Trump delivers Iran messaging through exclusive interview spree
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President Trump gestures as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport on Feb. 27. Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images
President Trump has made a scattershot case for Israel and America's joint attacks on Iran through a series of one-on-one interviews with various media outlets.
The big picture: The mission's timelines and goals vary depending on when and to whom Trump is speaking as the administration tries to assure the American public the operation will not be another prolonged war in the Middle East.
State of play: Trump has not delivered a live address to the nation with the specific intent of laying out his goals for the mission, but at a Medal of Honor ceremony Monday he said the objectives are "clear."
- The U.S. wants to destroy Iran's missile capabilities and its Navy, as well as stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and prevent it from arming "terrorist armies outside of their borders."
- A White House official tells Axios the mission will be complete "when these specific goals are completed."
Driving the news: Prior to that, Trump listed a series of objectives and timelines through interviews with various media outlets, including Axios.
- Asked by NBC News what his objectives are, Trump said "number one is decapitating them, getting rid of their whole group of killers and thugs."
- He told The Washington Post Saturday "all I want is freedom" for the Iranian people.
Yes, but: The administration has simultaneously touted killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei while rejecting suggestions the end goal was regime change.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed during a Monday briefing that "this is not a so-called regime-change war, but the regime sure did change."
- But Trump told ABC News' Rachel Scott that he had a "beautiful plan" for Iran's future and told other outlets there were "good" candidates to take over.
- However, Trump later told ABC's Jon Karl in a Sunday interview that the people the administration had in mind were dead.
The New York Times reported that Trump in an interview offered "seemingly contradictory visions" for the transfer of power in Iran.
- Fox News' Bret Baier said Trump told him in an interview that he'd use the mission in Venezuela that captured Nicolas Maduro as a template for Iran.
The intrigue: Trump has repeatedly criticized prolonged foreign wars, but he's given shifting timelines for how long the Iran mission will last.
- Trump told Axios' Barak Ravid Saturday that he "can go long" or "end it in two or three days," and Monday he said the operation is "substantially ahead of schedule."
- Speaking with the Times, he said the U.S. military could sustain the assault for "four to five weeks," but he told the Daily Mail the process would take four weeks "or less."
- Trump also told CNN's Jake Tapper that another wave attacks is imminent and "the big one is coming soon."
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