Former Defense Secretary Panetta warns US-Iran war could remain deadlocked for six more months

The war between the United States and Iran could continue for at least six more months, former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned, raising the prospect of another long Middle East conflict like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Panetta said the two countries had effectively reached a deadlock. “It is clear that the United States and Iran are in a terrible stalemate, with almost no options for ending the war,” he said, according to The Guardian on the 6th local time. “I believe this war is likely to continue for at least another six months without being resolved.”

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It is clear that the United States and Iran are in a terrible stalemate, with almost no options for ending the war.

Panetta served as defense secretary from 2011 to 2013 and previously led the Central Intelligence Agency. His assessment presented the conflict as a war with no clear path toward an end.

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I believe this war is likely to continue for at least another six months without being resolved.

He also pointed to what he called recent confusion inside the US Defense Department. “The US military is going to war at a time when there is tremendous confusion in the Defense Department and the chain of command, creating the impression that no one is in charge,” Panetta said. He argued that this could make the United States appear weak to adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

The US Defense Department rejected the claim that its organization was in confusion.

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The US military is going to war at a time when there is tremendous confusion in the Defense Department and the chain of command, creating the impression that no one is in charge.