Why can't the administration just admit "we had a chance to eliminate the upper echelon of the Iran including the supreme leader, and we took it"? It worked, and we all are better off. This changing of the reasons we attacked shows weakness, and leads to erosion of credibility, both at home and abroad. If leaders keep shifting the stated purpose of major military actions, it undermines trust in strategic decision-making. People start to wonder whether the real goals are being hidden or revised to avoid political backlash, legal constraints, or accountability.