Finer: US preparing for all eventualities in case of Iranian retaliation

Following the assassination of a senior Hamas political leader in Tehran last week, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said the United States was “preparing for all eventualities” regarding possible Iranian retaliation.

“I’m not going to tell you what I think Iran is going to do, because I don’t think we want to show our cards that way,” Finer told ABC News’ “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “But I can tell you that we are preparing for all eventualities, just as we did before April 13, when Iran attacked Israel, and the United States and a coalition of our partners and allies worked with Israel to counter that attack.”

The Pentagon announced new defensive measures Friday that it said are “designed to improve the protection of American forces, increase support for the defense of Israel, and ensure that the United States is prepared to respond to a variety of contingencies.” The force posture adjustments include sending an additional fighter squadron and more warships to the Middle East.

Finer noted this action and said that, at the same time, the United States is “working very hard to de-escalate this situation diplomatically.”

Asked by Stephanopoulos whether there were behind-the-scenes discussions with Iran about how to contain the escalation, Finer remained tight-lipped but said the United States was doing everything it could to ensure the conflict does not spread.

“What makes behind-the-scenes messaging and conversations effective is that they have to be private,” Finer said. “So I won’t talk about the specifics of the diplomatic activity that’s going on, other than to say that it’s happening in close coordination and collaboration with our Israeli allies and other partners and allies in the region. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that this situation doesn’t escalate.”

President Joe Biden and other senior administration officials continue to push for Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire to end the war in Gaza, which began shortly after Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7.

But fears about such a deal have grown over the past week after the deaths of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr and senior Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in separate incidents. Israel claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Shukr, but has not said whether it was also behind the attack that killed Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran has blamed on Israel.

On “This Week,” Finer stressed that reaching a cease-fire remains a top priority for the White House.

“We think this is an urgent matter, because in a context like this, where hostilities are taking place throughout the region, there is always an external factor that can intervene and make these negotiations more difficult,” he said. “So we want to get this agreement concluded as quickly as possible before this happens again.”

Recalling last week’s historic 24-prisoner exchange that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Finer said the freed Americans were “extremely happy” when they spoke to the president and their families upon their arrival in Turkey upon their return to the United States.

“The president and his families were gathered in the Oval Office and they showed extraordinary strength,” Finer said. “It was a very moving scene.”

In another “This Week” interview Sunday, Wall Street Journal publisher and Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour told Stephanopoulos that he spoke to Gershkovich on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews and again over the weekend and that he “is doing well.”

“We saw a lot of energy when he got off the plane, and he always has a lot of energy,” Latour said.

Asked about the role the Wall Street Journal played in the negotiations, Latour said “constant advocacy” was essential.

“Our role was to ensure that there was constant advocacy with decision-makers, given [and] “We need to not only make public statements invisible, but also make sure that people see the suffering that parents are going through, the assault on the free press,” he said.

“The editorial staff did their part by reporting the incident and providing emotional support, highlighting the case. But as a company, we wanted our man back and we tried hard,” he added.

In response to Gershkovich’s request for an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the journalist made in a statement for his pardon hearing, Latour said it showed Evan’s journalistic spirit was not lost.

“He’s a journalist who is hungry for stories. He’s a storyteller,” he said.

“My boy, wouldn’t that be an incredible thing to see,” Latour added.

While the historic prisoner swap has been met with widespread praise, several prominent Republicans have also criticized the deal, saying that trading innocent Americans for Russian criminals sets a dangerous precedent, something Finer has rejected.

“We don’t believe it’s responsible or right for American interests to leave these people in harm’s way,” he said Sunday. “That’s why the president, from the moment he took office, made it a priority to free the Americans who were in captivity when we got here, and those who have been captured since, trying to free them as well.”

“He doesn’t apologize for doing this,” Finer told Stephanopoulos.