Sky News military analyst Michael Clarke says the US and Iran appear to be pursuing very different outcomes in the conflict — and that Washington’s political endgame is still hard to pin down.

Clarke said it could take the US two to three weeks to dismantle Iran’s ability to project military power beyond its borders, but argued that Donald Trump’s wider objectives remain uncertain.

He suggested several possible aims are being discussed: punishing Iran, pushing for regime change, eliminating ballistic missile capabilities, or dismantling Iran’s military and nuclear capacity. The problem, Clarke said, is that some of those goals do not come with a clear political endpoint.

Clarke argued Iran’s strategy is different: to make the conflict costly and disruptive for as many actors as possible — putting pressure on Trump through public opinion, economic shock, East Asian energy markets, and nervous Gulf allies — until the US declares victory and steps back.

He added that Iranian leaders may frame the fight in existential and religious terms, portraying it as a struggle for survival and a moral battle against the United States.