Retired generals told NewsNation that strategic airstrikes alone are unlikely to compel Iran to concede without U.S. ground forces or a broader strategy. The U.S. reported additional strikes on Iranian command centers, maritime assets and drone infrastructure, while President Trump warned of retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping. As of July, the conflict has left 18 U.S. service members dead and 482 injured. Separately, Houthi rebels claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
Retired Generals: U.S. Ground Troops — Not Airstrikes Alone — Could Push Iran To Negotiate
US troops on ground, fewer air attacks could lead to end of Iran war: Panel
As U.S. operations in the Middle East expand, retired Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt and retired Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson told NewsNation that strategic airpower alone is unlikely to force Iran to concede. Both urged a broader mix of diplomatic, economic and military pressure if the goal is to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Military Strikes and Strategic Assessment
The U.S. military said Thursday it carried out additional strikes targeting Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities and drone infrastructure. President Donald Trump has tied the campaign directly to attacks on commercial shipping, warning that strikes on Iranian infrastructure would be the response to any Iranian assault on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
'Anyone that believes in the strategic air power theory of getting an army to collapse, getting a country to collapse because of strategic air, I think is going to be quite disappointed,' Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told Elizabeth Vargas Reports. He noted that history offers few examples where air campaigns alone produced state collapse.
Administration officials have resisted deploying U.S. ground forces inside Iran. As of July, military officials have confirmed 18 U.S. service members killed and 482 wounded in the conflict.
A Broader Strategy
Kimmitt advocated combining economic pressure, diplomatic outreach and calibrated military actions rather than relying solely on air campaigns. 'I think the combination of economic pressure, diplomatic pressure, and military pressure, perhaps a little ramped up from what we're doing now, may be the quickest way to get the Iranians back to the negotiating table,' he said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson agreed, warning that repeated strikes by themselves are unlikely to change Tehran's behavior. 'They continue to attack ships. They continue to retaliate against our Gulf partners. And they remain intransigent,' Gibson said, adding that Iran's leadership may tolerate significant economic and military pain because they view the confrontation as existential.
Regional Spillover
The broader regional confrontation widened on Thursday when Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The Houthis identified the vessels as the Encelia and Layla and characterized the actions as part of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, according to the SABA news agency.
NewsNation correspondent Tatiana Carter contributed to this report.
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