump and where they stand: 1. ‘Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability’ One of the prime objectives laid out by the president with Iran was to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.” The administration says that the ability has been significantly degraded.

But Iran is still launching missiles and drones, including a series of barrages at Israel as Trump claimed that negotiations with Iran were underway.

Trump said Thursday at the W

原文链接: AP News