MSN

Donald Trump's constantly shifting justifications for the military assault on Iran have left Pentagon officials scrambling to determine whether they should be preparing for a prolonged occupation or a swift exit from hostilities.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump alternates between claiming the strikes target Iran's nuclear program and then later insisting the primary objective is regime change.

Journal reporters Michael R. Gordon and Alexander Ward document the chaos: "The whiplash-inducing statements over the past two days come as the U.S. and Israel have carried out an extensive air campaign in Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against regional bases where American and European troops are present, as well as Gulf countries."

Trump acknowledged in a Sunday video that prolonged U.S. military presence increases the risk of casualties, stating: "That's the way it is, but we'll do everything possible where that won't be the case." Multiple analysts suggest the inconsistency reflects White House improvisation rather than a coherent strategy.

Justin Logan, defense and foreign-policy director at the libertarian Cato Institute, attributed the confusion directly to Trump's erratic leadership: "The administration—and the president—have hardly been the model of clarity on this war. It looks like they are making it up as they go along. The present policy looks more like incoherence."

If destroying Iran's missile factories and nuclear facilities represents the core objective, the military could potentially reduce force levels relatively quickly, even if Iran's political future remains uncertain. However, if facilitating regime change is a priority, the operation would likely become a far longer and more demanding undertaking.

There is also the possibility that Trump's military campaign fails to overthrow the regime and his diplomatic efforts similarly collapse. Former U.S. Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller warned of that scenario, explaining, "Trump could find himself with no regime change, no deal and no capacity to honor the promises he's made to the Iranian people."

President Donald Trump and his administration lost an appeal that would have delayed a Supreme Court ruling striking down the authority to impose emergency tariffs.

In a ruling issued on Monday, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a Trump administration bid to delay the effective date of the Supreme Court's tariff ruling by 90 days.

President Donald Trump took time out of an update on his strikes on Iran to rant about his plans to build a ballroom at the White House.

During a Monday event at the White House, Trump said that he had projected "four to five weeks" for the operation in Iran before speaking about his ballroom plans.

President Donald Trump has been surprised by Iran's response to joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes that took out their supreme leader.

The 79-year-old president spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper for a nine-minute phone interview Monday morning to discuss his order over the weekend to decapitate Iranian leadership, and Trump said he was surprised that Iran had retaliated by striking other Arab countries in the region, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Faced with overwhelming odds combating US military might, one Middle East expert predicted the leadership of the war-torn country looks to be aiming to get to Donald Trump by going after one of his biggest weaknesses.

Appearing on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” New York Times columnist Tom Friedman claimed that, if there is one thing Donald Trump uses to gauge how he’s doing, it is the stock market and the surviving Iranian leadership knows that is one of his vulnerabilities.

President Donald Trump hasn't ruled out sending U.S. ground forces into Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.

The 79-year-old president ordered joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that resulted in the killing of Iran's supreme leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dozens of other top officials, but Trump told the New York Post he would consider putting troops on the ground.

First Lady Melania Trump will become the first spouse of a world leader to chair a United Nations Security Council meeting despite her husband's ongoing attacks against Iran.

The U.S. first lady was expected to "emphasize education's role in advancing tolerance and world peace," according to a statement from her office.

A former member of President George W. Bush’s administration had nothing good to say about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s press conference on Monday, claiming he failed to answer any important questions and just showed up to posture.

Appearing on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” Elise Jordan expressed disgust with the former Fox News personality’s smug answers, which also failed to make the case that threatens to go on longer than the Donald Trump administration is willing to admit.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stacked the deck with friendly correspondents at his press conference on the start of military operations against Iran.

The defense secretary and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took questions for about 13 minutes Monday morning in the administration's first public comments to reporters since the U.S.-Israeli military operations began over the weekend, but CNN's Brian Stelter reported that MAGA-friendly outlets dominated the proceedings.