Trump to Iran: 48 hours before all Hell will rain down

[0:00] And right now, I do want to start by getting to the latest coming in here from Operation Epic Fury. [0:05] President Trump just issuing a final warning to Iran, saying that the Iranian regime has two days left to make a deal or, quote, all hell will rain down. [0:17] The president posting on Truth Social within the last hour, saying this right there on your screen. [0:22] Again, remember when I gave Iran 10 days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait. [0:28] Time is running out 48 hours before all hell will rain down on them. [0:34] Glory be to God, President Donald J. Trump. [0:38] Rather than traveling to Mar-a-Lago, President Trump has actually remained at the White House this weekend. [0:43] And we are hearing that he does have meetings that are getting underway throughout the day. [0:48] Now, today does mark five weeks since the U.S. launched its mission against the Iranian regime alongside Israel. [0:56] And I do want to pop up some of these. [0:58] Photos right here that are now coming into our newsroom, as we know that the search continues for a crew member who was on board a U.S. [1:07] military aircraft shot down Friday over a mountainous region of central Iran. [1:13] Fox News reporting this was an F-15E fighter jet and that one of the pilots was rescued. [1:19] But a search and rescue operation was immediately launched and still underway for that second pilot. [1:26] Iranian state media putting out a message urging. [1:28] Civilians in the area to look for and capture the pilot in exchange for a quote precious prize. [1:35] Iranian state media also claiming that a U.S. A-10 warthog crashed near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by Iran. [1:44] As always, a lot of developments here that are taking place. [1:48] So I do want to bring in Peter Duran, adjunct senior fellow there at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. [1:55] Peter, as always, thank you so much for taking the time to be here. [1:59] Thank you, Josh. [2:00] And first off, I want to ask you about that warning there that we just brought you that was issued by President Trump. [2:06] Kind of an ultimatum saying 48 hours to make a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz or that's it. [2:13] Quote unquote, all hell will rain down. [2:16] What do you make of that statement overall coming in? [2:19] Well, this is on brand for President Trump. [2:22] He's been very clear. [2:24] And if there's one message that the Islamic Republic should internalize, it's don't call. [2:30] President Trump's bluff. [2:32] He has been consistent. [2:34] He sets out a timeline. [2:36] He says this is how long we have to negotiate. [2:38] Once that timeline expires, President Trump acts. [2:42] Here's where we are right now. [2:44] If it feels that we have turned a corner in this war, it's because we have. [2:50] President Trump is now in the endgame phase of military operations. [2:55] He has given the clerical regime in Tehran every opportunity. [3:00] Not to get bombed. [3:01] And the longer they continue to resist, the harder the bombing will go. [3:06] I want to ask you a little bit about that ongoing search there for the pilot. [3:11] One of two pilots who was involved in that crash that took place just yesterday. [3:16] Again, we do have these images that are coming in from Iranian state media on X via Fox News, [3:22] where you can see what is believed to be the aftermath or what they're claiming, I should say, is the aftermath of all of that. [3:29] So. [3:30] When this search is underway and you hear Iranian state media report to civilians, they are saying, hey, go out and find this pilot and we'll give you a quote unquote precious prize. [3:41] What does that say about Iran's thoughts on civilians and the fact that maybe they would actually help protect these Americans if they were able to find them? [3:53] More importantly than that, Josh, the what are they what is the clerical regime going to use to pay for a prize right now? [4:01] The Iranian reality. [4:02] Is worth less than zero. [4:04] So they're certainly not going to be paying out in money. [4:06] Here's the more important point, though. [4:08] We have an American pilot who is out there. [4:11] We're praying for that pilot right now. [4:15] Obviously, all thoughts and hearts and hopes are with that pilot. [4:21] But let us also recall the level of casualties we have taken, given the 5000 or so sorties that have been conducted over the skies of Iran. [4:32] The level of casualties we take, we've taken the two aircraft we've lost to hostile fire is very low. [4:38] In fact, it's it demonstrates that this is one of the best, if I can say it that way, conflicts we've ever conducted when we measure the number of aircraft we've lost. [4:51] And of course, important to note, we have heard from President Trump. [4:57] He spoke in primetime on Wednesday night and addressed all of this, spoke about 20 minutes in length. [5:03] Right. [5:03] Right. [5:03] Right. [5:04] Right. [5:04] Right. [5:04] So you break down for folks out there some of what you took away from his remarks, because a big part of that was saying that Iran's military has been essentially obliterated, decimated there. [5:17] That's right, Josh. [5:18] And here's the important part about President Trump's speech. [5:21] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:35] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:35] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:36] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:36] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:37] He took the opportunity to talk to the American public and lay out in a very formal setting exactly what his goals are, how we are achieving them and what he expects the outcome to be. [5:37] at press gaggles, getting on and off aircraft, et cetera. [5:41] But he took the opportunity to speak from the White House and lay out his plan. [5:48] I was very encouraged by what President Trump said, [5:51] simply because it was a straightforward message to the American public. [5:55] We are going to destroy the clerical regime's ability to export terror, [6:01] to threaten its neighbors. [6:02] And if anyone wants to negotiate with us, we're happy to talk. [6:06] But as you see right there, President Trump is running out of patience. [6:11] The clock is ticking for this regime, and their options are rapidly limiting, Josh. [6:18] What about any unknowns? [6:20] What are maybe some of the major unknowns at this point, [6:23] as we are today marking five weeks since the Operation Epic Fury began? [6:28] The major unknown right now is how long the Strait of Hormuz is going to remain so-called closed. [6:36] The Claire. [6:37] The remnants of the clerical regime have the ability to threaten, [6:43] but not necessarily forcefully close the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. [6:49] Right now, all eyes are on this vital choke point, [6:53] and I really want to see exactly how the United States demonstrates its ability to escort convoys, [7:03] to show that we will not be threatened, [7:05] and the global commons, as it's called, shall remain open. [7:11] Right now, what you're looking at is some of the video that came in a bit earlier on today [7:15] from the Israel Defense Forces showing yet another strike taking place over there in Tehran. [7:20] They, of course, say that they have been targeting these military buildings, infrastructure, [7:26] weapons production areas, all of those different locations there. [7:29] And you can see an explosion on your screen, [7:32] again, coming in from the Israeli military a bit earlier on today. [7:35] What is this? [7:35] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is this? [7:36] What is the coordination like right now between the U.S. and Israel? [7:40] You and I have spoken about this over the past several weeks and really over the last several months, I would say. [7:45] So what is the current coordination? [7:47] Has it changed in any way at all? [7:51] Well, this is the real lesson we have learned from this war so far. [7:55] Israel has proven itself to be America's model ally. [8:00] Now, President Trump's national security strategy, his national defense strategy, [8:04] it's already laid that out very explicitly, [8:07] saying Israel is America's model ally. In this operation, Israel has demonstrated just that. [8:14] It has shown that it is not the kind of ally that asks America to fight its wars for them, [8:20] but it is the kind of ally that helps us win ours. It has been remarkable. And frankly, Josh, [8:27] if we look around the world, if we look to Taiwan, if we look to other countries in Europe, [8:33] we want to replicate the kind of relationship flying wingtip to wingtip, sharing fuel, [8:39] intelligence, and carefully selected fire on this clerical regime. We want to replicate that [8:45] around the world. As far as any sort of end to this conflict, this war that's going on, again, [8:52] I keep saying it, but today marks five weeks since Operation Epic Fury began. Of course, [8:57] Israel calling it Operation Roaring Lion. Do you see any end in sight? We know that Pakistan has [9:03] said that it is not going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:03] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going to be a war. It is going [9:04] . [9:04] is acting as a mediator at this point, then we hear from Iranian officials saying we are not [9:10] going to take part in any of this. So is there an end in sight or is that not going to happen? [9:16] I would be very cautious about putting too much hope in the Pakistan, we'll call it the [9:23] Pakistani option to negotiate an end to this conflict. Josh, if I had to wager $1 on the [9:31] outcome, I'd say we have about 12 days left of active combat operations. And then President [9:38] Trump will make the decision whether or not he wants to continue. Eventually, the oil market, [9:43] the stock market and Congress will weigh in after about 12 days. That's when I think the [9:49] real decision point will come. How do experts typically verify or challenge claims that are [9:55] coming in from either side of a conflict here? We mentioned that these photos and I'm going to pop [10:00] them up once again. [10:01] They're from Iran and state media. They claim that they show the aftermath of that aircraft being [10:07] shot down yesterday. We know as reports started to come in initially about this, there was a lot [10:13] of skepticism because you can't always believe what Iranian state media is saying, what they're [10:18] putting out there. So how does the U.S., how do other agencies, departments, all of that go about [10:25] determining whether or not something is true or very far from true? Josh, there are two wars that [10:31] are happening simultaneously. The first is the Iran-Iran conflict. The second is the Iran-Iran [10:32] conflict. The third is the Iran-Iran conflict. It is the war that is happening simultaneously right [10:33] now. One is the war on the battlefield. It's the war in the air and skies above Iran. And the other [10:40] one is the war of information, the narrative war, we can call it. Most of the time, the Iranian [10:46] regime has been proven to be wrong. They have a lot of bluster. They talk a big game, but they [10:53] can't back it up. And oftentimes they're just lying flat out. Obviously, with this downing of [10:58] an American F-15, it's very sad. But again, the war is on the battlefield. It's a war that is [11:02] Given how many sorties have been flown over the skies of Iran, it is remarkable that we have suffered so few casualties and lost so few aircraft. [11:13] That's the important message to take away right now. [11:16] What I want to do is pop this up on your screen. [11:19] It's actually just coming in here from Secretary Marco Rubio, Secretary of State for the U.S. [11:24] As he says, until recently, Hamadeh Soleimani Asfar and her daughter were green card holders living in lavishly in the United States. [11:34] Asfar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Soleimani. [11:39] She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the great Satan. [11:48] This week, I terminated both Asfar and her daughter's legal status, and they are now in ICE custody. [11:54] Pending removal from the United States, the Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes. [12:05] What does something like that tell us about essentially the objectives here of the U.S. [12:11] when it comes to ensuring that there are no people who are in the country who could potentially have any sort of connection maybe there to the current Iranian regime? [12:21] Again, we're talking about what appears to be the need. [12:24] It's not just a case of Soleimani, who we know was killed, taken out there by President Trump. [12:30] Josh, General Qasem Soleimani was one of the most despicable human beings who has lived in many years. [12:38] He was an awful person. [12:40] He intentionally was responsible for killing many Americans, killing and wounding them. [12:46] And President Trump eliminated him, and rightfully so. [12:51] What Secretary Rubio is showing is that the time in which you could steal, [12:55] steal money from the Iranian regime and spend it lavishly in the West is over in the United States. [13:03] We also see, however, that Canada and the United Kingdom and other European states have not followed suit the way we are doing here, as seen from Secretary Rubio's statement. [13:15] So what we are doing is closing the door to those individuals who have benefited from the parasitic regime in Iran. [13:24] All right. [13:26] So the big question here, what are you going to be watching for over the coming hours and days? [13:31] You and I talk about this a lot, and while we're on the air a lot of times, we have different developments that come in, [13:36] like that post from President Trump as he issued the ultimatum, but also just seeing that post coming in from Secretary Rubio. [13:44] So what are you watching for as the hours progress, days, and potentially weeks here? [13:49] Well, I'm going to be looking very closely at CENTCOM and the decision that Admiral Cooper will make. [13:56] Let's recall. [13:57] Let's recall that Admiral Cooper will make a decision at some point over the next week or so in which he's going to say, [14:03] Mr. President, I think the risk is worth the reward to send our naval vessels into the Strait of Hormuz. [14:10] Remember, Josh, we have been in military parlance, a tritting. [14:14] That means breaking down, slowly attacking, slowly degrading the regime's ability to attack commercial shipping. [14:22] Admiral Cooper is going to have to make a decision, and that will be very simple. [14:26] Is the risk worth the reward to send our naval vessels into the Strait of Hormuz? [14:31] When that occurs, the oil markets will cheer, the stock market will be very glad, but it's going to fall to President Trump to make that call. [14:41] All right. [14:41] And, Peter, there's so much to discuss here. [14:43] We've talked about this so many times, and we get these developments that come in very quickly, [14:48] so we appreciate you joining us and helping to break all of it down. [14:52] Is there anything else that you want to add? [14:54] Feel free to go into detail, but anything that you think, [14:56] maybe we missed, that you want to make sure that we get out there? [15:02] Well, right now, President Trump is employing what I would call maximum flexibility when it comes to the current state of the war. [15:10] The old saying is fighting while talking. [15:12] That's exactly what he's doing. [15:14] We are opening up a channel of negotiations with the hope that perhaps the clerical regime will see reason. [15:22] I have some low hopes that they will. [15:25] I don't think they're going to. [15:28] I don't think they're going to accept President Trump's offer of peace. [15:30] They are going to continue to fight. [15:32] And as we saw there with his statement, they have about two days left. [15:36] And then whoever is remaining in charge right now won't be there for long. [15:43] And, of course, Peter, as I mentioned, we're getting all of these different live images that are coming in. [15:48] We've had a lot of different information developments that are happening there. [15:52] And I'm looking through some of the updates here, trying to see if there is anything new before I let you go, [15:57] because you are a true expert. [15:58] There as of right now, no updates coming in within the last two minutes. [16:03] But I'm sure the second I hang up with you, there will be another development there. [16:07] Peter Duran there with the Foundation for Defensive Democracies. [16:10] Thank you so much for taking the time to join us. [16:14] Thank you, Josh.