Ex-CIA director warns Trump 'running out of options': 'We are really stuck'

President Donald Trump observes a military demonstration at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, during a visit to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump is "running out of options" as his war threatens to spiral from a "stalemate" to a real "prolonged conflict," a former CIA director warned on MS NOW, adding that the U.S. is now "really stuck."

On Monday, MS NOW's State of Play welcomed Leon Panetta, the former CIA director and Defense Secretary during the Obama administration, to discuss the latest developments in Trump's spiraling conflict with Iran. The president and his officials have recently begun touting a raft of sanctions against Iran coming this week, likening the move to an "economic D-Day" as the White House struggles to get the Middle Eastern nation to submit to its demands.

Host Peter Alexander suggested that Trump is desperate to avoid reigniting a direct military conflict with Iran, and asked Panetta if this pivot to "economic warfare" was a "concession" that his past strategies have failed.

"Well, I don't think there's any question that the president is running out of options here," Panetta said. "He's decided not to use military force. Our stockpiles are dangerously down. So that option may be off the table. And so he's using economic pressure, calling the blockade economic pressure. But the reality is that our intelligence pretty much makes clear that whatever kind of economic pressure we put on Iran, they have the capability to survive."

He continued: "And as long as China is around and the president doesn't decide to take on China, which would have to be a decision here if they want any kind of sanctions to work, the reality is that it's not likely that this is going to change the situation. And the bottom line is we're probably in for a continuing, prolonged war in Iran."

Alexander further asked what Trump could possibly do with sanctions that would achieve a new result on Iran, given that the U.S. has sanctioned Iran for the last 50 years. Panetta responded that, as far as he could tell, the plan was "more of the same."

"You know... you can continue to pile onsanctions upon sanctions, uponsanctions; you can continue totry to pressure those that dowork with Iran not to do that,not to trade with Iran, right?You can do it," Panetta said. "You can do a lotto kind of at least make a showthat this is a tougher step.But the problem is Iran is notjust going to sit there.They're going to they're goingto hit back. They're going tohit back at our regional allies.They're going to hit back byshutting down any kind oftraffic that goes through theStrait of Hormuz. They'regoing to hit back probablymilitarily, because they'vebeen firing missiles at ourregional allies. And so they'regoing to continue to attack. The United States has notresponded in any way to thoseattacks. So they are going tocontinue to put pressure on the United States. This is a war on the economic front tonow match the war on themilitary front."

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