Retired general tells CNN he’s ‘impressed’ by Trump, U.S. strikes on Iran

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Saturday that he was impressed by the U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites, praising President Donald Trump’s use of “deception and trickery.”

“I‘m fascinated and, candidly, I‘m impressed,” he said. “I never really could understand what the two-week pause meant, or what it was for, what was left to negotiate, what were we going to expect the Iranians to offer? In many ways, it was much like a Trump deal. I mean, he‘s trying to make a deal to buy an apartment, but all of a sudden the apartment was destroyed, so where‘s the negotiation? So I think the use of deception and trickery in this case, first of all, was successful. But second of all, saved the potential loss of American lives.”

Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. had struck three Iranian nuclear sites. The president said the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities were “totally obliterated” during a brief address from the White House.

Cooper also asked Kimmitt about the effects and what U.S. forces should be worried about in the region.

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“They should be very concerned,” Kimmitt said. “Look, the Iranians are down, but they’re not out. The fact remains is the proxy networks, while diminished, are still lethal. You take a look at the significant number of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq alone, they can put up quite a fight and put a significant amount of American interests, American troops, American infrastructure at risk.” 

Kimmitt served as the assistant Secretary of State for political-military affairs under former President George W. Bush. 

Trump addressed the nation following the U.S. military’s strikes on the trio of Iranian nuclear facilities.

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“A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan,” he said. “Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.” 

He said Iran was now backed into a corner and “must now make peace.”

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The president also threatened far greater attacks against Iran if the country didn’t come to the table.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.