Fox News General Blows Up Trump’s Big War Boasts

A retired general has thrown shade on President Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran, claiming that the Middle Eastern country still holds plenty of cards.

Jack Keane said on Wednesday’s episode of America’s Newsroom that Iran’s willingness to break hostilities suits it because it still has control of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Truth Social on Tuesday Trump, 79, pledged to wipe out an entire “civilization” if Tehran didn’t come to the table, but Keane thinks that even though it did so, it is still in the driver’s seat. In his view, this week’s agreement is exactly what it wants.

“You’ve got to look at this from Iran’s perspective,” he said. “Why did they shut down the Strait of Hormuz? What was their objective they were trying to achieve here? The objective was a simple one, to stop the war. They have achieved that objective.

“We have indeed stopped the war. So not only that, the Iranians are still in control. The [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] Navy has told all the ships in the Gulf [that in order] to pass through the straits, you need our permission. So they are very much in control of the Strait of Hormuz and all those ships are going to abide by those warnings.”

The strait has become one of the key flashpoints of the conflict, stifling around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, causing gas prices to soar and the global economy to wobble.

Dozens of merchant ships have been struck by Iran, culminating in Americans’ wallets being squeezed despite Trump promising to make people better off during his election campaign. That frustration, in a midterm year, has given Iran a powerful bargaining tool.

Keane said that Iran was betting Trump’s will to return to the fight would be diminished by the cessation of violence, and so they will be happy drawing out negotiations.

“They are setting the stage for extending the negotiations,” the 83-year-old said. “They are masters at obfuscation and delay.

“Their objective going into the negotiation will be to delay the negotiation, extend the cease-fire. Why? We’re getting closer to a deal here. They’ll say anything to convince our negotiators of that. We are getting closer to a deal… Iran is buying for time.

“Why? Because as time goes by, the oil prices start to come down, the pressure is off the president and the administration economically and financially, and also somewhat politically. And they are counting on that pressure on the president at that point not to have the will to re-attack several weeks from now.”

It comes as Fox News host John Roberts raised questions about the real-world gains of Trump’s so-called victory.

The 69-year-old America Reports anchor appeared on Fox & Friends on Wednesday, where he was asked what the two-week ceasefire really meant for the Iranian people and whether the country’s leadership was any more moderate than before the war.

“I mean, there is a lot we don’t know here,” he said. “How many times have we gone into negotiations with Iran and it’s fallen apart?”

He added that “there’s a lot of daylight between the two.”

One of the most glaring points of separation is Iran’s continued insistence that it will control the Strait of Hormuz. “A lot of people in the world say, ‘Why would you let a group of lunatics continue to have control over the most economically important piece of water in the entire world?”

World leaders have welcomed the break in fighting, but the two sides remain some distance apart in what they want from a peace deal. Iran has issued a 10-point plan, which includes retaining control of the strait, a U.S. military exit from the Middle East, and an end to all economic sanctions.

“The other thing is, who is the new regime?” Roberts asked. “I have a lot of Persians in my friend circle, and they were all hoping that there was going to be a fundamental regime change that would lead to democratic process or at least a transitional government in Iran.”