On Friday, Pete Buttigieg, the former Transportation Secretary, calmly refuted claims made by CNBC host Joe Kernen. Kernen had asserted that President Donald Trump initiated his war on Iran to thwart the country’s nuclear weapon development.
Kernen, a co-host of “Squawk Box,” described the war as disastrous. Although a temporary two-week ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, the conflict led Iran to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Kernen noted that the war “is not over yet” and speculated that Trump might eventually manage to reopen the crucial passage.
Buttigieg questioned Kernen, asking if the best-case scenario was having the strait open. He pointed out that the strait was already open before the conflict began.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flows. Iran’s closure of the strait to U.S. ships since the war’s onset has caused American gas prices to spike and posed the risk of a global energy crisis. Currently, negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are ongoing.
Kernen admitted on Friday that the strait was open before Trump initiated the war in February. However, he argued that Iran was “close to having nuclear weapons” at that time. The war has resulted in the deaths of at least 13 U.S. military service members and more than 2,000 Iranians.
During his presidency, Barack Obama famously chose diplomatic solutions to handle the situation, dispatching then-Secretary of State John Kerry to forge the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. This agreement included a commitment from Iran not to develop nuclear weapons.
Buttigieg remarked to Kernen that there were alternative methods to address the issue, to which Kernen, supportive of Trump, replied, “Like what, Obama’s way?”
Buttigieg firmly responded, “Well, that worked!”
Earlier in the show, Kernen had mentioned that Iran had misrepresented its nuclear proliferation status at the time, dismissing Buttigieg’s point by stating, “That did not work.” However, Buttigieg effectively countered this argument with a direct question.
He inquired, “Did they get a nuclear weapon under Obama?”
Kernen maintained that Iran was “close enough, within months” to developing nuclear weapons, echoing a claim frequently made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has repeatedly issued warnings over the years, so much so that “The Daily Show” compiled an extensive montage of his assertions.
These claims span from 1995 to 2025.
Buttigieg had previously criticized Trump’s messaging, pointing out that despite the president’s claim last year of having “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapons program, he initiated a regional war in February.
“The fact is, under Obama, they were prevented from nearing a nuclear weapon,” Buttigieg stated. “And last year, the president claimed he ended their nuclear ambitions. If he wants to be honest with the American public about his failure to do so, he must admit it.”
