Nobody Else Is Responsible Other Than Trump For Iran Crisis: Former CIA Chief

Last Updated:March 22, 2026, 21:12 IST

Leon Panetta blames President Trump for the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz crisis, warning failed planning, rising oil prices and weak alliances risk wider conflict.

President Donald Trump is in a tough position but “nobody else is responsible" for the Iran crisis than him, Leon Panetta, a former US defence secretary and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director said.

“He’s facing a very tough issue, which is: does he go to expand the war by trying to get the strait of Hormuz open so that he can eliminate that leverage and maybe be able to ultimately negotiate with Iran? Or does he just simply walk away and declare victory, although everybody will clearly understand that he’s failed?" Panetta, a former US defence secretary and Central Intelligence Agency director, told The Guardian.

He further said: “It’s a very tough position he’s in right now but nobody else is responsible for where he’s at than Donald Trump."

Check Latest Updates On Iran-Israel War Status Today

Panetta has served in the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations.

Trump had launched the war on February 28 hoping it to be a knockout blow. After the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US and Israel gained air supremacy. However, the war continued.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi News Today Live

Targeting Trump, Panetta said: “He tends to be naive about how things can happen. If he says it and keeps saying it there’s always a hope that what he says will come true. But that’s what kids do. It’s not what presidents do."

According to The Guardian, Trump has struggled to sell the war at home as oil prices rise, his polling numbers fall and his electoral coalition shows signs of splintering. Since then, he has expressed anger over the news coverage and sent mixed signals on objectives or when the “excursion" will reach a conclusion.

Also Read: ‘None Of It Makes Anyone Safer’: Climate Toll Of US-Israel War On Iran

Panetta said: “We replaced an old guy, a supreme leader who was near death at a time when the people of Iran were willing to take to the streets with the hope that they could ultimately change their way of government. And instead today we have a more entrenched regime, we have a younger supreme leader who’s going to be there a while, and he’s much more of a hardliner than the first supreme leader. That didn’t turn out too well."

In response to the attacks launched by US and Israel, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Following this, US President vowed to “obliterate" power plants in the Islamic Republic if the Strait of Hormuz is not swiftly reopened.

Also Read: From ‘Iran Is Gone’ To Fresh Ultimatum In An Hour: Trump’s U-Turn Raises Eyebrows

Meanwhile, Panetta said the crisis was of the President’s own making. “This is not rocket science to understand that if you’re going to conduct a war with Iran, one of the great vulnerabilities is the strait of Hormuz, and [it] could create an immense oil crisis that could drive the price of fuel sky-high," he said.

“In every national security council I’ve been a part of where we’ve talked about Iran, that subject always came up. For some reason, either they didn’t consider that could be a consequence or they thought the war would end quickly and they wouldn’t have to worry about that," he further said.

He continued: “Whatever it was, they were not prepared for it and they’re now paying a price because, if there was an escape here for Trump, it would be to declare victory and it’s over and we’ve been able to be successful in all of our military targets. The problem is he can declare victory all he wants but, if he doesn’t get the ceasefire, he’s got nothing.

Also Read: Blackout To Desalination Threat: Iran Warns Gulf After Trump’s 48‑Hour Hormuz Ultimatum

“And he’s not going to get a ceasefire as long as Iran is holding the gun of the strait of Hormuz against his head," he said.

Last Saturday, Trump urged several countries, including in Europe, to help in reopening of the Strait. On Friday, he even called NATO a “paper tiger" without the US and mocked its members as “cowards".

Panetta said: “If you’re planning a war, it’s not a bad idea to talk to your allies. Alliances are important to be able to support any kind of military effort. We’ve learned that lesson going back a long way to world war two. But he [Trump] takes a callous approach to alliances and now he suddenly finds himself in a place where he’s got to turn to allies, to Nato and to others, all of whom he certainly hasn’t treated well in his presidency, to try to help bail him out."

The Guardian quoted Panetta urging the President to abandon his magical thinking and “face the fact" that he must use the military to open the strait, neutralise Iranian defences along the coast and deploy ships to escort oil tankers through.

“There’s no question there’s going to be lives lost and it’s clearly going to expand the war but I don’t see the alternative. He’s got to do it. He’s talked a great deal about the strength of the United States. This is a test of whether the United States can be able to deal with that situation which otherwise is not only going to prolong the war but create a lot of economic damage to the United States with those soaring fuel prices and cause what some have said is a potential worldwide recession," the ex-army intelligence officer added.

News world Nobody Else Is Responsible Other Than Trump For Iran Crisis: Former CIA Chief

Read More