On Newsmax's "America Right Now," former IDF Special Operations Commander Doron Kempel and retired U.S. Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt offered sharply different assessments of the U.S. campaign against Iran, Kempel arguing the "tactical aim has been achieved," while Kimmitt cautioned that "military campaign goals have not translated into the achievement of the strategic goals."
Kempel said the conflict has already delivered key battlefield results, describing "eradicating the Iranian military and postponing the cancer that Iran is by about five years" as evidence that "there was a tactical aim for this war, it has been achieved."
He suggested the current diplomatic push reflects a shift after those gains, saying President Donald Trump "is giving negotiations a chance" while maintaining leverage.
"The U.S. has the cards," Kempel added, warning that if talks fail, "there will be ground forces the Straits of Hormuz will be conquered, [and] the regime itself will be eradicated." He framed the moment as "an opportunity for the Iranians to reach a deal, assuming that the Iranian regime wants to survive."
Kimmitt, however, pushed back on both the definition of success and the direction of policy. "Neither regime change nor opening the Strait of Hormuz were the United States objectives," he said, emphasizing that the original goals were "to end the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, the regional proxies."
He argued Iran has "successfully diverted the U.S. from some of its original war goals" toward a narrower focus on the Strait, adding, "I don’t believe we’re negotiating for the right thing."
Kimmitt also dismissed the likelihood of a ground invasion, stating, "I don’t believe we’re going to put ground troops inside of Iran to take the Strait of Hormuz."
While acknowledging "a very successful operation" and calling it "a brilliant military campaign," Kimmitt stressed the disconnect between battlefield gains and long-term outcomes: "Those military campaign goals have not translated into the achievement of the strategic goals."
Looking ahead, he urged patience in negotiations, noting, "The Iranians typically deny, they deflect, they delay, nothing will be accomplished in Islamabad," and advising against rushing back into conflict. "We’re going to get much better results if we take the long view rather than the short view," he said.
Still, Kimmitt warned against half measures, arguing that if conflict resumes, the U.S. must "actually finish the job" and avoid cyclical engagements akin to "mowing the grass."
The exchange underscored a central tension in U.S. policy: whether recent military gains represent a decisive turning point, or a tactical success that has yet to achieve its broader strategic aims.
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