As RedState wrote on Saturday night, the U.S. military swiftly responded with force after the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at and struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians' action was in direct defiance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) underpinning the former ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
Early Sunday morning, CENTCOM reconfirmed that the U.S., not Iran, was in control of the international waterway, then assured the world in an update that it had remained open for shipping.
CENTCOM: Freedom of Navigation Now Prevails in Strait of Hormuz
Then ahead of President Donald Trump's phone interview with CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, host Jake Tapper sat down with U.S. ambassador to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Matthew Whitaker, following the president's trip to the NATO summit in Turkey last week. Among the questions the host asked Whitaker was on the United States possibly selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
My colleague Teri Christoph wrote about Pres. Trump's remarks at the summit on that topic:
The president kicked things off Tuesday by meeting with Turkish President Erdoğan at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara. Right off the bat, President Trump revealed he is considering letting Turkey back into the F-35 program, which could involve selling the fighter jets to Turkey's air force.
As Christoph noted, VP Vance remarked on the possibility, reported by Reuters, saying that the president had asked "the entire team," including SecWar Hegseth, "[to review] this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened ... in order to comply with American law."
READ MORE: Trump: 'Tremendous Love' in Room After NATO Summit Win
Trump Kicks Off NATO Summit With F-35 Bombshell and a Reality Check for Europe
The ambassador told Tapper:
WHITAKER: Jake, the F-35 is an unprecedented platform. It's more than a fighter jet. It can do really some amazing things.
And we're going to have over six hundred ultimately here in Europe in control of our allies. Turkey wants to be part of the F-35 program. The S-400 air defense system is a conditioned precedent, as you point out, under U.S. law. I think what President Trump is doing is negotiating the deal with President Erdogan because that's the right thing to do, is to accomplish the goal of that law.
But take -- what we saw in Turkey and what my tours through Turkey have shown me is that they are a very capable ally, that they are integrated with the West, that they, again, want to be a key ally, especially in that region. They have been very helpful in other conflicts in that region. And I think we should lean into that relationship with Turkey.
But, obviously, we have red lines, and President Trump is going to make sure that the right deal is cut. And my good friend Tom Barrack, our ambassador to Turkey, is also going to make sure that that deal is in the best interest of the American people.
In response to a follow-up, Whitaker stated that "it's very clear what American law requires. And you would expect that the United States of America doesn't want our most sophisticated fighter jet to be tested against Russia's air defense system."
He also was asked about Iran's actions against the vessel on Saturday, insisting that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Ambassador Whitaker didn't mince words in his answer.
Watch:
NATO Amb. Whitaker said Iran "is controlled by a bunch of crazy people, and ultimately, they're going to have to understand the United States is very serious." pic.twitter.com/L8MN36pUD4
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) July 12, 2026
WHITAKER: Well, the United States of America's position is, the state of -- the Strait of Hormuz will remain open.
Obviously, the memorandum of understanding with Iran was always performance-based, and one of the conditions was that Iran cannot terrorize commercial vessels transiting the strait. And so President Trump is responding to these attacks, whether it's when three ships were attacked, we hit 90 military targets.
Now another ship was attacked, and so we hit 140 or more targets, and that's what they should expect. But President Trump's a peacemaker, Jake, and he wants a deal with Iran. He wants to make sure that they never have a nuclear weapon, that they join the world as a contributor in a normalized country.
But, right now, it's -- as President Trump has said, and Marco Rubio has also stated, this country is controlled by a bunch of crazy people. And, ultimately, they're going to have to understand the United States is very serious about this and will continue to be clear-eyed on the threats.
Finally, the host asked the ambassador, "What do you remember most about how Senator Graham contributed to American foreign policy and the standing of the United States in the world?"
Whitaker said that "...obviously, I was shocked and saddened with the news that I learned today. And I would run into and spend time with Senator Graham all over the world, especially here in Europe."
He continued:
He is certainly an American patriot and was always very interested in America's place in the world and making sure that we were coming from a position of strength.
I think he obviously leaves a big hole in the Senate, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family as they deal with this shocking news.
You can watch the full interview below or here:
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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