As the US war on Iran escalates, spreading conflict across the Middle East, Angela Diffley is pleased to welcome Scott Lucas, Journalist and Professor of American Studies & International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. The Trump administration entered this confrontation assuming that overwhelming pressure and military force would compel the Iranian regime to capitulate. Yet those expectations never materialized, explains Mr. Lucas. Iran has neither surrendered its nuclear and missile ambitions nor ceased retaliatory actions across the region. While Israel appears focused on regime change, the Trump administration might simply favour regime capitulation. Without a coherent plan for what follows either outcome, military escalation risks repeating patterns seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, where removing or weakening regimes create prolonged instability rather than sustainable political transformation.