This LiveNOW from FOX segment is a geopolitical interview about U.S.-Iran escalation, the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump’s strategy. Jonathan Shanzer argues the administration is trying to combine defensive strikes, sanctions, and pressure on Iran’s oil and banking channels to “defang” the regime while keeping escalation contained.
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The segment centers on the latest U.S.-Iran exchange of strikes, President Trump’s warning that no country will be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, and the administration’s attempt to frame its response as both defensive and strategic. The interviewer frames the moment around Trump’s cabinet meeting and the reported Iranian drone movements near the Gulf, then brings in Jonathan Shanzer, identified as the director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to assess what the White House is signaling and what may come next. Shanzer’s core thesis is that the United States is trying to “defang” Iran through a mix of real-time military interceptions, economic pressure, and possible covert action, while also signaling resolve to the Iranian leadership. …
Tactically, the market setup is about Gulf disruption risk: any new strike, drone event, or shipping scare around Hormuz can quickly lift oil-risk sentiment and force attention to defense and energy exposure.
Over the next few weeks, the key question is whether Washington intensifies sanctions and financial pressure while keeping military action limited; if Iran’s export logistics weaken, the pressure regime could tighten materially.
Structurally, the transcript points to a durable regime of intermittent U.S.-Iran confrontation where the Strait of Hormuz remains a strategic choke point and energy geopolitics stay linked to regional security risk.
Trump is seeking a settlement that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and supports a victory narrative on Iran’s nuclear capability.
Stated by the intro framing before the interview begins.
The cabinet meeting showed Trump is seriously consulting advisors rather than acting unilaterally.
Shanzer says the optics were good because the president was engaging his top advisors.
U.S. intelligence and preemptive strikes are helping keep escalation contained.
He argues satellite/SIGINT-based real-time countering is preventing attacks from getting through.
What did the cabinet meeting actually accomplish, and did anything significant happen there?
Shanzer says the meeting mattered mostly for its optics and messaging. He argues it showed the president was consulting top advisors, signaling seriousness, and perhaps laying groundwork for further action, though he says the specifics are still unknown.
What do the reported Iranian drone movements near the Strait of Hormuz mean, and why were self-defense strikes authorized now?
He says the strikes were justified if there was a direct threat to U.S. forces or allies, likely including the base in Kuwait. He adds that the U.S. is using real-time intelligence to preempt threats and keep escalation contained.
What are the main obstacles to reaching a settlement with Iran?
He says the core problem is that the United States wants Iran to stop nuclear expansion, ballistic missiles, proxy support, and repression, while the Islamic Republic wants to keep all of those tools. He also argues covert support for the Iranian people and economic pressure on the regime are part of the strategy.
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