Retired Gen. Wesley Clark said Monday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" that President Donald Trump could ultimately decide to send U.S. troops into Iran — not for an invasion, but to help secure American shipping and naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander, said the decision will depend entirely on how Trump assesses the developing situation in the strategic Persian Gulf waterway.
"It depends on how the president views this," he said. "Obviously, he's the commander in chief."
Clark noted that U.S. forces are already moving toward the region as Washington prepares options to counter threats against ships traveling through the Persian Gulf.
"We've got the 31st MEU en route that's going to take another 10 to 12 days to get there, maybe a little bit longer after they're there to get ready," he said.
But Clark warned that a single Marine expeditionary unit may not be enough if Iranian forces are heavily fortified along the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz and on nearby islands.
Clark, the former NATO supreme allied commander, said the decision will depend entirely on how Trump assesses the developing situation in the strategic Persian Gulf waterway.
"It depends on how the president views this," he said. "Obviously, he's the commander in chief."
Clark noted that U.S. forces are already moving toward the region as Washington prepares options to counter threats against ships traveling through the Persian Gulf.
"We've got the 31st MEU en route that's going to take another 10 to 12 days to get there, maybe a little bit longer after they're there to get ready," he said.
But Clark warned that a single Marine expeditionary unit may not be enough if Iranian forces are heavily fortified along the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz and on nearby islands.
