U.S. Troops On The Ground In Iran? Adm. Robert Harward Reveals Options

Summary

Brian Kilmeade Show — “U.S. Troops On The Ground In Iran? Adm. Robert Harward Reveals Options”

Date: August 1, 2026
Host: Brian Kilmeade
Guest: Vice Admiral Robert Harward, Senior Advisor, Iran Policy Project at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America

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Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Brian Kilmeade sits down with Vice Admiral Robert Harward to dissect the escalating U.S.-Iran tensions following a series of surprise attacks by Iranian-backed forces. The discussion centers on shifting regional alliances, the future of American involvement—including the possibility of boots on the ground in Iran—and the broader strategic picture involving China and Russia. The guests also touch on political opposition within Iran and draw analogies to recent developments in Venezuela. The overall tone is urgent, analytical, and unapologetically pro-American, aiming to clarify U.S. policy options and highlight underreported successes abroad.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Regional Shift Against Iran ([01:01]–[03:42])

• Kilmeade recounts Iran's recent regional escalation:

  • Surprise attack on U.S. service members in Jordan.
  • Broader Iranian action: Houthi disruptions in the Red Sea, Iraqi militia activity, and strikes near Saudi Arabia.
  • The U.S. and allies reportedly considering sustained “Epic Fury 2” strikes.

• Harward notes a “tipping point”:

  • “You're seeing the region come to bear now ... coalition come against the Houthis in Yemen ... political support in the region tied together with this commitment to go after the government and Iran and stop this crazy activity they've been doing for decades.” ([02:23])
  • Greater regional alignment: Lebanon disarmament agreement with Israel, Hamas seeking peace, Saudi-led coalitions.
  • Emphasizes importance of coordinated political, financial, and military pressure to “starve [Iran] out financially.”

2. Capabilities of Gulf States Without U.S. Help ([03:42]–[06:07])

• Kilmeade wonders about independent action:

  • “What are the Gulf states capable of when it comes to Iran without us?” ([04:35])

• Harward insists collective pressure is vital:

  • “It's always better to go to war with your partners and coalition ... They bring intelligence, military capability ... But more importantly, politically aligning all this reinforces those military and economic opportunities.” ([04:35])
  • Prefers non-kinetic (political/economic) solutions for quicker post-conflict regional recovery.

3. U.S. Public Opinion and Media Coverage ([06:07]–[07:40])

• Kilmeade laments the negative media coverage:

  • Suggests 85% of reporting “cheers against us.”
  • “Does it astound you?” ([06:35])

• Harward responds bluntly:

  • “You got to be blind and dumb almost. Lebanon is a failed country because of Iran ... Yemen is a failed country because of their support of the Houthis ... What American doesn't understand that ... add another nuclear armed state to that, that would then control all the oil coming out of the Middle East ... I just can't accept that percent of Americans are against that. I just can't accept that.” ([06:35])

4. The Strategic Stakes: The “New Cold War” ([07:40]–[09:31])

• Kilmeade highlights unprecedented U.S. action against Iran.
• Harward places the conflict in a broader context:
  • Links Iran’s oil to China and Russia’s interests.
  • “This is about ... today's Cold War ... This is China's top source of ... cheap oil ... It really undermines them ... That's why this president understands ... why I'm convinced he's going to see this through to the end.” ([08:33])
  • Suggests the U.S. campaign is at a critical inflection point, combining strikes with economic and political measures.

5. On-the-Ground Uprising and Boots on the Ground ([09:31]–[14:48])

• Harward relays optimism from contacts in Iran:

  • “They're cheering, man. ... We need something that's going to provide that tipping point.” ([09:44])
  • U.S. strategy: boiling the regime with financial pressure, awaiting a “tipping point” for internal change.

• Kilmeade probes direct intervention:

  • “So you would like to see troops on the ground, American troops in Iranian cities?” ([13:34])

• Harward on options:

  • “I'm not saying I'd like to see. I think that's an option. ... Not suggesting for occupation ... but ... a raid in [outlying Iranian cities]... That could be that tipping point." ([13:39])
  • Stresses importance of eliminating Iran’s missile and drone capabilities first.

• Memorable exchange on arming opposition:

  • Kilmeade: “...if we were able to ... drop guns in the streets, why would that not be effective?” ([14:19])
  • Harward: “Well, you could be gambling them to the wrong people. But that's where raids might be helpful.” ([14:40])
  • Advocates for targeted support and intelligence-led action over random distribution of weapons.

6. Venezuela Analogy: A Playbook for Iran? ([15:18]–[17:35])

• Kilmeade highlights Venezuela’s transition post-Maduro and U.S. involvement as a possible template for Iran:

  • “We actually are delivering a chance at democracy and freedom for people gradually rather than all at once ...” ([15:18])

• Harward agrees the dynamics are similar, though Iran is larger:

  • “Iran's five times the size and number of people. ... It's going to take more effort. But ... I think Iran transitions even quicker and much broader ramifications because then it changes the whole Middle East. So the analogies are strikingly similar.” ([16:26])

• Harward emphasizes a full spectrum government approach, not just military:

  • “This is the whole of government ... A campaign synchronized would get you the exact same results but much more dramatically and much greater strategic ramifications.” ([17:10])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You got to close them out early. I think we should close them out now...if we're just dependent on bombing ... I don't think we're close.”
  — Unknown Speaker ([00:30])

• “You're seeing political support in the region tied together with this commitment to go after the government and Iran and stop this crazy activity they've been doing for decades.”
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([02:23])

• "You got to be blind and dumb almost. ... I just can't accept that percent of Americans are against that."
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([06:35])

• “Iran is spread to Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad ... We never could have any shot at peace as long as Iran's government was in power.”
  — Brian Kilmeade ([07:40])

• “This is about the. Today's Cold War ... All of this on the strategic level of the Islamic Revolution ... is critical.”
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([08:33])

• “They're cheering, man. ... We need something that's going to provide that tipping point.”
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([09:44])

• “I'm not suggesting for occupation ... but ... a raid in Karsh or Jos or some of these outlying cities where we could protect our guys. ... That's the better method, I believe, to distribute arms, help build the insurgency and start with these small outlying cities.”
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([13:39])

• “Iran's five times the size [of Venezuela] ... But a couple raids, the things that get us to that tipping point. ...I think Iran transitions even quicker...”
  — Vice Admiral Harward ([16:26])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:01] — Rising regional backlash against Iran; campaign planning “Epic Fury 2”
• [02:23] — Harward on the tipping point and regional alliances
• [04:35] — Gulf states' military capabilities and value of coalition
• [06:35] — Media’s anti-American narrative and Harward’s pushback
• [08:33] — New “Cold War” framing: China's and Russia’s stakes
• [09:44] — Internal Iranian unrest; U.S. “boiling the frog”
• [13:39] — Possibility of U.S. raids in Iranian cities, non-occupation approach
• [14:19] — Risk of mass arms drops versus intelligence-led raids
• [15:18] — Venezuela’s transition as an Iran playbook
• [16:26] — Geopolitical ramifications if Iran transitions

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Conclusion

The episode offers a sweeping analysis of U.S. options in confronting Iran, underscored by a sense of urgency and strategic vision. Vice Admiral Harward, with his first-hand insights, favors a coalition-driven, synchronized campaign that melds military precision with sustained financial and political strangulation. Both guest and host are clear: resolving Iran’s destabilizing influence could realign the Middle East, much as U.S. action is already influencing outcomes in Venezuela. The possibility of boots on the ground in Iran emerges as a potential, though carefully caveated, option for catalyzing regime change—one that, if executed smartly, could mark a transformative chapter in U.S. foreign policy.

Transcript

[Prevagen Narrator]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

This product is not intended to diagnose,

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[Unknown Speaker]

I know it's really hard. Will may not be a principle of war, but it's a principle of leadership. When you get into a gunfight like this, who's got the stronger will to finish? The fact of the matter is, if you let a bad team stick around for a long time, like you've seen in football, in the fourth quarter, they can tend to do something that you weren't expecting. So you got to close them out early. I think we've gone beyond that. I think we should close them out now, figure a way to finish this fight. I don't think we're close in that regard of finishing the job if we're just dependent on bombing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So what I understand and just. I look for little nuances that explain action. And one thing that happened is they were talking to the Iranians and they were just real. That surprise attack in Jordan threw them because they realized, you know, even I think Wyckoff is realizing, I can't deal with these guys because they were having detailed conversations. And then Tehran had the surprise attack on American service members in Jordan, and they said, and by the way, they had to really scramble to knock those four rockets out of the sky. They had to shoot off a lot in order to knock them down. And they did. So they go, listen, we can't deal with these guys. And then we watch him hit Saudi Arabia, Ramaco. We watch them try to shut down the Red Sea with the Houthis. We watch the Iraqi militias that are affiliated with Iran do what they do as well as what the IRGC is doing, and they've had it. And that's why I believe in Camp David. They're coming up with something like Epic Fury 2, which means around the clock hits. Vice Admiral Robert Harwood joins us now. He is a senior advisor with the Iran Policy Project at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Admiral, do you know what is some. Something about the surprise attack, out of all the attacks that has taken place, really change things for this administration. Can you see how and why?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well, it's not just this administration, Brian. It's broader than that. You're seeing the region come to bear now. You're seeing look up in Lebanon, they've signed an agreement with the Israelis to disarm and disband Hezbollah. You're seeing Hamas now come to the table and agree to disarm and move towards peace. You're seeing a coalition come against the Houthis in Yemen. And you're seen Saudi participated offensive operations. So I think all those things tied together, you're seeing political support in the region tied together with this commitment to go after the government and Iran and stop this crazy activity they've been doing for decades. So politically and operationally both things have tied the turn. And I think what you're going to see, while we've always had these military options, I think you're going to see these financial and political activities enhanced so they could maybe shut down all their borders, shut down their airspace, really starve them out financially to put additional pressure on the regime. So yes, I think this is one of those tipping points that brings together that political, financial or economic and military power the full bear of all of those against Iran.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So Admiral, you know what they're trying to do? They were trying to get the Gulf states to turn on us and say, look, because your affiliation with America, we're bombing you. Get rid of them. The foreign minister called Bulgaria because they found out we're using our bases in Bulgaria and said stop using, allowing America to use your bases. They warned the UK last week too. It's not working. In Jordan they try to hit American bases. Yeah, it's in Jordan, but they're ours. And then in Egypt, they just got Egypt involved. They hit one of our tankers and hit Egyptian property, but they're really aiming for us instead. The Saudis have a conference with 12 states and they say, can we act in concert in order to stop Iran and protect ourselves? I'm fascinated by what's taking place. What are they capable of, you know, what the assets they have, what are the Gulf states capable of when it comes to Iran without us, they've got

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

everything that and it's always better to go to war with your partners and coalition. We they bring intelligence, they being humans, you know, Arab speakers, they bring military capability. They bring.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Do they have it? That's what I mean.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Yeah, of course. They all have something to bring to the table en masse in and of itself. They all know they've at risk. But more importantly, politically aligning all this reinforces those military and economic opportunity. And it's going to come to when we want to shut down the borders. Now, you can do it with military strikes, but when all the Arab nations turned to Pakistan and said, hey, you've got to shut down your borders, that political power is demonstrated. So you'd much rather achieve these things politically without doing the bombings. Because in the end, for the Iranian people, that plays out to be a much better solution. At the end of the day, when this government has changed and you have a government who wants to rebuild the infrastructure, they'll have assets to do that. But if the infrastructure's intact because we've been able to get the solution politically, they can recover much quicker. So I can't reinforce how important this political support is to increase the pressure tied together with these economic options that the President have and then using the military in support of both of those very powerful components of national power.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Admiral, we're only getting one side of the story. And I know it must amaze you now that you're out of uniform, not that you never watch the news, but 85% is against America. In America, I mean, you would think we're not even bombing. So they hit a Jordan base or they try to hit us in Egypt, yet we're hitting on a regular basis. I don't see much video. I kind of blame the Pentagon for that a little bit. But 85% are cheering against us. Painting a dire picture. Does it astound you?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Right. I just can't believe that that's counterintuitive. If you're an American and don't see a threat, don't understand a nuclear armed Iran, much less what the Islamic revolution has been doing for four decades. You got to be blind and dumb almost. Look, Lebanon is a failed country because of Iran and its support of Hezbollah. Yemen is a failed country because of their support of the Houthis. The same thing's going on in Hamas, it's going on in Iraq, it's going on Syria, and guess what, they have footholds in Europe. And you're starting to see it on our campuses. It's crazy. What is? What? American doesn't understand that and we won't go and can't go to war with Russia and China because they're nuclear armed states. Add another nuclear armed state to that, that would then control all the oil coming out of the Middle East. I don't see how Americans don't understand that. So I just can't accept that percent of Americans are against that. I just can't accept that. I don't think that's a fact.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I know, but we're not seeing our side and we're not hearing our side. There's very few people like you, Admiral, calling balls and strikes where you just say, look, we're hitting this area, we're stopping this area. This is what we got to do. This is what the damage has been done. We've never had a president. I don't care if you voted for him or not, attack our enemy who's been our enemy through eight presidents. So we've never had a president attack, period. We had Midnight Hammer last year. We had Soleimani in his first term. And this is the first time we've taken kinetic action against our vowed enemy. Who says, death to America is not a. It's not a phrase, it's a policy. So we're taking this action, and then you go, okay, it's just Iran. No, it isn't just Iran, because Iran is spread to Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and they did have a foothold in Syria. So we never could have any shot at peace as long as Iran's government was in power.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

That's exactly right, Brian. And you left out the other two components, China and Russia. This is about the. Today's Cold War. Not the Cold War. We have the 50s and 60s. This is China's top source of free, not free, but very cheap oil. So it's. It really undermines them at the end of the state. And Russia, the same, their allies. So all of this on the strategic level of the Islamic Revolution and this, the current Cold War is critical. And that's why this president understands why he was willing to strike and why I'm convinced he's going to see this through to the end State. So again, you knock, you talk about that kinetic activity. Yes, he took out Solomon, he strike. But now we've really got to tie in and reinforce that political and economic elements of power to bring Iran to its knees. I think the president's going to do that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

How close are we to doing that?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

I think we're there. I think it's already started.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What do you mean?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well, those things I said you're seeing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

No, but I mean, the 24 hours of strikes haven't started yet, though, right?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

No, no, no, but I mean, the whole campaign is more political, financial, and from all my friends in Iran, I'm getting these notes. They're cheering, man. They say, hey, look, we're ready to go. We're organizing in small groups. We need something that's going to provide that tipping point. So I see all these things going in the right direction. And don't forget, the President's been very strategic in time. This press cutting them off financially is really boiling the frog in Iran right now. So time is on his behalf. And tying all these elements of power with the kinetic activity and support is going to be the things that get this done at the end of the day.

[Prevagen Narrator]

The following statements have not been evaluated by the fda.

[Brian Kilmeade]

This product is not intended to diagnose,

[Prevagen Narrator]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

It's really going to be interesting. Why do you think. Do you think it's. It's. What are you about the timing that we have with this announcement on Hamas, that. I know a few things have to happen and everything could fall apart, but the fact is it said, okay, we're going to put our guns in storage or on ice, that we need the IDF to back out to the yellow line. And they are, we need you to reveal your tunnels. And I thought to myself, wow, you know, and evidently the Axios reporting the. At the Ayatollah's funeral, the IRGC went up to Hamas and he said, don't do this. And it looks like they're doing it anyway. What do you think about the.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

You're exactly right. They're seeing the demise of the irgc. The guy who pays them, the guy who sponsors them, they know they're going down the tubes. It's like a ship. The captain goes down with the ship. This crew doesn't want to go with them. So they want to make sure when Iran does implode, they can still exist. It's going to be tough without the support and funding, but again, they don't want to be held Accountable like the Iranians. And you walk, at the end of the day, there could be a lot of Iranians who the Iranian people are going to hold accountable. Hamas and Hezbollah don't want to end up in that situation. This is existential threats to all of them. And they're all now seeing the sinking ship and they want to position themselves for survival because many won't at the end of the day.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. So you are hearing from people in Iran, you mean a dozen or two dozen that say that now we have

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

contacts and friends,

[Brian Kilmeade]

but they don't have any guns yet, right?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

That's right. So they're looking for that tipping point. And that's why I always believe boots on the ground is a very attractive option for the US and not for occupations, but to go into towns and show that we're there, we're for the people, and that may be able to give them that tipping point to overcome the IRGC and besieged just as we started the artiste do in 1979. So I think history's gonna repeat itself here and a lot of people are coming to that realization now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So you would like to see troops on the ground, American troops in Iranian cities?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well, I'm not saying I'd like to see. I think that's an option. These are all options the president had and done smartly, done astutely, that could be that tipping point. And again, I'm not suggesting for occupation in Tehran, but I'm suggest a raid and Karsh or Jos or some of these outlying cities where we could protect our guys. But critical to that again, is taking out, finishing the jobs with their missiles and drones, because that would be turned inside if we put boots on the ground. So we've got to get that done. And that's part and parcel in getting the straits open again.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You know, I just don't know. I know this sounds rudimentary and you're the military expert, but if we were able to parachute the way we have landers, land on Mars in those bubbles and they just drop them, I'm wondering if we do a parachute and drop guns in the streets and drop weapons in the streets, why would that not be effective?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well, you could be gambling them to the wrong people. But that's where raids might be helpful.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, that's where intelligence.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Yeah, when you get raid, you go in, take a town, you're gonna see who's on your side, who comes out to cheer you, who comes out to. That's the better method, I believe, to distribute arms, help build the insurgency and start with these small outlying cities. So again, I think these are all options and part of the broader strategy. So when the President decides to choose or exercises options will be predicated on how his strategy in the campaign unfolds.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Admirals is something just real quick, I got a couple minutes left. Cover story Newsweek this week that no one's talking about. No one reads magazines but still Newsweek about Venezuela. For nearly three decades, Hugo Chavez and Maduro invoked socialism to justify their grip on the country. Now that they're gone, the Venezuelans are lining up to meet the Americans. Shell has signed a gas development deal with slb, the world's largest oil field service company in the world. Following a lapse of licenses in May, Venezuela freed three former police officers who had spent 23 years in J let 670 political prisoners out and political parties are now allowed beginning to take root and organize. So all I could tell you is that raid which was so brilliant and it took the guts for the president to call it and the military to execute it, we actually are delivering a chance at democracy and freedom for people gradually rather than all at once that could have been erupted to civil war. And this seems to be a success story that's unfolding and we're just not giving enough attention to it because of Iran. Your thoughts?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Brian, extrapolate from that. Iran's five times the size and number of people. Oil geography, that's exactly the end state for Iran. So the playbook is completely the same. It's going to take more effort. But a couple raids the things that get us to that tipping point. And I think Iran transitions even quicker and much broader ramifications because then it changes the whole Middle East. So the analogies are strikingly similar.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You think Cooper is going to consider that?

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well, it's the President of the mw.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I know, but the admiral's got to present. He's got to present it.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Well no, he's part of the whole effort. CIA, commerce. This is a whole of government entity. Brad's just. Admiral Cooper. Excuse me, is just one part of the equation. He's the military component. This is the whole of government. And a campaign synchronized would get you the exact same results but much more dramatically and much greater strategic ramifications.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Admiral, thanks so much. Always great talking to you. Tell your friends I hope they can take their country back. Thank you, Admiral.

[Vice Admiral Robert Harward]

Thank you, Brian. And they will.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Good.