The aim of US President Donald Trump's strategy is not to defeat Iran outright, but to make it feel as if it is gaining something by accepting a deal, rather than capitulating under pressure. That means sacrificing the emotional payoff of crushing an adversary in exchange for a result that may prove more stable and enduring.
The Trump administration had to make it appear that Iran had not surrendered and that the US had not forced a surrender. Instead, both sides had to be publicly seen as shaping the outcome voluntarily.
It is diplomacy built on carefully constructed illusions.
In this framework, both parties can claim a form of victory. Tehran can portray the outcome as a compromise reached on its own terms. Trump can say he succeeded where previous administrations failed. Each side walks away with a version of events it can present to its public.
The strategy only works, however, if no side feels completely humiliated. If Iran is stripped of all dignity, it is more likely to resist until the end. If provided a dignified exit, the regime may accept it.
Perception engineering a ceasefire with Iran
“A forced outcome looks like a fist. An outcome that looks like agreement — that’s perception engineering.”
This is where Trump’s strategy reveals its depth. He understands that the most enduring victory is one the other side believes it chose. Not because it had no choice, but because it believed doing so served its interests. Achieving that outcome requires far more psychological insight than regime change alone.
The goal, then, is not to make Iran feel as though it lost everything, but to believe it selected the best option among limited ones. This is what could be called an invisible victory: the other side gives up more than it realizes—yet leaves the table believing it made a smart deal.
Trump appears willing to sacrifice symbols of absolute victory—American flags in Tehran, regime collapse, and televised surrender—in exchange for tangible behavioral change. In the end, that is what really matters.
The writer is a behavioral researcher in the digital age at Reichman University, Herzliya.