The Trump administration's military strategy in Iran is designed to support an internal revolution rather than launch a large-scale invasion, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said Sunday on Newsmax, reacting to the news that two U.S. service members were killed in Iranian attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan this weekend.
The recent escalation, including the eighth consecutive night of U.S. strikes, reflects a deliberate effort to weaken Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while avoiding the type of occupation seen in past conflicts, Holt told Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
"So that timing, [host] Bill [Spadea], from MOU [memorandum of understanding] to right now has worked for us in terms of getting what's going to be the Iranian revolution prepped and ready to go," Holt said. "And that's what's going to happen."
Holt said the United States is pursuing a different military strategy than in previous wars in the Middle East.
"We're not going to go into an all-out shock-and-awe vaporization campaign and hijack a revolution," he said. "We're going to aid and abet one."
The comments came after Iran launched missile and drone attacks that killed two U.S. service members in Jordan and left another missing, prompting another round of U.S. strikes targeting Iranian military assets.
Holt said the United States has intensified pressure on the IRGC while working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and maintain freedom of navigation.
"Last night was – we really upped the cost in position to the IRGC, especially in Tehran," he said. "And we're going to continue to do those things."
While acknowledging the dangers facing U.S. forces, Holt said the campaign has avoided the large-scale troop deployments that characterized previous conflicts.
"We grieve the losses that we have," he said. "Thank God we haven't had anything really horrific happen. But this is war. War is dangerous."
He added that the United States is not pursuing another prolonged ground occupation.
"There's not 130,000 of our forces on the ground going for an occupation like we saw the last time," Holt said. "So things are going very well, but it's not going to be without danger or risk."
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