74 retired US generals, admirals back Iran strikes, warn Tehran seeks to ‘spill American blood’

A radical of 74 retired U.S. generals and admirals precocious voiced beardown enactment for the associated U.S.-Israel subject cognition targeting Iran, calling it a indispensable effect to decades of threats from the Islamic Republic against the United States, its allies and determination stability.

The endorsement came successful an unfastened missive published Tuesday by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and signed by dozens of erstwhile elder American subject commanders. 

The missive backs the existent subject actions, known arsenic Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, which purpose to degrade Iran’s quality to endanger U.S. forces and partners crossed the Middle East.

"As retired elder American subject leaders, we enactment the associated U.S.-Israeli subject enactment to degrade and weaken the Iranian regime’s quality to endanger the United States, our allies and partners, and the Iranian people," the missive states. "And we commend the valor of the outstanding United States Military and our Intelligence Community engaged successful this operation."

Open Letter from 74 Retired U.S. Military Leaders successful Support of Joint U.S.-Israeli Strikes connected Iran (Jewish Institute for National Security of America)

Among the salient signatories are erstwhile Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., who served during the tallness of the Iraq War; erstwhile Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jerome Johnson; erstwhile Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. W.L. Nyland, who held the station during the aboriginal Iraq War; erstwhile Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command Gen. Philip M. Breedlove; and erstwhile U.S. Pacific Command main Adm. Timothy J. Keating.

The retired commanders reason that Iran’s enactment has spent decades threatening American interests and supporting militant groups crossed the region.

"Since its inception 47 years ago, the extremist regime, whose slogan is ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’ has committed to endangering the lives of U.S. troops, diplomats, and civilians crossed the Middle East and present astatine home," the missive says, noting that "hundreds of Americans person mislaid their lives astatine the hands of the Islamic Republic and its violent proxies."

According to the signatories, the existent subject run is simply a nonstop effect to Iran's continued efforts to grow its subject capabilities.

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"U.S.-Israel subject enactment is simply a effect to Iran’s unstinting efforts to marque those ambitions a reality," the missive states. "Following past summer’s 12-Day War, Tehran has redoubled its rocket gathering programme to clasp astatine hazard our bases, our partners, and yet our homeland."

Iran’s determination proxy web besides remains a cardinal concern, the missive warns. "Its proxy forces successful Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere proceed to endanger U.S. targets, Israel, and state of navigation successful immoderate of the world’s astir captious waterways."

The missive further argues that Iran has continued pursuing atomic capabilities contempt erstwhile subject setbacks. 

"Since Operation Midnight Hammer against its main enrichment sites past June, Iran has attempted to rebuild elements of its destroyed atomic infrastructure," the missive states. 

The signatories besides constituent to Iran’s home repression arsenic grounds of the regime’s nature. 

"The regime’s brutal crackdown connected protestors showed the full satellite conscionable what it is consenting to bash to support its radical and the portion nether its thumb," they wrote.

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A U.S. Navy vessel launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles successful enactment of Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

At the aforesaid time, the missive stresses that coordination betwixt the United States, Israel and determination partners volition beryllium captious for the campaign’s success.

"For each these reasons, it is noteworthy that the United States is moving truthful intimately with Israel and different determination partners," the missive states. "Such practice is captious to degrade and destruct the regime’s arsenals, undermine its organs of oppression, and awesome unmistakably that it cannot proceed threatening not lone halfway U.S. interests, but the broader information and prosperity of the Middle East and its ain population."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the associated run arsenic a decisive subject cognition aimed astatine dismantling Iran’s rocket and aerial defence networks.

Speaking Wednesday, Hegseth said the Israeli and U.S. aerial forces were rapidly establishing aerial superiority implicit Iran.

"Starting past nighttime and to beryllium completed successful a fewer days … the 2 astir almighty aerial forces successful the satellite volition person implicit power of Iranian skies. Uncontested airspace," Hegseth said.

Critics, however, person warned the cognition could person the other effect, expanding the hazard of a wider determination war. 

French President Emmanuel Macron urged restraint pursuing the strikes, informing that further escalation could destabilize the region, portion U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that the confrontation could spiral into a broader struggle and called for renewed diplomatic efforts.

Several Democratic lawmakers person besides raised concerns astir the strikes. 

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said helium believed the cognition amounted to "a warfare of prime with nary strategical endgame." 

Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., said aft attending a classified briefing that helium had not seen grounds of an contiguous Iranian threat. 

Blaise Misztal, vice president for argumentation astatine JINSA, said the missive reflects the position of commanders who witnessed the Iranian menace firsthand.

"For much than 2 decades, Iran has been targeting and sidesplitting U.S. men and women successful uniform," Misztal said. "The retired elder subject leaders who signed this missive person seen that menace up adjacent and firsthand. They recognize the menace that Iran poses to America, the urgent request to code it, and the tremendous capabilities that the United States and Israel person to bash so, together."

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A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which accompanied a property merchandise describing the cognition dubbed Epic Fury, an onslaught by the United States and Israel connected Iran, shows fume and particulate rising pursuing an detonation astatine an chartless location, successful this representation obtained from societal media released Feb. 28, 2026.  (US CENTCOM via X via REUTERS )

While supporting continued subject pressure, the signatories concluded that Iran’s semipermanent aboriginal yet lies with its citizens. 

"It volition yet beryllium up to the Iranian radical to bring down the authorities and alteration a amended aboriginal for Iran and the world," the missive states.

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