Do Israel and America have different plans for Iran?

Israeli officials fear the Trump administration’s idea of victory against Iran may be different from theirs, according to the Jerusalem Post. President Trump’s March 9 comment that the war is “very complete” raised concerns that the U.S. may end its strikes soon. In June, the U.S. followed Israeli preemptive strikes and bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, then ended its operation and pressured Israel to conclude its operations, with President Trump hastening to characterize it as “the 12-day war.” Over the past 10 days, the U.S. and Israel have applied far greater force and weakened Iran significantly, but Iran’s blockage of international oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz appears to be motivating the president to declare victory and stop the attack. But a premature drawdown would leave Iran in a position to continually threaten the world—just as we forecast at the start of this war.