Hegseth downplayed risks of Iran war to Trump before first strike: Sources

[0:00] Straightening out the Strait of Hormuz is something Trump has clearly wanted to do, [0:03] but it has proven to be quite complicated. CNN has new reporting on what Trump was not told [0:07] or for launching into this war, according to sources. In the lead-up to the first bombs [0:12] dropped on Iran February 28th, the president met with a small group of advisors to discuss options. [0:19] The president made it clear he wanted to launch a military campaign alongside [0:22] Israel, sources tell us. This sort of briefing would normally include likely economic fallout [0:27] should Tehran retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which is eminently predictable. [0:32] But, three sources tell our CNN defense team, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not only validated [0:38] Trump's idea to move forward, he downplayed risks, the sources said, of the conflict spiraling out [0:44] of control. Nobody in the room during that critical meeting, we're told, emphasized the [0:50] potential risks of starting the war. And speaking of risks, today Secretary Hegseth was asked about [0:56] reports that the U.S. is considering [0:57] putting boots on the ground, service members on the ground in Iran. [1:02] Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots [1:08] on the ground. And guess what? There are. The point is to be unpredictable in that, [1:12] certainly not let anybody know what you're willing to do or not do. [1:17] Be unpredictable. This all comes as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today [1:20] told the American people that the U.S. military has begun flying B-52 bombers over Iranian [1:26] territory for the first time since the war began. This would, [1:30] of course, suggest that Iran's air defenses have been quite significantly degraded. But the overall [1:37] situation in the Middle East in general remains delicate, so delicate that the State Department [1:40] today upped its shelter-in-place guidance for Americans in Saudi Arabia, adding this new warning, [1:46] saying, quote, we are tracking reports of threats against locations where American citizens gather. [1:50] We advise U.S. citizens that hotels and other gathering points, including U.S. businesses and [1:54] U.S. educational institutions, may be potential targets, unquote. How concerning is it? [2:00] That our CNN is reporting that ahead of the war, according to sources, no officials seem to give [2:07] Trump a realistic rundown of potential worst-case scenario risks. Well, it's very concerning. I'm [2:15] surprised that if the chairman was in the room, you know, again, I've known Chairman Kaine for [2:20] decades now, and, you know, the military senior advisor to the president is responsible for [2:27] laying out options and laying out the risks to each one of those options. And as it's been [2:32] reported extensively, the holding the Strait of Hormuz at risk by Iran in any type of action [2:38] against Iran has always been part of the core analysis in terms of threats to any type of [2:45] operation. So I'd be surprised if the military didn't. I can't speak for, you know, Secretary [2:49] Henseth or whoever else was in the room, though. Let's do a good news, bad news from the war front. [2:55] Good news. B-52s are now flying over Iran. What does that suggest to you? Well, certainly reinforces [3:04] supremacy. I mean, there's obviously no stealth to a B-52, you know, flying over enemy airspace. [3:11] And then the other thing that I caught very interesting today when the chairman was [3:15] briefing was the number of dynamic targets that are taking place each, you know, each [3:21] air tasking order cycle or each 24-hour period. That definitely tells me that the long target [3:29] list that CENTCOM has been working against since the outset of the campaign on 27-28, [3:34] February, it's not exhausted because they are doing a lot of reattacks, but they are getting [3:38] opportunities to go after, you know, launch, actual launch locations as they find them through [3:44] real-time intelligence. So that was pretty telling to me as I was listening to the briefing today. [3:50] Interesting. So that's the good news. Here's the bad news. Spain, France, Italy are now putting [3:54] serious restrictions on the ability of the U.S. to use their bases, to use their airspace. What [3:59] do you make of that? Well, none of that's helpful, obviously. And the fracture that's [4:05] taking place, you know, with the NATO alliance and just our European, you know, partners writ large [4:11] is concerning. You know, we didn't communicate to the degree that we have done in previous combat [4:19] operations or large, long-standing conflicts before going into them with their allies. And I [4:24] think this is, you know, a result of that. We certainly need to have basing opportunity or [4:31] not opportunities, but basing locations. It helps with really the agility. [4:35] And the geometry as you build a military campaign. So none of that is helpful. And it makes, [4:41] you know, frankly, the job a lot more difficult. And it puts aircraft that we could otherwise put [4:45] on the European continent at risk, you know, having them in Saudi Arabia, like we saw over [4:50] last weekend when those were struck by ballistic missiles from Tehran. [4:55] It now seems quite possible from Wall Street Journal reporting and from President Trump's own [4:59] public statements that the U.S. might look at the fact that the [5:06] missile program has been destroyed. Many of the missiles have been destroyed. The U.S., I'm sorry, [5:11] the Iranian Navy has been destroyed. The Iranian Air Force severely degraded the regime in shambles [5:17] and say, okay, we're done. Declare victory. With the Strait of Hormuz remaining basically [5:23] kidnapped, held hostage by Iran. Can the U.S. do that? It seems, why, can the U.S. do that? [5:33] Well, they can for a short period of time, I would say. But, you know, I think it's important for the [5:38] you know, we have the Fifth Fleet that sits in Bahrain. We have naval vessels that, you know, [5:44] are up in the Persian Gulf and have been for decades in transit the Gulf. We have, [5:48] well, we're not as strategically reliant on the resources that come out of the Persian Gulf. [5:54] Certainly, we are still reliant, maybe not to the degree that, you know, so many other in the world, [5:58] particularly East Asia and the Indo-Pacific are. But I don't think, I was surprised by that, [6:05] you know, kind of the walk away, you know, what came out on True Social earlier today. [6:10] I understand that certainly the European allies and certainly all those, all of our Gulf [6:16] nation allies need to make sure that that commerce can flow freely. But it's going to be much more [6:24] difficult if the United States does not really lead that effort to reopen the strait. [6:29] He says, quote, the upcoming days will be decisive. General, from a military perspective, [6:35] what is he likely referencing here? I think the first part of that statement [6:42] refers indirectly to the president's threat to obliterate much of the infrastructure [6:53] within Iran on or after April the 6th. Now, whether there's a surprise coming up [7:00] in the next few days, beginning of April, nobody really knows. We do have information, [7:07] repeated by some of your contributors, that the Marines in the USS Tripoli, [7:14] 1,800 of them, plus support elements, are situated outside the Strait of Hormuz, [7:21] whether that destination of that amphibious force, which will be reinforced by another [7:27] Marine expeditionary unit coming from San Diego, plus the 82nd Airborne, whether that means the [7:34] actual disgust. [7:38] The attack on Kars Island, we don't know. But that is a potentiality, that and or use [7:46] of special forces and increased bombardment. [7:49] Well, this morning, President Trump also scolded U.S. allies for not helping to keep the oil [7:54] flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary Hexeth was asked if the U.S. is still committed [7:59] to NATO and its collective defense. And here's what he had to say. [8:04] As far as NATO is concerned, that's a decision that will be left to the president. But I'll [8:06] just say a lot has been laid bare. A lot has been shot down. A lot has been shot down. [8:08] I think that's a big step forward. I think that the United States is going to have to [8:09] make sure that the United States is going to be able to do that. I think that the United States [8:11] is going to have to make sure that the United States is going to be able to do that. [8:12] I think that the United States is going to have to make sure that the United States is [8:13] going to have to make sure that the United States is going to be able to do that. [8:14] You know, it's a big thing. A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would [8:15] be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this [8:18] scope on behalf of the free world. These are missiles that don't even range the United [8:22] States of America. They range allies and others. And yet when we ask for additional [8:28] assistance or simple access, facing, and overflight, we get questions or roadblocks or hesitations. [8:36] And of course, a backdrop of that is several U.S. allies saying this is not our war and [8:40] not letting U.S. military planes land. [8:42] and so forth. What do you think the administration is signaling overall here? [8:49] Well, we have our allies, as you suggested, who have complained loudly and vigorously that they [8:55] were not consulted regarding our commencement of this war campaign against Iran. I think within [9:03] their citadels of power, they are concerned about the consequences of becoming too closely [9:08] associated with the United States. And then you couple that with a concern, and this concern is [9:16] based upon statements made by President Trump that indeed the Straits of Hermos might not be [9:23] a critical objective on the part of American forces, and that we might, based upon conditions [9:30] that could be realized in the next couple of days, decide that we have accomplished our [9:36] objectives, backed off. But then instantaneously, [9:38] what that does is it throws the burden of clearing the Straits of Hermos onto those who have the [9:46] greatest need for the resources that are coming through the Persian Gulf. And those countries that [9:52] have the greatest need, both on the east with Japan and as well in Western Europe, our NATO [9:58] allies, that is going to be their problem. So you could argue that it is to our NATO allies' [10:08] benefit to participate with us, because if we back away, if the United States backs away, [10:14] then that problem becomes insurmountable. It will either be armed conflict, or perhaps more likely [10:20] the imposition of huge tariffs by Iran on any ships that seek passage through the Straits of [10:29] Hermos, many of which are flagged or associated with our Western NATO allies. [10:34] How much leverage does Iran have right now when it comes to the [10:38] Strait of Hermos? [10:39] And are you surprised at all by how Iran is able to wield that leverage in this war? [10:44] Gosh, you gave me a simple one. No. Partly because this is not the first time that this has occurred. [10:53] Certainly, if we reach back, gosh, 40 years or so in the 1980 to 88 Iran-Iraq war, [11:01] the exact same thing took place. The Iranians did not have much of a military force at that [11:07] time against Iraq. At that time, Iraq was an ally [11:10] of the United States, and as an asymmetric defense activity, [11:16] the Iranians then decided to attack cargo ships, oil [11:24] ships within the Persian Gulf. That was one powerful strategy. [11:31] The US joined into that conflict to provide ship escort, [11:38] But that is extremely dangerous and equally the challenge that might percolate, and that is over on the Red Sea, which is a discussion we could have regarding the Houthis and the Houthis' relationship with the Iranians and whether there's going to be some synergistic effort between the Houthis and the Red Sea and the Iranians on the Persian Gulf to really shut down all petroleum commerce in this region. [12:08] So it sounds like what you're saying is they have a lot of leverage right now. [12:14] You bet.