Media

Fox’s Hegseth: Iran should return to negotiating table ‘limping and begging, not seething’

by Joe Concha - 01/08/20 10:04 AM ET

Fox News host Pete Hegseth urged Iran to “come back to the table for talks on their nuclear capabilities” in an interview on Wednesday.

Hegseth, a former Navy SEAL and “Fox & Friends Weekend” host, said Iran should come back to nuclear talks “limping and begging, not seething,” following the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

“[Iran is] not as capable as they want the world to believe they are,” Hegseth told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.

“They want something to sell for internal propaganda,” Hegseth. “I totally get that. None of this, though, changes the calculation of this regime, which is an evil regime.”

“They need to come back limping and begging, not seething. So will this be enough? Will it end here? I don’t think so. I don’t think even close,” he later concluded. “The president has played this perfectly. He’s played it being careful and cautious.”

Iran responded to the killing of Soleimani by launching missile attacks on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers. President Trump is scheduled to address the nation on the events later on Wednesday morning. There were no American casualties reported, according to U.S. military officials. There were also reports that Iran sought to avoid hitting sites where U.S. soldiers could have been hit.

Hegseth was once considered a top contender to run the Department of Veterans Affairs under Trump.

He first joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014.

Tags Donald Trump Fox News Iran