By Jim Thomas | Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Iran still wants a nuclear device and may want one even more now as a deterrent against further conflict, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus warned on Tuesday. He stated that the United States must match Tehran’s brinkmanship and be prepared to return to fighting if negotiations fail.
Petraeus, a former CIA director and former U.S. Central Command commander, made these remarks hours before President Donald Trump announced he was extending the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire indefinitely until Tehran submits a peace proposal.
Trump said on social media that he was acting at Pakistan’s request and cited Iran’s “seriously fractured” government while directing the U.S. military to continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
When asked what he would do if he were president, Petraeus described the standoff as “a bit of a test of wills” and pointed to visible splits in the Iranian government.
He noted that Iran’s foreign minister recently stated the Strait of Hormuz was open to traffic, only for the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to countermand that statement, declaring it closed.
“We know that they’re very good at brinksmanship,” Petraeus said. “And I think that we’re going to have to show that we are good at brinksmanship as well.” Both sides want a negotiated end, he added, but Washington should avoid appearing “too eager.”
Petraeus stated that Iran’s conventional forces have been heavily degraded, with missile stocks, drones, naval assets, and remaining airpower largely destroyed, alongside damage to infrastructure used for manufacturing and assembling missiles.
However, he cautioned that the Gulf side of the conflict is not invulnerable. Iranian strikes knocked out roughly 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas export capacity, with repairs expected to take three to five years.
Two issues are nonnegotiable, Petraeus said: The Strait of Hormuz must return to its prior status as international waters open to all shipping and not be treated “as if it’s their own Panama Canal.” Additionally, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% must be dealt with, ideally through removal or dilution under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.
Petraeus put the current stockpile at roughly 1,000 pounds, describing it as “one turn of the process below weapons grade.” International Atomic Energy Agency figures reported prior to the June 2025 strikes placed the stockpile at 440.9 kilograms, or about 972 pounds, at sites including the heavily damaged Esfahan complex.
He said Iran’s intent to weaponize uranium was confirmed when Israel seized its nuclear research archive from a Tehran warehouse and exposed what he called years of lies about its program. The current stockpile, he argued, goes far beyond any civilian need for medical isotopes or power generation.
“Well, the fact is they want to have a nuclear device,” Petraeus said.
