Fox’s John Roberts Openly Questions ‘More Hardline’ Regime Left in Iran After Ceasefire

Fox News anchor John Roberts openly questioned what the end of Operation Epic Fury meant for the Iranian people and “freedom” in the country as he warned the campaign had left a “more hardline” regime in charge.

Roberts, who co-anchors America Reports, joined Fox & Friends at the conclusion of a Pentagon presser held on Wednesday morning by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine after President Donald Trump’s two-week ceasefire announcement.

Bringing Roberts into the conversation, Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt suggested, based on Hegseth’s address, that “it sounds like the war is over,” but the anchor seemed less convinced.

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

Rounding on differences between Iran’s proposal and Trump’s own, he continued: “I imagine a lot of this 10-point plan on the part of Iran that Pakistan’s prime minister put out is for domestic consumption, but there’s a lot of daylight between the two.”

He pointed out that Iran said it wants continued control over 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?”

Roberts also pointed to differences on Iran’s enrichment program.

“The other thing is, who is the new regime?” he openly 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.”

He continued: “But if Axios is correct in its reporting then [Iran’s new leader] Mojtaba Khamenei was at the core of these negotiations, that just continues the same theocracy that’s been in charge of Iran for 47 years and maybe even more hard line than his father was.”

“What does that mean for the rights of women? What does that mean for freedoms and what does that mean for getting rid of checkpoints and people living in fear?” he asked. I think there is an awful lot we don’t know here.”

He suggested then that Trump was credited with being a “master negotiator” and appeared to be “working off” the “model of Venezuela” in leaving someone from the old regime in charge.

Roberts followed: “There’s a lot of people are looking with a skeptical eye who will say, okay the bombs may have stopped falling, Iran may not continue to be the same threat it was but how do you leave them in charge of the Strait of Hormuz – unless you cut a channel through the northern part of the United Arab Emirates – and what does it mean for the progress of freedom in that country?”

Watch above via Fox News.

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