Lt. General Richard Newton, NewsNation | 4-13-26

You're listening to Mundo in the morning on 957 FM KCMO Talk Radio. In 30 minutes the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be closed down this time courtesy of the United States and not Iran. Lieutenant General Richard Newton is joining us here on KCMO Talk Radio. He is a news nation contributor. He spent time at Whiteman Air Force Base as well and he's been all over this story obviously for the past several weeks as now we get a new storyline this week after the talks with Iran broke down over the weekend there was no deal in Pakistan and now the president is saying when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz where all this oil is flowing through largely for the rest of the world we are set to control it. Lieutenant General thanks for being back on KCMO in Kansas City. Always appreciate your time. With 30 minutes until this blockade begins what are you thinking about right now and how this impacts the next phase of the war? Well good morning I believe it's a significant development but to put it in the context it's really coming out of the what I thought was a very thoughtful discussion perhaps with Vice President Vance and our team in Islamabad Pakistan with the Iranians certainly thoughtful on our part because we stuck to our red lines and those red lines were bought the bottom line that's most important is no nuclear weapons development from Iran from this point on as well as to open up the straight immediately and we stuck to our guns as I mentioned we did not give up any of our red lines and therefore Vice President Vance after 21 hours facing an Iranian negotiating team of as I understand almost 70 people decided to pick up and return back to Washington DC so there's the context now I believe strongly that the United States has always had in our toolkit with US Central Command an ability to block the straight you've got Emma Brad Cooper the commander of US Central Command had commanded the fifth fleet up in the Persian Gulf there is no combatant commander or naval leader that knows more about conducting a blockade up in the Strait of Formouz in around the Persian Gulf and Brad Cooper okay I got that off my chest but that's what we're facing right now and a blockade is not a trivial event this is going to be it's a large undertaking a large task it's going to take you know our curious strike group Abraham Lincoln with a dozen of destroyers and frigates out you know out in around the Strait and into the mouth of the North Arabian Sea there but inside the Persian Gulf and the Strait itself as you look to the west that'll take a half dozen of US warships as well as coalition support namely the Brits with their minesweeping capability as well as perhaps United Air Emirates the Emirati's Navy as well as the Saudi Arabian Navy so I just gave you a mouthful there yeah but it's a significant development and we are definitely entering in a secondary phase so here's here's and once again you have you're the expert on this but if we had the ability to basically control the Strait of Formouz why didn't we do this a couple of weeks ago and avoid a lot of the potential pain that Americans have experienced at the pump if we could have done this all along well I believe that we've been waiting for US military forces and capabilities to conduct the the blockade in and of itself namely the amphibious readiness group that's now in position from Japan is now in position aboard USS Triplay that's 2,500 Marines as well as a squadron of F-35 strike fighters and so forth we've been waiting for other ships to join in as I mentioned it's not a trivial event as well as with US Central Command first objective was to gain air dominance which we have achieved Iran has demonstrated that they've got a ability to fire off some of their their shoulder fired defensive systems and so forth and I think that's what perhaps took down that F-15 strike eagle several days or so ago but we're just getting out to the point where we have we're now ready in the next phase in the playbook if you will from US Central Command has now achieved maritime dominance there is a secondary amphibious readiness group on the way from the USS Boxer that'll be there in about five to seven days you've got the HW George Bush that's steaming out of Norfolk that's arriving in the middies probably in about five to seven days or so and so what the president is trying to do here is rather than have Iran and you're right they've set the conditions in the street was that unexpected no but are they using asymmetric warfare to kind of stymie the United States and and the global markets and so forth yes okay and he gets a vote here now how we react and how we flex to that new condition and then how we now set the conditions with regard to this maritime dominance that's what's being played out okay and you mentioned there could potentially uh the Brits help us out here a little bit how how surprised disappointed whatever word you want to use have you been Lieutenant General Richard Newton News Nation contributor spend time of course here in Missouri at Whiteman Air Force Base how surprised have you been by our supposed allies in Europe and their unwillingness to really be a part of this in any meaningful way so far okay the second word you use to keep the question disappointed I'm disappointed uh the fact is that you know NATO was established in 1949 and has been an extraordinary alliance and you know it still remains an extraordinary alliance but the back and forth between the Trump administration and perhaps NATO writ large uh has contributed to you know the NATO allies perhaps uh kind of dragging their feet but I don't think you're going to see that any longer or certain uh nations inside of NATO the Brits I think are going to step up and and support there's other nations we need but frankly I am I'm I'm a little bit surprised but I'm mostly disappointed because you know the United States also even under the Biden administration but certain Trump administration has lend a significant hand uh supporting Ukraine and its fight against what was the largest land invasion since World War II and Russia invaded back in 2022 that's also in defense of NATO as well uh and so uh I'm a glasses half full optimistic guy I'm disappointed but this point I think also perhaps we can maybe turn the corner because alliances are extraordinarily important I'm not discounting the need or the value proposition of us being aligned with NATO at all in fact we need to continue to lead and and then this mostly uncertain world we now facing 2026 alliances are good but we're also making sure I think this is where we can use leverage because of the lack of their support perhaps uh certainly from their lack of the diplomatic political support they've announced over the last several months this is what they need to turn the corner and if we're going to get the straight open that's one thing but to continue to maintain the strength to be open that's going to need an alliance to do that that's where the Brits are going to have to come in perhaps a French and other carry capable allies here to include the Gulf Arab nations as well lessons learned for the United States and lessons learned for the president and the Trump administration our alliance is important and they're not going to be key and uh perhaps successful unless the US leaves from the front that's my bottom line all right um then speaking of alliances and allies some Israel obviously a key alliance and key ally but there was some confusion last week as to whether or not Lebanon was part of this ceasefire you know we understand that Hezbollah funded by Iran operates out of Lebanon but you also have a couple of million Christians in Lebanon as well so it's a tricky situation Israel was still bombing them and you know back and forth we went when the ceasefire was supposed to be underway was that just miscommunication when you look back on that or was there something else that you were seeing there as the ceasefire got off to a sloppy start last week let's stop at 50 000 feet and go down to a thousand feet or so okay Iran is still the largest export of terrorism in the world and their most enhanced capable terrorist proxy and has been for years is Hezbollah Hezbollah to the north of Israel Hezbollah still is the next essential threat to Israel so if I'm Prime Minister Netanyahu I'm still going to continue do everything I possibly can to defend the Israeli people and if they still remain a viable threat and they are especially just around the LaTanee River in the southern part of Lebanon and if they're still attacking innocent Israeli citizens in the northern part of of Israel yes I'm still going to go after them I don't think it was uh you know a surprise I think what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing is is underscoring the fact that he's still in a major war a major fight against Hezbollah to the north and that's where they're conducting operations I think the United States understands and appreciates that because to go back to your point about our partnership this has been an extraordinary campaign a joint campaign with Israel in the United States unprecedented in our history with Israel in the United States and we've become quite quite potent Israel has done a remarkable job going after the infrastructure that supports his lawmakers, the guard corps and the other parts of the regime to really you know going after leadership and going after other aspects of the regime itself to create the conditions perhaps and this is a tall order to get Iran to implode and perhaps have the Iranian people now be able to reclaim their country so Israel still remains a game changer here final point is is however now the new mid-east if you will is much more closely aligned with the United States supporting Israel and frankly Israel supporting the United States in our interest there but not a surprise but we also have to support Israel because they're going to be in a perpetual fight here unless we do something to really now go after Iranians capability to retaliate not only against U.S. interests not only against Gulf Arab nations but still they've done the best to go and strike Israel. I got 30 seconds I don't want to make this too short but should the goal be regime change in Iran which seemed like it was the goal five weeks ago or should it be just if we got to leave these crazy people in charge these terrorists in charge we better make sure they don't have nuclear capabilities. If I'm advising the president of the United States I think now and I'm gonna I'm gonna kind of play words a little bit here but I would create the conditions as I mentioned where the Iranian people are able to reclaim their country because of the regime is set back significantly and those conditions and we have the opportunity to do that and what does that mean? That means to continue to go after Islamic Revolution and Guard Corps leadership go after their capabilities to retaliate with their ballistic missiles and their drones as well as go after nuclear weapons capability and now with this blockade in the strength that we allow commercial shipping to go back and forth that is an economic blockade and that's where you now really hit them at you know with their finances their economies I think those conditions yes I think we need to go full throttle and really to compel the Iranian regime perhaps to to collapse and then let the Iranian people decide how they want the regime or not the regime perhaps but a new government entail after that. All right there you go Richard Newton News Nation contributor Lieutenant General on KCML of course knows this area well from his time at Whiteman Air Force Base. Thank you Richard always appreciate the time. Great to be with you look forward to speaking with you again soon. 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