Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said Saturday that Iran’s leadership is increasingly focused on internal unrest rather than external adversaries, as reports emerged that at least two U.S. guided-missile destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz in recent hours.
Speaking on Newsmax TV’s "Saturday Report," Holt dismissed Iranian state media claims that U.S. naval forces had turned back, characterizing them as propaganda aimed at a domestic audience.
“The Iranian regime, what’s left of it, is playing to its number one enemy, and that’s not the United States,” Holt said.
“It’s the 90 million people who want their freedom and they want their country.”
Holt argued that Tehran’s messaging reflects mounting pressure inside the country following what he described as a failed military posture.
He said the regime is attempting to maintain control amid growing instability and internal divisions.
“All of these machinations, these demands, these positions… they’re just trying to cobble together the regime, which is now turning in and on itself,” Holt said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes, has long been a flashpoint for tensions between Iran and the United States.
The reported movement of U.S. destroyers through the strait comes amid heightened regional uncertainty, though U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the purpose of the transit.
Holt suggested that the current situation marks a turning point for Iran’s leadership, arguing that the question is no longer whether the regime will change, but how and when.
“Where we’re at now is it’s not whether you’re leaving, it’s when you’re leaving and how you’re leaving power,” he said.
He also asserted that the United States and its allies could pursue additional measures if Iran does not agree to unspecified terms, including military action targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and efforts to encourage internal political change.
“If they don’t accept the terms, then we’re going to blast the straits open… [and] stoke a revolution that needs to happen anyway,” Holt said.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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