For decades, Iran defined victory in expansive terms: exporting revolution, rolling back U.S. power, and ultimately eliminating Israel. Today, under sustained military pressure, its leaders are advancing a far narrower claim. Survival itself—withstanding strikes, avoiding surrender, remaining intact—is increasingly presented as victory. This is more than mere wartime rhetoric. It marks a shift in how the regime understands power, success, and its own purpose. A state that once sought to remake