Transcript: Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie on
The next is the transcript of an interview with retired Gen. Frank McKenzie that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on June 22, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to the previous commander of CENTCOM, which controls U.S. forces within the Center East, our CBS Information contributor, retired Normal Frank McKenzie. Welcome again to “Face the Nation,” basic and- and your former colleagues at CENTCOM extraordinarily busy over these previous few hours. From the operation as you’ve got heard it described, what are the questions that- that come to your thoughts about Midnight Hammer and having the ability to assess its success?
GENERAL FRANK MCKENZIE (RET.): So it seems to be prefer it was a profitable operation, from what we all know now, it’s going to take a short while to construct the battle injury evaluation, and that’ll come out right here within the next- within the days forward, and we’ll get a significantly better image. However I believe we have performed important injury, important, maybe irreversible injury, to the Iranian nuclear program. I believe proper now, although, at CENTCOM, all people is targeted on the subsequent step, and the subsequent step will likely be will there be an Iranian response? What’s going to that response appear to be? What can we do to defend our forces, our embassies, our residents within the area? And what choices can we give the president ought to we select to reply on account of an Iranian assault? So that they’re extraordinarily busy down there proper now, and- however one of many key issues they need to do is you need to make it very clear to Iran that we possess important fight energy within the theater and can be capable to use it in opposition to them ought to they assault us?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, that’s- that is the hope that they do not do one thing. Are you shocked that there was no retaliation prior to now few hours? And the place would you be wanting as an space of concern? There are a variety of People who’ve relations within the area.
GEN. MCKENZIE: Completely, Margaret. So for one factor, I believe Iranian determination making is a little bit crippled proper now due to the lack of senior leaders. And as you are properly conscious, the Iranians haven’t got good succession planning. Folks have a tendency to enter jobs and keep there for a protracted time period whereas they enrich themselves and their households. So cronyism is what- the way you get to the highest of their system, which is unhealthy information, if abruptly that individual is now not there, there is not any one able to step in, so the supreme chief in all probability has hassle speaking to folks and getting his orders adopted. Now to your query about the place they may strike, I believe we’re definitely susceptible in Iraq. I believe we’re definitely susceptible in Syria, and I am sure that Central Command has performed all of the issues we have to do to harden ourselves in opposition to these potential assaults. The identical for our different bases throughout the area. I do not know that it could be localized to the area although. Iran has lengthy harbored the need to assault us in america. They usually haven’t been efficient once they’ve performed that. We have caught them in a a few plots which can be very public, that you simply’re properly conscious of. So I believe all these issues are on the desk, however it could take the Iranians a short while to work via this course of, as a result of no person’s enthusiastic about going to a gathering in Iran proper now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, you are speaking about a few of the intelligence actions taken by the Mossad to convene a few of these leaders after which kill them all of sudden. Relating to what the secretary of state stated earlier on this program, I requested him particularly if the U.S. would take army motion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Iran tried to shut it. We all know that is being talked about, not less than within the public house, in Iran proper now. What would that operation appear to be? Rubio stated they are not precisely speaking about it on this second, however they’re frightened about the- the Iranians mining it.
GEN. MCKENZIE: The Iranians do have the aptitude to mine the Strait of Hormuz. We now have excellent plans to clear that if we needed to do it. We work on these plans on a regular basis. It might be a- it could be a blow to world commerce for a time period, however on the finish, the Strait could be cleared, and I am fairly assured the Iranian Navy would all be sunk on the finish of that operation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the CIA- the previous CIA director, Bob Gates, former secretary of protection, was on this program very not too long ago, and I requested him about bombing the Iranian nuclear program. He stated, when he had checked out it, he thought it could at finest delay Iran’s nuclear ambitions, not finish them. You’ve got checked out this downside set in nice element. Do you agree that army power shouldn’t be sufficient to finish this system?
GEN. MCKENZIE: Finally, you want a coverage determination from Iran to finish the nuclear program. So I believe the secretary’s proper in that- in that- in that place. Now, if- if you aren’t getting a coverage determination from Iran, you have to commit your self, maybe, to revisiting putting the nuclear program because the Iranians start to unfold out and- and- and proceed to pursue the nuclear choice. Here is the one factor, although, we’ve got fairly good information of what goes on in Iran, and that good information goes to proceed. So they are not doubtless to have the ability to do one thing in secret that may abruptly creep up on us. We- we- we are likely to preserve very shut observe of this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However it comes up time and again within the concern, as we had been speaking about with our lawmakers, this creeping in direction of a broader conflict, this creeping in direction of America getting drawn in to a conflict that Israel began to take out Iran’s nuclear program. I am not asking in regards to the intent of the state itself, however what’s the finish objective right here? How do you choose success? Have you ever even heard the Israeli authorities or the U.S. authorities say what success is?
GEN. MCKENZIE: Effectively, I believe we have been fairly clear that we do not need Iran to own a nuclear weapon. They’re near possessing a nuclear weapon. I heard all of the exchanges backwards and forwards with the- the opposite friends in your present this morning about how shut they may or may not have been, however I believe it is the one completely non-negotiable factor right here. And you may get that via an Iranian coverage determination to not pursue a nuclear weapon, or you may get that via removing of that functionality to such a degree that they cannot do it. The second case shouldn’t be the preferable case, clearly, however you- however there are methods to do that. The one factor I might add in regards to the strike that occurred right here over the previous couple of hours, it was rigorously crafted, narrowly designed in opposition to the nuclear program to offer Iran room to maneuver, diplomatic room to maneuver in the event that they need to search a approach out. So I believe it was very intelligent. Let’s have a look at what occurs. The principal objective of Iranian statecraft is right this moment, because it has all the time been, survival of the regime. Underneath sure of those eventualities, for those who go ahead and the conflict widens, I believe the survival of the Iranian state may be very a lot on the desk, and that is one thing they’ll need to keep away from, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However as you had been simply saying, there’s- there is not any clear succession plan that the U.S. knew of not less than not too long ago, they usually cannot come up with the boss. He is in a bunker. So how do you truly get a coverage determination after which can orders truly be given?
GEN. MCKENZIE: So it is a- it is a very troublesome time for Iran proper now. I- I acknowledge all of your factors, but- however the commanding stays alive, not less than so far as I do know. He stays alive. He is in all probability having hassle having conferences. He is in all probability having hassle getting his orders adopted, however he nonetheless asserts that he is in cost as of a few days in the past, and we, I do not assume we have made any effort to strike him, nor have the Israelis.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, properly, proper, and CBS had been reporting that President Trump suggested the Israelis to not take out the supreme chief. We’ll depart it there, and we’ll be proper again.
