‘That Is the Same Assumption They Made in Dealing with Putin’: Keane on Risk of Half Measures in Iran Crisis

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
BAIER: “General, as you look at this map and you see what the Centcom put out. How do you think this is all shaping up? I mean, 85 specific targets is a lot.”
Keane: “Yeah. There’s no doubt about it and the delivery of 125 precision munitions bringing our b-1 bomber all the way from the United States because it’s got precision bombs on it but got heavy-duty bombs. That’s a significant capability. I mean, we’re in a very early stages of this. I applaud the administration. This is going to go on for days and conduct a sustained air campaign. That’s the right thing to do. And let’s see what actually happens as a result of it. I do have some underlying concerns, certainly. The administration seems to be saying that they are not going to take out anything that is in Iran. It’s not so much that it’s the IRGC, so our audience understands. They fund, arm, train direct, and provide intelligence to all of these proxies in the Middle East. They are a key center gravity target. The reason you want to go to Iran is because that’s where they are. That’s where the capabilities are, and that’s where the units are and that’s where the leaders are. They certainly have some capability out in the region here but it’s limited. So those major targets, if you are going to take down the IRGC capabilities are in Iran. You don’t have to go after civilians to do it. A lot of it is on the coast to do it. There is navy there. There is a training center. And there is also leaders that we can deal with. My fundamental concern here is the administration expresses the view they don’t want to provoke Iran into a wider war. That is the same assumption they made in dealing with Putin and why we provided half measures in terms of no advanced weapons. We didn’t want to provoke Putin into using nuclear weapons, which he was brandishing. Two years into that, we know that assumption is flawed, it’s not factual. And I believe this is the same issue here.”