US President Donald Trump has set out four specific objectives for the war with Iran, seeking to answer mounting criticism that the United States had entered another Middle East conflict without a clearly defined endgame.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said the joint US-Israeli offensive represented the “last, best chance” to strike at a long-standing adversary. “Our objectives are clear,” he said, before listing them one by one. “First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities. Second, we’re annihilating their navy. Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number-one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon.
Finally, we are ensuring the Iranian regime can’t continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders. ”
The remarks mark the first time Trump has publicly framed the war around four defined goals. Until now, he had focused primarily on preventing Tehran from rebuilding its nuclear programme, warning that Iran could soon develop missiles capable of striking the United States.
The statement came as US and Israeli forces intensified strikes across Iran, hitting ballistic missile sites, naval headquarters and command-and-control centres.
The campaign followed coordinated attacks over the weekend that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a wave of Iranian missile and drone retaliation against Israel and US bases in the region. The first American military deaths of the conflict have now been confirmed.
At the Pentagon, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US was reinforcing its presence in the Middle East with additional troops and fighter jets. “This work is just beginning and will continue,” he said, adding that the military would soon reach the desired “total combat capacity and total combat power”. He declined to specify troop numbers.
Earlier, Defence secretary Pete Hegseth sought to temper fears of a prolonged campaign. “This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” he said, even as Trump acknowledged the conflict could last “four to five weeks” if necessary.
The escalation has reverberated across the region. Iran has struck targets in Israel and Gulf states, while oil prices have risen amid concerns over disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
