Doubtful Iran Can Threaten Its Neighbors Again: General Charles Wald (ret.) | NewsNation

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Uh, retired General Charles Wald is with us, a former deputy commander of US European Command, an F-16 fighter pilot.

[00:00:07]Great to have you on the program at at this pivotal moment. Thank you for being here.

[00:00:12]>> Thanks, Lord. Good to be here.

[00:00:13]>> Okay, so let's talk about it. What happens if Iranian officials don't meet directly with Steve Witoff and Jared Kushner this weekend? That's, you know, the narrative right now. Maybe it could change. Uh, what do you think?

[00:00:25]Well, you know, I think you have to step back a little bit and and look at where we how we got here and what the reason we got here is. I mean, if you look at uh June of last year when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, it was with the intention of taking away the Iranian capability to threaten both Israel and the neighbors in the region. That has not changed. Uh now we have three aircraft carriers in the region as you pointed out. uh 12 thou 15,000 Marines. Uh we've got a great force in the region. I think it's important for the United States and uh any of our allies that are going to join us uh to make sure that Iran cannot threaten its neighbors in the future.

[00:01:07]Obviously, the Straits of Hormuz opening, that will happen. But I think the big mistake would be to leave Iran with the capability to threaten its neighbors and I don't think that's going to happen.

[00:01:18]>> Yeah. Let's also take a listen to Secretary of War Pete Hegath who spoke yesterday on the military efforts going on. Let's take a listen.

[00:01:26]>> Not only is the blockade growing, in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days, but this growing blockade is also gone global. To the regime in Thrron, the blockade is tightening by the hour. We are in control. Nothing in, nothing out.

[00:01:48]Iran's battered military, the IRGC specifically, has been reduced to a gang of pirates with a flag.

[00:01:57]>> So, you've got the experience to walk us through this. You know, we're seeing the three US military aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East. It's significant, and this is for the first time in decades, we should note. So, what kind of operation do you think the military is preparing for if a deal isn't reached? Obviously, we always want to be on the ready, but we're taking a look at what we've got in that region.

[00:02:19]Uh, walk us through what you're seeing.

[00:02:22]Well, I'm not there, but if I were Admiral Brad Cooper, who's in charge of the the military in the Middle East there for the United States, I would be prepared to go after additional Iranian military capability, whether that be command and control, which would be the leadership as as well, or anything that can threaten the neighbors as I mentioned, and start taking out capability along the uh the uh coastline in the Persian Gulf. Uh I I after June of last year, I proposed that we stayed in the region uh in uh attack the Iranian capability to develop missile capability, air defense capability and threaten people in the straits of Hormuz. I think we should stay there until that threat is defeated and um put Iran back as far as we can so we don't have to come back and do this soon.

[00:03:12]>> Right. Uh, you know, Israel and Lebanon have also agreed to extend their ceasefire by 3 weeks, giving us that timeline. U, but you've got to wonder what it's going to take to achieve a lasting truce at this point with so much back and forth that's been going on.

[00:03:29]>> Well, you know, with excuse me, when you look at Hezbollah and other proxies in the region, Hamas is pretty much decimated.

[00:03:38]I don't blame the Israelis one bit for going after Hezbollah. They used to have about 150,000 missiles pointed at Israel and were threatening to use them. Hezbah has been defeated and they're going to continue to be defeated. I think the Iranian capability is going to be defeated and their threat is going to be decimated. Right now, the Iranian leadership is in such disarray, it's unbelievable. So, I think we need to finish it off so we don't have to come back soon and do it again.

[00:04:08]You know, at this point too, Reuters is reporting that the Pentagon is considering punishing allies who they say failed to support the US in Iran, including possibly suspending Spain from NATO. I mean, is something like that possible? And if we are looking at something like that, what are the consequences?

[00:04:28]>> Well, I don't think anybody's going to be suspended from NATO. I think NATO's, as we've all pointed out before, the most important alliance in the history of the of the world. But >> again, I'm a little disappointed that some of our NATO allies haven't stepped up here. They are the recipients of uh a great capability by the United States and Israel and what they've done with Iran and threatening in the Middle East and and they need to step up and be partners on this. So, uh I don't think anybody's going to be leaving NATO, but I do think they need to face the facts that they're part of a team.

[00:05:00]>> Okay. Very good. Retired General Charles Wald, we want to thank you very much for joining us today. Really appreciate your perspective.

[00:05:06]>> Thanks, Laura.