The failure of peace talks with Iran means the U.S. will "go back to war," with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps being "the main target," retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Monday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Holt warned that the collapse of negotiations signals a return to military action, with a focus on dismantling Iran's power structure.
"We're going to go back to war ... the main target now will be the IRGC," Holt said.
"And we will start to carve up their leadership so that the, you know, whatever is governance now in Iran, what's left of it will then fall to revolutionaries."
Holt said the U.S. is likely to move swiftly to control the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane, through a naval blockade and military presence.
Such a move would effectively choke off Iran's ability to profit from oil exports while reshaping the broader conflict in America's favor.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer agreed that a blockade strategy would mirror prior U.S. actions against adversarial regimes, but on a larger scale.
He noted that U.S. naval assets, including destroyers and advanced mine-detection capabilities, are already positioned in the region, with Marines potentially deployed to secure key strategic points.
"The bottom line is, what's going to happen is going to choke off the Iranian economy, not the global economy," Shaffer said. "We want to reopen the global economy, clearly."
The warnings come after Vice President JD Vance confirmed Sunday that negotiations failed to produce an agreement, despite multiple rounds of talks.
Vance said the U.S. made its red lines clear, but Iran ultimately refused to accept the terms.
Former National Security Council chief of staff Fred Fleitz said diplomacy may not be entirely dead.
He argued that Iran's willingness to engage in talks, despite previously demanding strict preconditions, indicates that U.S. pressure has been effective.
"I think the door to diplomacy is still open — at least it's ajar," Fleitz said, crediting the administration's hard-line stance for shifting leverage toward Washington.
Still, Holt cautioned that time is running out to align U.S. strategy with key allies, particularly Israel, whose parallel military operations could complicate broader objectives.
He stressed that long-term goals, including expanding the Abraham Accords, require careful coordination.
With the ceasefire nearing its end and no deal in sight, the panel agreed that the coming weeks could prove decisive.
As Holt put it, the next phase will likely involve "a lot of bombs and a lot of airstrikes."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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