Fox News senior strategic analyst: “It's time to return to full-out combat operations”
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From the May 20, 2026, edition of Fox News' America Reports
SANDRA SMITH (FOX NEWS ANCHOR): What does that tell you, general?
JACK KEANE (FOX NEWS SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST): Well, I think what the Iranians are attempting to achieve here, I mean, we're six weeks into a ceasefire that the original deadline was two weeks. And I think what the Iranians are trying to achieve here is drag these negotiations out. As long as they possibly can. Believing that there'll be more political-economic pressure put on the president. Not so much to make a deal that he doesn't want to make, but to get fed up with this thing and end it. End it to where it is right now. That's kind of what the Iranians are doing here. And I think what he's trying to respond to them and look, I don't feel any pressure. I'm not being persuaded by anybody's concern about political-economic pressure. I'll take as long as it takes here to make a right deal.
I do think we're reaching a point at whether we really can't get a deal or not. I mean, six weeks, we've had plenty of opportunity, even before that to talk to these mostly the same people, and a deal has been quite elusive. In my judgment, I don't think they're ever going to put a deal on the table that will be acceptable to our president, because he's not going to take a bad deal. And I think, in my judgment, it's time to return to full-out combat operations.
Listen, we've been gathering information on the Iranians for six weeks. And we have increased our capability in the region militarily. The Israelis have full suite of munitions and weapons systems. And we are ready to go with much better information on targeting. The effects on Iranians are going to be quite devastating. And all the hand-wringers out there who are worried about the Iranians firing at Gulf oil and disrupting and continuing to disrupt the Straits of Hormuz don't understand what the impact of that military operation will have on their capabilities. I'm not suggesting it wouldn't be challenging. I'm not suggesting there wouldn't be anything unexpected. That's what war is always about.