Trump doesn’t want a war with Iran, Admiral William McRaven says
Retired U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven tells FOX Business he isn’t too concerned about the counter threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“The president doesn’t want to go to war in Iran and the Iranians, absolutely, don’t want to go to war with us,” he said during an interview on “Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast” Tuesday. “Both sides are being probably too provocative at this point in time.”
The Trump administration has said intelligence agencies indicate Iran plans to target U.S. forces in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.
McRaven, a former U.S. Special Operations Commander, notes that if the intelligence report is credible, which he assumes it is, America’s naval forces are well equipped to deal with the perceived threats from Iraq's neighbor, Iran.
“The U.S. Navy knows how deal with potential fast-attack boats or threats from Iran,” he said.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the “prudent steps” of sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East two weeks early as well as four B-52 bombers have deterred Iran.
“We’ve put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans,” Shanahan said outside the Pentagon. “That’s what’s extremely important,” he added.
Shanahan, along with the Secretary of State, MIke Pompeo, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday for a classified briefing in hopes to convince skeptical lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the threat from Iran.
When asked by Fox News how confident he was on convincing them, Shanahan said he would give lawmakers “credible information.”
“We’ll see how that works out today, I’m confident it will,” he replied.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
McRaven agrees with the Acting Secretary of Defense's biggest worry in the U.S.-Iran standoff, namely the potential for miscalculations by either side. The four star admiral and decorated Navy SEAL also said he is confident President Trump is receiving the best information from his National Security Advisor John Bolton and other sources.
“I do have a lot of confidence in the president’s people,” he said. “I have confidence that the president will reach out to his advisors in a way that is thoughtful,” McRaven said.