Trump’s open-ended war, briefly explained

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The Trump administration doesn’t know when this is going to end either.

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: When will Donald Trump’s war with Iran end?

What’s happening? The United States and Israel have now spent 11 days striking targets in Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader and destroying Iranian missile launchers and naval assets. But it’s not clear where they go from here, and you’ll get different answers depending on who you ask.

Trump, on Monday: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, today: “When [Trump] determines the military objectives have been met…and that Iran is in a position of complete and unconditional surrender.”

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, also today: “I don’t know.”

What are the options, really? As my colleague Zack Beauchamp has reported, “unconditional surrender” — and the more US-friendly leadership Trump has said he wants — isn’t likely under current conditions. Instead, the most likely outcomes are a negotiated settlement, or Trump simply deciding to claim victory and go home.

Trump might want “boots on the ground” in Iran. Just not American ones.

You’re already paying for Trump’s Iran war

Why does this matter? This is not a new problem for the Trump administration, which has been unable to explain why it took the US to war. But it’s only going to get more acute as the war drags on and gas — followed by just about everything else — gets more expensive. US casualties are also mounting: Eight service members have died, and about 140 have been wounded, according to the Pentagon.

In the meantime, the US and Israel are bombarding Tehran, a city of more than 9 million people. Israeli strikes on oil facilities over the weekend have caused dangerous acid rain to fall from the skies, and strikes have also caused widespread power outages. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced “our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”

“If they keep hitting Tehran like this for another 10 days,” one resident told the New York Times, “nothing will remain of Tehran.”

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