Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane questioned whether Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can be trusted to help shape negotiations with Iran, accusing the regional partners of steering President Donald Trump away from military pressure while leaving the United States and Israel to bear the risks of confronting Tehran.

Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst and former Army vice chief of staff, said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’ «America’s Newsroom» that Pakistan and Qatar were «compromised» as mediators because, in his view, they favor Iran over the United States.

«It is well known in the Middle East region, by our intelligence services, by all the players, that the Pakistanis and the Qataris are compromised because they favor Iran at the expense of the United States,» Keane said. «This is historical. This is not new.»

NUCLEAR EXPERTS URGE TRUMP NOT TO LET IRAN STEER TALKS AWAY FROM REGIME’S ATOMIC THREAT

Keane’s criticism contrasts with Trump’s public praise for Islamabad.

Trump said April 26 during a phone interview with Fox News that he had «great respect for Pakistan» because its officials had «been terrific» and «really tried» to advance negotiations with Iran. He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process.

While speaking to reporters after the G7 summit in France on June 18, Trump also credited Pakistan and Qatar with helping advance the negotiations that produced the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also defended the administration’s regional partners, telling Fox News Digital that, «President Trump has great relationships with leaders from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and he appreciates the involvement of all of our regional partners who are assisting with negotiations.» 

«If Iran cannot agree to a good deal with the United States, the fault will lie squarely with the regime, who will suffer the consequences,» Kelly added.

Mediators were preparing a second memorandum focused exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday reports indicated, potentially separating the immediate maritime crisis from the broader dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Keane, a former four-star general, argued that their involvement may have contributed to Washington misunderstanding Iran’s intentions.

«And yet they’re mediators,» Keane said. «So their influence here, I think, had played a part in misleading the United States in terms of Iran’s real intentions.»

TRUMP SAYS SAUDI NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WON’T MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ABRAHAM ACCORDS: ‘THEY HAVE TO BE A MEMBER’

Foreign workers look at a tall plume of black smoke ascends following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran’s strikes on Gulf neighbors since February 28, following the U.S.-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travelers who thought they were headed to one of the region’s safest holiday destinations. (Fadel Senna / AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan and Qatar have played formal roles in the diplomatic process.

A June 22 joint statement from the two countries said they were mediating talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The framework established working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution, as well as a mechanism intended to prevent incidents involving commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan declined to comment on Keane’s criticism. The Saudi and Qatari embassies in Washington did not respond by the time of publication.

Raza Rumi, editor-at-large of Pakistan’s The Friday Times, disputed Keane’s characterization, arguing that Islamabad’s working relationship with Tehran does not make it a compromised mediator.

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«Successful mediators are often those that enjoy channels of communication with all sides,» Rumi told Fox News Digital, saying Pakistan’s approach is shaped more by geography, security and economic concerns than ideological alignment with Iran.

He noted that Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and wants to prevent further instability, while also maintaining longstanding ties with the United States and close partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Rumi also pointed to the exchange of strikes between Pakistan and Iran in January 2024 as evidence that relations between the neighbors are not uniformly close.

An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. (AP Photo/ISNA)

«The suggestion that Pakistan somehow caused Washington to misunderstand Tehran’s intentions is difficult to substantiate,» Rumi said. «It would be a considerable stretch to attribute any American misreading of Iran’s intentions to Pakistani mediation.»

Keane directed even sharper criticism at Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh denied the United States access to Saudi airspace and a U.S. air base during preparations for a possible operation to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed Saudi officials had repeatedly persuaded Trump not to resume major military operations against Iran.

«The fact of the matter is, the Saudis are not willing to sacrifice to rid the Middle East region of Iran’s aggression,» Keane said, describing the potential costs as casualties and damage to Saudi oil infrastructure.

«They’re willing for us to make that sacrifice, for sure,» he added. «They’re willing for Israel to make that sacrifice, for sure.»

His remarks highlighted a broader debate over whether Saudi caution represents an unwillingness to confront Tehran or a strategic effort to prevent an open-ended regional war.

GULF COUNTRIES STRONGLY CONDEMN IRAN’S DRONE ATTACK ON BAHRAIN AS RISING TENSIONS THREATEN MOU

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives.

«Saudi Arabia supports confronting Iranian aggression, but not an open-ended regional war without clear objectives or an endgame,» Al-Ansari told Fox News Digital.

«Riyadh favors diplomacy backed by credible deterrence, but any agreement must be enforceable and verifiable, addressing Iran’s nuclear program, its proxies, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,» he added.

A Gulf affairs analyst who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue offered a different assessment, saying Saudi leaders fear that a wider confrontation would expose the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure to Iranian retaliation.

«Saudi Arabia believes it should appease Iran because it is deeply concerned about the consequences of a broader confrontation,» the analyst said. «Riyadh fears the damage Iran could inflict on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and has therefore favored restraint and negotiations over a decisive military campaign.»

The analyst described a widening divide among Gulf states, arguing that Saudi Arabia and Qatar favor accommodation while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait support stronger pressure on Iran.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and former National Security Council official, said during a separate Fox News appearance Wednesday, that Washington continues to depend on Saudi infrastructure even as disagreements persist over military strategy.

«When we talk about the Gulf states, we talk about Saudi Arabia and General Keane’s comments, remember, we also are relying on Saudi Arabia with their overland pipelines to keep us in the game here,» Goldberg said. «The fact that they’re at maximum capacity moving through the Red Sea also allows us to continue the strangulation strategy.»

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE

President Donald Trump attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025. (Amr Alfiky/Reuters )

The debate comes as the United States and Iran continue negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all have been involved in the diplomatic effort, while reports Wednesday indicated that mediators were working on an interim arrangement that could establish separate shipping routes through Iranian and Omani waters as broader nuclear negotiations continue.

The central question is whether those negotiations can produce an enforceable agreement or merely allow Tehran to preserve its leverage over the waterway.

Keane said he remained doubtful that Iran was prepared to surrender meaningful control.

«They are not going to give up the Strait of Hormuz,» he said. «They think it’s a strategic asset.»

He predicted Iran would seek to retain some degree of control over the waterway and warned that reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be even more difficult.

Iran sent an unprecedented «whole-regime» team to the U.S. deal talks which signals one priority, a counterterrorism expert said. (URS FLUEELER/Pool via REUTERS)

«My gut feeling here is no,» Keane said when asked whether Iran was prepared to reach and implement a substantive agreement. «The president is not going to make a bad deal here.»

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are launching a multi-front effort targeting the legal framework they say allows California to exert outsized influence over vehicle and equipment emissions standards beyond its borders, creating economic and consumer consequences.

Republicans argue California has become the nation’s de facto emissions regulator — as manufacturers rarely create separate product lines for the Golden State and instead are inclined to build to California’s standards, creating implicit national requirements.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. — a top member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) — is leading the effort alongside Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb. They argue EPA waivers granted to California during the Obama and Biden administrations under the Clean Air Act have turned narrow environmental exceptions into de facto climate regulation advancing the state’s sweeping climate agenda.

«California’s climate zealots have run roughshod over the rest of the country for too long,» Lummis told Fox News Digital.

CALIFORNIA SUES TRUMP EPA OVER MOVE TO SUBJECT STATE VEHICLE EMISSIONS WAIVERS TO CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW

«Under Governor Newsom, Sacramento has decided it can dictate what Wyoming families drive and what equipment our small businesses use. That ends today.»

Last year, lawmakers successfully rescinded three Biden-era EPA waivers allowing California to create emissions standards for trucks, cars and buses that they said gave the state outsized regulatory control. Thursday’s package goes a step further by targeting earlier EPA decisions they say laid the legal foundation for those now-rescinded regulations.

Each resolution uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a different EPA waiver. The CRA gives Congress the power to check agencies’ executive power.

NEWSOM, WALZ URGE CONGRESS TO BLOCK ANTI-CLIMATE BILL IN THEIR ‘WOKE’ CRUSADE

Because the CRA bars agencies from issuing rules that are «substantially the same» without new authorization from Congress, Republicans argue overturning the waivers would prevent future administrations from simply reinstating them — which targets the legal foundation of such carveouts.

Collectively, the package targets California’s authority over gas-powered lawn equipment, passenger vehicle emissions standards, the Advanced Clean Cars program and the original 2009 EPA waiver allowing Sacramento to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.

In the 1960s, the Clean Air Act gave California a narrow carve-out to seek EPA waivers for emissions rules that could be stricter than federal standards — but critics say the exemption, originally intended to address severe Los Angeles smog, has been weaponized to force manufacturing changes that reverberate across the country.

Andrew Bray, an executive with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, whose members rely on small off-road engines affected by the waivers, said he supports a responsible transition to lower-emission equipment — but underlined that it must come from «practical innovation» and not government mandates.

TRUMP’S REINDUSTRIALIZATION AGENDA FACES ITS BIGGEST HURDLE — AMERICANS

«This resolution is a critical step in securing the flexibility businesses need while technology continuess to advance,» Bray said. Michael Lee of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America added that the legislative process, not state-specific fiats with «nationwide consequences,» is the way to address the situation.

The four lawmakers leading the fight said in a release that California regulators have «abandoned any pretense of addressing local air quality and turned the waiver process into a backdoor for imposing a radical climate agenda on the entire country… without a single vote in Congress.»

Lummis’ resolution would rescind a 2025 waiver granted just before President Donald Trump took office that she said allowed California to phase out gas-powered small engines such as chainsaws and leaf blowers.

In doing so, manufacturers would no longer be inclined to transition to electric or zero-emission models.

TRUMP’S EPA CHIEF PUSHES BACK ON CLIMATE SKEPTICS BEING LABELED ‘SCIENCE DENIERS’

A California oil field in McKittrick, left; a Chrysler plant in the US, right. (Ty Wright/Getty Images; Getty Images)

Lummis’ resolution targets a 2025 EPA waiver that allowed California to move toward phasing out new gas-powered small engines such as chainsaws, leaf blowers and lawn mowers. Supporters say repealing the waiver would remove regulatory pressure encouraging manufacturers to transition those products toward zero-emission technology.

Husted’s resolution targets a 2022 EPA waiver that restored California’s authority to continue its Advanced Clean Cars program.

«Ohioans shouldn’t be forced to follow California’s lead when it comes to policies that make everyday life more expensive and less convenient,» he told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Ricketts said the situation is proof that the Obama-Biden era of «overregulation and red tape» continues to cost Nebraskans and Americans writ large millions of dollars, citing his state’s massive agricultural industry as an example of regulatory reverberations from Sacramento.

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«They used California policies as a backdoor EV mandate and even tried to control how we cut our grass,» he said. His CRA resolution targets an Obama-era waiver originally authorizing the clean car program, while Schmitt seeks repeal of a waiver granted just months after President George W. Bush left office that allows California to enforce greenhouse gas emissions standards for new passenger vehicles beginning with the 2009 model year.

Schmitt said the waivers allow Sacramento to «continue to punish» manufacturers around the country and affect consumer choice and costs through their «climate alarmist rules.»

Together, Republicans say the four resolutions represent Congress’ broadest effort yet to unshackle states and manufacturers from California’s emissions framework by targeting not only individual regulations but the EPA decisions they argue made those regulations possible.

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President Biden sits at the Resolute Desk, left; a Chrysler plant, right. (AFP/Getty Images; Getty Images)

Opponents are expected to counter that the effort would undermine California’s longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act to adopt stricter environmental standards.

Fox News Digital reached out to former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for comment.

En la mañana del 13 de noviembre de 2022, un llamado al 911 alertó por un hecho inesperado cerca del campus de la Universidad de Idaho, en Estados Unidos: cuatro estudiantes de entre 20 y 21 años habían sido asesinados a puñaladas.

Las víctimas eran Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle y Ethan Chapin, todos fueron encontrados dentro de la casa que alquilaban para vivir mientras cursaban su carrera universitaria en la ciudad de Moscow.

La escena del crimen dejó desconcertados a los investigadores, ya que el caso parecía no tener explicación. No había sospechas de que los chicos tuvieran un “enemigo” y no estaba claro cuál había sido el motivo del hecho.

Sin embargo, una funda de cuchillo que había quedado olvidada sobre una de las camas, el registro de un auto blanco captado por las cámaras de seguridad y meses de análisis forenses terminaron llevando a los policías hasta un sospechoso inesperado.

El crimen

La casa ubicada en el 1122 de King Road era un punto de encuentro habitual para estudiantes de la Universidad de Idaho. Allí vivían cinco jóvenes que cursaban distintas carreras y compartían la rutina universitaria entre clases, trabajos y reuniones con amigos.

Madison Mogen y Kaylee Goncalves, ambas de 21 años, eran mejores amigas desde la infancia. Habían crecido juntas y, aunque Kaylee ya se había mudado porque estaba a punto de graduarse, había vuelto ese fin de semana para visitar a sus amigos y mostrarles el auto que se acababa de comprar.

En la misma propiedad vivía Xana Kernodle, de 20 años, estudiante de Marketing. Esa noche había salido junto a su novio, Ethan Chapin, también de 20, que estudiaba Recreación, Deportes y Turismo en la misma facultad. Ethan no vivía ahí, pero se había quedado a dormir después de que ambos regresaran de una fiesta organizada por la fraternidad.

La sexta integrante de la casa y otra compañera sobrevivieron al ataque. Ambas permanecieron en sus habitaciones durante la madrugada y fueron quienes, horas después, dieron aviso a las autoridades al advertir que algo no estaba bien.

La noche del 12 de noviembre, los cuatro jóvenes hicieron planes por separado y volvieron a la casa durante la madrugada. Lo que ocurrió en las horas siguientes pudo reconstruirse gracias a cámaras de seguridad, registros de celulares y los testimonios obtenidos durante la investigación.

Según la acusación, un hombre llegó hasta la zona en un Hyundai Elantra blanco poco después de las 4 de la mañana. El vehículo fue captado en varias oportunidades circulando alrededor de la casa antes de detenerse.

Los investigadores sostuvieron que el sospechoso ingresó por una puerta corrediza ubicada en la parte trasera de la propiedad y comenzó el ataque en el tercer piso, donde dormían Madison y Kaylee. Luego bajó al segundo nivel y asesinó a Ethan y a Xana.

Una de las sobrevivientes declaró después que escuchó ruidos durante la madrugada y abrió la puerta de su habitación en varias oportunidades. En una de ellas vio pasar a un hombre vestido de negro, con la cara parcialmente cubierta y cejas pobladas, que salió de la casa sin atacarla. Asustada, se quedó encerrada hasta que horas más tarde se descubrieron los cuerpos de los cuatro estudiantes.

Durante semanas, la policía trabajó sin un sospechoso identificado. Sin embargo, una pequeña pieza olvidada en la escena del crimen terminaría siendo la clave para resolver el caso.

Las pistas que llevaron a un enigma

En la primera etapa de la investigación, los agentes entrevistaron a cientos de personas, analizaron fotos y videos, y recibieron muchos llamados con posibles pistas. El objetivo no solo era saber quién estaba detrás de los crímenes, sino entender el motivo.

La primera prueba clave fue encontrada dentro de la casa. Sobre una de las camas los peritos hallaron la funda de un cuchillo de uso militar Ka-Bar. En el broche, recuperaron una muestra de ADN que, meses más tarde, sería determinante para identificar al responsable.

Al mismo tiempo, los investigadores analizaron las cámaras de seguridad instaladas en las calles y las propiedades de Moscow. Así fue como detectaron un Hyundai Elantra blanco que había pasado varias veces frente a la casa durante la madrugada del crimen.

Ese vehículo pertenecía a Bryan Kohberger, un estudiante de 28 años del doctorado en Criminología de la Universidad Estatal de Washington, ubicada a pocos kilómetros de Moscow.

Los registros de telefonía celular también resultaron fundamentales, ya que permitieron establecer que el sospechoso se había conectado en reiteradas oportunidades a antenas cercanas a la casa durante los meses previos a los asesinatos, un dato que reforzó la idea de que había vigilado el lugar antes.

Con todas esas pruebas, el 30 de diciembre de ese mismo año, agentes del FBI y de la Policía detuvieron a Kohberger en la casa de sus padres en Pensilvania, donde había viajado para pasar las fiestas de fin de año.

El juicio y la condena

Durante más de dos años, el caso avanzó hacia un juicio que prometía convertirse en uno de los más importantes de la historia criminal de Idaho.

Sin embargo, el proceso dio un giro inesperado en 2025, cuando Bryan Kohberger aceptó un acuerdo con la fiscalía y se declaró culpable de los cuatro asesinatos para evitar un juicio en el que podía ser condenado a muerte.

Como parte del acuerdo, renunció a apelar la condena y aceptó una sentencia de cuatro cadenas perpetuas consecutivas, sin posibilidad de acceder a la libertad condicional.

Durante la audiencia de sentencia, familiares y amigos de las víctimas describieron el profundo impacto que los crímenes tuvieron en sus vidas y reclamaron respuestas que nunca llegaron.

Actualmente, Kohberger permanece alojado en la Institución de Máxima Seguridad de Idaho, donde cumplirá su condena.

El misterio que sigue sin resolverse

Si bien la Justicia logró determinar quién fue el autor material de los asesinatos, una de las preguntas que sigue sin respuesta es por qué lo hizo.

Por su parte, Kohberger nunca explicó cuál fue el motivo del ataque. Al declararse culpable, evitó el juicio, pero, además, no tuvo que dar una reconstrucción detallada de los hechos ni responder preguntas sobre el móvil.

Con el paso del tiempo surgieron distintas teorías: algunas sostienen que pudo haber desarrollado una obsesión con las víctimas; otras apuntan a que su interés por la criminología derivó en una fascinación por los asesinos. Sin embargo, ninguna de estas hipótesis fue confirmada por la fiscalía.

Estados Unidos, asesinatos, estudiante