Trump Says We’re “Winning” in Iran. It’s Complicated. | Former Marine Aaron MacLean

On Wednesday night, President Trump delivered a 19-minute address on Iran. As expected, he stressed his accomplishments: “In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield. . . . Iran’s navy is gone. Their air force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them. . . are now dead.” And he issued a threat to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age.”

Notably absent, though, was any clear scenario for how the war ends—or, more urgently, how the Strait of Hormuz gets reopened. A speech that was supposed to inform and reassure the public left a long series of unanswered questions:

Has President Trump overstated American gains? How will the U.S. deal with Iran’s remaining nuclear assets? Will it put boots on the ground to seize or destroy nuclear material—and what would such a mission look like? Would the U.S. try to seize Kharg Island? How could it reopen the Strait of Hormuz? And the great strategic puzzle: Is there a path to a negotiated exit?

I sat down with Aaron MacLean, Free Press contributor, CBS analyst, and host of the School of War podcast, to unpack Trump’s address—and the state of the war.