Washington, September 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The US military conflict with Iran could continue for another six months without a resolution and risk turning into another prolonged Middle East war, former US Defence Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta has warned.
In an interview with The Guardian published on Sunday, Panetta said Washington and Tehran appeared locked in a stalemate, with neither side seemingly prepared to negotiate, surrender or risk a wider confrontation.
“I think the likelihood is this war is going to continue for another six months without being resolved,” Panetta said.
He outlined three possible paths for US President Donald Trump. The first would be to halt the military campaign and accept that it had failed, which Panetta considered unlikely. The second would be to continue the current pattern of intermittent strikes while both sides seek to avoid a broader war. According to Panetta, that approach could prolong the conflict without producing a decisive outcome.
The third option, he said, would involve the US taking control of the Strait of Hormuz and eliminating Iran’s ability to disrupt traffic through the strategically vital waterway. Panetta argued that reopening the strait should be Washington’s primary objective if the administration wants to claim a clear military outcome.
Panetta also criticised Trump’s repeated claims that an agreement was close and that the Strait of Hormuz was open, saying such statements had undermined the President’s credibility and weakened the impact of subsequent US warnings.
US Vice President JD Vance earlier said he would not characterise the confrontation as a war. Asked whether it would end before the November midterm elections, Vance said he did not know and that the outcome depended on Iran.
Panetta also expressed concern over reported tensions within the Pentagon during an active military confrontation. His comments came after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned amid reports of disagreements with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over personnel decisions.
He warned that such tensions could create uncertainty among US troops and project weakness to adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. The Pentagon rejected the assessment, with spokesperson Sean Parnell saying the department was “firing on all cylinders” under Hegseth and dismissing claims of disarray as baseless.
Panetta further questioned whether US forces were receiving adequate support during unusually long deployments. He cited the USS Abraham Lincoln, which reached Thailand after more than 260 days without a port visit while supporting operations against Iran.
The latest developments followed US forces striking three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday. US Central Command said the operation came after Iranian ballistic missile attacks targeting an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.
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