Pentagon insiders and diplomats question what Trump has actually accomplished in Iran: ‘They’ll threaten us in the long term’

After the United States and Iran declared an eleventh-hour ceasefire, the Trump administration wasted no time in hailing an unprecedented triumph for America. President Donald Trump, who announced the two-week armistice Tuesday evening, said the U.S. “already met and exceeded all Military objectives.” A day later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a “historic and overwhelming victory.”Yet some Pentagon insiders and diplomats are questioning what precisely has been accomplished by the Trump administration’s war. The conflict has killed 13 U.S. service members, and thousands of people in Iran according to state media, all while destabilizing the global economy.“I don’t know how the genie goes back in the bottle without the U.S. massively redefining our strategic objectives,” a defense official told Politico. “I can’t imagine what the U.S. could offer or threaten Iran with at this point that generates a satisfying outcome.”Since the war began in late February, U.S. forces have struck over 11,000 targets in Iran, crippling its ballistic missile capabilities and obliterating much of its air defense network. Some Pentagon insiders and diplomats are questioning what precisely has been accomplished by President Donald Trump’s war in Iran (Getty Images)But as Trump’s negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, begins peace talks with Iran this weekend, the U.S. faces some major hurdles.Iran retains its hardline regime, now helmed by Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the former supreme leader who was killed in a U.S. air strike. The country still possesses its stockpile of enriched uranium. What’s more, Iran has exercised newfound control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. On Wednesday, Iran unveiled a 10-point framework to end the war, which Trump called “a workable basis on which to negotiate.” It demands a U.S. nonaggression pledge, Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz and a halt to fighting across the region — including in Lebanon, which Israel has continued bombarding. The White House, however, has said this 10-point plan does not match up with what the president was referencing.The regional status quo will likely persist, another second defense official said.“POTUS is right that we’ve largely destroyed the navy, and most, but clearly not all, of their ballistic missile and drone capability,” the official told Politico. “But that won’t actually change anything. Unless of course there’s a major uprising inside of Iran … but I’m not seeing that happening.”A diplomat from Asia, meanwhile, took issue with Hegseth proclaiming victory while simultaneously threatening further military action should Iran fail to uphold the terms of the ceasefire.“Declaring victory by saying he will attack Iran some more seems like losing,” said the unnamed diplomat, noting that, for Iran, “not losing isn’t the same as winning.”“There’s a profound paradox here,” a Trump ally close to the White House added. “If you’re not willing to go to total war, and we clearly are not, then the attacks ultimately enhance the leverage of this awful regime. They know Trump desperately wants out. And they’re going to get their pound of flesh, even though we hammered them with our attacks.”Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, warned that the ceasefire deal has only bought the U.S. a little time. Since the US and Iran announced a ceasefire, Israel has continued attacking Lebanon, which could prove a sticking point in negotiations. A Lebanese civil defense worker stands near a destroyed building following Israeli strikes (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All right reserved)“As long as this regime exists, they’ll be a threat,” he said. “We are safer today because Iran is significantly weakened. But the government is still in place and that means they’ll threaten us in the long term.”White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Independent: “The United States Military has met or exceeded all of our objectives for Operation Epic Fury. Iran’s ballistic missiles are destroyed, their production facilities are demolished, their navy is underwater, their proxies are weakened, and their dreams of possessing a nuclear weapon are gone. Now, the administration is engaging in diplomatic discussions because the President was able to exert maximum leverage over the Iranian regime, and he is optimistic that this will lead to long-term peace in the region.”The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment.If this weekend’s negotiations, being held in Pakistan, fall through, both sides appear willing to resume the conflict. On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said “our hands remain upon the trigger.” Hegseth said the U.S. military “stand[s] ready in the background.”Multiple polls in recent weeks indicate that the majority of Americans are opposed to the war.