If the president ends the conflict soon, if gas prices drop, if no U.S. troops are sent to Iran and if the Iranian people rise up and reclaim their country, the war will have been worth it, many attendees interviewed at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference said.

That’s a lot of ifs. It’s also the best-case scenario for a war that just entered its fifth week, they said. But they acknowledged that the conflict has caused pain at home. And they are uncertain about what might unfold.