War is not necessarily a win-lose situation; it can also be a lose-lose or a win-win scenario. Whether Iran fails does not prove whether the United Staes succeeds.
You can talk about what the United States has gained and lost from this war. Only in this way can we correctly determine whether the United States has won.
Very good point, war can also be win win or lose lose. Doesn't have to be one single outcome.
Also - We need to compare what US's stated objectives were with what they have achieved so far. It was supposed to be regime change, it didn't happen.
Even if we consider US's true objective was to weaken Iran to the point it is no longer is a threat to Israel - that is also something US failed to achieve. In fact, Iran is now more dangerous than ever. They are still launching missiles and in fact unveiling new weapon systems after surviving tremendous US Israeli bombing campaign. They are definitely going to pursue nuclear weapon with the amount of HEU they have in their possession.
In fact, faced with existential threat, they could lash out by triggering a dirty bomb somewhere in Israel, if they are unable to achieve the capability to build a nuclear warhead.
And finally - Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz and holds the global economy hostage.
So anyone claiming that US won, is just blinded by patriotism.
Given the disparity in military strength, surviving the onslaught of the mighty US military for more than one month is nothing short of a victory for Iran. They were always going to get hammered by US. The question was whether they would survive or not. And they did.
I am surprised people with military experience can't seem to comprehend this simple thing.
