>> Carley: TREY YINGST WITH BIG NEWS TO REPORT THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. TO STEVE HARRIGAN LIVE ON THE IRAN-ARMENIAN BORDER, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS RALLYING TO PROTECT STRAIT OF HORMUZ.
>> Steve: AXIOS REPORTING DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN IRAN AND THE U. S. CITING UNNAMED U.
S. OFFICIAL SAYING IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER HAS CONTACTED U. S.
ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF. PRESIDENT TRUMP DOES SAY THAT IRAN WANTS TO TALK. >> President Trump: THEY ARE NEGOTIATING AND WE ALWAYS TALK.
SOMEBODY SAID, WOULD YOU TALK? WHY TALK TO THEM? I TALK TO EVERYBODY.
SOMETIMES GOOD THINGS COME OUT OF IT. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE READY YET, THEY ARE TAKING A POUNDING. >> Steve: PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO PRESS ALLIES TO JOIN COALITION TO KEEP THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN.
HERE IS THE PRESIDENT. >> President Trump: NUMEROUS COUNTRIES HAVE TOLD ME THEY ARE ON THE WAY. SOME ARE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT AND SOME AREN'T.
SOME ARE COUNTRIES WE'VE HELPED FOR MANY YEARS, PROTECTED THEM FROM HORRIBLE OUTSIDE SOURCES AND THEY WERE NOT ENTHUSIASTIC. THE LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM, IT MATTERS TO ME. SOME COUNTRIES, WE HAVE 45,000 SOLDIERS PROTECTING THEM FROM HARM'S WAY AND WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB.
>> Steve: SO FAR GERMANY, ITALY AND JAPAN SAY THEY WILL NOT SEND SHIPS TO THE REGION. BACK TO YOU. >> Todd: STEVE, THANK YOU.
BRING IN FORMER BUSH COMMISSION MEMBER FOR PRESERVATION OF HERITAGE ABROAD, HARLEY DLILT LITMAN. EVEN PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HE IS UNSURE OF WHO IS IN CHARGE IN IRAN AND THEN WE HAVE THAT BREAKING NEWS FROM TREY YINGST MOMENTS AGO, ALI LARIJANI TARGETED OVERNIGHTS, WE DO NOT YET KNOW HIS CONDITION. WHO DO YOU THINK IS CALLING THE SHOTS IN IRAN?
>> WELL, IN IRAN, THERE IS A STATE WITHIN A STATE THAT MANAGES THE IRGC. AND THE SHORT ACRONYM IS CALLED BAYT. IT IS MADE UP OFS 4000 PEOPLE, THEY ARE REPORTING TO THE SON OF KHAMENEI, MOJTABA KHAMENEI.
THEY ARE ANGRY AND FILLED WITH NEED FOR REVENGE. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE THIS TO MAKE AS HE SAID, THE WORLD A MUCH BETTER PLACE. >> Carley: ABSOLUTELY.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE ECONOMIC ELEMENT OF THIS, THE PRESIDENT IS PUSHING FOR THIS COALITION TO PROTECT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. >> Peter: WHY CAN'T THE U.
S. JUST REOPEN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. >> Press Sec.
Psaki: WE COULD, IT >> President Trump: WE COULD, IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO. THESE SHIPS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, THEY COULD COST UP TO 2 BILLION. THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE, I THINK YOU WILL BE OKAY.
THEY GOT TO KNOW IT. >> Carley: THE U. S.
HARLEY YESTERDAY FOR ONLY SECOND TIME HAD THEIR RE -- PRICES EXCEED $5 A GALLON. THE INSTITUTE OF STUDY OF WAR SAYS ONE STRATEGY THAT IRAN HAS IS TO OUTLAST WASHINGTON RATHER THAN DEFEAT IT MILITARILY. ONE MAIN WAY IS THROUGH ECONOMIC PRESSURE.
WHO WILL SUCCEED HERE? >> YES. WE CAN'T LET THEM SUCCEED BECAUSE IF WE PULL OUT PREMATURELY, THINK HOW MUCH MORE STRONG IRAN IS GOING TO GET WITH THEIR MISSILE TECHNOLOGY AND WITH THEIR ACCURACY AND THEY'LL BLACKMAIL THE UNITED STATES AND GULF NATIONS.
THERE ARE SOLUTION SAYS. WE SHOULDN'T GET OVERLY WORRIED. I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND PENTAGON HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS RISK.
WARS GO SLOW SOMETIMES. WE WERE SOMEWHAT SPOILED BY WHAT HAPPENED IN VENEZUELA, IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. IRAN IS A BIG MILITARY POWER AND IN WAR THERE IS EBB AND FLOW.
IT DOES NOT ALWAYS GO WHERE YOU ARE WINNING ALL THE TIME. THESE PROBLEMS ARE ADDRESSABLE AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, KHARG ISLAND IS THE CENTER WHERE THE ACTION IS. WHOEVER CONTROLS KHARG ISLAND CONTROLS IT.
THE UNITED STATES TOOK OUT THEIR MILITARY AIRCRAFT CAPABILITY, IT IS JUST THE OIL THERE. AND THE SAME TIME, CHINA IS GETTING OIL. IRAN IS SENDING MILLION TO TWO MILLION BARRELS PER DAY AND CHINA IS GETTING THIS DISCOUNTED OIL WHEN OTHER NATIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO THROUGH.
THE UNITED STATES HAS LEVERAGE AND MAYBE WE OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING IF OTHER TANKERS CAN GO THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ, WHY SHOULD WE LET CHINA GET THEIR TANKERS THROUGH. >> Todd: THERE IS AULSZ ISSUE OF ASIAN COUNTRIES RELY ON THIS OIL, WE DON'T NECESSARILY RELY ON OIL THAT CLOSE. ASIAN COUNTRIES, NOT JUST CHINA, MANY COUNTRIES AND THEY ARE NOT HELPING WITH WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP ASKED.
YOU ARE CURIOUS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT, WHETHER THAT CHANGES AT SOME POINT SOON. THEY NEED HELP, WHY SHOULD UNITED STATES PROVIDE ALL THE HELP FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES TO GET THEIR OIL?
