The Biden-era approach to Iran is no longer guiding U.S. policy, according to defense analyst Steven Bucci, as the Trump administration escalates military pressure while signaling diminishing patience for prolonged negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Dan Proft pressed Bucci on remarks made by Iran’s foreign minister, who recently claimed there is “no military solution” to Iran’s nuclear program and insisted diplomacy remains the only viable path forward. The comments came as the United States repositioned major naval and air assets to the Middle East, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, and reportedly placed Iran on a short deadline to halt further nuclear development.
Bucci, a former Army Special Forces officer and senior Pentagon official who now serves as a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, rejected Iran’s framing outright. He argued that Tehran’s leaders routinely speak “out of both sides of their mouth,” publicly calling for diplomacy while continuing to threaten the United States and its allies through proxy forces and revolutionary rhetoric.
According to Bucci, Iran does not currently possess a fully viable nuclear weapons program but is actively attempting to reconstitute one after previous strikes and covert actions disrupted its progress. He said U.S. and allied intelligence, including corroborated reporting from Israel, indicates renewed efforts by Iran to rebuild nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
Bucci suggested that if Iran continues on its current course, the United States is unlikely to limit any response to symbolic or one-off strikes. Instead, he said future action could include sustained and targeted attacks not only on nuclear facilities but also on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, particularly the Quds Force, which he described as the regime’s primary tool for repression and external aggression.
“The Quds Force is the pin holding the regime together,” Bucci said, arguing that removing its operational capacity could create conditions for internal collapse. He added that widespread dissatisfaction among Iran’s population, as well as within elements of its security forces, could accelerate regime instability if that protection is stripped away.
Bucci indicated that while Iran has publicly framed the U.S. timeline as a diplomatic window, he believes the actual decision horizon is far shorter, possibly a matter of days rather than weeks. He expressed skepticism that President Trump would allow negotiations to drag on without tangible concessions from Tehran.
The conversation also turned to U.S. actions elsewhere, including Venezuela, where Bucci said Washington’s strategy has focused on controlling economic leverage, particularly oil exports, while attempting to create conditions for legitimate elections and the release of political prisoners. He noted that progress there has been uneven but remains an active priority for U.S. officials.
In Mexico, Bucci addressed the recent killing of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” and the surge in violence that followed. While acknowledging that cartel leadership decapitations rarely end criminal organizations on their own, he said sustained pressure is necessary if Mexico hopes to reassert control over territory long dominated by heavily armed cartels.
Asked about domestic politics, Bucci dismissed criticism from progressive lawmakers who questioned his assessment of U.S. foreign policy readiness, arguing that effective leadership requires detailed preparation and a serious understanding of global threats. He suggested that symbolic rhetoric is insufficient in a geopolitical environment increasingly defined by state and non-state actors willing to use force.
As tensions rise across multiple regions, Bucci emphasized that the current administration’s posture reflects a broader shift away from prolonged diplomatic engagement toward decisive action aimed at deterring adversaries and reshaping conditions on the ground. Whether that approach succeeds, he said, will depend on sustained follow-through rather than isolated displays of power.