" The policies of Donald Trump also damaged the global image of the United States—an image that Washington had spent decades and enormous resources building."

🔘 Statement by General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., former commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

General McKenzie stated in his assessment of the recent developments:

"Not only many analysts around the world, but even I did not expect that Iran could withstand the full power of the United States and Israel for more than two days—especially after the assassination of a religious leader such as Ali Khamenei."

He further emphasized:

"More than 50 years of effort and investment were spent to build and strengthen CENTCOM’s network of military bases across the Middle East, yet many of those achievements have now been effectively lost."

McKenzie added:

"If the destruction of these infrastructures had led to the collapse of Iran’s government, some might have considered it a price worth paying. However, what the world is witnessing today is a very different reality."

According to him, the policies of Donald Trump also damaged the global image of the United States—an image that Washington had spent decades and enormous resources building.