In the second day of their war, America and Israel continue to inflict much more damage on Iran than they are taking. But the Trump administration—whose leaders once criticised endless conflicts in the Middle East—has not articulated a realistic goal in this one, or how to achieve it. Donald Trump has told ordinary Iranians to seize power, but the strikes so far are nothing like what would be needed to cripple the Islamic Republic’s repressive apparatus and free its people.

On the seas, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claims that it has shut the Strait of Hormuz to traffic, while Mr Trump says America has sunk nine Iranian ships and “largely destroyed” Iran’s naval headquarters. This matters for the significant volumes of Gulf countries’ oil that move through the strait. Read our analysis of the uncertainty ahead.