Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt warned Saturday that any potential U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear-linked power infrastructure could provoke retaliation and destabilize critical systems across the Gulf region, as another former senior official said pressure on Tehran's leadership is likely to intensify.
Speaking on Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda," Kimmitt reacted to reports that President Donald Trump is weighing options that could include targeting Iran's electrical grid and power plants tied to its nuclear program.
While acknowledging the possible military logic, Kimmitt questioned the broader consequences.
"One has to wonder the wisdom of that," Kimmitt said, adding that Iran would likely respond quickly. "The first thing that Iran will do is reciprocate."
He cautioned that U.S. partners in the Gulf could face heightened risks, noting their reliance on vulnerable infrastructure such as water desalination systems.
"The Gulf countries in particular are far more dependent on their infrastructure," he said. "So I would certainly hope that there are other ways to skin this cat without going into scorched Earth warfare."
Kimmitt also pointed to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and suggested NATO could play a larger role in safeguarding shipping lanes.
"NATO has far better capability than the United States to reopen the Strait," he said, adding the alliance's involvement could lower the risk of escalation because of its non-belligerent posture.
"Iran would have to think twice about whether they want to drag NATO into the war."
In the same program, former U.S. special envoy Marshall Billingslea described Iran's leadership as entrenched and willing to endure mounting pressure.
"I think they're trying to ride this out and they seem to — I mean, they're fanatics, right? So they seem to be prepared to go down with the ship," Billingslea said.
He added that internal consequences for Iranian officials involved in negotiations could be severe.
"I certainly think that the two interlocutors that we were dealing with, the speaker of their Parliament and the foreign minister, probably have a pretty short lease on life at this stage because they failed to deliver," he said.
Billingslea said U.S. strategy remains focused on weakening the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) grip on the population.
"The goal still remains the same, which is to continue to systematically erode the IRGC control over the civilian population by striking the IRGC and the leadership and the besieged elements," he said.
He indicated that pressure could escalate soon if diplomacy stalls.
"That hasn't eased up. In fact, I think the president is basically saying that's going to really intensify if, in 48 hours from now, we don't have a deal," Billingslea 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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