Key Points:
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta held Donald Trump responsible for the crisis, saying the war has caused global instability.
Trump’s handling of the conflict has invited criticism for weakening alliances and facing backlash at home after resignation of top counterterrorism official Joe Kent.
Trump has given Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening major military strikes if demands are not met.
Following three weeks of the West Asia conflict, International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol stated that the global economy is currently facing a “major threat.” The conflict began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on 28 February 2026, killing Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
However, according to former US Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta, the war against Iran is nothing short of a predicament for the Trump administration.
The Guardian described the current situation faced by US President Donald Trump as “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” The former CIA director oversaw the operation that led to the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the founder of the terrorist organisation Al Qaeda.
See Also: Trump Says US Doesn't Know If Iran Leader Is Alive, Calls For Support On Strait Of Hormuz
Panetta told The Guardian that the war with Iran has caused widespread disruption across the world, beginning with a severe imbalance in the global economic market, for which he said President Trump is solely responsible.
He said,
It’s a very tough position he’s in right now, but nobody else is responsible for where he is than Donald Trump.
The British publication reported that national security officials were well aware of Iran’s trump card, the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. Iran’s use of this trump card by closing the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in a potential energy crisis, a consequence the entire world now faces.
Panetta added that he has been part of the National Security Council, where the issue of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz had been discussed. “For some reason, either they didn’t consider that this could be a consequence, or they thought the war would end quickly and they wouldn’t have to worry about that,” Panetta continued.
He further highlighted how the assassination of the elder Khamenei backfired. Within a week of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death, Iran elected its next supreme leader—his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who had lost his wife and son in the US-Israel military strike that also killed his father.
See Also: Trump Vows To Punish Iran, But Leaves Door Open For Further Talks
According to Panetta, a retired American official, the younger Khamenei is “much more of a hardliner than the first supreme leader.”
He provided a potential solution to the concerning situation: for Trump to declare victory and hope for a ceasefire. However, “he (Trump) is not going to get a ceasefire as long as Iran is holding the gun of the Strait of Hormuz to his head,” Panetta continued.
He also took an indirect jab at the President of the United States for his “callous approach to alliances.” The former CIA director stated that the POTUS is now in a situation where he has to turn to his allies, including NATO, to “bail him out of a situation” he created himself.
In a diplomatic meeting between the US and its ally Japan, held at the Oval Office on 19 March 2026, Trump responded to questions about why US allies were not informed about the war with Iran beforehand. He said he wanted the attack to have an element of surprise and added, “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
The previous week has been unpredictable for the Trump administration, with two right-wing supporters turning critics due to the war with Iran. Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, resigned on March 17, 2026, stating that the war with Iran was initiated due to “immense pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
With tensions between Israel and Iran escalating, President Trump has demanded that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened within 48 hours, starting from March 22, 2026. He added that the US would “obliterate” Iran’s various power plants, beginning with the largest one, if its demands are not met immediately.
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