Russel L. Honoré noted that there's "a direct relationship" between the rhetoric from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the safety of Ameri
Russel L. Honoré noted that there's "a direct relationship" between the rhetoric from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the safety of American troops.
By Marco Margaritoff
Apr 4, 2026, 02:16 PM EDT
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré warned on Friday that the Air Force pilot missing in Iran after getting shot down is in more danger of being “tortured or killed” as a direct result of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowing to give Iran “no quarter” in the war.
Honoré joined CNN’s “Laura Coates Live” after Iran shot down two U.S. military fighter jets; two of the three American pilots involved were rescued. Asked how Hegseth’s threat could impact the missing pilot, he told guest host Victor Blackwell there is “a direct relationship.”
“And the concern we had at the time the secretary of defense made that statement, that we will give ‘no quarter,’ is a violation of our rules of war that we have trained our soldiers on,” said Honoré. “And it was practiced when we shot the Iranian warship off the Indian Ocean.”
He continued, “We gave no quarter. We did not provide assistance to the survivors. And the double strike on the small boats in the Caribbean — gave no assistance, by and large. And there was talk of a second strike.”
Hegseth said last month during a Pentagon news briefing on the Iran war, “We will keep pressing. We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.”
