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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/11/donald-trump-iran-war-endgame-victory/
What Is the Definition of Victory in Iran?
(Washington Post) Marc A. Thiessen - A patient Trump can achieve what no modern president before him came anywhere close to: the irreversible elimination of the Iranian threat. By contrast, if victory is not decisive, Iran's surviving leaders could conclude that America lost its nerve and was too weak to defeat them. One level of success would be that the U.S. eliminates the regime's ability to project force beyond its borders. The U.S.-Israeli combined force is systematically dismantling Iran's air, ground and naval forces, its command and control, nuclear and ballistic missile stockpiles and production capacity, and terrorist infrastructure. "We're not just hitting what they have," says Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command. "We're destroying their ability to rebuild." There are thousands more targets that need to be hit, but if the U.S. and Israel finish the job, Iran will be militarily neutered - unable to launch missiles, drones or rockets or to provide these weapons to its terrorist proxies. That will be a world-changing accomplishment. But this success will be temporary and reversible if the current Iranian regime survives with its will intact. The greatest risk would be in ending the military campaign too soon before the Iranian regime collapses. Not only would that represent a lost opportunity, but regime remnants could conclude that they had actually won a contest of wills with Trump. For them, any form of survival is victory. Indeed, they may take the lesson that they were saved by providence to continue their campaign of jihad against the West. The writer is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.