What does victory in Iran look like? Asking the president isn’t much use. He’s provided strikingly different answers, based, seemingly, on his mood. What is true is that Iran remains in control of the Strait of Hormuz, and it is unclear how President Trump plans to open up this crucial chokepoint. The panel discusses whether Trump’s war of choice is becoming a war of necessity.
Clip: Is Trump’s war of choice becoming a war of necessity?
Mar. 27, 2026 AT 8:42 p.m. EDT
FROM THIS EPISODE
Clip: Trump's mixed messages and shifting goals in the Iran war
There are at least two Iran wars taking place right now. There’s the war being waged by the U.S. military and the Israelis. In this war, Iranian targets are being methodically destroyed according to carefully designed plans. The other war is playing out inside the brain of Donald Trump. The panel discusses how we don’t know the goals of this war, or the metrics of success.
Full Episode: Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 3/27/26
Full Washington Week with the Atlantic broadcast from March 27, 2026.
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