The war in Iran is expanding because the original plan failed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly called for American ground troops, framing air power as insufficient to spark a pro-U.S. revolution. His public escalation follows a private campaign that, according to former Trump official Joe Kent, locked the U.S. into this conflict.
On Breaking Points, Kent detailed his resignation as National Counterterrorism Center director. He argued a closed circle of Israeli officials and Trump advisors systematically shifted the U.S. red line from opposing a nuclear weapon to opposing any uranium enrichment - a move designed to block diplomacy and enable regime change.
Joe Kent, Breaking Points:
- I truly believe that the Israelis forced our hand in this.
- The only thing that was imminent about the operations in Iran was the fact that the Israelis were going to attack.
The U.S. strategy was built on two flawed assessments: that Iran would show restraint in the Strait of Hormuz, and that internal anti-regime forces would rise up after airstrikes. Neither happened. The Strait is now an active combat zone, with U.S. jets and helicopters engaging Iranian naval assets.
Netanyahu’s dual-track messaging reveals the intended scope. In English, he suggests a quick conflict; in Hebrew, he tells Israelis it will last “as long as it needs to go.” With assumptions proven wrong, ground intervention becomes the only remaining escalation.
This leaves the U.S. in an escalation trap. The administration is reportedly considering plans to occupy Iran’s Qeshm Island to force the Strait open, as Marines are rushed to the region. Kent went public because internal channels were closed. Now, the external pressure matches the military reality.
The path forward points directly to more American troops.
