Trump envoy to Turkey doubles down after backlash, pushes ‘peace through strength’ policy

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack is pushing backmost aft backlash implicit remarks seen arsenic equating Israel with Hezbollah, insisting his comments bespeak "realism" and not a alteration successful U.S. policy.

Barrack appeared to equate America’s closest state successful the Middle East with a U.S.-designated violent organization, suggested Turkey should soon regain entree to the F-35 programme contempt its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 system, and argued that lone "powerful enactment regimes" person succeeded successful the region.

In exclusive written answers to Fox News Digital’s questions, Barrack rejected accusations that helium was softening the administration’s stance toward Hezbollah oregon Iran, and argued that President Donald Trump’s "peace done strength" attack requires a much pragmatic speechmaking of the Middle East.

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U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack is pushing backmost aft backlash implicit remarks seen arsenic equating Israel with Hezbollah.  (Hussein Malla/AP)

Fox News Digital: During your remarks astatine the Antalya Diplomacy Forum Friday, you described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire arsenic a "time out" and said that "everybody has been arsenic untrustworthy." How bash you reconcile that characterization with the U.S. designation of Hezbollah arsenic a violent organization? 

Does your connection that the extremity is "not sidesplitting Hezbollah" bespeak immoderate displacement from the erstwhile "maximum pressure" attack toward a strategy of containment oregon governmental inclusion?

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack: Let maine beryllium precise wide astir my remarks astatine the Antalya Diplomacy Forum connected April 17.

When I described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire arsenic a ‘time out’ and said that ‘everybody has been arsenic untrustworthy,’ I was simply stating the evident world connected the ground. This is realism, not disapproval of immoderate side. 

The November 2024 ceasefire and the caller April 2026 ceasefire person repeatedly proven fragile due to the fact that each parties — Israel, Hezbollah and their backers — person tested the limits successful the past. Historical patterns of violations, rearmament and proxy escalation corroborate that communal mistrust is the halfway challenge.

That communal mistrust is precisely wherefore this medication brokered the ceasefire successful the archetypal place: to halt the senseless killing, make breathing country and physique a monitored, enforceable way guardant that strengthens Lebanese sovereignty and Israeli security.

This characterization successful nary mode softens our ironclad position: Hezbollah is simply a designated violent enactment liable for the deaths of Americans and countless acts of destabilization. 

We person ne'er trusted them. We admit that wrong Lebanon itself, the Hezbollah governmental enactment is differentiated from Hezbollah the violent group, which holds parliamentary seats wrong the Lebanese government. Political spot successful that respect volition person to beryllium earned.

U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during a league astatine Antalya Diplomacy Forum successful Antalya, Turkey, April 17, 2026.  (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

My constituent was straightforward: durable bid requires confronting that mistrust head-on, not pretending it does not exist. This attack afloat supports President Trump’s argumentation of maximum unit connected Iran and its proxies portion delivering existent results: positioning america to degrade Hezbollah’s violent capabilities done a operation of enforcement, Lebanese authorities authorization and the renewal of an system that tin supply a caller epoch of anticipation to Lebanese communities successful some the northbound and south.

On the extremity not being ‘killing Hezbollah,’ I basal by each word. After decades successful the region, you cannot destruct an embedded militia solely by kinetic means erstwhile a sovereign authorities similar Iran continues to limb and money it. Pure ‘mowing the lawn’ has ne'er worked. To the contrary, it often fuels recruitment and prolongs conflict.

Our nonsubjective has ever been to degrade Hezbollah’s violent infrastructure to the constituent wherever diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese authorities tin instrumentality implicit nether Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests. This is not a displacement toward containment oregon governmental inclusion of a violent group. It is the aforesaid ‘maximum unit positive astute diplomacy’ playbook this medication has utilized successfully against ISIS and different threats.

We proceed to backmost Israel’s close to support itself decisively, arsenic Secretary Rubio explicitly affirmed successful the existent ceasefire terms, portion besides pushing for an extremity to the idiocy of endless war. Stopping the bleeding first, past enforcing the win. That is precisely what President Trump and Secretary Rubio achieved with this ceasefire.

No argumentation changes whatsoever. Just clear, effectual execution.

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Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and peculiar envoy to Syria, meets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun successful Baabda, eastbound of Beirut, connected July 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency Press Office/AP)

Fox News Digital: You described the quality implicit Turkey’s information successful the F-35 programme arsenic "insane" and suggested the Russian S-400 contented could beryllium resolved wrong months.

What circumstantial safeguards regarding possession and operability are nether information to fulfill Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act and code concerns that the Russian S-400 strategy could compromise delicate F-35 technology? How bash you respond to members of Congress who person threatened to reason F-16 upgrades oregon immoderate aboriginal F-35 transportation to Turkey until your comments regarding Hezbollah and Israel are clarified?

(For example, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who responded straight to Barrack’s April 2026 remarks by saying Turkey would not person either F-35s oregon F-16s. Scott wrote that Turkey "funds Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, hates Israel, and loves Russia and Iran," adding: "Good luck buying F-35s, F-16s, and different American-made defence platforms.)

Barrack: Calling the prolonged impasse "insane" is blunt communal sense. It highlights precisely wherefore the medication is close to prosecute a resolution: NATO unity against Russia and China is simply a halfway U.S. nationalist information interest.

Turkey remains a captious ally, hosting captious U.S. assets, contributing to NATO missions and countering shared threats. Sanctions and exclusion from the F-35 program, triggered by the S-400 purchase, person strained ties unnecessarily portion Russia benefits from the wedge.

The S-400 contented tin and should beryllium resolved wrong months done surgical diplomacy from Secretary Rubio, grounded successful the beardown idiosyncratic narration betwixt President Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Let maine beryllium explicit: immoderate solution volition afloat fulfill Section 1245 of the NDAA. That means verifiable cessation of possession and operability of the Russian S-400 system, with ceremonial certifications from the secretaries of Defense and State confirming determination is nary hazard of compromise to delicate F-35 technology.

There volition beryllium nary shortcuts connected American information standards. What I americium signaling is that existent breakthroughs are imminent: restoring Turkey’s relation successful the F-35 ecosystem, strengthening NATO interoperability, boosting U.S. manufacture and denying Russia leverage.

This is classical Trump deal-making: enforce the law, support our exertion and rebuild alliances that beforehand American strength.

In each 1 of these statements, I americium speaking straight successful enactment of this administration’s overseas policy. We judge successful bid done strength, candid appraisal of realities and delivering results that support U.S. interests without dragging America into endless conflicts.

These comments bespeak that approach: maximum leverage against terrorists, pragmatic engagement with cardinal partners similar Turkey and a clear-eyed way to greater stableness successful a volatile region."

Another constituent of contention was Barrack’s repeated statement that beardown centralized rule, alternatively than Western-style democracy, has been the astir palmy exemplary successful the Middle East. Reiterating comments helium had made previously, Barrack said astatine the Antalya Diplomacy Forum connected April 17: "The lone happening that’s worked, the lone thing, are these almighty enactment regimes: either benevolent monarchies, the benignant of monarchical republic.

IRAN'S COLLAPSE OR SURVIVAL HINGES ON ONE CHOICE INSIDE THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD

Turkey was removed from the American F-35 programme successful 2019 aft purchasing Russia’s S-400 aerial defence system, which U.S. officials warned could let Moscow to stitchery quality connected the stealth fighter. 

Under Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Turkey cannot rejoin the programme unless the president certifies to Congress that Ankara nary longer possesses oregon operates the S-400 and that the strategy poses nary hazard to the F-35.

Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa met with U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack astatine the People’s Palace successful Damascus connected Jan. 18, 2026. (Syrian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu)

Fox News Digital: You said that "powerful enactment regimes" are the lone structures that person worked successful the Middle East. 

Does that connection bespeak a broader displacement distant from longstanding U.S. enactment for antiauthoritarian governance and human rights successful the region?

Barrack: When I said that ‘powerful enactment regimes,’ whether benevolent monarchies oregon the benignant of monarchical republics seen elsewhere successful the region, are the lone structures that person really worked successful the Middle East, I was speaking from decades of hard-earned observation, not ideology.

Look astatine the way record. Countries that tried to follow Western-style ideology rapidly aft the Arab Spring mostly failed, often descending into chaos, civilian warfare oregon caller forms of authoritarianism.

Meanwhile, stable, results-oriented enactment successful places similar the Gulf monarchies has delivered security, economical growth, modernization and existent improvements successful people’s lives.

Israel, which 1 tin rightly constituent to arsenic a vibrant ideology successful the region, stands arsenic a notable outlier that has thrived nether highly strong, bold enactment susceptible of delivering information and prosperity nether bonzer challenges, adjacent arsenic immoderate critics picture it arsenic a "flawed democracy."

Turkey, operating arsenic a statesmanlike republic with regular multiparty elections, besides demonstrates however strong, centralized enactment nether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered stability, economical dynamism and assertive determination influence, though critics person described it arsenic a hybrid authorities with beardown authoritarian tendencies.

This is not a alteration successful U.S. argumentation distant from supporting antiauthoritarian governance and quality rights. It is simply a realistic appraisal of what produces stableness truthful that quality rights and prosperity tin instrumentality root.

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Warren Stephens, Tom Barrack, and Tilman Fertitta beryllium for their confirmation hearings. (Getty Images)

President Trump’s attack has ever been bid done strength: woody with the satellite arsenic it is, not arsenic we privation it to be. We enactment effectual governance that prevents chaos, counters coercion and creates conditions for semipermanent progress.

That includes backing strong, accountable leaders who present for their people, whether successful monarchies that person modernized successfully oregon successful evolving systems that prioritize information and accidental implicit imported models that person repeatedly collapsed.