Can the United States and Iran Both Declare Victory and Move On?
The war in Iran is not popular with the American people. A recent survey by the Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos on May 1 found that only 36 percent of respondents believed that an extended attack on Iran was the correct decision by President Donald Trump. Sixty-one percent disagreed, believing he made a huge mistake.
What Are We Fighting For?
A large reason is high gas prices, but the Trump administration is not being clear about the one prime objective of the war, which is needed to make its case. This has confused voters. The national security team says it is keeping Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Then there is the argument that Iran is a state sponsor of terror. The next reason is that the United States has actually been at war with Iran for decades. And that there is a need to further crush Iran’s navy and air force, along with reducing the Iranians’ ability to wage war.
Is This Operation Legal?
This is a jumble that just doesn’t resonate with many people in the United States.
The war has also lasted longer than 60 days, and that would trigger a violation of the War Powers Resolution, a law that stipulates that Congress either declare war on Iran or authorize the use of military force.
The Secretary of Defense said the clock stopped because there are no hostilities now under the ceasefire. Trump believes that the War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional. This has Democrats screaming that the conflict is illegal without lawmakers’ consent.
It is not clear whether Republican leadership in the House and Senate will bring this up for a vote, which would run counter to the law.
Why Can’t Trump Just Declare Victory and Stop the War?
Trump could stop the blockade of Iranian ships, which Democrats and some Independents believe is still an act of war.
Trump may declare victory and move on. He could end the quarantine of Iranian shipping, bring the Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit home, and take at least the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier out of the theater.
F-22 Raptor. Taken on 4/19/2026 by Harry J. Kazianis for 19FortyFive.com
F-22 Raptor high in the sky. Image taken by Harry J. Kazianis in Lakeland, Florida on 4/19/2026.
The U.S. Military Had Done Its Job Well
Trump has reason to be giddy about the war’s outcome as it stands now. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been eliminated. The number of ballistic missiles and drones has been reduced. The Iranian military has been eroded.
However, there is the problematic supply of highly enriched uranium that Iran likely still possesses, which is hidden in underground storage centers.
Trump has received peace plans from the Iranians, but they do not include Tehran completely relinquishing its nuclear program. The United States would like a group of inspectors to make sure that Iran’s infrastructure, labs, and storage centers will not produce a nuclear weapon. That is unacceptable to Iran.
Iran Is Using Time to Its Advantage
Both sides are stuck. However, Iran has a valuable strategy on its side. Tehran has time that the Americans do not have. Iran can keep the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, or at least reduce shipping levels, which keeps oil prices high.
They can wait out the War Powers Resolution saga and hope that Democrats and some Republicans will ensure that Congress requires the Trump administration to seek permission to continue military action.
They can also continue their campaign to close the Strait of Hormuz until the midterm elections, when the Democrats could win both chambers of Congress. This would be a sign to the American people that Trump should stop his military action.
Iran is playing its cards skillfully, and the Americans may soon be forced to call it a day. Khamenei’s son Mojtaba and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could declare victory, and the Strait could open. Iran could keep what is left of the nuclear program, and critics of Trump’s national security team would deem that the war did not accomplish its main objective.
German Political Leader Said the Quiet Part Out Loud
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently said that Iran is conducting skillful negotiations with the United States, implying that Trump is on the back foot. The mercurial American president then ordered a reduction of 5,000 personnel in the American troop presence in Germany.
Trump is surprised that NATO allies do not support his war of choice. They do not want an Iran equipped with a nuclear device, but the Europeans are mad about the high price of gasoline and other energy products.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor waits to taxi on the flight line in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Jan. 4, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The Latest About the Strait of Hormuz
The United States will have to go it alone until a peace plan can be resolved. The future of the Strait of Hormuz is critical. On May 4, two commercial ships safely made it through the Strait. But Iran said it would sink any vessel that transited the vital waterway without its permission. Trump has alluded to a plan he called Project Freedom that would allow cargo ships to operate freely in the strategic waterway.
There Could Still Be Bloodshed
The situation with Iran is a mess. There does not seem to be a way out soon. There is also the chance of an accident or miscalculation that would create an incident that would break the ceasefire and result in a loss of life from a damaged or sunk ship.
Peace Is Still Possible
Despite all the difficulties, both sides could agree to a peace plan. This would be a great development for diplomacy. Mediator Pakistan is trying hard for a lasting accord that would satisfy both sides, but the situation changes by the hour, and it is not always clear who is making the final decisions for Iran.
Trump’s temper is always a problem, and he often speaks to the media too soon before an agreement can be reached. This frustrates Iran, and then they spout off to journalists in state-run media outlets.
Many ordinary Americans are fed up with this stand-off, and the lack of support for the war could negatively affect Trump’s party in the midterm elections. Both sides need to take a breather and stop the poisonous rhetoric.
Iran must curtail its nuclear program before there can be a lasting peace agreement. The United States needs an authorization of military force by Congress to meet lawful thresholds, or critics will continue to say this war is illegal. The Americans are in a bind, and the only way out is to create a situation in which both sides can live together in a just peace.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
