This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Edmund Fitton Brown of the FD on the war aims of the United States in the Iran War and what must happen before the U.S. leaves the region.

What is necessary, even if it is not a war aim, about the Strait of Hormuz. Here, the U.S. has not clearly articulated its war aims.

I think we're all very clear on what the Israeli and Iranian war aims are, but it's not clear

what the U.S. war aims are. And, you know, some people have talked about regime change, others

have talked about progress on the nuclear or ballistic

missile files. In my view, now that the war has started, probably the US war aims are extensive,

but again, it does seem as if the president listens a lot to headlines, and he certainly

listens to the stock market and prices.

And so we now have, you know, the war aim of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Well, of course, that was not a war aim before the war started, because the Strait of Hormuz was not closed.

So you already have some element of, you know, creeping war aims or shifting war aims.

And so you get to this question of what is it that is really essential to achieve from this?

I think one thing that is essential is that you cannot, you cannot walk away from this conflict,

leaving the Iranians with established rights, as it were, not legal rights, but let's say, you know, ownership rights or practical rights of blackmail in the Strait of Hormuz.