Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane insisted it was time for President Donald Trump to end the stalemate over the closed Strait of Hormuz and drop a serious ultimatum, according to reports on Saturday.
Keane told "Cats & Cosby" radio show hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby the United States should prevent Iran's oil-carrying ships from heading to their destinations in China, India, Pakistan and Turkey, The Hill reported.
"The president should call [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] and tell him, ‘This is what I’m going to do, I need you to call the Iranians and tell them that they have to give up control of the Strait of Hormuz or I have to do this. This is not something I wanna do, but something I’m going to do,'" Keane said.
The move could push Iran to attack American targets and energy infrastructure throughout the region, which they have done in the past. They could also "stalemate us," Keane added.
"The president has all this economic pressure on him and this political pressure, which they believe is the reason why he went through a ceasefire to start combat operations," Keane said.
Keane argued it might become a situation where the U.S. has to "forcibly open up" the vital trade channel. He said this option could be "very, very doable."
He also added that he has spoken with Trump himself and that the president was aware of "what he's getting into" in terms of the war with Iran.
"At some point, we are going to open the Strait of Hormuz," Keane said. "We’re still going to do negotiations to see what the Iranians really have to offer. Is there something real there, or is this fabrication so they can just delay, delay and delay what’s happening and put off returning to combat operations? That is the pulse of where we are."