Retired general: Iranians will be able to 'hang in there for a couple of years minimally' |
Retired general: Iranians will be able to ‘hang in there for a couple of years minimally’
The Iranian regime can withstand the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on the country for “a couple of years, minimally,” predicted retired Army Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks.
Speaking on MS Now, Marks said President Trump is facing a choice of maintaining the current U.S. bombing campaign on Iran, which he said is “very costly” and comes with political implications, or trying work out some type of diplomatic solution — the conflict can be declared finished, “or you escalate.”
“I don’t see the regime giving up. I don’t see the regime giving in,” Marks said. “It’s like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where it’s ‘tis but a scratch.’ You know, they’re getting their arms and legs cut off, but they’re going to hang in there. And I think they’re going to be able to hang in there for a couple of years, minimally.”
The war is now in its fourth week with no clear end in sight. Trump initially said the conflict would last four to five weeks, but the White House is now set to ask Congress for $200 billion in supplemental funding for its military campaign, sparking alarms that the U.S. is digging in for a longer war.
While Trump this week has suggested interest in a diplomatic path to end the war as he faces growing pressure of its economic impact, there are also signs of possible escalation.
Officials are reportedly weighing a mission to secure a safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz by using the military’s air and naval forces. The vital shipping waterway has effectively been closed by Iran since the Feb. 28 start of the war.
Further raising fears of a drawn-out conflict, U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week appear more willing to join the fight following persistent Iranian attacks on their countries, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“This Iranian regime and the United States, they measure themselves against two entirely different standards,” Marks said. “Iran has no domestic anything that they care about. They just want to survive. And then you look at the United States, they’ve got multiple constituencies that they have to take care of, both globally and domestically. And it becomes very, very difficult.”
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