President Trump has been inconsistent in telling us what he believes the purpose and goals of the Iran war are. All wars are covered in a fog of misinterpretation and uncertainty. This one, even more. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Missy Ryan of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.
Full Episode: Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 3/27/26
Mar. 27, 2026 AT 8:52 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.
Clip: Is Trump’s war of choice becoming a war of necessity?
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.
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