TIPPING POINT: Talks take DARK turn as Trump threatens possible return to Iran

[0:00] BREAKING MOMENTS AGO, THE [0:02] DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CHARGING [0:03] IN IRAQI NATIONAL WITH CARRIING [0:05] OUT AT LEAST 18 TERROR ATTACKS [0:07] AGAINST U.S. AND ISRAELI [0:09] INTERESTS IN EUROPE. [0:10] AND HE ALLEGEDLY HAD HIS EYES ON [0:12] SITES HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. [0:13] BRIAN YANIS LIVE IN OUR NEW [0:14] YORK NEWSROOM WITH THE LATEST [0:15] ON THIS ONE. [0:16] THIS IS VERY CONCERNING, BRIAN. [0:17] YEAH, IT IS, JOHN. [0:19] MOHAMMAD AL-SADI IS EXPECTED TO [0:21] MAKE HIS FIRST COURT APPEARANCE [0:23] IN FEDERAL COURT TODAY IN [0:24] MANHATTAN. [0:25] HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH [0:27] THE U.S. AND ISRAELI WAR WITH [0:29] IRAN. [0:30] HE FACES SIX FEDERAL COUNTS [0:32] INCLUDING PROVIDING MATERIAL [0:33] SUPPORT TO A FOREIGN TERRORIST [0:35] ORGANIZATION. [0:36] ACCORDING TO THIS FEDERAL [0:37] COMPLAINT, AL-SADI IS CHARGED [0:39] WITH PLANNING, COORDINATING, [0:41] FINANCING, AND PROMOTING AT [0:43] LEAST 18 ATTACKS IN EUROPE, PLUS [0:45] TWO IN CANADA. [0:46] HE IS SEEN IN THESE PHOTOS [0:47] WEARING THE BEIGE CLOTHING. [0:49] THESE WERE ALL ATTACKS THAT [0:51] WERE BEING PLANNED SINCE THE [0:52] START OF THE WAR IN IRAN IN [0:54] FEBRUARY. [0:55] AL-SADI PLANNED TO KILL [0:57] AMERICANS AND JEWS, PROSECUTORS [0:59] SAY, SPECIFICALLY BY ATTACKING [1:01] A JEWISH CENTER IN LOS ANGELES, [1:03] A JEWISH CENTER IN SCOTTSDALE, [1:05] ARIZONA, AND A SYNAGOGUE HERE [1:07] IN NEW YORK CITY. [1:08] IN FACT, PROSECUTORS SAY THAT [1:10] HE PAID $3,000 IN CRYPTOCURRENCY [1:13] TO A PERSON HE BELIEVED WAS A [1:15] MEXICAN CARTEL MEMBER, BUT WAS [1:18] ACTUALLY AN UNDERCOVER FBI AGENT. [1:20] AL-SADI IS ACCUSED OF PLANNING [1:22] AND COORDINATING A FIRE BOMBING [1:25] OF A BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON [1:27] BUILDING IN AMSTERDAM, TRYING TO [1:29] DETONATE IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVES [1:31] AT THE BANK OF AMERICA BUILDING [1:33] IN PARIS, AND INVOLVED IN THE [1:35] PLANNING OF THE STABBING OF TWO [1:37] PEOPLE IN LONDON, WHICH INCLUDED [1:39] AN AMERICAN. [1:40] NOW, AL-SADI IS A HIGH-LEVEL [1:42] MEMBER OF THE KATAIB HEZBOLAH, [1:44] WHICH IS AN IRAN-BACKED IRAQI [1:46] SHIA MILITIA WITH TIES TO THE [1:48] IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD [1:49] CORPS AND TO THE LEBANESE [1:51] HEZBOLAH. [1:52] NOW, HE'S BEEN PICTURED, AS YOU [1:54] SAW IN THOSE PHOTOS, WITH [1:55] GENERAL QASIM SOLEMANI, WHO OF [1:57] COURSE WAS KILLED IN STRIKES [1:59] ORDERED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP IN [2:01] 2020. [2:02] THIS WAS NO LOW-LEVEL INDIVIDUAL [2:04] AND CLEARLY INVOLVED IN PLANNING [2:05] SOME BRAZEN ATTACKS, NEARLY TWO [2:08] DOZENS SINCE FEBRUARY. [2:09] IT IS UNCLEAR, JOHN, HOW AL-SADI [2:12] WAS ARRESTED AND WHERE HE WAS [2:13] ARRESTED. [2:14] IT WAS NOT MENTIONED IN THE [2:16] FEDERAL COMPLAINT THAT WAS [2:17] JUST RELEASED. [2:18] WELL, THANKFULLY THEY GOT [2:19] HIM, AND I EXPECT WE'LL HEAR [2:20] MORE ABOUT THIS AS WELL. [2:21] SANDRA, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS [2:22] RALLYING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE [2:23] AGAINST IRAN. [2:24] NEW TODAY, THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR, [2:26] FREDERICK MERZ, DEMANDING THE [2:28] STRAIGHT STAY OPEN AFTER A CALL [2:29] WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP. [2:30] THIS IS TEHRAN WARNS AGAINST ANY [2:33] NEW MILITARY STRIKES. [2:34] LET'S BRING IN MICHAEL ORANN, [2:36] FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO [2:37] THE UNITED STATES. [2:38] BRETT BAIR HAD A CHANCE TO TALK [2:40] WITH THE PRESIDENT BEFORE HE [2:42] LEFT BEIJING. [2:43] AND BRETT WAS REFLECTING ON THIS [2:45] IDEA THAT IRAN SEEMS REMARKABLY [2:47] STUBBORN AND RESILIENT GIVEN [2:49] THE DEVASTATION THAT'S TAKEN [2:50] PLACE IN THAT COUNTRY. [2:51] LISTEN TO THIS EXCHANGE, IF [2:53] YOU WOULD. [2:55] SO WHY ARE WE WHERE WE ARE? [2:57] DID YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE PAIN [2:58] TOLERANCE THAT IRAN HAS? [3:00] I DIDN'T UNDERESTIMATE [3:01] ANYTHING. [3:02] WE HIT THEM UNBELIEVABLY HARD. [3:06] LOOK, WE LEFT THEIR BRIDGES. [3:08] WE LEFT THEIR ELECTRICITY [3:10] CAPACITY. [3:11] WE CAN KNOCK THAT ALL OUT IN TWO [3:14] DAYS. [3:15] TWO DAYS. [3:16] EVERYTHING. [3:17] WE LEFT CARG ISLAND OTHER THAN [3:19] I SAID HIT IT EXCEPT FOR THE [3:21] VALVES WHERE THE OIL COMES OUT. [3:23] BECAUSE WHEN YOU HIT THAT, THAT [3:24] MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE [3:26] LITTLE OIL. [3:27] SO THEY TOOK OUT 90% OF IRAN'S [3:30] MISSILE AND DRONE FORCE. [3:31] ELIMINATED THE AIR FORCE. [3:32] THE NAVY IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE [3:33] SEA. [3:34] THEY BLOCKED THE STRAIGHT. [3:35] THEY'RE SQUEEZING THE ECONOMY [3:36] LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. [3:37] AND YET IRAN IS STILL PLAYING, [3:38] MR. AMBASSADOR, LIKE THEY ARE [3:39] HOLDING ALL THE CARDS. [3:40] INDEED. [3:42] GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, JOHN. [3:43] THAT'S BECAUSE WE TEND TO THINK [3:45] IN THE WEST, IN WESTERN TURNS OF [3:47] WHAT CONSTITUTES VICTORY. [3:48] VICTORY MEANS SINKING A LOT OF [3:49] SHIPS, BLOWING UP A LOT OF [3:50] BRIDGES. [3:51] CERTAINLY BLOWING UP A LOT OF [3:52] FACTORIES. [3:53] BUT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, VICTORY [3:54] MEANS SURVIVAL. [3:55] IT MEANS YOU COME OUT OF THE [3:56] DEBRIS AND YOU FLASH TWO FINGERS [3:58] LIKE THIS AND YOU'VE WON. [3:59] THAT'S THE LESSON OF HAMAS IN [4:00] GAZA. [4:01] IT'S CERTAINLY A LESSON OF THE [4:02] IRANIAN REGIME. [4:04] FOR THE AYATOLLAHS, THIS IS AN [4:07] EXISTENTIAL BATTLE. [4:08] IF THEY LOSE THE WAR, THEY DON'T [4:09] LOSE THE WAR, THEY LOSE THEIR [4:10] LIVES. [4:11] THEIR OWN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO KILL [4:12] THEM AND KILL THEIR OWN [4:13] FAMILIES. [4:14] SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT [4:15] AWFUL A LOT OF PAIN INTO THAT [4:17] REGIME AND BREAK IT UP. [4:18] AND I THINK THAT THE NAVAL [4:20] BLOCKADE IS PRECISELY THE WAY TO [4:21] GO. [4:22] BECAUSE SOON THEY'RE NOT GOING TO [4:23] BE ABLE TO PAY THE SALARIES TO [4:24] THEIR SOLDIERS. [4:25] AND THOSE SOLDIERS ARE GOING TO [4:26] HAVE TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES. [4:27] THEY'RE GOING TO BE VERY, VERY [4:28] ANGRY. [4:29] AND THAT'S WHEN, THAT'S WHEN THE [4:30] SITUATION BEGINS TO CHANGE. [4:32] YOU KNOW, WE DO SEE THAT THERE [4:34] IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ECONOMIC [4:35] STRIFE IN IRAN, BUT THERE'S ALSO [4:37] GROWING ECONOMIC STRIFE GLOBALLY. [4:39] IN FACT, THE WORLD BANK HAS GOT [4:41] AN ECONOMIC FORECAST OUT THAT [4:42] SAYS ENERGY PRICES ARE GOING TO [4:43] RISE 24% AS A RESULT OF THIS. [4:45] COMMODITY PRICES UP 16%. [4:47] FERTIALIZER PRICES UP 31%. [4:49] AND THAT'S EVEN IF THEY RE-OPEN [4:51] THE STRAIGHT THAT'S GOING TO [4:52] CONTINUE TO GET WORSE. [4:53] BUT THIS IS WHAT THE IRANIAN [4:55] REGIME, TO YOUR POINT, IS [4:56] BANKING ON. [4:57] THAT THEY CAN ABSORB MORE PAIN [4:59] THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN. [5:01] AND THIS IS WHAT HAS, DESPITE [5:03] MANY, MANY MILITARY DEFEATS OVER [5:06] THE COURSE OF THE HISTORY OF [5:07] PERSIA OVER THE MILLENNIA. [5:09] THAT'S WHY THEY'VE SURVIVED. [5:10] WELL, LISTEN. [5:12] WE KNOW THIS IS AN ECONOMIC [5:14] GAME OF CHICKEN. [5:15] IT'S NOT ARMY VERSUS ARMY. [5:16] IT'S ECONOMY VERSUS ECONOMY. [5:17] AND AS YOU SAID, JOHN, WHICH [5:19] SIDE CAN ENDURE THE GREATEST [5:21] ECONOMIC PAIN? [5:22] AND BELIEVING THE IRANIAN [5:24] PEOPLE ARE IN FAR MORE PAIN [5:26] THAN EVEN THE AMERICANS PAYING [5:27] FIVE OR SIX DOLLARS MORE A [5:29] GALLON FOR GASOLINE. [5:30] THEY DO NOT HAVE FOOD. [5:31] THEIR CURRENCY IS WORTH [5:32] ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. [5:33] THEY HAVE VERY LITTLE WATER, [5:35] VERY LITTLE ELECTRICITY. [5:38] BUT THE REGIME DOESN'T CARE. [5:39] DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ITS OWN [5:40] PEOPLE. [5:41] THEY SHOT 30,000 OF THEM LAST [5:43] JANUARY DURING THAT UPHEAVAL. [5:45] SO THEY'LL DO EVERYTHING TO [5:46] HOLD ON. [5:47] AGAIN, THE KEY HERE IS TO CREATE [5:49] A SITUATION WHERE THE REGIME [5:50] BEGINS TO SHOW CRACKS. [5:52] IT WILL BEGIN TO SHOW CRACKS [5:53] WHEN THEY CAN'T PAY THOSE [5:54] SALARIES, WHEN THEY CAN'T HOLD [5:56] IT TOGETHER. [5:57] AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, IF [5:58] THE PRESIDENT CAN STAY THE [5:59] COURSE, I ALWAYS SAY HE WILL [6:00] NOT JUST GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE [6:01] GREAT PRESIDENTS IN HISTORY, [6:03] IN AMERICAN HISTORY. [6:04] IT WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE [6:05] GREAT LEADERS IN HISTORY, [6:06] BECAUSE EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING [6:07] WILL CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE [6:08] EAST. [6:09] MAYBE THEY'LL BEGIN TO SHOW [6:10] CRACKS, TOO, IF THEY LOSE THE [6:11] WILL TO MASSACRE THEIR OWN [6:12] PEOPLE, IF THEY COME OUT IN [6:13] THE STREETS. [6:14] WE'LL SEE. [6:15] BIG QUESTION AS TO HOW LONG THIS [6:16] IS GOING TO LAST. [6:17] BRETT BAYER ASKED THE [6:18] PRESIDENT THAT QUESTION. [6:20] AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW WHEN [6:21] IT'S OVER, THOUGH, RIGHT? [6:23] YEAH, LOOK. [6:24] VIETNAM LASTED 19 YEARS. [6:26] IRAQ WAS LIKE 10 YEARS. [6:28] KOREA WAS 7 YEARS. [6:30] ANOTHER ONE WAS 14 YEARS. [6:32] ANOTHER ONE WAS 12 YEARS. [6:33] ANOTHER ONE WAS 9 YEARS. [6:36] WE'RE IN THERE FOR TWO AND [6:37] A HALF MONTHS. [6:39] THE PRESIDENT WOULD [6:40] SEEM TO INDICATE THERE'S [6:41] MORE TO COME. [6:43] WELL, THAT'S REALLY THE [6:44] FEELING HERE. [6:45] THE ISRAELI ARMY, THE IDF, [6:46] IS ON HIGH ALERT TONIGHT. [6:48] ISRAELI CITIZENS, I'M [6:49] SPEAKING PERSONALLY, ARE [6:50] STACKING UP OUR SAFE [6:51] ROOMS, OUR BOMB SHELTERS, [6:53] OUR HOME BOMB SHELTERS WITH [6:54] WATER AND STAPLES. [6:55] AND WE'RE PREPARING. [6:56] WE'RE PREPARING FOR THE [6:57] NEXT ROUND OF ACTUAL FIGHTING. [6:59] WHETHER IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, [7:00] WE DON'T KNOW, BUT WE ARE [7:01] CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY READY. [7:02] IF YOU WERE A BETTING MAN, [7:03] WOULD YOU SAY IT IS OR IT'S [7:04] NOT? [7:05] BETTING MAN, I'D GIVE IT 50-50. [7:07] I GIVE IT 50-50 BECAUSE YOU [7:09] HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION, OKAY, [7:10] WHAT'S MORE BOMBING GOING TO [7:11] ACCOMPLISH? [7:12] I THINK THAT THE REAL PAIN [7:13] DOESN'T COME FROM THE BOMBING. [7:14] I THINK THE REAL PAIN COMES [7:15] FROM THE NAVAL BLOCKADE. [7:17] AND AGAIN, IF PEOPLE TAKE TO [7:18] THE STREETS AND, YOU KNOW, [7:19] THE MILITARY THERE DECIDES NOT [7:21] TO MASSACRE THEM. [7:22] WE'LL SEE. [7:23] MR. AMBASSADOR, ALWAYS GREAT TO [7:24] CATCH UP WITH YOU. [7:25] THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING [7:26] US. [7:27] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [7:28] WITH THAT, WE'RE JOINED BY [7:30] ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD [7:31] BLANCH. [7:32] GENERAL BLANCH, GOOD TO HAVE YOU [7:33] WITH US TODAY. [7:35] THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. [7:36] OF COURSE. [7:37] GOOD AFTERNO. [7:38] TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW [7:40] HE WAS ARRESTED, AL-SAIEDI, AND [7:42] HOW WAS HE BROUGHT TO THIS [7:43] COUNTRY? [7:44] WAS HE ALREADY IN THE UNITED [7:45] STATES? [7:46] WHAT WAS THE UNITED STATES [7:48] ATTORNEY GENERAL? [7:49] THIS WAS A REMARKABLE EFFORT BY [7:51] OUR FBI, DIRECTOR PATEL [7:52] LEADERSHIP, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL [7:53] PARTNERS. [7:54] AND WE WERE ABLE TO INTERCEPT AND [7:57] GET IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MAN'S [7:59] ATTEMPTS TO REAKE HAVOC AND [8:01] TERRORIZE NOT ONLY THE UNITED [8:03] STATES, CANADA, EUROPE, AND SO [8:05] WE WERE ABLE TO INTRODUCE AN [8:06] UNDERCOVER WORKING WITH OUR LAW [8:08] ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS. [8:09] SO I THINK WHAT OUR U.S. [8:11] ATTORNEY JUST SAID IS DEAD ON, [8:13] THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S [8:14] LEADERSHIP AROUND THE WORLD [8:15] ALLOWS US TO HAVE THE [8:17] CREDIBILITY AND THE PARTNERSHIPS [8:18] TO ALLOW US TO WORK WITH [8:20] FOLKS OVERSEAS. [8:21] AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE. [8:22] SO HE WAS BROUGHT HERE AND [8:24] APPEARED IN COURT THIS, YOU [8:26] KNOW, EARLIER TODAY. [8:28] AND IT IS A, ON THE ONE HAND, [8:31] SHOULD BE VERY ALARMING TO THE [8:34] PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT [8:35] THERE ARE MEN AROUND THE WORLD [8:36] TRYING TO EXACT THIS SORT OF [8:38] TERROR. [8:39] ON THE OTHER HAND, IT SHOWS THE [8:41] SUCCESS OF GOOD LAW ENFORCEMENT [8:42] WORK AND GOOD POLICE WORK AND [8:44] WORKING HARD TO PROTECT OUR [8:46] BORDERS, WHICH IS WHAT, WHICH IS [8:47] WHAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. [8:49] AND SO THIS INVESTIGATION IS [8:50] ONGOING. [8:51] IT'S JUST A COMPLAINT. [8:52] I EXPECT THE NEXT STEPS WILL [8:53] BE AN INDICTMENT. [8:54] AND, OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE STILL [8:55] INVESTIGATING AND GOING TO MAKE [8:56] SURE THAT ANYBODY THAT WAS [8:57] INVOLVED WITH HIM WILL BE [8:59] BROUGHT TO JUSTICE AS WELL. [9:00] WAS HE PICKED UP IN IRAQ AND [9:02] WHEN WAS HE BROUGHT TO THE [9:03] UNITED STATES? [9:04] HE WAS RECENTLY BROUGHT TO [9:05] THE UNITED STATES. [9:06] I WANT TO BE CAREFUL TALKING [9:07] ABOUT THE OPERATION SO I DON'T [9:10] PUT ANYBODY IN DANGER. [9:11] BUT IT'S ENOUGH TO SAY THAT THIS [9:13] WAS AN EFFORT THAT INCLUDED NOT [9:14] ONLY THE FBI BUT OUR LAW [9:16] ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS OVERSEAS [9:17] AS WELL. [9:18] GREAT WORK ON THEIR PART. [9:19] CAN YOU TELL US HOW IMMINENT THIS [9:21] SYNAGOGUE ATTACK IN NEW YORK [9:22] CITY WAS AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT [9:24] THERE WERE MANY PLANS THAT HE [9:25] WAS OVERSEEING BUT HOW IMMINENT [9:27] WAS THIS ATTACK? [9:28] WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE [9:31] COMPLAINT ALLEGES, AND AGAIN, [9:33] IT WAS WITH AN UNDERCOVER. [9:34] SO WE WERE ABLE TO INTRODUCE AN [9:36] UNDERCOVER. [9:38] BUT THERE WAS AN EXPECTATION THAT [9:40] THIS WOULD HAPPEN VERY, VERY [9:42] SOON AND THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN [9:44] VERY, VERY SOON AND THAT IT WOULD [9:47] HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, NOT IN YEARS [9:50] TO COME BUT NOW. [9:52] AND SO IF YOU ACCEPT THE [9:54] COMPLAINT TALKING ABOUT HOW HIS [9:56] GOAL WAS TO TRY TO STOP THE [9:57] UNITED STATES FROM THE WORK THAT [9:59] WE'RE DOING IN IRAN, THEN [10:02] OBVIOUSLY HE WANTED IT DONE AS [10:04] SOON AS POSSIBLE. [10:05] SO THIS WAS A REAL, A REAL [10:07] SERIOUS TERRORIST THREAT TO THIS [10:09] COUNTRY, AND I WANT TO THANK [10:11] THE FBI AND WE SHOULD ALL THANK [10:13] THE FBI AND THE PROSECUTORS IN [10:15] NEW YORK FOR REALLY PUTTING [10:16] TOGETHER A GOOD CASE AND [10:18] STOPPING THIS. [10:19] WE'RE SHOWING SOME [10:20] IMAGES OF THE ARREST AND THE [10:23] MOVEMENT BY THE FBI OF THIS [10:25] SUSPECT THAT WE JUST GOT IN, [10:28] ATTORNEY GENERAL. [10:29] IT ALSO SAYS IN THE [10:31] COMPLAINT AT LEAST ONE OTHER [10:33] EXPECTED TO BE BROUGHT TO AND [10:35] ARRESTED BY THE SDNY. [10:37] WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? [10:40] WELL, AS THE COMPLAINT LAYS OUT, [10:42] HE WAS NOT ACTING ALONE. [10:43] WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT. [10:44] AND IT WASN'T JUST THE [10:45] UNDERCOVER. [10:46] SO CO-CONSPIRAITORS WERE [10:47] OBVIOUSLY ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING [10:49] AND GOING TO TRY TO BRING [10:50] EVERYBODY TO JUSTICE. [10:51] AND I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD [10:53] OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE [10:55] FBI DOING THEIR WORK AND TIP OUR [10:56] HAND THERE. [10:57] BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT IN THE [10:59] COMING DAYS AND WEEKS, TO THE [11:00] EXTENT THAT THERE'S OTHER FOLKS [11:02] THAT WE CATCH INVOLVED, YOU WILL [11:03] HEAR FROM US. [11:04] YEAH. [11:05] OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A HUGE [11:07] CONCERN BECAUSE IRAN FEELS [11:09] PUSHED BACK ON THEIR HEELS. [11:10] THERE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, THESE [11:12] TREMENDOUS ATTACKS THAT HAVE [11:14] DECIMATED THEIR CONVENTIONAL [11:15] MILITARY. [11:16] AND WE KNOW JUST IN THEIR OWN [11:18] HISTORY AND THEIR DNA IS TO [11:20] RESORT TO TERRORISM AND TO USE [11:22] THESE PROXIES TO DO EXACTLY [11:24] THAT, TO ATTACK AMERICANS. [11:25] SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD YOU [11:27] SAY TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC? [11:28] SHOULD THEY CHANGE THEIR [11:30] BEHAVIOR IN ANY WAY? [11:31] AS YOU LOOK AT THE, YOU KNOW [11:33] BETTER THAN THE REST OF US, THE [11:34] DIMENSION OF THIS THREAT. [11:35] LOOK, THIS IS EXACTLY WHY [11:40] PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING WHAT [11:41] HE'S DOING. [11:42] WHY HE'S PROTECTING THE [11:43] AMERICAN PEOPLE. [11:44] HE HAS SAID THAT THERE IS NO [11:46] SCENARIO UNDER WHICH HE WILL [11:47] ALLOW IRAN TO HAVE A NUCLEAR [11:48] WEAPON. [11:49] WHY IS THAT? [11:50] WELL, AT LEAST IN LARGE PART [11:52] IT'S WHAT WE SAW TODAY BECAUSE [11:54] WE HAVE A COUNTRY THAT FOR [11:55] DECADES AND DECADES HAS WANTED [11:57] NOTHING MORE THAN TO DESTROY THE [11:59] UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. [12:00] AND SO PRESIDENT TRUMP IS [12:01] SAYING STOP IT. [12:02] AND NOT SURPRISING, THERE'S [12:04] RESISTANCE TO THAT. [12:05] AND THIS WAS ONE EXAMPLE OF [12:06] THAT TODAY. [12:07] BUT THE RESOLVE OF OUR [12:09] MILITARY, THE RESOLVE OF [12:11] PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THIS [12:12] ADMINISTRATION IS DONE [12:15] EXACTLY, EXACTLY TO STOP [12:17] THIS TYPE OF CONDUCT. [12:18] SO THIS IS A STARK REMINDER OF [12:21] WHY WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE [12:22] DOING. [12:23] YEAH. [12:24] WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT [12:25] OPERATION AND WE HOPE THAT IT'S [12:27] FRUITFUL IN TERMS OF BRINGING [12:29] IN ANYONE ELSE WHO'S LINKED TO [12:30] IT BECAUSE CLEARLY THIS IS A [12:32] VERY OBVIOUS AND PREVALENT [12:34] THREAT THAT WE FACE HERE AS [12:35] AMERICANS. [12:36] I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE [12:39] RAOUL CASTRO INDICTMENT AND [12:42] WHERE THAT STANDS. [12:43] WE KNOW THAT JOHN RATCLIFFE, [12:45] THE HEAD OF THE CIA, WAS IN [12:48] CUBA ON THE GROUND WITH SOME OF [12:51] CASTRO'S FOLKS, LET'S SAY, THE [12:54] OTHER DAY. [12:55] WHERE IS THIS GOING, ATTORNEY [12:56] GENERAL? [12:58] WELL, THERE'S NO, THERE'S [12:59] ABSOLUTELY NO PUBLIC [13:00] INFORMATION AROUND ANY [13:01] INDICTMENT THAT'S BEEN LEAKED [13:03] OR DISCUSSED ON VARIOUS [13:04] NEWS OUTLETS. [13:05] AND I ASSURE YOU AND I ASSURE [13:06] THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT IF [13:08] AND WHEN THERE'S A TIME TO [13:09] TALK ABOUT THAT, WE WILL. [13:12] OBVIOUSLY, WHAT WE ARE DOING [13:14] IN FLORIDA, WHAT WE'RE DOING [13:16] HERE WITH RESPECT TO CUBA IS [13:18] SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING [13:19] FOR A LONG TIME. [13:20] AND WE'RE NOT SLOWING DOWN. [13:21] AND YOU'VE HEARD OUR SECRETARY [13:23] OF STATE AND PRESIDENT TRUMP [13:24] TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN [13:26] CUBA. [13:27] BUT AS FAR AS ANY RUMORS AROUND [13:29] THAT INDICTMENT, I CAN'T [13:30] COMMENT ON THAT. [13:31] ALL RIGHT. [13:32] ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TOD [13:33] BLANCH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, [13:34] SIR. [13:35] GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US [13:36] TODAY. [13:37] THANK YOU. [13:38] A SHORT TIME AGO, IN A MEDIA [13:41] GAGGLE ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, [13:43] PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HE AND [13:45] CHINA'S PRESIDENT XI JINPING [13:47] QUOTE, TALKED ABOUT IRAN A [13:48] LOT. [13:49] AND HE FEELS STRONGLY IRAN [13:52] CANNOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. [13:54] NOW, WE ARE 11 WEEKS INTO THE [13:55] IRAN WAR NOW. [13:56] AND A SHAKY CEASE FIRE FOR 39 [13:58] DAYS RIGHT NOW. [13:59] THE RADICAL ISLAMIC REGIME IS [14:01] RAW WITH ECONOMIC FAILURE. [14:02] THEY ARE FACING A FINANCIAL [14:03] SHOCK WAVE. [14:04] I'M HARRIS FAULKNER. [14:05] YOU ARE IN THE FAULKNER FOCUS. [14:06] THE REASONS, VERY COMPLEX BUT [14:08] ALSO PRETTY SIMPLE. [14:09] OIL AND SUPPLY CHAINS. [14:11] PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD FOX NEWS. [14:13] CHINA'S PRESIDENT XI OFFERED TO [14:15] HELP NEGOTIATE AN END TO THE [14:16] FIGHTING AND GET THE STRAIGHT OF [14:17] HORMUZ OPEN AGAIN. [14:18] CHINA IS THE LARGEST BUYER OF [14:20] OIL MOVING THROUGH THAT STRAIGHT. [14:22] AND THE QUESTION NOW IS WHETHER [14:24] PRESIDENT XI WILL ACTUALLY USE [14:25] CHINA'S LEVERAGE WITH IRAN TO [14:27] GET THE KEY WATERWAY OPEN. [14:28] PRESIDENT XI ON THAT THIS [14:30] MORNING. [14:31] DIDN'T PRESIDENT XI MAKE ANY [14:33] FIRM COMMITMENTS TO PUT PRESSURE [14:35] ON THE IRANIANS TO REOPEN THE [14:38] STRAIGHT OF FOUR MINUTES? [14:40] I'M NOT ASKING. [14:41] HE WILL. [14:42] I THINK AUTOMATICALLY HE WOULD [14:44] LIKE TO SEE IT OPEN UP. [14:45] HE GETS ABOUT 40% OF HIS ENERGY [14:55] OR HIS OIL FROM THE STRAIGHT. [14:57] WE GET NONE. [15:00] HERE'S A NEW IMAGE FROM U.S. [15:02] CENTRAL COMMAND. [15:04] AND YOU CAN SEE AN MH-60R SEAHAWK [15:08] LIFTING OFF FROM THE U.S. [15:10] RAFAEL PURALTA IN THE [15:12] ARABIAN SEA. [15:13] CENTCOM SAYS THE U.S. [15:16] AMERICAN FORCES ENFORCING THE [15:18] IRANIAN PORT BLOCKADE HAVE [15:19] REDIRECTED 75 COMMERCIAL VESSELS [15:20] ALREADY. [15:21] AND IRAN IS FACING, AS I PUT IT, [15:24] ECONOMIC AGONY. [15:25] THESE ARE NEW IMAGES OF IRAN'S [15:27] MAIN OIL TERMINAL AT KARG ISLAND. [15:29] THE GREEN MARKERS SHOWS STORAGE [15:30] TANKS. [15:31] AND THEY ARE FULL. [15:33] EMPTY TANKERS ARE CIRCLING [15:35] OFFSHORE. [15:36] BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO [15:40] PICK UP ANY CARGO SINCE THE [15:42] U.S. BLOCKADE ON IRANIAN PORT [15:44] STARTED ON MAY 6TH. [15:45] FAR LESS OIL IS LEAVING IRAN. [15:47] AND MORE AND MORE, OIL IS [15:49] STACKING UP WITH SPACE RUNNING [15:50] OUT TO STORE IT. [15:52] NOW THAT'S CRITICAL. [15:53] BECAUSE IF THAT HAPPENS, THAT [15:55] MEANS THAT THEY WON'T CONTINUE [15:57] TO, YOU KNOW, PULL IT OUT OF [15:59] THE EARTH. [16:00] AND THEY'LL HAVE TO SHUT IN [16:02] THOSE OIL WELLS. [16:03] THAT WOULD BE A DISASTER FOR [16:05] THEM. [16:06] HERE'S TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT [16:08] BESSENT. [16:09] THERE HAVE BEEN NO LOADINGS IN [16:12] THE PAST THREE DAYS. [16:13] WE BELIEVE THEIR STORAGE IS [16:14] FULL. [16:15] NONE OF THE SHIPS ARE GETTING [16:16] OUT. [16:17] NONE ARE COMING IN. [16:18] SO THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO STORE [16:20] OIL ON THE WATER. [16:21] SO THEY ARE GOING TO START [16:23] SHUTTING DOWN THEIR PRODUCTION. [16:25] RETIRED NAVY SEAL OFFICER MIKE [16:27] CIRRELLI IS COMING UP WITH ME IN [16:28] FOCUS. [16:29] I WANT TO BEGIN NOW WITH FOX [16:33] BUSINESSES LAUREN SIMONETTI. [16:34] LAUREN, THERE'S TALK NOW ABOUT [16:35] INFLATION. [16:36] I'LL START THERE. [16:37] I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET TO [16:39] IT. [16:40] BUT IT COULD BE AS HIGH AS 70%. [16:42] SOME ESTIMATES HAVE IT AROUND [16:44] 40 TODAY. [16:45] IT'S KIND OF GOING BACK AND [16:47] FORTH. [16:48] ALL OF IT IS PUNISHING. [16:50] THE IMF IS PROJECTING [16:52] INFLATION, HARRIS, AT 69% THIS [16:54] YEAR. [16:55] FOOD INFLATION RUNS MORE THAN [16:58] 100% IN SOME INSTANCES. [16:59] THE IRANIANS ARE STRUGGLING. [17:00] I WANT TO PICK UP, THOUGH, ON [17:02] WHAT THE TREASURY SECRETARY SAID [17:03] THERE IN THAT BITE AT THE END, [17:05] THAT IRAN IS NOT ABLE TO STORE [17:07] OIL ON THE WATER. [17:08] HE MEANS ON SHIPS, LITERALLY. [17:10] WE CALL IT FLOATING STORAGE. [17:12] MANY OF THOSE SHIPS CAN'T GET [17:14] THROUGH THE U.S. BLOCKADE. [17:16] AND THE ONSHORE STORAGE IS 85% [17:19] FULL. [17:20] THAT'S AT THEIR MAIN OIL HUB, [17:22] WHICH IS KARG ISLAND. [17:24] 85% IS A LOT BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T [17:26] GO TO 100%. [17:27] 80% IS CONSIDERED NORMAL AND [17:29] OPERATIONAL. [17:30] WHY IS THAT? [17:31] OVERFILLING PRESSURIZES THE [17:33] TANKS. [17:34] THEY ALSO EXPAND AS IT GETS [17:36] HOTTER OUTSIDE. [17:37] IT'S 90 DEGREES IN IRAN TODAY. [17:39] WELLS WILL LIKELY GET SHUT IN [17:40] AND SOON. [17:41] IT'S NOT LIKE A LIGHT SWITCH, [17:43] HARRIS, WHEN YOU TURN OFF [17:44] PRODUCTION, YOU CAN'T TURN IT [17:45] BACK ON. [17:46] ESPECIALLY WITH OLDER OR [17:48] DAMAGED WELLS. [17:49] I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, IRAN IS [17:51] SAVVY. [17:52] THEY HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE. [17:53] MEANWHILE, YOU KNOW WHO IS [17:55] TURNING ON PRODUCTION? [17:56] THE U.A.E. [17:57] IT SAYS IT WILL OPEN THE WEST-EAST [17:59] PIPELINE NEXT YEAR. [18:00] THAT WILL BYPASS THE STRAIGHT [18:02] OF HORMOUZ. [18:03] THE U.A.E. DITCHED OPEC. [18:05] AND NOW THEY ARE ACCELERATING [18:07] INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE [18:08] THAT THEIR NEIGHBOR IRAN IS [18:10] IRRELEVANT. [18:11] AND AS YOU NOTED, HARRIS, THE [18:13] PEOPLE IN IRAN ARE SUFFERING [18:14] WITH HIGH INFLATION. [18:15] CAN'T AFFORD TO EAT. [18:16] CAN'T GET ITEMS THAT THEY NEED. [18:18] SOME PAYCHECKS WILL BE MISSED, [18:20] ESPECIALLY FOR THE SAILORS IN [18:22] THE STRAIGHT OF HORMOUZ. [18:23] THE SOLDIERS WITH THE IGRC. [18:25] SO THIS IS AN ECONOMIC [18:27] DISASTER. [18:28] WE'LL SEE HOW LONG IT CAN GO. [18:31] SO THAT POINT THAT YOU MAKE [18:33] ABOUT NO PAYCHECKS COMING. [18:34] THE TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT [18:36] SAID, YEAH, HOW IS THAT GOING [18:38] TO GO IF THAT HAPPENS? [18:39] THAT'S CRITICAL. [18:40] I WROTE DOWN WHAT YOU SAID. [18:42] 85% OIL STORAGE. [18:43] HAVE WE SEEN IT ANY HIGHER THAN [18:45] THAT IN THE PAST? [18:46] OR IS THIS THE MOST THEY'VE EVER [18:48] DEALT WITH? [18:49] THERE'S MANY OIL FIELDS IN IRAN. [18:52] I WAS SHOWING YOU THE MAIN ONE [18:54] WHICH IS KARG. [18:55] THEY HAVE GOTTEN TO ABOVE 85% [18:57] BUSINESS. [18:58] THEY HAVE GOTTEN TO ABOVE [19:00] SANCTIONS FOR DECADES. [19:01] SO LIKE I SAID, THEY ARE SAVY, [19:03] BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IS GETTING [19:04] WORSE. [19:05] AT THE TOP, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO [19:07] PULL IT BACK UP, YOU SHOWED THE [19:08] IMAGE OF KARG ISLAND WITH THE [19:10] GREEN TANKS. [19:11] THAT WAS FROM YESTERDAY. [19:12] I FOCUSED ON THE BOTTOM OF [19:13] THAT PICTURE IF YOU GUYS CAN [19:14] GET IT BACK UP. [19:15] YOU SAW A LOT OF WHITE. [19:16] THAT MEANS SPACE. [19:18] TODAY, THE NEW PICTURE, YOU DON'T [19:20] SEE THAT MUCH SPACE. [19:21] SO EVERY DAY IT'S GETTING A [19:23] LITTLE BIT MORE FULL, A LITTLE [19:25] BIT MORE FULL. [19:26] LIKE I SAID, YOU DON'T GO TO 100%. [19:29] IMAGES. [19:30] IMAGES. [19:31] IMAGES. [19:32] IMAGES. [19:33] IMAGES. [19:34] IMAGES. [19:35] IMAGES. [19:36] IMAGES. [19:37] WOW. [19:38] LAWRENCE SIMONETTI, GREAT PLACE TO [19:39] START TODAY AND WITH YOU ALWAYS. [19:40] THANK YOU. [19:41] THANK YOU. [19:42] IN FOCUS NOW, MIKE CIRRELLI, [19:44] RETIRED NAVY SEAL OFFICER, CHIEF [19:46] TALENT OFFICER AT OVERWATCH [19:48] MISSION CRITICAL AND HOST OF THE [19:50] FOX NATION SERIES, THE UNSUNG OF [19:51] ARLINGTON. [19:52] GREAT TO HAVE YOU IN FOCUS TODAY. [19:54] THE PRESSURE ON IRAN IS NOT TO BE [19:56] OVERSTATED. [19:57] WE KNOW IT'S THERE. [19:58] THEY'VE GOT A GEAR FOR THIS THAT [20:00] WE PROBABLY CAN'T IMAGINE BECAUSE [20:01] THEY WILL LET THEIR PEOPLE SUFFER [20:03] IN AN UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME. [20:06] YEAH, THEY DO. [20:09] IT'S KEY TO THEIR SURVIVAL. [20:10] AND THEY KNOW THEY CAN'T GO [20:12] CONVENTIONAL MILITARY TO [20:13] CONVENTIONAL MILITARY. [20:14] THEY'VE BUILT A SYSTEM ON [20:16] COERCION AND SUPPRESSION OF [20:17] THEIR PEOPLE. [20:18] BUT YOU CAN'T DENY THE PRESSURE [20:21] THAT AMERICA IS PUTTING ON IRAN. [20:23] AND CHINA KNOWS IT. [20:24] CHINA IS NOT NEGOTIATING FOR PEACE [20:26] IN THE MIDDLE EAST. [20:27] THEY'RE NEGOTIATING BECAUSE THEY [20:28] UNDERSTAND AN OPEN HORMOOZ [20:31] ACCESS TO OIL IS CRITICAL TO [20:33] GETTING OIL BELOW THE PAIN LINE [20:35] FOR THEM. [20:36] BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, WE [20:38] LOOK AT THIS PRESSURE THAT IS [20:39] WORKING ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT. [20:41] IF YOU CAN'T OFFLOAD YOUR OIL, [20:43] YOUR STORES FILLS UP. [20:44] IF YOUR STORES FILLS UP, YOU [20:46] CAN'T PRODUCE. [20:47] AND THAT HAS IRREVERSIBLE [20:48] IMPACTS ON ACTIVE WELLS. [20:50] AND THEN YOUR ECONOMY STARTS TO [20:52] EAT ITSELF FROM WITHIN. [20:53] AND ARGUABLY THAT'S ALREADY [20:54] HAPPENED. [20:55] LAUREN TOUCHED ON IT. [20:57] FOOD INFLATION GOING UP AS HIGH [20:58] AS 40%. [20:59] SOLDIERS NOT GETTING PAID. [21:00] AND, YOU KNOW, HARRIS, YOU [21:02] GOT TO CONSIDER FOR SOLDIERS. [21:03] YOU MAY BE IDEOLOGICAL WHEN [21:04] YOU'RE GETTING PAID. [21:05] BUT WHEN THAT PAYCHECK STOPS [21:06] AND YOU CAN'T FEED YOUR FAMILY, [21:08] THAT IDEOLOGY GOES AWAY VERY [21:09] QUICKLY. [21:10] AND AS A WARRIOR, YOU WOULD [21:12] KNOW THAT. [21:13] YOU HAVE SEEN THE ENEMY BEND IN [21:16] YOUR TIME SERVING THE COUNTRY. [21:18] LOOK, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT [21:20] ABOUT THE PEOPLE. [21:21] AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE SO FAR [21:23] AFIELD 39 DAYS IN THE CEASE-FIRE [21:24] WHICH HAS REMAINED SHAKY ALL [21:25] ALONG BUT AT LEAST IT'S STILL [21:26] THERE AND PARTICULARLY FROM [21:27] OUR PERSPECTIVE. [21:28] I MEAN, IRAN IS STILL SHOOTING [21:30] AT ITS NEIGHBORS. [21:31] BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE [21:33] IRANIAN PEOPLE, WOULD WE EVER [21:35] REACH OR WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO [21:37] REACH A POINT WHERE WE MIGHT WANT [21:39] TO HELP THEM OUT. [21:40] I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD [21:42] LOOK, PUTTING WEAPONS IN THEIR [21:43] HANDS. [21:44] BUT IF THIS FALLS ECONOMICALLY, [21:46] THEY ARE GOING TO NEED THAT. [21:48] THEY CAN'T TAKE OVER AN ARMED [21:50] MILITARY, IRGC, WITH NOTHING IN [21:51] THEIR HANDS. [21:52] YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. [21:54] THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION AND [21:55] GREAT POINT. [21:56] I WAS ACTUALLY TALKING TO AARON [21:58] COHEN RECENTLY ABOUT THIS. [21:59] SO, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT [22:01] TRUMP HAS WAITED THIS LONG WITH [22:03] THIS CEASE-FIRE AND GIVEN, YOU [22:05] KNOW, TIME TO IRAN, YOU'VE GOT [22:07] TO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING IS IN [22:08] THE WORKS. [22:09] THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO [22:11] UNDERSTAND THAT THE THING [22:12] HOLDING BACK THE IRANIAN PEOPLE [22:13] IS THE OPPRESSION MECHANISM IN [22:14] THE IRGC KNOWN AS THE BASIJ. [22:16] SO, IF WE SEE MILITARY [22:18] OPERATIONS KICK BACK UP, WHAT WE [22:20] BELIEVE IS THAT THERE IS GOING [22:21] TO BE SYSTEMATIC, SPECIFIC [22:24] TARGETING OF THE BASIJ FORCES [22:26] WITHIN EVERY PROVINCE TO [22:28] INCLUDE PROBABLE ASYMMETRIC [22:30] ARMING OF THE IRANIAN PEOPLE TO [22:33] RISE UP AGAINST THAT [22:34] OPPRESSION SYSTEM. [22:35] IF YOU KNOCK THAT DOWN, THEY [22:37] HAVE A HIGHER PROBABILITY OF [22:38] TAKING THEIR COUNTRY BACK AND [22:40] DEMOCRACY ACTUALLY REINING FREE [22:42] FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IRAN IN [22:44] OVER 47 YEARS. [22:46] THAT IS STRATEGIC. [22:47] I MEAN, I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY [22:48] THEY WANT TO DO IT, NOT EXACTLY [22:49] HOW THEY WOULD DO IT. [22:50] THAT STRATEGY IS MUCH [22:51] APPRECIATED HERE. [22:52] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [22:54] GOOD TO HAVE YOU. [22:55] THANKS. [22:56] LET'S BRING IN FORMER CIA [23:01] CHIEF OF STATION DAN HOFFMAN. [23:03] DAN, WORRYING ABOUT IRAN'S OIL [23:07] STORAGE CAPACITY MIGHT SEEM A BIT [23:10] ESOTERIC TO THE MAJORITY OF [23:12] AMERICANS. [23:13] TALK TO US ABOUT WHY IT MATTERS [23:15] AND WHY WE SHOULD CARE. [23:16] WELL, I THINK FIRST AND [23:20] FOREMOST THE IRGC CARES A LOT [23:22] ABOUT THE FACT THAT IRAN CAN'T [23:24] SHIP THEIR OIL AND THAT THEY'RE [23:27] REACHING MAXIMUM CAPACITY AT [23:29] THEIR EXPORT TERMINALS, THAT [23:31] DENIES IRAN THE FUNDS THAT THEY [23:34] NEED TO CARRY ON THEIR MILITARY [23:37] AGGRESSION OVERSEAS TO PAY THE [23:40] IRGC AND THEIR BESIEGED [23:42] PARAMILITARY FORCE TO SUPPRESS [23:43] THE POPULATION. [23:44] I THINK THE KEY QUESTION FOR OUR [23:46] INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, AND I [23:47] CAN TELL YOU THIS FROM MY OWN [23:49] EXPERIENCE AT CIA, FOR [23:51] DIRECTOR RATCLIFF AT CIA, IS [23:53] EXPERIENCING. [23:54] HOW DOES IRAN SEE THIS CHALLENGE [23:56] FOR THEM, THAT THEY CAN'T [23:58] EXPORT THEIR OIL? [23:59] HOW DOES THE IRGC LEADERSHIP, [24:01] GENERAL VAHIDI, FOR EXAMPLE, [24:02] DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE UNITED [24:03] STATES HAS THE LEVERAGE THAT WE [24:05] NEED TO FORCE IRAN TO [24:06] NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH? [24:08] THOSE ARE SOME OF THE [24:09] QUESTIONS I THINK THAT PRESIDENT [24:11] TRUMP WILL BE ASKING THE [24:12] INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. [24:13] WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF, YOU KNOW, [24:16] COMING OUT OF THE TRIP, PRESIDENT [24:17] TRUMP SAYS THAT IRAN, EXCUSE ME, [24:19] THAT CHINA TOLD HIM BEHIND THE [24:20] SCENES IN THESE CLOSED-DOOR [24:21] MEETINGS AND THE OTHER OFFICIALS [24:23] THERE THAT THEY WILL COMMIT TO [24:25] NOT SENDING ANY WEAPONS TO THE [24:27] REGIME IN IRAN. [24:28] CHINA HAS NOT SAID THAT [24:29] PUBLICLY, WHICH ISN'T [24:30] SURPRISING. [24:31] BUT WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THOSE [24:32] COMMENTS? [24:33] WELL, SHI XINPING LIES A LOT. [24:35] AND HE DID THAT, YOU REMEMBER, [24:36] BACK IN 2015 IN THE ROSE GARDEN, [24:40] WHEN HE TOLD PRESIDENT OBAMA THAT [24:42] CHINA WOULDN'T MILITARIZE THE [24:43] SOUTH CHINA SEA. [24:44] SO HE'LL SAY ANYTHING PUBLICLY. [24:46] HE MIGHT SAY THAT CHINA IS NOT [24:48] PROVIDING IRAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT. [24:50] I SUPPOSE TECHNICALLY THAT [24:51] MIGHT BE TRUE. [24:52] WHAT THEY'RE GIVING IRAN IS [24:54] LOTS OF INTELLIGENCE, INCLUDING [24:56] SATELLITE OVERHEAD IMAGERY THAT [24:57] HAPPENED IN IRAN. [24:58] I SUPPOSE TECHNICALLY THAT [24:59] HELPS IRAN'S MILITARY IN THE [25:03] WAR AGAINST THE UNITED STATES, [25:04] AS WELL AS DUAL-USE MILITARY [25:06] EQUIPMENT, ENGINES THAT FIND [25:08] THEIR WAY INTO IRANIAN DRONES [25:10] AND THAT ENHANCES IRAN'S WAR [25:11] EFFORTS. [25:12] SO THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT [25:14] THAT. [25:15] LOOK, CHINA IS THE LEADER OF THIS [25:18] CENTURY'S AXIS OF DICTATORSHIPS. [25:20] RUSSIA, IRAN, CHINA, AND NORTH [25:22] KOREA ALL ALIGNED AGAINST US, [25:24] BOTH IN UKRAINE AND IN THE MIDDLE [25:26] EAST. [25:27] SO CHINA WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE [25:29] UNITED STATES BOG DOWN IN THE [25:30] MIDDLE EAST AND IN THIS WAR [25:31] AGAINST IRAN. [25:32] BUT AT THE SAME TIME WANTS TO [25:34] PORTRAY AN IMAGE TO PRESIDENT [25:36] TRUMP, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS [25:37] SUMMIT, THAT CHINA IS [25:38] INTERESTED IN A PRODUCTIVE [25:40] RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S. [25:41] BECAUSE CHINA WANTS TO [25:42] EXTRACT AS MANY CONCESSIONS AS [25:43] THEY CAN FROM THE U.S. [25:44] SIDE. [25:45] PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A GOOD [25:46] NEGOTIATOR AND HE'LL SEE [25:47] THROUGH THAT. [25:48] TO THAT POINT, DAN, HERE'S [25:50] PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKING TO [25:51] SEAN ABOUT HIS BROADER GOALS [25:53] FOR THE WAR AND WHY CHINA SHARES [25:55] HIS OBJECTIVE OF NEVER SEEING [25:56] IRAN HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. [25:57] WE'RE HELPING YOU AND WE'RE [25:59] HELPING YOU IN ANOTHER WAY [26:01] BECAUSE I DON'T THINK CHINA WANTS [26:03] TO HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON EITHER. [26:04] I DON'T THINK CHINA WANTS [26:09] IRAN TO HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON [26:10] EITHER. [26:11] I SAID THEY'RE STONE COLD CRAZY. [26:12] YOU DON'T NEED THEM HAVING A [26:14] NUCLEAR WEAPON EITHER. [26:15] YOU THINK HE AGREED. [26:17] THAT WAS THE IMPRESSION. [26:18] I DON'T THINK HE WANTS HIM TO [26:20] HAVE. [26:21] NO, HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT END. [26:23] BUT HE'S BEEN GOOD ABOUT IT. [26:25] HASN'T DONE ANYTHING HOSTILE. [26:27] WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE? [26:31] LOOK, CHINA IS CLOSELY ALLIED [26:36] WITH IRAN. [26:39] 90% OF IRAN'S OIL EXPORTS [26:41] BACK WHEN THEY WERE EXPORTING [26:42] OIL WENT TO CHINA. [26:43] AND CHINA HAS A LONG STANDING [26:45] RELATIONSHIP. [26:46] THEY RECENTLY SIGNED A STRATEGIC [26:48] PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH IRAN. [26:50] AND FLOWING FROM THAT IS [26:52] MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND [26:53] INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT. [26:54] THAT ALLIANCE WILL CARRY ON. [26:56] CHINA WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO [26:58] DO THAT. [26:59] BUT NOT ONLY. [27:00] THAT ALLIANCE WILL CARRY ON. [27:02] CHINA WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO [27:05] DO THAT. [27:06] BUT NOT LOSE THE RELATIONSHIPS [27:07] THEY HAVE WITH THE GULF STATES [27:09] WITH WHOM THEY'RE TRYING TO [27:10] BUILD CLOSER ECONOMIC TIES. [27:11] SO I THINK XI CHIN PING IS [27:13] TRYING TO PLAY IT BOTH WAYS. [27:14] HE KNOWS THAT THE GULF STATES [27:16] DON'T WANT IRAN TO HAVE A [27:17] NUCLEAR WEAPON. [27:18] AND THAT CALL WOULD CERTAINLY [27:20] BE TRUE FOR THE UNITED STATES. [27:21] IT'S WHY WE HAVE TRIED TO [27:23] INDUCE IRAN TO NEGOTIATE IN [27:24] GOOD FAITH. [27:25] BUT AT THE SAME TIME, CHINA WILL [27:27] CARRY ON THIS TWO-FACE POLICY [27:29] ASSISTING IRAN AT THE SAME TIME. [27:32] ALL RIGHT. [27:33] DAN HOFFMAN, PRESIDENT ON HIS [27:35] WAY BACK FROM CHINA RIGHT NOW. [27:36] THANKS FOR JUMPING IN AND [27:38] JOINING US WITH YOUR ANALYSIS [27:40] AS HE WRAPS UP THIS TRIP. [27:41] THANKS, JULIAN. [27:43] IRAN HAS NEVER WANTED NUCLEAR [27:47] WEAPON. [27:48] AND WE APPROVED THAT WHEN WE [27:50] SIGNED THE DEAL IN 2015. [27:53] AND WE HAVE SAID TIMES AND AGAIN [27:58] WE DON'T WANT NUCLEAR WEAPON. [28:01] WE DON'T WANT NUCLEAR WEAPON. [28:03] AND THIS IS NOT OUR POLICY. [28:05] WE HAVE A PEACEFUL NUCLEAR [28:09] PROGRAM. [28:10] AND WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN READY. [28:13] ALL RIGHT. [28:14] JOINING US NOW TO POKE HOLES [28:16] IN THAT ARGUMENT IS A FORMER [28:18] POLITICAL PRISONER HIMSELF IN [28:19] IRAN. [28:20] RELEASED AS PART OF A 2015 IRAN [28:22] NUCLEAR DEAL. [28:23] AND VISITING PROFESSOR WITH [28:25] INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT NYU, [28:27] THEIR COLUMNIST GIVES HER OPINION, [28:29] KAREN HAJJAR. [28:30] AND WE'LL START WITH YOU, KAYAN. [28:32] FIRST OFF, YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT [28:34] THE ECONOMIC PRESSURE IRAN IS [28:35] UNDER. [28:36] AND WILL THAT BE ENOUGH TO BRING [28:38] THEM SINCERELY TO THE TABLE [28:39] ACCORDING TO YOUR CONTACTS ON [28:41] THE GROUND IN IRAN? [28:42] RIGHT. [28:43] WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, [28:45] RYAN. [28:46] AND IT'S GOOD TO JOIN KAREN. [28:48] THERE IS A LOT OF PRESSURE INSIDE [28:50] IRAN. [28:51] BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT [28:53] PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE IS THAT THE [28:55] PEOPLE HAVE SEVERAL SOURCES OF [28:58] RESILIENCE. [28:59] THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT [29:02] PRO THE REGIME, RIGHT? [29:04] THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HUNKERING [29:05] DOWN. [29:06] THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THROUGH. [29:07] THERE ARE LARGE SOURCES OF [29:09] RESILIENCE THAT WE SHOULD KEEP [29:10] IN MIND. [29:11] FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS A SOCIAL. [29:13] IT'S A VERY CLOSE KNIT SOCIETY. [29:15] THERE ARE LARGE FAMILIES. [29:16] THEY HELP EACH OTHER. [29:17] AND THERE ARE SAVINGS. [29:19] THIS IS GETTING INTO THE WEEDS [29:20] ABOUT ECONOMICS. [29:21] BUT I THINK PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE [29:23] THAT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND A [29:26] LOT OF PEOPLE INSIDE IRAN, THEY [29:28] COULD SUFFER THROUGH SOME [29:31] MATERIAL DEPRIVATION FOR ANOTHER [29:33] SEVERAL MONTHS. [29:34] NOT FOREVER, BUT FOR SEVERAL [29:35] MONTHS. [29:36] SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO COME OUT [29:38] INTO THE STREET TO DEMAND THE [29:41] GOVERNMENT CAPITULATE TO THE [29:43] UNITED STATES OR COME TO, OR TO [29:46] GIVE SEVERE CONCESSIONS SO THAT [29:48] WE CAN GO BACK TO NORMAL. [29:50] SO I DON'T SEE, I DON'T SEE AT [29:52] THE MOMENT THE POSSIBILITY THAT [29:53] THE IRANIAN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO [29:55] RISE UP AND CONFRONT THE REGIME [29:57] AT THE MOMENT. [29:58] BUT I WOULD SAY THAT WITHIN ABOUT [30:01] SIX MONTHS TO EIGHT MONTHS WITH [30:03] THIS ECONOMIC PRESSURE, THERE IS [30:05] GROWING UNEMPLOYMENT, THERE IS [30:06] GROWING INFLATION. [30:07] I SPEAK TO FAMILY THROUGHOUT THE [30:08] WEEK WHEN WE CAN GET THROUGH. [30:09] YES, AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY. [30:13] IT'S SPORADIC BECAUSE YOU KNOW [30:16] THEY CLOSED DOWN THE INTERNET FOR [30:17] MORE THAN A MONTH WHICH IS [30:19] PRETTY AMAZING. [30:20] WHAT A TYRANNICAL SYSTEM. [30:22] BUT SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO [30:24] GET INFORMATION ABOUT HOW PEOPLE [30:27] ARE REALLY COOPING. [30:29] BUT I THINK THAT FOR A LOT OF [30:32] PEOPLE INSIDE IRAN, WHAT THE [30:34] GOVERNMENT WILL DO IS THEY WILL [30:36] USE THEIR RESERVES, THEY WILL USE [30:38] A LOT OF HIDDEN MONEY TO PAY OFF [30:41] PEOPLE AND TO SUBSIDIZE A LOT OF [30:43] THE GOODS AND SERVICES. [30:44] SO THAT'S HOW THEY WILL SURVIVE, [30:45] KARINE. [30:46] WHAT ABOUT THE WEST? [30:47] WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE [30:48] MIDDLE EAST? [30:49] WHAT ABOUT THE PRESSURE THAT MIGHT [30:50] BE HERE AS OPPOSED TO WHAT [30:51] THEY'RE FEELING IN IRAN? [30:52] WELL, LOOK, I MEAN, IF WE'RE [30:53] TALKING ABOUT POLITICAL PRESSURE, [30:54] THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICAL [30:55] FRUSTRATION, I WOULD SAY, AS [30:56] PEOPLE SEE THE GAS PRICES TAKE [30:57] UP. [30:58] BUT I WOULD JUST REMIND EVERYONE THAT [30:59] WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS [31:00] REGIME FOR 47 YEARS AND I THINK [31:01] THE PRESIDENT IS RIGHT THAT SOMETHING [31:02] HAD TO BE DONE EVENTUALLY. [31:03] YOU'VE HAD PAST ADMINISTRATIONS [31:04] TAKE DIFFERENT APPROACHES BUT [31:05] ULTIMATELY APPEASEMENT DOESN'T [31:06] WORK. [31:07] YOU CAN'T APPEASE BAD PEOPLE INTO [31:08] COOPERATING WITH THE UNITED [31:09] STATES. [31:10] SO I REALLY THINK THAT IF THERE'S [31:12] ANY WAY TO KEEP UP THE [31:13] PRESSURE AND TO BE REALLY [31:14] INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE WAY THAT [31:15] WE'RE DEALING WITH THE IRANIANS, [31:16] THEY'RE NEVER GOING TO BE GOOD [31:17] FAITH NEGOTIATORS AND I THINK THE [31:18] PRESIDENT NEEDS TO BE. [31:19] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:20] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:21] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:22] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:23] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:24] UNLESS THEY HAVE TO BE. [31:26] I THINK THE PRESIDENT NEEDS TO [31:27] RECONSIDER THIS NOTION OF A [31:29] DEAL THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET A [31:30] FAIR DEAL OUT OF THEM. [31:31] THE PRESSURE IS WORKING BECAUSE [31:33] TO YOUR POINT THERE COULD BE [31:35] SOME TYPE OF CRITICAL MOMENT [31:36] HERE WHERE YOU HAVE AN OPPOSITION, [31:38] AN UPRISING. [31:39] BUT ULTIMATELY YOU DON'T SOLVE THE [31:41] IRAN PROBLEM UNTIL YOU SOLVE THE [31:43] REGIME. [31:44] THE REGIME IS THE IRAN PROBLEM. [31:45] THE IRANIAN PEOPLE DESERVE [31:46] BETTER. [31:47] AND I THINK WHATEVER THE PRESIDENT [31:49] CAN DO TO TRY TO HAVE SOME [31:50] CHANGE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. [31:52] BUT A DEAL IS NOT THE ANSWER [31:53] WITH THESE PEOPLE. [31:54] COULD I BUILD ON THAT, BRIAN, [31:56] JUST FOR VIEWERS TO UNDERSTAND [31:58] WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT IRAN AND [32:00] HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIETY [32:02] AS A WHOLE. [32:03] IT'S 92 MILLION PEOPLE. [32:04] MY ESTIMATE IS 10 TO 15% OF THE [32:06] PEOPLE. [32:07] DO SUPPORT THE REGIME. [32:09] HALF OF THOSE ARE TRUE BELIEVERS. [32:10] THEY ARE ZEALOTS AND THEY ARE [32:12] RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS AND THEY [32:13] WILL KILL AND DIE FOR THE [32:14] REGIME. [32:16] ARE MOST OF THEM IN UNIFORM? [32:17] NO. [32:18] YOU MEAN CIVILIANS? [32:19] YES. [32:20] CIVILIANS TOO. [32:21] IT INCLUDES THEM. [32:22] THE OTHER HALF OF THAT 10, 15% [32:24] ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE BENEFICIARIES [32:26] OF THE REGIME. [32:27] YOU KNOW, THEY GET MATERIAL [32:29] BENEFITS, ALL THEIR PENSIONS, [32:31] THEIR JOBS, THEIR HALF OF THE [32:33] HALF OF THE 10, 15% ARE [32:35] PASSIVE, RIGHT? [32:36] THEY DON'T VOTE, THEY DON'T [32:38] CARE WHAT'S GOING ON. [32:39] THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE [32:40] STATES. [32:41] ALL THEIR PENSIONS, THEIR JOBS, [32:43] THEIR HOUSES, THEIR KIDS. [32:44] ALL THAT THE REGIME IS [32:46] SECURING. [32:47] THAT'S THEIR BASE. [32:48] AT THE OTHER END OF THE [32:50] SPECTRUM YOU HAVE ABOUT 30% OF [32:52] THE POPULATION LIKE MANY [32:53] COUNTRIES WHO ARE POLITICALLY [32:54] PASSIVE, RIGHT? [32:55] THEY DON'T VOTE, THEY DON'T [32:57] REALLY CARE WHAT'S GOING ON. [32:58] THEY DON'T CARE THE LIFE IS [32:59] TERRIBLE. [33:00] WELL, THEY CARE ABOUT GETTING [33:02] FOOD ON THE TABLE AND KEEPING [33:04] PEOPLE. [33:05] THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE [33:06] REGIME. [33:07] THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE [33:08] REGIME. [33:09] THAT LEAVES 50, 60% OF THE [33:11] POPULATION, I ESTIMATE, THAT [33:13] OPPOSE THIS REGIME. [33:14] THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE, 50, MAYBE [33:16] 70% OF THE POPULATION OPPOSE [33:17] THIS REGIME. [33:18] THEY WANT TO LIVE UNDER A [33:19] DIFFERENT REGIME. [33:20] RIGHT. [33:21] BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE POWER, [33:22] THEY JUST SIMPLY DON'T HAVE [33:23] THE POWER TO EXPRESS THEIR [33:24] VOICE OR TO CONFRONT THIS [33:25] REGIME. [33:26] SO WHAT DO YOU THINK IS [33:27] GOING TO HAPPEN? [33:28] DO YOU THINK WE GO BACK TO 10 [33:29] MONTHS? [33:30] DO YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO [33:31] FINISH THEM OFF OR DO WE HAVE [33:32] SOME OTHER WAY OF PRESSURING? [33:33] LOOK, I THINK THAT IS ONE OF [33:34] THE TOOLS. [33:35] I WAS LISTENING TO AN ANALYST [33:36] AND, YOU KNOW, WE HIT THE [33:37] MAJORITY OF TARGETS BUT [33:38] THEY'RE STILL LIKE SOMEWHERE [33:39] 20 TO 30% OF TARGETS THAT ARE [33:41] STILL ON THE TABLE. [33:42] TO THE POINTS WE'VE BEEN [33:44] HEARING, THE ECONOMY IS [33:45] REALLY IN A SQUEEZE RIGHT NOW. [33:46] THE OIL DRUMS ARE FILLING UP, [33:47] INFLATION IS GOING UP. [33:48] AND THIS IS A REGIME THAT WAS [33:49] TRYING TO PAY OFF PEOPLE. [33:50] IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THE [33:52] EQUIVALENT OF $7 A MONTH BEFORE [33:54] THIS ENTIRE CONFLICT HAPPENED. [33:55] SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE [33:57] GETTING REALLY FRUSTRATED. [33:58] SO I THINK IF THE PRESIDENT CAN [34:00] KEEP UP THE PRESSURE, BOTH [34:02] ECONOMIC AND A CREDIBLE [34:03] MILITARY THREAT, YOU COULD SEE [34:05] SOME CHANGE HERE. [34:06] BUT THAT'S WHY I AM SO WORRIED [34:08] ABOUT A PREMATURE, WEAK DEAL. [34:10] RIGHT. [34:11] SEMIFINALS WAS CHINA. [34:12] CAN'T CELEBRATE IF YOU THOUGHT [34:14] THE TRIP WAS SUCCESSFUL OR NOT. [34:15] I THINK IT WAS. [34:16] BECAUSE THE FINALS IS IRAN. [34:17] AND THE PRESIDENT HAS TO FIND A [34:18] WAY TO SOLVE THAT. [34:19] AND THEN HIS ECONOMY COULD [34:21] PROBABLY TAKE OFF. [34:22] KEYON, THANK YOU SO MUCH. [34:23] AND KOREEN, THANK YOU VERY [34:24] MUCH. [34:25] SO WHY ARE WE WHERE WE ARE? [34:27] DID YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE PAIN [34:29] TOLERANCE THAT IRAN HAS? [34:30] I DIDN'T UNDERESTIMATE [34:31] ANYTHING. [34:32] WE HIT THEM UNBELIEVABLY HARD. [34:34] LOOK, WE LEFT THEIR BRIDGES. [34:37] WE LEFT THEIR ELECTRICITY [34:38] CAPACITY. [34:39] WE CAN KNOCK THAT ALL OUT IN TWO [34:43] DAYS. [34:44] TWO DAYS. [34:45] EVERYTHING. [34:46] WE LEFT CARG ISLAND OTHER THAN [34:47] I SAID HIT IT EXCEPT FOR THE [34:49] VALVES WHERE THE OIL COMES OUT. [34:52] BECAUSE WHEN YOU HIT THAT, THAT [34:54] MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE A LITTLE [34:55] OIL. [34:56] BUT ONE THING IS HAPPENING [34:58] AMAZINGLY, SHIPS ARE FLOATING [35:01] UP TO TEXAS. [35:02] YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE A LITTLE [35:03] OIL. [35:04] BUT ONE THING IS HAPPENING [35:06] A LITTLE OIL. [35:07] THEY ARE FLOATING UP TO TEXAS [35:09] AND LOUISIANA. [35:10] AND THEY'RE GOING TO ALASKA. [35:12] AND THEY'RE LOADING UP WITH OIL [35:13] LIKE WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. [35:16] ALL RIGHT. [35:17] SO WITH THAT, U.S. AMBASSADOR [35:19] TO THE UNITED NATIONS, MIKE [35:20] WALTZ JOINS ME NOW. [35:21] AMBASSADOR WALTZ, ALWAYS GOOD [35:22] TO SEE YOU. [35:23] THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING [35:24] US. [35:25] WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A COUPLE OF BIG [35:27] TOPICS HERE. [35:28] WE WANT TO TALK CHINA WITH YOU, [35:30] THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP THAT JUST [35:31] ENDED. [35:32] VERY IMPORTANT, VERY [35:34] IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT. [35:35] IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT. [35:36] IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT. [35:37] IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT. [35:38] IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT, [35:40] WHAT MR. ARAKSHI JUST HAD TO [35:41] SAY THERE. [35:42] AND LET'S PLAY ONE MORE PIECE OF [35:43] SOUND. [35:44] SO THIS WOULD BE NUMBER ONE, [35:45] CALL FOR NUMBER ONE. [35:46] THIS IS IN NEW DELI, INDIA. [35:47] WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT WHETHER [35:49] OR NOT THE RUSSIANS WOULD [35:51] CONSIDER HOLDING THEIR ENRICHED [35:52] URANIUM. [35:53] THERE'S 900 POUNDS OF IRANIAN [35:55] RAY IN AMERICA TO GO. [35:57] AROUND, AS FAR AS WE KNOW. [35:59] WATCH THIS. [36:00] THE OFFER WHICH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS [36:04] HAD ON THE TABLE REGARDING THE [36:14] REMOVING RUSSIA. [36:15] MET PRESIDENT PUTIN, AND WE [36:18] DISCUSSED EVERYTHING INCLUDING [36:19] THE QUESTION THAT YOU MENTIONED. [36:22] WE ARE THANKFUL TO OUR RUSSIAN [36:28] FRIENDS FOR THEIR OFFER. [36:30] ALL RIGHT. [36:31] AMBASSADOR WALT IS GOOD TO HAVE [36:33] He sounds, in his interview that he did with Sean Hannity, he said, I want it. [36:38] I want that dust, as he refers to it. [36:40] Well, we have to remember, there's no reason for Iran to have this dust, [36:46] which is 60% highly enriched uranium. [36:49] There is no country in the world that enriches to that level [36:52] that doesn't then have nuclear weapons, because there's no reason to do it. [36:56] So that's one. [36:57] Number two, there's no reason if you just have peaceful civilian aims [37:03] for nuclear enrichment to bury it so deeply in hardened military sites [37:09] and then disperse it around the country. [37:11] So this is the material that would amount to 10 or 11 nuclear weapons [37:17] that Special Envoy Whitcoff has been talking about, [37:20] and President Trump is clear, it has to go. [37:23] Where it goes, what we do with it, how we get there, [37:26] still very much under a negotiation, but that component has to go. [37:30] And then their ongoing enrichment, [37:33] which we've devastated in Operation Midnight Hammer last year. [37:37] But we still see them trying to reconstitute. [37:41] So those are the two crux issues, [37:42] and then, of course, the straight and foremost. [37:45] Absolutely. [37:45] And honest, these are all linked to the discussions [37:48] that happened in China as well, as we know. [37:50] And here's a little bit of Brett Baer's interview [37:52] with President Trump, the rest of which will air tonight [37:56] on Special Report. [37:57] This was in China. [37:57] Watch. [37:58] No, nothing's changed. [38:00] I will say this. [38:01] I'm not looking to have somebody go independent [38:04] and, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. [38:09] I'm not looking for that. [38:11] I want them to cool down. [38:13] I want China to cool down. [38:14] But you're waiting on approving billions of dollars of weapons for Taiwan. [38:19] That's right. [38:19] Is that moving forward? [38:20] Well, I haven't approved it yet. [38:22] We're going to see what happens. [38:24] All right. [38:24] Let me switch gears so I can set that up properly because that's not the one that I was going to ask you about, [38:29] but we'll get to that one in just a moment because this is very, very important. [38:31] The news that came out of the meetings with President Xi indicated that his headline message was [38:40] back off on Taiwan. [38:42] The United States should not be sending weaponry to Taiwan. [38:46] And if you continue to support Taiwan and its independence desires by supplying them with weapons, [38:53] even though we have a strategic ambiguity policy, but we do supply them with weapons. [38:59] So the president was asked about that because there's a weapons agreement that has not been fully [39:05] released since December that the United States has not released to Taiwan. [39:09] And that was the question that Brett had put to the president there. [39:12] He said, no, nothing's changed about this relationship. [39:15] He said, I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. [39:18] We don't want to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. [39:21] I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. [39:23] I want China to cool down. [39:25] Where does this stand with the Taiwan issue? [39:28] Well, I think it stands where it has for quite some time. [39:32] I mean, the president also said, I heard him. [39:34] I understand it's important to them. [39:37] He took it in, but at the end of the day, made no commitments either way in line with our [39:41] longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity. [39:45] I mean, there is a whole line of thinking that if you basically indicate or tell China, [39:49] we won't be there, that that could embolden them as well. [39:53] So it's about keeping stability and peace in the Straits. [39:56] It is also worth pointing out that Japan is dramatically increasing its defense budget. [40:02] The Philippines are increasing theirs. [40:04] Vietnam is increasing theirs. [40:06] As we've seen the South China Sea get militarized, you have 50% of global GDP flowing [40:12] to the Middle East, through the South China Sea, Japan, South Korea, huge, huge economies. [40:18] So I think the president was quite clear that it is going to be status quo going forward. [40:24] Every one of these arms sales to Taiwan is always vehemently opposed by the People's Republic of China. [40:31] But do you think it should be released? [40:32] Do you think it should go through? [40:33] Well, that's up to the president. [40:35] Look, that's up to the president. [40:37] I think there's a backlog of almost 20 billion that they've ordered over previous years that our [40:42] defense industry is working through. [40:44] Are these things maybe we need now for these other endeavors in Iran? [40:49] Well, this is one of, I mean, this is where... [40:51] Is it a supply issue to any extent? [40:53] No, honestly, I mean, this is where Secretary Heggseth and General Dan Kane are talking so much [40:59] about revitalizing our industrial base. [41:01] We have to be manufacturing here. [41:03] We have to build these incredibly complex missile components. [41:07] But importantly, we need the industry here in the United States to support our allies and ourselves. [41:14] It shouldn't be an either or. [41:15] Right. [41:16] You know, last question on this, because it's interesting. [41:18] I made this analogy yesterday between oil in the Middle East in terms of a geopolitical engine [41:23] and chips on Taiwan as a geopolitical engine. [41:28] It's no longer about a tiny island that China feels is part of China. [41:34] It's now about a huge strategic AI hub that is territorial for either China or for the rest of the world to have access to. [41:46] But that's also, Martha, why you see the president so adamant about diversifying and bringing those supply chains home [41:53] from chips to critical minerals to refining, mining, all of it. [41:57] We can't have these dependencies, key lesson learned from COVID. [42:01] And you're seeing the fabs, these Silicon Valley type fabs come into Arizona, to Ohio and elsewhere because of his leadership. [42:09] Yeah. [42:10] I mean, it's very similar to the effort to have energy be self-sufficient. [42:16] All of the above, nuclear, gas, coal, oil, we need all of it. [42:21] And chips. [42:22] And chips. [42:23] But this is why the UN, we are hammering the fact that you also can't respond to a conflict by throwing sea mines in the ocean, [42:30] by tolling, these international norms can't be violated. [42:34] And I've got to tell you, to see the Chinese backing away from Iran after meeting with President Trump was a huge outcome of this summit. [42:41] How did they back away from Iran? [42:42] Well, they said they agreed. [42:44] No nukes, no militarization of the Straits of Hormuz. [42:47] And you can't be tolling the Straits of Gibraltar, Straits of Malacca, the Straits of Hormuz because you see it as a source of revenue. [42:54] So that was a huge, huge step in our direction. [42:56] That he was telling the truth, Xi, when he said that they're not supplying anything to Iran? [43:02] Well, we've seen actually, we've seen China backing away even from some of this dual use. [43:08] But the blockade is preventing it one way or another. [43:10] And the blockade is key. [43:12] Always great to talk to you. [43:13] Thank you very much, Ambassador Michael Waltz. [43:15] Now to one of our favorite analysts of the Iran war here. [43:19] Given that President Trump said the military campaign against Iran will be continued. [43:26] He talked about it in a social post. [43:29] He talked about Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the status quo. [43:32] So let's bring in now that analyst I mentioned, Danny Citrinovitz, joining us from Tel Aviv, Israel. [43:41] And Danny, there were some interesting comments today via the president [43:46] that the Chinese president, Xi, wants to help the U.S. with Iran, [43:54] wants Iran not to have a nuclear weapon, wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open and free. [44:03] So do we take him at his word, Danny, or is it going to be a little more complicated than that? [44:10] Hi, Jonathan. [44:11] Good morning from Tel Aviv. [44:13] It's going to be very complicated. [44:15] China, in general terms, has no interest to help the U.S. in the war against Iran. [44:21] It has an interest to preserve the Iranian regime, [44:24] because in a strategic competition against the U.S. in the future, [44:27] it needs to have an anti-Western regime in Iran itself. [44:31] I'm sure that China has no interest that Iran will have nuclear weapons, [44:35] and they want to see the Hormuz Trades are open, [44:38] but they don't have the intention of influencing or pressuring the Iranians to do so. [44:42] So I think that President Trump will have to solve the Iranian issue by itself and not by using Xi or China, [44:49] because I don't think they will come for his help. [44:52] And, Danny, you made the very good point that while Iran has said that, according to the president, [45:01] that they will not give weapons to Iran, they do give a lot of material, [45:08] which they wouldn't necessarily classify as weapons. [45:10] It would be dual-use material, which are used to make those weapons. [45:15] So you could say one thing on the one hand while doing something completely different [45:21] that does allow Iran to continue stockpiling weapons. [45:27] Definitely, you're absolutely right. [45:28] We have to remember that the Iranian missile capacity is an indigenous one, [45:33] meaning that they are producing their own missiles, [45:36] but they are depending on China's chemicals. [45:39] Now, when you're asking the Chinese decision makers, [45:42] they will say it's a dual-use. [45:44] It goes for the civilian use in Iran itself and not for the military side of things, [45:49] and you cannot, of course, prove that. [45:51] And I have a sense that they will continue doing so. [45:54] China has a basic interest that Iran will be strong. [45:57] Yes, it has also interest in preserving relations with Saudi Arabia and UAE, [46:01] but basically there is ideological connection between the both countries encountering the West. [46:07] So I really think that where they can help in the future, [46:10] I think that China will continue supporting the summit republic of Iran [46:14] because it has a basic interest that it will flourish and prevail towards the future. [46:20] Danny, how closely has this summit been watched in Israel? [46:25] How important does the Israeli government think that this is vis-à-vis Israel's situation right now? [46:34] Well, definitely we're looking very closely about the summit itself [46:37] because we believe in Israel that this campaign will turn it back to a decision point again. [46:42] President Trump will have to decide whether to return back using force [46:45] or trying to reach again some sort of an agreement with Iran. [46:52] And I think that we assume that what's happening in China will help him make this decision, [46:57] where they can think that maybe the Chinese can pressuring Iran [47:00] to continue this kind of negotiation. [47:03] So there will be postponement in the decision to return back to kinetic activities or not. [47:08] But I really think that we are on a decision point again. [47:11] The Iranians show no willingness to compromise regarding the president's request. [47:17] So I think the president will have to return back and think whether using kinetics again [47:22] will help him capitalize Iran. [47:23] I don't think it will happen, but definitely it's a crucial point in the campaign between U.S. and Iran. [47:30] And would I be right in feeling, Danny, that Prime Minister Netanyahu would like to see a return [47:40] to kinetic activity because he believes there needs to be more of that to break the Iranian regime? [47:48] Definitely, you're absolutely right. [47:52] First and foremost, Prime Minister Netanyahu does not want to see an agreement between Iran and the U.S. [47:59] because any agreement will strengthen the same regime that Israel seeks to topple. [48:03] So I don't think that Israel will support any agreement regardless of the conditions of the agreement itself. [48:09] So Israel is hoping for no agreement and a bad agreement. [48:12] But I think that even more than that, Israel is hoping returning back to war, [48:16] but not something specific or contained. [48:18] Israel is interested in hating the energy facilities in Iran, [48:22] actually preventing Iran from being a strategic threat for Israel in the future. [48:26] So I think that Israel is trying to push behind the scenes U.S. to prevent that from being happened. [48:33] Danny Satrinovic, it is always an honor and an education to talk to you, sir. [48:37] Thank you so much for your time. [48:39] And once again to our audience. [48:40] Hey, everyone. [48:41] I'm Emily Campagno. [48:42] Catch me and my co-hosts Harris Faulkner and Kayleigh McEnany on Outnumbered every weekday at 12 p.m. Eastern. [48:49] Or set your DVR. [48:51] Also, don't forget to subscribe to the Fox News YouTube page for daily highlights.