Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told Newsmax on Monday that the U.S. is pursuing a strategy of pressuring Iran without a clear plan for achieving victory, warning that the conflict is likely to continue unless Washington defines an endgame.
Volker told Newsmax's "American Agenda" that military force and diplomacy must be tied to a broader strategy aimed at ending the Iranian regime's ability to remain in power.
"We do not seem to have a strategy for winning here," Volker said. "We have a strategy for inflicting pain, hoping that Iran is somehow going to buckle and give up control of the Strait of Hormuz, give up nuclear weapons, and so forth."
Volker argued that Tehran has repeatedly demonstrated it will not voluntarily abandon its core objectives.
"We know from experience that the Iranian regime is not going to do that," he said. "They're going to continue all of their nefarious pursuits, including threatening the state of Israel, including supporting Hezbollah, including trying to build a nuclear weapon."
He added that Iran has a history of negotiating in bad faith.
"If they ever go into a negotiation and say they're not going to, they typically are lying. They go ahead and do it anyway, and we've seen this time and again," Volker said.
Former Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie, appearing with Volker, likewise argued America should intensify its campaign rather than settle for the current approach.
"If we stop, we'll be right back here in another year dealing with this dead-end regime," Wilkie said, adding that taking control of islands in the Strait of Hormuz should be part of the mission.
He said securing those islands had long been a key objective for U.S. military planners.
Volker acknowledged President Donald Trump's reluctance to launch an all-out war but said delaying a decisive strategy risks prolonging the conflict.
"I understand that President Trump doesn't want to go into an all-out war, especially right before the midterm elections," Volker said. "But, as Robert said, we're going to face this problem for a long time unless we decide to end it now."
He said diplomacy can succeed only after the U.S. establishes clear objectives.
"Then you can go to allies and say, 'Here's what we're going to do. We want your support. We want your political support. We want votes at the U.N. We want you to put pressure on the Iranian regime. We want sanctions, things like that,'" Volker said.
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