Trump faces split among retired US commanders over whether to resume Iran strikes

President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is connected "massive beingness support," arsenic retired U.S. commanders and nationalist information experts are progressively divided whether Washington should resume subject operations against Tehran oregon debar what critics pass could go different prolonged Middle East conflict.

"I would accidental the ceasefire is connected monolithic beingness support," Trump told reporters Monday. "Where the doc walks successful and says, ‘Sir, your loved 1 has astir a 1% accidental of living.’"

Trump besides dismissed Iran’s latest effect to a projected statement arsenic "a portion of garbage," amid reports the White House is reviewing subject options should negotiations collapse.

Retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, erstwhile nationalist information advisor nether Trump, said helium believes Iran’s enactment is improbable to marque the concessions Trump considers indispensable for a deal.

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President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is connected "massive beingness support," arsenic retired U.S. commanders and nationalist information experts are progressively divided whether Washington should resume subject operations.  (Atta KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

"I deliberation the Iranian enactment and IRGC are unwilling to marque the benignant of concessions that President Trump thinks are astatine the minimum," McMaster told Fox News Digital, referring to Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

"President Trump ever wants a deal," helium added. "But he's not going to motion up for a atrocious deal."

The emerging statement present centers connected a halfway question facing Washington: whether further subject unit could unit Iran to wantonness its atomic and rocket ambitions, oregon whether renewed strikes would deepen a determination struggle without producing decisive results.

Retired Vice Adm. Mark Fox, erstwhile lawman commandant of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said helium believes the existent ceasefire and diplomatic way are improbable to unit Iran to backmost down.

"I truly cannot envision thing different than a afloat instrumentality to combat operations," Fox told Fox News Digital. "The lone happening that they volition respond to, I deliberation ultimately, is force."

Fox argued the U.S. subject remains susceptible of reopening and securing commercialized shipping done the Strait of Hormuz contempt ongoing Iranian threats against vessels transiting the waterway.

HORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE

Supporters of renewed subject enactment reason Iran is weaker than it has been successful decades and that stopping present risks allowing Tehran to regroup, rebuild its rocket arsenal and sphere leverage implicit 1 of the world’s astir important vigor choke points. (AP Photo)

"This is simply a militarily obtainable objective," helium said, outlining a strategy involving guided rocket destroyers, onslaught helicopters, drones and expanded aerial surveillance to make a protected maritime corridor done the Strait.

Fox acknowledged the U.S. Navy is smaller than it was during the 1980s tanker wars, but argued American forces inactive person the capableness to unafraid the chokepoint if Washington commits capable naval assets and persistent monitoring operations.

"It’s not easy," Fox said. "But the geography is fixed."

He described a imaginable strategy that would trust connected destroyers, drones and onslaught craft to make what helium called an "unblinking eye" implicit the strait, allowing U.S. forces to place and neutralize Iranian speedboats, drones and anti-shipping threats earlier they tin onslaught commercialized vessels.

Fox besides warned against allowing Iran to sphere leverage implicit Hormuz portion continuing to beforehand its rocket and atomic programs.

"If not now, when?" helium said. "If they had a atomic weapon, they would usage it."

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But not everyone agrees that renewed subject enactment would nutrient a amended outcome. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Fox, who besides signed onto a caller argumentation insubstantial by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, echoed the report’s statement that Iran is utilizing negotiations to bargain clip portion preserving its subject capabilities.

The insubstantial was authored by respective retired elder U.S. subject officials and nationalist information experts, including retired Gen. Chuck Wald, erstwhile lawman commandant of U.S. European Command and retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, erstwhile lawman commandant of CENTCOM, argued the existent ceasefire and diplomatic way "cannot reliably compel Iran" to conscionable U.S. demands and warned Tehran was seeking to "drag retired talks, erode U.S. resolve, and usage the clip to fortify itself."

The study called for expanded subject operations targeting Iran’s maritime capabilities, rocket infrastructure and interior coercive apparatus portion avoiding wide attacks connected civilian infrastructure that could trigger wider determination escalation.

But not everyone agrees that renewed subject enactment would nutrient a amended outcome.

Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, a elder chap astatine Defense Priorities and longtime professional of expanded U.S. subject interventions, warned that calls to "finish the job" disregard the realities exposed during the caller fighting.

"To ‘finish the job,’ arsenic they say, is irrational," Davis told Fox News Digital. "It’s illogical, and it violates immoderate benignant of subject principle."

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A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command shows fume and particulate rising aft an detonation astatine an chartless determination during the cognition dubbed Epic Fury, an onslaught by the United States and Israel connected Iran, released Feb. 28, 2026. (CENTCOM/Reuters)

Davis argued that contempt thousands of strikes and weeks of fighting, Iran retained important rocket and maritime capabilities.

"We couldn't sound them retired with 14,000 targets hit," helium said. "Why does anybody deliberation that going backmost different clip is going to person a antithetic result?"

He described Iran’s geography, dispersed rocket infrastructure and asymmetric naval tactics arsenic creating what helium called "a militarily unsolvable problem."

"The lone happening near is simply a diplomatic outcome," Davis said.

The disagreement reflects a broader disagreement emerging successful Washington arsenic officials measurement what comes adjacent if negotiations fail.

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Supporters of renewed subject enactment reason Iran is weaker than it has been successful decades and that stopping present risks allowing Tehran to regroup, rebuild its rocket arsenal and sphere leverage implicit 1 of the world’s astir important vigor choke points.

Critics antagonistic that adjacent extended U.S. and Israeli strikes failed to fundamentally interruption the regime’s power oregon destruct its subject capabilities, raising the hazard that further escalation could resistance the United States into different drawn-out determination struggle with uncertain results.