Mattis and President Donald Trump talk after a White House reception in 2018.
The Washington Post
Richland, Wash.
The United States is fighting a limited war in Iran with a well-armed regime that is fighting a total war, said retired 4-star Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis of Richland Friday.
He spoke during a “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover” conversation for the Public Broadcasting Service at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Mattis, who was President Trump’s first defense secretary and spent 40 years in the military, is a distinguished fellow at the Hoover Institution.
Mattis does not anticipate the regime will fall in the near future, as most of the Iranian people want to be rid of the regime, putting Iranian leaders lives at risk should their government fall.
Iranian leaders are fighting for their lives, while President Trump earlier this month called the war “a little excursion,” he said.
A key indicator of an autocrat remaining in power is their willingness to murder their own people, a factor that Mattis sees in the Iranian regime.
“They’ve told the Iranian parents, don’t let your sons and daughters demonstrate, because we will shoot them … we will go after them,” Mattis said. “So no, they’re not going to go away anywhere. Right now, I would not think that they’re going to break.”
Gen. James Mattis, then commander of the U.S. Central Command, greets veterans in 2012 prior to the Time of Remembrance ceremony at Flat Top Park in West Richland. The event honored men and women who have died fighting the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tri-City Herald
Mattis said he does not think a case can be made that Operation Epic Fury is an illegal war for the United States.
The regime’s murderous attacks against Americans, Israelis and Arabs go back decades, he said.
“With the regime in charge, we have seen one administration after another, try to find what I call the fruitless pursuit of the Iranian moderate somewhere in that regime, and we haven’t found it yet,” he said.
But what the military calls “the commander’s intent” for Operation Epic Fury is murky, Mattis said.
The public has been told that unconditional surrender is the goal and that the United States will select the next leader, but stating an end goal that is achievable is difficult, he said.
Iran’s nuclear program has been set back, but the regime is still there, he pointed out.
The United States’ strengths in the conflict include its economy and a strong military to defend the idea of a democracy.
But it needs the support of allies at a time when some believe that America is becoming predatory or an unreliable security partner.
Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, a graduate of Richland High School, meets with some Richland students in 2018. Richland School District
He pointed out that Denmark, which owns Greenland, lost as many soldiers per capita as the U.S. as it fought alongside America after the 9/11 attacks.
And the U.S. is putting tariffs on allies at the same time it is demanding they increase their defense expenditures, which requires a strong economy, Mattis said.
“You can’t bring allies on board if they don’t trust you,” he warned. “We’re going to have to deal with this threat by this aberrant, bizarre, murderous regime in Tehran, and we’re going to do it at the end of the day with allies — lots of allies.”
However, it could take eight to 12 years to rebuild trust with allies, he said.
“We’re going to have to get back to thinking strategically and giving our word and living up to it,” he said.
Ultimately, the U.S. Constitution will hold, he predicted.
“We will get through this,” he said. “… It’s a tough time. It’s a testing time. It’s not a dark time”
See a recording of Mattis on “Firing Line” at pbs.org/wnet/firing-line.
Mattis’s Richland roots
Mattis grew up in Richland, Wash., graduating from Richland High School in 1968 and enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve the next year.
He led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade in the war in Afghanistan and the 1st Marine Division in the invasion of Iraq. He led all U.S. forces in the Middle East as the commander of CENTCOM (Central Command) from 2010 to 2013.
Mattis and President Donald Trump talk after a White House reception in 2018. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
He served as the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019 in the Trump Administration.
He submitted his resignation from that office after Trump announced the immediate U.S. withdrawal from Syria, despite Mattis’ contention the United States should remain to ensure the Islamic State did not reorganize.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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