US Goals in Iran War Shrinking: From 'Denuclearization' to 'Oil Price Stability'

Analysis indicates that the U.S. administration's goals in the war against Iran are increasingly being scaled back from its initial objectives.

U.S. broadcaster CNN reported on the 16th local time that the hardline goals put forward by the Trump administration in the war with Iran have noticeably shrunk as the conflict has dragged on.

The war began when the United States, alongside Israel, launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28 of this year.

At the outset of the war, the Trump administration set goals including Iran's unconditional surrender, regime change, permanently blocking nuclear weapons, and halting Iranian proxy support in the Middle East.

However, as a ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached in mid-June fell through and the war effectively dragged on for nearly six months, these goals have seen a prominent reduction.

CNN pointed out that recent remarks by Vice President JD Vance are interpreted as a decisive signal that the Trump administration is preparing to wrap up the war at a level much lower than its original objectives.

In an interview with Fox News on the 14th, when asked about ways to end the war, Vice President Vance responded, "The first goal is to keep oil and gas prices low for the American people," and added, "The second goal is to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."

It is a notable change that "oil price stability" was cited as the primary goal ahead of "denuclearization."

Although the White House attempted to smooth things over by stating that "both goals are equally important to the President," there is a clear difference in tone from the previous stance that consistently emphasized "blocking Iran's nuclear weapons" as the top priority.

In fact, when asked last May whether he would resolve the war considering the economic conditions of the American people, President Trump made it clear that denuclearization was the top priority, stating, "I am not considering that at all."

CNN analyzed, "The fact that the Trump administration has begun emphasizing oil price stability as its top priority supports the assessment that it is lowering its targets to conclude the war at a level far short of the grand objectives set at the start of the conflict."

President Trump himself has also recently continued to lower the bar of his demands rather than insisting that Iran hand over enriched uranium, making remarks such as, "We have inflicted sufficient damage on Iran's nuclear program, and the nuclear materials are buried too deep," or "We can monitor them from space."

Critics also point out that since the Strait of Hormuz, which was blockaded by Iran, was open before the war, the goal of stabilizing energy prices is effectively nothing more than a "return to the status quo before the war."

Ultimately, CNN noted that if the Trump administration settles for a return to pre-war conditions, it would effectively be admitting that the war has yielded virtually no substantive achievements.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.