What Would a U.S. Win in Iran Look Like? We Asked Over Two Dozen Members of Congress

TIME interviewed more than two dozen members of Congress this week about what victory would look like in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran launched last month. Senator Lindsey Graham defined victory as stripping Iran of nuclear and missile capabilities and ending its role as the largest state sponsor of terrorism, while Senator Tammy Duckworth said she has "no idea" what winning would look like and questioned why the U.S. is at war with Iran at all. Republicans largely framed success in military and strategic terms—though disagreeing on whether that means eliminating Iran's nuclear program, crippling its military projection, or achieving regime change—while most Democrats argued the Trump administration has failed to articulate clear objectives or seek Congressional authorization. The partisan split revealed a fundamental problem: Congress lacks a shared definition of victory for a conflict already costing tens of billions of dollars and destabilizing energy markets. Even lawmakers briefed by the White House expressed doubt about how the war is supposed to end, with Senator Chris Van Hollen telling TIME the administration "has no end game."