Leon Panetta, the former US defense secretary and former CIA director, has issued a stark warning about the war between the United States and Iran, saying it could turn into another failed conflict for Washington, much like Afghanistan, and could keep dragging on for another six months.
Both sides stuck in a dangerous deadlock
In an interview with The Guardian, Panetta said the situation between the United States and Iran has become extremely difficult, with strikes and counterstrikes continuing from both sides. He said neither side appears to have a clear or easy way to bring the war to an end. If the current situation continues, he warned, the conflict could turn into another long, exhausting and ultimately unsuccessful war, just like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Three paths left for the United States
According to Panetta, the United States now effectively has only three options going forward.
- The first option is for the US to end the war outright and accept that the military campaign did not fully achieve its objectives.
- The second option is to let the current cycle of strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States continue without any decisive outcome.
- The third and biggest step would be for the US to seize direct control of the Strait of Hormuz, so that Iran cannot block this critically important maritime trade route.
Concerns over friction inside the Pentagon
The former defense secretary also raised concerns about rising tension inside the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon. He said that if visible disagreements emerge within America's military leadership, adversaries of the United States could take advantage of the situation. According to Panetta, any sign of disunity at the top would signal to rival nations that Washington's strategy is faltering.
Fear of getting stuck in another long Middle East war
Panetta said that if the current deadlock persists, the United States could once again find itself trapped in a long and complicated war in the Middle East, something American leadership has long tried to avoid. His comments were a clear reference to wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts that dragged on for years without delivering any concrete outcome for the United States.
Pentagon rejects the claims
The Pentagon, however, has completely rejected Panetta's claims. The Department of Defense said that under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the department is functioning fully and smoothly, and that there is no disorder or internal conflict of the kind being described.
