Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark said Monday that the United States needs a three-pronged approach to keep Iran from delaying an agreement to end the war: applying diplomacy, continuing pressure, and removing Iran's leverage.
The comments came after President Donald Trump said he was delaying possible strikes on Iranian power plants for five days because of what U.S. officials described as productive talks with Tehran, a claim Iran quickly rejected.
Clark told “Wake Up America” that Iran's denials do not necessarily mean contacts are not taking place behind the scenes and said, "I think the United States has to do three things simultaneously."
The first is "to continue diplomatic dialogue, because if you can talk the Iranians out of resistance, you can save a lot of lives and get the strait open sooner," he said.
The U.S. also has to "continue the air campaign to keep the pressure on and continue to generate deeper targets, better targets in the Strait of Hormuz."
Clark added that the third piece would be preparing to seize key terrain if necessary, saying the U.S. may have to move against "the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian coastline, down to Kharg Island to take away all bargaining leverage that the Iranian regime might have and end the global economic pressure that's coming because of the Iranian closure of the Straits."
He said Iran's public posture fits that strategy.
"So in that context, it's very normal to expect that Iran would deny that there are any talks there," Clark said. "They're attacking President Trump. They want to undercut his legitimacy, his authority.
"They want to continue to befuddle the international situation."
Clark said some level of contact is probably taking place, but cautioned that it is too early to know whether it will produce results.
"There probably are talks going. We don't know where these talks will go yet. It's a little early," he said.
His remarks came as the war pressed deeper into its fourth week, with Iran launching more missiles and drones and the U.S., Israel and regional allies continuing strikes on Iranian military and strategic targets.
Iran has denied Trump's claims of diplomatic progress even as regional powers including Pakistan, Oman, and Egypt have explored ways to facilitate talks.
The fighting has also kept the Strait of Hormuz at the center of the crisis, with the waterway's disruption helping push oil prices higher and raising fears of wider economic fallout.
Clark also warned that Iran still retains military capacity despite weeks of strikes.
"It still has effective command and control, so that hasn't been shattered," he said, adding that Iran's system is decentralized and that "they also have residual abilities to strike back."
He said that means the conflict could still worsen if diplomacy fails.
"This is a military task that's going to take tens of thousands of Marines and soldiers on the ground, not only in the islands, but on the Iranian coastline, to really clear the Gulf," Clark said.
"It'll be a ground fight," he said, though he added that such an escalation is not necessarily imminent and that the U.S. should still try to end the conflict "sooner with minimum loss of life."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.