Speaking to anchor Jonathan Samuels, he analysed the situation and Hegsworth’s press conference. “I mean, this is the hard sell, isn’t it? This is the sell that says American success. That labels it as a victory for Donald Trump, President of peace. He was called a president who chose mercy. We heard that from Pete Hegseth, and we had many facts, many figures about the military results… and how they essentially battered Iran over the course of the past five weeks,” he said.
He continued: “Most interesting for me was the business of the Strait of Hormuz…he was asked about access. The specific question was, ‘Would the US escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz?’
“His answer to that was that Iran is letting ships go through. We have done an incredible job in the Strait of Hormuz, laying the groundwork. Iran doesn’t have the ability to defend it like it used to.
“He then said, ‘it’s time for the rest of the world to step up and make sure it stays open’. Perhaps there’s every chance that’s a nod to what America thinks could and should happen next in terms of resolving that particular problem,” Matthews speculated.
“He was asked later on about the same situation the Strait of Hormuz. How can the United States ensure safe passage?
“Given that Iran says it will essentially control it, that ships will pass with Iranian consent, his answer was: ‘Iran is going to say a lot of things. What’s agreed to is that the Strait is open, commerce will flow’.
“So he didn’t get into specifics of how that problem has been solved….There are many questions that remain unanswered about the Strait of Hormuz that Pete Hegseth, tip toed around.
“He couldn’t directly answer what was going to happen. How would they ensure that waterway stayed open on terms favourable to the US and the rest of the world…
“…So you know, broad brush headlines from Pete Hegseth but not specifics on the thorny, intractable issues that this morning actually remain,” he concluded.
