As the war in Iran got underway, Donald Trump’s strategy for the conflict was, among other things, shrouded in mysteries that shouldn’t have existed. Americans were left in the dark about why the United States went to war, whether the combat operations actually constituted a war, whether the war was legal, how much the war would cost, how long the war would last and whether the administration had a credible plan to achieve its vague objectives.
Two months later, the White House’s policy is still shrouded in mysteries that shouldn’t exist, but the list is evolving.
For example, as this week got underway, Iran reportedly mounted a missile-and-drone attack on commercial ships that U.S. forces were protecting in the Strait of Hormuz, while also targeting American warships. Soon after, the U.S. military said it sank six Iranian boats. Does that mean the ceasefire is over? As MS NOW reported in its live blog, the American president didn’t want to talk about it on Monday:
Trump declined to say whether the fragile ceasefire with Iran remains in effect, offering little clarity as tensions continue to escalate, in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Asked by Hewitt if the ceasefire was over, Trump replied, “Well, I can’t tell you that.”
So, on the one hand, we saw U.S. and Iranian forces trading shots, while Trump threatened anew to blow Iran “off the face of the Earth.” On the other hand, the American president who claims to have “terminated” combat operations would prefer not to tell the public whether the ceasefire remains intact or not.
There are secrets surrounding any war, but this need not be one of them.
Complicating matters further, Trump’s team tried to shed additional light on the question the president didn’t want to answer, though it didn’t exactly bring any real clarity. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Tuesday morning press conference, for example, that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is “not over,” despite Monday’s violence, in large part because he considers U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz to be “separate and distinct” from the war that began on Feb. 28, instead of a continuation of the conflict.
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What explained the gap between the president’s response and Hegseth? That wasn’t altogether clear, either.
Indeed, those seeking clarity from the administration continue to go without. On Friday, Trump told a group of supporters in Florida that the United States might be “better off” if it didn’t reach an agreement with Iran, contradicting his own White House’s policy. One day later, he not only rejected his own comments, he also pretended not to have made the comments that were captured on camera.
As for the latest Iranian offer to resolve the ongoing conflict, Trump said he opposed the proposal, though he didn’t offer any details as to why. The president instead said he intends to win the war he claims to have already won but by “a bigger margin,” though he didn’t elaborate as to what that meant.
As important as the day-to-day details are, let’s not miss the forest for the trees: Wars are not supposed to be riddles. The fact that the White House has initiated an ongoing international guessing game about the most basic details of a war is itself a controversy that will help define the era.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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