5 questions for Trump amid the Iran crisis

President Trump is facing sharper questions over the war on Iran, with doubt hanging over what comes next and polls showing the U.S. assault is viewed with considerable skepticism by the public.

Trump, speaking at the White House on Monday, promised “we will easily prevail” in the assault, undertaken with Israel, on the Islamic Republic. The attack began on Saturday with monumental impact, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump on Monday contended that the conflict could last “four to five weeks.”

Almost nobody doubts the U.S. can defeat Iran militarily. But that is hardly the end of the story.

Trump and his allies see the attack on Iran as a bold move aimed at defanging a major source of global instability and vanquishing a threat to the U.S. To critics, it is a reckless and unnecessary endeavor that risks chaos.

Here are the major questions for Trump and the world.

As his objectives, Trump has cited stopping Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon, preventing it from developing longer-range ballistic missiles, “annihilating” its navy and ending its support for proxy groups elsewhere.

He has been vaguer on whether he believes the assault must continue until the Islamic leadership structure itself collapses.

Trump told The New York Times in a brief interview on Sunday that the “perfect scenario” would be akin to what happened in Venezuela. U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro in early January. But rather than a wholesale change in government, Maduro has, in effect, been succeeded by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez — who has proven more pliant to American wishes. 

Would Trump accept a continuation of the regime in Tehran under a more convivial leader? This idea seems highly implausible for many reasons — but anything is possible.

Complicating matters further, Trump told Jonathan Karl of ABC News on Sunday evening that the U.S. had previously identified some possible candidates who could lead a post-Khamenei Iran, but they were killed in the initial strikes.

“It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead,” Trump told Karl.

How do the American people — including Trump’s MAGA base — react?

The American people traditionally rally around the commander in chief in the early stages of a foreign conflict.

But that pattern is not holding here.

A CNN/SSRS poll conducted on Saturday and Sunday found that 59 percent of Americans disapprove of the U.S. decision to take military action in Iran, while 41 percent disapprove.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found a similar dynamic, but with many people undecided. The Reuters poll had 43 percent of Americans disapproving, 27 percent approving and 29 percent unsure.

There are also real tensions within the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) reacted to the news of the loss of American lives in the Iran operation by writing on social media, “This was absolutely unnecessary and is unacceptable.”

Greene also contended she and others in Trump world, including Vice President Vance, “campaigned on no more foreign wars and regime change.” 

Right-wing influencer Matt Walsh castigated the shifting rationales the administration has offered for the war in a social media post that concluded, “The messaging on this thing is, to put it mildly, confused.” 

This, in turn, drew an online riposte from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who insisted in a lengthy post that Trump had laid out “clear objectives.” 

What about the economic effects?

Oil prices rose around 6 percent on Monday. Much depends on how long the elevated prices are sustained.

In particular, a key issue is whether shipping keeps moving through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern coast. The narrow channel is crucial for global trade, including oil and natural gas. 

Trump will be relieved if the economic shocks from the strike prove relatively modest or short-lived — and there are some signs for optimism in that regard.

The three major U.S. stock indices opened in the red on Monday but rose to a place where the day looked unexceptional. The Dow Jones index fell very slightly, the broader-based S&P 500 gained very slightly and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose by roughly one-third of a percentage point.

Does Congress take action?

Congress is set to weigh in — albeit with limited real-world effects — this week.

A Senate vote on a bipartisan war powers resolution is expected as soon as Tuesday. The measure has been put forth by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va). 

One Republican, the libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), looks likely to vote for it, and many observers will be watching how two moderates, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), decide to vote.

The resolution would theoretically end American action against Iran, but as The Hill’s Alexander Bolton has pointed out, it has almost no chance of taking effect since Trump would surely veto it if it passes.

However, the measure is a gauge of GOP discontent — and whether Democrats can take advantage of it.

How much wider and more intense does the conflict become?

The initial U.S. and Israeli strikes set off reactions — and attacks — elsewhere.

According to The New York Times, as of Monday, Iranian attacks on Israel have reportedly killed at least 10 people, while Israeli attacks on Lebanon are said to have killed at least 31 people. Militant group Hezbollah, generally viewed as an Iranian proxy, has renewed its attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly also been targeted by the Iranians. Tehran appears to have often focused on U.S. military bases or other installations in these nations.

A huge question, to which nobody has the answer, is whether there will be a de-escalation or whether these tensions will become a hotter conflagration.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Administration News

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is on the rise: What symptoms to watch for

John Bolton says Hegseth needs ‘attitude adjustment’ after Iran briefing

TSA moves to center of shutdown drama as jittery lawmakers offer warnings for ...

Video shows Hillary Clinton erupt at GOP over unauthorized Boebert photo during ...

Zinke announces he won’t seek reelection

Supreme Court restores New York Republican’s congressional district

Kelly says it’s ‘unlikely’ he’d back war authorization

Poll: Talarico, Paxton hold slim edge heading into Tuesday primary

5 questions for Trump amid the Iran crisis

Fetterman ‘baffled’ by some senators not supporting Iran operation

Iranian-backed militias in Middle East join war

Centcom raises ‘Epic Fury’ death toll to 6 service members

Iran’s leaders: Who was killed? Who’s in charge now?

Texas attorney general: ‘Illegal’ for mental health providers to ...

Supreme Court hears arguments on whether government can disarm drug users 

Ted Cruz: 'No indication' that Iran was 'close to getting nuclear weapons'

Kuwait ‘mistakenly’ shoots down 3 US F-15s: Pentagon

Tucker Carlson sought to talk Trump out of Iran war: Report

© The Hill