LONDON, September 6. /TASS/. The armed conflict between the United States and Iran may continue for six months more, former Pentagon chief (2011-2013) and former CIA director (2009-2011) Leon Panetta said.
"I think the likelihood is this war is going to continue for another six months without being resolved," he said in an interview with The Guardian.
"It’s no mystery that the United States and Iran are caught in a terrible stalemate, in which there really are very few options available to bring this war to an end," he said, adding that the Trump administration is risking to be dragged into a protracted war in the Middle East.
According to Panetta, the conflict seems to be on course to become "another failed war" in the Middle East "like Iraq and Afghanistan." The United States’ adversaries "see weakness in terms of our ability to be able to really implement our military capability of defending our country," he noted.
US President Donald Trump, in his words has "boxed himself in" and now has three options: to "admit that it’s a failed war" and walk away, which he thinks to be highly improbable; to continue exchanging strikes, with both sides attempting to "avoid the startup of a more dangerous war" but refusing to negotiate or surrender, which he believes will lead to a protracted war; and to finally take control of the Strait of Hormuz and this way strip Iran of its "most dangerous leverage point" over the US.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding envisaging an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, the United States resumed large-scale attacks on Iran overnight to July 8, having accused it of breaching the existing agreements in what concerned the Strait of Hormuz, a global chokepoint for approximately 25% of oil and some 20% of LNG supplies.
The Trump administration recently signaled an end to any large-scale use of force against Iran and a transition to putting economic pressure on the Islamic Republic through sanctions instead.