Iran still wants a nuclear device and may want one even more now as a deterrent against further conflict, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus told Newsmax on Tuesday, warning that the United States must match Tehran's brinkmanship and be prepared to return to fighting if negotiations fail.
Petraeus, a former CIA director and former U.S. Central Command commander, made the comments on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" hours before President Donald Trump announced he was extending the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire indefinitely until Tehran submits a peace proposal.
Trump said on Truth Social that he was acting at Pakistan's request and cited Iran's "seriously fractured" government, while directing the U.S. military to continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Asked what he would do if he were president, Petraeus described the standoff as "a bit of a test of wills" and pointed to visible splits in the Iranian government.
He noted that Iran's foreign minister recently said the Strait of Hormuz was open to traffic, only for the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to countermand that statement, declaring it closed.
"We know that they're very good at brinksmanship, and I think that we're going to have to show that we are good at brinksmanship as well," Petraeus said. Both sides want a negotiated end, he added, but Washington should avoid appearing "too eager."
Iran's conventional forces have been heavily degraded, Petraeus said, with its missile stocks, drones, naval assets, and remaining airpower largely destroyed, alongside damage to infrastructure used to manufacture and assemble missiles.
But he cautioned that the Gulf side of the conflict is not invulnerable, citing damage to Qatari liquefied natural gas production. Iranian strikes knocked out roughly 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity, with repairs expected to take three to five years.
Two issues are nonnegotiable, Petraeus said: The Strait of Hormuz must return to its prior status as international waters open to all shipping, and not be treated "as if it's their own Panama Canal."
And Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% must be dealt with, ideally through removal or dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.
Petraeus put the stockpile at roughly 1,000 pounds, describing it as "one turn of the process below weapons grade." IAEA figures reported before the June 2025 strikes placed the stockpile at 440.9 kilograms, or about 972 pounds, at sites including the heavily damaged Esfahan complex.
He said Iran's intent to weaponize uranium was confirmed when Israel seized its nuclear research archive from a Tehran warehouse and exposed what he called years of lies about its program. The current stockpile, he argued, goes far beyond any civilian need for medical isotopes or power generation.
"Well, the fact is they want to have a nuclear device," he said.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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