Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey, a distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute, joined NTD to discuss the U.S. military’s progress in the war in Iran, and the economic and political effects of Iran maintaining long-range missiles and drones, which resulted in the Strait of Hormuz and the air routes through and over the Persian Gulf being largely shut down.
Jeffrey says this is inflicting real pain, and while the U.S. partners in the Gulf will go along with it, they will eventually want answers on how the war in Iran will end.
He also said it was unwise for Iran to strike out at everyone in the region, as it has greatly angered its neighbors, which is working to the benefit of the United States and Israel, as countries are forced to defend themselves against Iran’s attacks and coordinate with the United States.
Jeffrey also discussed the minority Kurdish forces, their disunity, and how many of them are members of an anti-Turkish organization called the PKK, which is on the U.S. terror list.
The PKK, Jeffrey says, does have some forces in northern Iraq and Iran.