Retired Gen. Ray Odierno said Wednesday the U.S. needs to rebuild trust with its partners in the Middle East.
"We have to build some trust in the Middle East," Odierno said. "The president can do it."
Odierno singled out the Iran nuclear deal as an issue that has strained the U.S.’s relationship with its partners.
The deal, which trades tens of billions in previously-frozen assets and economic activity in exchange for short-term restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, has strengthened Iran’s influence in the region. This is concerning to Sunni nations like Saudi Arabia and nations concerned about Iran’s support for terrorism like Israel.
"With the nuclear deal with Iran, you’ve got to rebuild relationships with Saudi Arabia and others," Odierno said.
Odierno said that the U.S. must regain the trust of its partners so they will contribute more to the coalition effort against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Saudi Arabia has reduced its commitment to the anti-IS coalition in recent months in order to focus on the Iranian-fueled conflict in Yemen, on Saudi Arabia's southeastern border.
"They’ve got to believe we’re going to do what we say. That’s how you build this coalition," Odierno said.
Odierno said that U.S. military leadership will be the "glue" to any coalition to defeat IS. He recommended the U.S. send more special operations troops into battle against IS. He also said that it might be necessary to deploy a contingent of conventional troops.
"I’m in the 1,000 to 2,000 range to get done what we have to do," Odierno said.