Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg has called for a significant shift in U.S. Strategy toward Iran, including the deployment of American ground forces to capture key strategic locations and the replacement of the current U.S. Negotiating team with more experienced personnel.
Speaking Monday on Fox News's "America Reports," Kellogg said the conflict has entered a new phase requiring a different American approach. "Look, there's about five things we ought to be doing right now, because the war has changed right now in Iran. One on negotiations, I would change out our negotiations team," He stated.
Kellogg argued that negotiations during active conflict should involve seasoned national security professionals rather than those from other fields. "You do not, have, or need real estate guys to be talking about negotiation during the middle of a war, and when you do bring a negotiations team back, it ought to be a real hardcore son.... that is just sitting on the ground and can really do it well," He said.
He contended that air power alone will not secure victory. "You're going to need ground troops to do something. That doesn't mean they go all the way to Tehran," Kellogg added. "Then I'm not advocating that at all. But you could take a couple key strategic targets, that gives the president leverage and controls their economy."
The conflict has strained U.S. Relations with allies, affected global markets, and driven up oil and gasoline prices. American forces completed nine days of strikes against Iranian targets on Sunday.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Monday that two oil tankers it described as "deviant" Exploded in the Strait of Hormuz while using an "unsafe route," According to the state-run Fars News Agency.
The Pentagon identified two U.S. Troops killed in last week's Iranian attack in Jordan: 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, killed on Saturday and Friday respectively.