Kyle Cave
Staff Writer
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iran. Both Israel and the U.S. have a plethora of goals in starting a massive Middle Eastern conflict, including getting rid of the current Iranian regime.
In the one month since the war started, that goal hasn’t been achieved, and the Trump administration has not given a solid justification to the American people or Congress.
The background to this war in Iran goes back many years, but more recently, the main reason why this started is concerning Iran’s ability to obtain nuclear weapons.
In 2015, the Obama Administration signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. Seven countries also signed onto the agreement China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and the European Union. This deal was a diplomatic solution to limiting Iran’s nuclear program.
In May 2018, the Trump Administration decided to withdraw from the nuclear deal. Republicans and the first Trump administration opposed the deal. In 2018, Trump described the deal as ineffective. It is worth noting that, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran was following the JCPOA even a year after the United States departure.
This brings us to 2025 and the second Trump administration. In June 2025, the administration decided to attack Iran’s Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant. Trump and the administration claimed that the strikes on Fordow “completely obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. However, early U.S. intelligence first reported by CNN showed that the strikes did not “completely obliterate” the program, only damaged it.
That brings us to the present day, with Israel and the United States attacking Iran and starting the war. Many, including the American people, are asking, what is our objective?
It depends on who you ask in the administration. Some will say our objective is to get rid of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, some say it’s to weaken their military, some say it’s because Iran has missiles “capable of hitting Europe.” All these justifications have been used all at once — backpedaled, and contradicted.
It also doesn’t help that when Pete Hegseth does Pentagon press briefings about the war. He spends the bulk of his time attacking the press for how they cover the war in Iran. In war, the press is essential to reporting on the facts and bring transparency to the world, even if the government decides not to.
Hegseth’s hostility and attacks on the press are, of course, a standard for this administration. But there’s a motive in it. Instead of getting concrete answers on the war, Hegseth attacks the press to bring attention to himself.
In this war against Iran, 13 U.S. troops have been killed in the conflict, and countless more have been injured. Also, according to U.S. internal investigations, it is very likely that the U.S. was responsible for the deadly airstrike on an Iranian girls school. Much blood has already been spilled, and it’s only been a month.
In recent days, Trump and the administration have been touting that the U.S. is nearing the end of the war in Iran and that talks are happening. As of the writing of this article, there is very little evidence that any type of resolution or end to this war is near in sight.
The Iranian regime is still intact, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed due to Iran using it as a point of economic leverage, and it’s not guaranteed that Iran’s nuclear capabilities will be fully cut.
Where are we going from here? How much longer will this pan out? Will this turn into a full ground invasion? Nobody knows what’s next, and that’s precisely the issue.
When the U.S. decided to go to war with Iraq at the time, we were told this would take only a few weeks to months. We didn’t leave the country until 9 years later. Infamously, the U.S. invaded Iraq based on flawed intelligence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
The difference between the Iraq war and the current war with Iran was that Americans wanted to go to war because of the September 11 terrorist attacks. That’s not the case this time around. Every major poll from major news outlets shows that the war with Iran is very unpopular.
Trump’s strategy for most of his second term has been to enact or carry out an extreme action. When he feels that action spirals too much, he stops it. Trump likes to be in control of everything he does, but with war it is impossible to control anything. Trump and the administration desperately want to find a way out of a war that they started, and they may not be able to.
In wars like this, if a country desires to change the regime, conduct oversight, or control the country, boots on the ground are guaranteed. It is absolutely impossible to fight a war without some type of boots on the ground.
The time for diplomacy may be too late, and if that is so, an entire new generation will experience what it is like to go through a possible endless war with no goal.