„Victory“ War is not a sport: the scoreboard does not announce a winner after a certain time, CNN emphasizes in its analysis.
The bravura statements and video game-style videos with which the US administration accompanies its campaign against Iran conceal the terrifying seriousness of the situation: how far will Americans have to go, not just to declare “we won”, as Trump did in Kentucky on Wednesday, but to force Iran to act as if it were truly defeated?
The White House may have acted hastily, taking advantage of the opportunity for a decapitating strike provided by Israeli intelligence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has very different regional goals, and the continued US involvement in the conflict with Tehran only plays into his favor: he wants Iran to gradually disintegrate and cease to be a threat.
The death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, however, has created as many problems as it has solved. Trump does not have Delcy Rodriguez up his sleeve, ready to take over, as was the case when the Americans captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Instead, Iranian hawks have filled the vacuum with Khamenei's son, Mojtaba - a man whom Trump, by his own admission, did not want in power.