Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark said Thursday that any potential U.S. military action involving Iran would likely unfold within a narrow decision window, as American forces move into a higher state of readiness while quietly refining operational plans.
Appearing on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," the retired four-star general described what he called a "rolling readiness" posture, in which some naval vessels and aircraft would already be positioned while additional assets prepare to deploy.
"It's probably a rolling readiness," Clark said, adding that the U.S. would "probably be more ready three to four days from now."
Clark suggested the coming days would involve increased planning and intelligence updates, along with rehearsals designed to avoid public detection.
"We'll probably do rehearsals that no one will detect," he said. "We'll be more planning. There'll be more updating intelligence."
Clark said he believed there is a limited time frame in which a decision on action would have to be made.
"So there's probably, we've got a window of say, seven to 10 days from now in which this decision has to be made or not made," he said.
Turning to Europe's potential role, Clark said some European nations may favor the removal of Iran's current government, but remain uncertain about what could follow.
"My sense is the European nations would be happy to get rid of the Tehran regime if they knew what was coming next," Clark said, adding that European countries "would like to do business with Persia or Iran."
Clark noted that European governments have taken steps against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including designating it a terrorist organization, calling that "a good first step."
However, he said he does not expect European military participation.
"I don't think you're going to see any European assets involved in this," he said.
Clark also said Israel would likely act cautiously due to the strain a sustained conflict could place on missile defense supplies. He pointed to a June operation in which interceptors were "mostly successful," but began running short after several days, while some Iranian missiles still penetrated defenses.
Clark said Iran appears to have developed missiles with terminal guidance capable of evading systems such as Patriots, raising concerns about the scale and cost of a broader conflict.
"And there are not enough defensive missiles really to counter the entire Iranian arsenal," he said. "So if they go for broke, it'll be a big war. It'll be expensive."
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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