Brit Hume explained on Fox News Wednesday why President Donald Trump takes a cautious approach to dealing with Iran.

Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” to end its conflict with Israel. During an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Hume said the president is pausing to assess the situation further.

“The Iranians are likely to string this along as long as they can. And the president has good reason for pausing or at least waiting before he agrees to fire a shot or drop a bomb. The first one being the Israelis are doing a great job so far of taking out much, if not most, of Iran’s nuclear program. There is obviously more to do. And it’s not clear the Israelis can do it all,” Hume told host Bret Baier.

Hume said the second reason for Trump’s hesitating is the ongoing Israeli efforts to dismantle Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities.

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“The second reason for waiting is Israel takes out more and more of [the] Iranian’s ballistic weapons launchers. Those weapons, those launchers and those ballistic missiles don’t threaten the continental United States. But they are a threat to U.S. assets in the Middle East. I’m sure the president would like to see as much of that threat wiped out as possible before he took any action that could be retaliated against by Iran,” Hume said. (RELATED: Anchor For Iranian State Media Tries Not To Freak Out As Booming Bombs Rain Down On Her Studio)

Trump on Monday urged an immediate evacuation of Tehran, saying that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Israel launched preemptive strikes against multiple Iranian military targets Thursday, including the killing of top Iranian commanders, such as IRGC Commander Hossein Salami and Major Gen. Mohammad Bagheri.

Since Israel began its strikes, the U.S. has reportedly considered whether to join in targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also indicated that assassinating the ayatollah remains an option.

To effectively target Fordow, Israel would likely need American bunker buster bombs, as the site houses Iran’s most fortified nuclear enrichment facilities. Trump had given Iran a 60-day deadline on April 12 to negotiate over its nuclear program, which expired shortly before Israel launched its strikes.

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