Retired vice admiral: Calculus for Iranian government changing

International Retired vice admiral: Calculus for Iranian government changing Comments: by Mira Bhakta - 07/31/26 12:31 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Mira Bhakta - 07/31/26 12:31 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, the former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), said Thursday the calculus for the Iranian government was changing.

In an interview on “On Balance” with host Leland Vittert, Harward said, “I think you’re seeing the calculus change already, external to Iran as much as internal. And don’t forget these cyberattacks.”

He added the pressure Iranian forces are facing is changing with recent disarmament agreements signed throughout the region.

In June, Lebanon announced a trilateral framework with Israel and the United States that aimed to end Iran’s influence in the country by decreasing support for the militant group Hezbollah and paving the way for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

On Thursday, President Trump posted on Truth Social that a deal between Hamas and Israel had also been reached through his Board of Peace. The new agreement is the next step in Trump’s 20-point plan signed last year seeking to bring an end to hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Harward also noted the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces are also beginning strikes against Iran. The strikes were conducted with the U.S. against groups in Iraq backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that have attacked U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

“They’ve [Iran] got to stop threatening vessels and ships in the free flow of commerce through the straits,” he continued.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil transited before the war, has experienced partial and full closures since the U.S.-Iran conflict began in February.

Saudi Arabia also held a meeting Thursday to build an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping routes from repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis. The region has become more important to the international economy given the uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz.

“To stay alive,” Harward said, Iran needs to use “everything left in their inventory.”

Conflict in the region resumed after what Centcom said were “attempted surprise attacks” from Iran. The U.S. military said it launched a “heavy wave” of airstrikes in Iran Thursday.