A "won" war but not yet won, wavering positions and the generals' alarms ignored: all the doubts about Trump's attack on Iran

With triumphalist tones about the victory and fluctuating positions even regarding the duration of the conflict, Donald Trump raises questions about the clarity of U.S. objectives in the war against Iran.

The absence of a defined strategy — between the hypothesis of a regime change and the so-called “Venezuela model” — has increased uncertainties both about the deployment of American forces in the area and about a credible exit strategy.

The appeal to the international community to avoid the “artificial restriction” of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial junction for oil traffic targeted by the Revolutionary Guards, fits into a dossier that has been widely examined.

The Wall Street Journal reported that, before the United States entered the war, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the tycoon that an American attack could push Tehran to close the Strait, based on previous crises involving the ayatollah regime.

In various briefings, Caine specified that U.S. officials had long believed it likely that Iran would use mines, drones, and missiles to block the world's most strategic maritime route, through which 20% of global oil passes, as well as fertilizers and helium, essential for microchips.

For decades, U.S. administrations have conducted war simulations related to a potential invasion of Iran. However, with Trump in the White House, observers note that the narrow circle of advisors, the collapse of the inter-agency process, and a decision-making process deemed erratic have made the current military campaign different from any recent precedent.

Emblematic, for example, is the case of the tens of thousands of American citizens stranded in the region after February 28, the day the attacks began, with the State Department forced to quickly establish a task force for evacuation.

After the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many potential successors favored by Washington, the president sent a message to the Iranians that appeared wishful: “When we are done, take your government back”, without clarifying how this might materialize.

In the first six days of the war, the cost to the United States was $11.3 billion, according to estimates communicated by the Pentagon to the Congress.

The campaign to decapitate the Iranian leadership has hit its mark, with the elimination of Khamenei and dozens of his closest advisors, evoking the pattern of the "12-day war", namely the American surgical strikes of 2025 against Tehran's nuclear program.

Despite the blows suffered in the last two weeks, however, Iran continues to fight, resorting to a war of attrition strategy. While Trump continues to call for "unconditional surrender" and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth celebrates the destruction of Iranian military capabilities, the question remains unresolved as to what exactly Washington means by "victory". And, analysts emphasize, how the United States plans to avert the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main leverage in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards.