‘Finish the Job’: Mehek Cooke on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump’s Defining 120 Hours

Iran is running out of options as President Donald Trump applies unprecedented pressure to permanently dismantle Tehran’s nuclear and proxy terror network, said The Daily Signal’s Senior National Security and Legal Analyst Mehek Cooke on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” on Friday.

Following Trump’s announcement of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Cooke said Iran is “between a rock and a hard place,” adding that national security experts who bet against President Trump are now being proven wrong.

“You’ve seen in seven weeks what President Trump has been able to do that most presidents in 47 years haven’t been able to do,” Cooke said, pointing to restored U.S. leverage in the region, the reopening of critical shipping lanes, and growing pressure on Iran’s proxies.

Cooke emphasized that any agreement with Iran must permanently prevent Tehran from possessing uranium—not merely delay the threat.

“The next 120 hours are going to be the most significant hours in our lifetime,” Cooke said. “President Trump needs to secure a deal that Iran will never have uranium. It can’t be five years—because what happens in year six? President Trump won’t be there.”

She cautioned against trusting future administrations to enforce weak agreements, arguing that temporary deals would leave Israel and U.S. national security exposed.

“I do not trust Democrats today,” Cooke said. “They are anti-Israel. They continue to think that Iran is not a terrorist regime. So we have to make sure this deal is for a lifetime.”

Cooke noted reports that the United States might unfreeze Iranian assets in exchange for cooperation on a nuclear deal, warning that Iran’s economic leverage must be dismantled entirely.

“If Iran tries to fold, tries to deter our activities, then President Trump only has one option—take out the strait,” she said. “Take out the economic lifeline. Finish the job.”

Cooke also stressed that any deal must address Iran’s proxy wars, particularly Hezbollah’s military presence in Lebanon and attacks targeting Israel and Americans living abroad. Lebanon’s recent diplomatic engagement with Israel, she said, underscores Iran’s weakening grip.

“This has been the weakest point for Iran,” Cooke said.

Calling the moment a “generational opportunity,” Cooke urged sustained pressure, regional cooperation, and expansion of the Abraham Accords to ensure lasting security.

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