How Trump’s goals for the Iran war have shifted over six months

WASHINGTON (AP) – When President Donald Trump introduced the war with Iran in late February, he initially forecast it would last four to five weeks.

Key points

• One of the prime goals now – reopening the Strait of Hormuz – was not one of Trump's original objectives.
• A June memorandum of understanding designed to pave the way to end the war has fallen by the wayside.
• As the shape of the war has morphed over the last half year, so have the goals for the conflict.

What happened

In practice, a June memorandum of understanding designed to pave the way to end the war has fallen by the wayside. U.S. Stockpiles of key weapons have diminished and the Trump administration has pivoted to pressuring Iran economically rather than launching more strikes.

One of the prime goals now – reopening the Strait of Hormuz – was not one of Trump's original objectives. The waterway had been a vital shipping lane through which regarding 20% of the world's oil passed.

The bottom line

In short, how Trumps goals for the Iran war have shifted over six months is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.