"The match against Iran will go on for another six months"... Why the former U.S. defense chief saw Trump’s loss of credibility
Published on HivePostify by @yann03 · Mon Sep 07 2026
As signs emerge that a military clash between the United States and Iran may drag on for a long time, a former senior U.S. official has criticized the Trump administration’s Middle East policy, saying it has fallen into a severe crisis of credibility. Lion Panetta, who served as Secretary of Defense under the Obama administration, said that the two countries have fallen into a terrible deadlock with no solution, and that the war would continue for at least another six months.
Unable to declare victory or retreat... Trump’s dilemma, trapped on his own In an interview with the British daily The Guardian on the 6th (local time), former Minister Panetta said, “Both the United States and Iran have very few options left for an end to the war,” adding, “There is a high risk that this war will follow the path of another “failed war” that will drag on endlessly in the Middle East, like Iraq or Afghanistan.” Former Secretary Panetta pointed out that President Trump had driven him into a dead end from the very beginning of the war. The analysis is that Iran is caught in a dilemma: it may boldly expand the war to neutralize its influence over the Strait of Hormuz, but it also cannot simply withdraw without any achievements and claim a “victory.” He criticized, “President Trump must choose one of two things: either make a decision to actually open the Strait of Hormuz, or maintain a false front as if he were winning amid the deadlock,” adding, “By repeating false claims, the president himself has undermined his own credibility.”
>U.S. military leadership plunged into confusion… Concerns over exposure of vulnerabilities to China, Russia, and North Korea Criticism also continued over the internal chaos within the Trump administration and the instability of its command structure. Former Secretary Panetta said, “At present, the U.S. military is waging war in a state of extreme confusion between the Department of Defense and the command structure, as if there were no one in charge.” He identified, in particular, the greatest risk factor as the fact that these U.S. military weaknesses could send the wrong signals to major adversaries. He said, “Major adversaries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran have begun to conclude that they have fatal weaknesses to the United States’ actual military capability to take military action,” expressing concern over the impact of the deadlock in the Iran war on the overall global security landscape.
> The key to victory is the 'Gulf of Hormuz”… Amid pressure from allies, South Korea and others demand the deployment of resources Former Minister Panetta emphasized that for the United States to achieve a tangible victory in this war, it must make it clear that its top priority is the “resumption of the Strait of Hormuz” and focus its capabilities on that. Meanwhile, the U.S. government, under the pretext of securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, has begun strongly demanding substantial military and material contributions from its allies. The White House and the U.S. Department of Defense are urging major oil importers such as South Korea, as well as key allies, to deploy resources and troops into the Middle East. The diplomatic and military burden on allied countries from the prolonged Iran conflict is also expected to increase. Reporter Moon Kyung-geun
The war is dragging on through the end of the year, and the likelihood of the Republicans losing in the midterm elections is steadily increasing.
If it goes more than half and half, it might actually drag the war out even longer.
Realizing that war is suffering for everyone, To bring about a swift end, the Republicans must suffer a crushing defeat.
I trust the Americans’ choice.
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