Ex-NATO chief warns Iran-Israel conflict could ‘shut down oil coming out of Middle East’

James Stavridis, former NATO Chief Admiral, joined the Cats Roundtable radio show Sunday morning to weigh in on the impact of extreme conflict in Israel. The former leader said the rising tensions in the region “could […] shut down oil coming out of the Middle East.”

“What makes this moment dangerous, just like the days before World War II, is the rise of strategic tension with China in the Pacific,” he told radio host John Catsimatidis in a Sunday interview on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM. “You’ve got a pretty significant ground war going in Europe, of course, because of the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. And you’ve got this enormous disturbance parked on the Middle East between Israel and Iran, which could, in the worst case scenario, shut down oil coming out of the Middle East.”

“When you put all that together, it’s as turbulent a moment as I think you could find going back to the late 1930s,” he added.

Stavridis shared that he remains hopeful that the next American leader will help prevent more fatal conflict and promote some form of peace in the Middle East.

“Whoever you are hoping is our next president, after the election, let us join hands together. We’ll certainly have some legal controversies […] But once this is decided […] I […] believe that we need to come together as Americans,” Stavridis said.

His comments come weeks after General Jens Stoltenberg stepped down from the helm of NATO and ushered in a new wave of leadership with newly appointed Mark Rutte. Rutte has been guiding the alliance’s approach to funding Ukraine in the middle of a contested American election.

Former President Trump has previously mentioned his intent to leave NATO, which would be a gigantic blow to its financial stability on the battlefield. Stavridis said he hopes that the country’s values will help the nation push past such a divisive decision.

“A strategically dangerous China, war in Ukraine, a Middle East that looks like it’s on fire, cyber security, artificial intelligence – all of these are challenges,” he confirmed. “But there is no challenge that we cannot overcome as Americans if we can put our hands together supporting whoever the president of the United States is. That’s my prayer.”

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