MIDDLE EAST.
>> Sandra: FOR MORE ON THIS
LET'S BRING IN LEE ZELDIN OF
NEW YORK.
CONGRESSMAN, GOOD MORNING TO
YOU.
CAN YOU ADD TO THE DEVELOPING
SITUATION ANYTHING NEW THAT YOU
KNOW AS THE PRESIDENT HAS
RESPONDED IRAN HAS JUST MADE A
VERY BIG MISTAKE?
>> IRAN IS ACTING OUT.
THE PRESSURE THAT THE UNITED
STATES HAS BEEN APPLYING TO
IRAN, THEY'RE FEELING IT WITH
REGARD TO THEIR ECONOMY AND WE
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND DOMESTIC
POLITICS FOR IRAN, THEY SEEK TO
APPEASE HARD LINERS.
WE CRITICIZED THE REGIME.
IT IS NOT JUST THE SENIOR
LEADERSHIP BUT THEY ALSO HAVE
PEOPLE ON THEIR RIGHT THAT THEY
SEEM TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT
THAN ALL OF THE MANY MILLIONS
OF IRANIAN PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY
WANT A FREE, STABLE, DEMOCRATIC
PEACEFUL IRAN INSTEAD.
WE'RE HEARING FROM THE INTEL
THAT WE'RE RECEIVING HERE ON
CAPITOL HILL IS THAT THIS
ACTUALLY DIDN'T GO DOWN WITHIN
IRAN'S BORDERS.
IT WAS OVER INTERNATIONAL
WATERS.
IRAN'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO SET
THEMSELVES BACKWARDS IF THEY
DON'T ENGAGE IN PRODUCTIVE
DIPLOMACY.
THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT WANT
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH IRAN.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES DOES NOT WANT MILITARY
CONFLICT WITH IRAN.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE A
RESOLUTION WITH REGARD TO THESE
NUCLEAR AND NON-NUCLEAR
ACTIVITIES THAT IRAN IS ENGAGED
IN.
>> Bill: IT IS A TOUGH
NEIGHBORHOOD AS YOU KNOW.
I WANT TO SHOW OUR VIEWERS ON
THE MAP THE AREA WE'RE
DISCUSSING AND VERY SPECIFIC
QUESTION AS TO WHAT IS
HAPPENING WITH OUR ALLIES AND
WHAT SORT OF SUPPORT OR LACK OF
IT WE MAY BE GETTING.
ON THE MAP OVER HERE, SAUDI
ARABIA TO THE WEST, IRAQ TO THE
NORTH, IRAN HERE, THE PERSIAN
GULF, STRAIT OF HORMUZ, THAT
CHOKE POINT WHERE 20% OF THE
WORLD'S OIL SQUEEZES THROUGH ON
A DAILY AND WEEKLY BASIS.
THIS IS THE PORT CITY.
ACCORDING TO THE IRANIANS THIS
IS WHERE A TRUCK-BASED MISSILE
WAS FIRED AT 4:00 IN THE
MORNING AND AGAIN AS YOU
MENTIONED THEY ARE CLAIMING
CREDIT FOR.
THIS CHOKE POINT.
THE AMOUNT OF OIL THAT GOES
THROUGH HERE.
TWO TANKERS WERE HIT BY LAND
MINES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS IN
THIS EXACT AREA.
AMONG OUR ALLIES, WHO WILL COME
AND DEFEND US KNOWING THE
EUROPEANS RIGHT NOW ARE
FIGHTING US ON THIS NUCLEAR
DEAL?
>> FIRST APPEARED FOREMOST IN
THE MIDDLE EAST, THEY'RE SO
CONCERNED WITH IRANIAN
AGGRESSION THEY ARE STARTING TO
VIEW ISRAEL IN A DIFFERENT
LIGHT.
ALLIANCES ARE SHIFTING.
IRAN'S NON-NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES
THAT WE SAW BEFORE THE
NEGOTIATION OF THE JCPOA DURING
THE NEGOTIATION AND ESPECIALLY
AFTERWARDS WHEN IRAN GOT ALL
THIS CASH, THEIR VISION IS TO
BUILD A LAND BRIDGE ACROSS THE
MIDDLE EAST.
THEY WORKED WITH THE HOUTHIS IN
YEMEN, ASSAD IN SYRIA.
THEY HAVE GREAT INFLUENCE OVER
THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT IN BAGHDAD.
AS FAR AS OUR BEST ALLIES IN
THIS EFFORT, WHILE THERE WAS A
P-5 PLUS 1 THAT INCLUDED THREE
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, U.K.
FRANCE, GERMANY, CHINA AND
RUSSIA.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUR BEST
FRIENDS WHEN TRYING TO RESPOND
TO WHAT IRANIAN AGGRESSION IS
HAPPENING EACH DAY YOU WILL
FIND IT IN THE COUNTRIES AROUND
IRAN GREATLY CONCERNED WITH
THIS AGGRESSION.
>> Sandra: I WANT TO UPDATE OUR
VIEWERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
SCREEN.
WE GOT WORD THERE WILL BE AN
11:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME WHITE
HOUSE MEETING AN IRAN.
AS FAR AS WHO WILL BE IN THE
MEETING.
BOTH PAT SHANAHAN AND MARK
ESPER, THE OUTGOING AND
INCOMING ACTING DEFENSE
SECRETARIES.
AS FAR AS OUR RESPONSE HERE,
WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE
PENTAGON, WHAT WE HAVE HEARD
FROM THE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT
TRUMP HAS NOT RULED OUT USING
MILITARY FORCE, ALTHOUGH WE
CONSTANTLY HEAR AS WE DID FROM
PETER NAVARRO AVOIDING ALL-OUT
WAR.
HOW SPECIFICALLY DO YOU WANT TO
SEE US RESPOND TO THE LATEST
DEVELOPMENTS.
>> FIRST, WE NEED TO CONTINUE
TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR TO
IRAN THAT WE WILL HAVE ZERO
TOLERANCE FOR THE TARGETING OF
THE UNITED STATES, OF UNITED
STATES PERSONNEL, OF UNITED
STATES NATIONAL SECURITY
INTERESTS.
WHEN YOU ATTACK THE UNITED
STATES, IT IS VERY DIFFERENT
THAN A SITUATION WHERE THEY
MIGHT BE AGGRESSIVE IN A
NEIGHBORING COUNTRY.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BUT
AS FAR AS RED LINES ON OUR END,
THERE SHOULD BE A MILITARY
RESPONSE IF WE'RE ATTACKED BY
IRAN.
THAT MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE OUT
THERE.
I WANT TO REITERATE, I DON'T
WANT TO SEE A MILITARY OPTION.
THAT'S THE LAST POSSIBLE OPTION.
THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T WANT
MILITARY CONFLICT.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT OUR
COUNTRY WANTS MILITARY CONFLICT.
BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IF
EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO BELIEVES
IN THE MULTIPLE INSTRUMENTS OF
NATIONAL POWER, DIPLOMACY,
INFORMATION, ECONOMICS,
APPLYING ECONOMIC PRESSURE,
HAVING BILATERAL AND
MULTI-LATERAL DIPLOMACY WITH
OTHER NATIONS THAT ARE
CONCERNED OR THE INFORMATION
CAMPAIGN WHERE MILLIONS OF
IRANIANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE PEOPLE LEADING THEIR OWN
COUNTRY.
TO MAKE THOSE OTHER INSTRUMENTS
AND NATIONAL POWER FOR
EFFECTIVE IT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE
THE MILITARY OPTION ON THE
TABLE AS A DETERRENT.
>> Bill: YOU WON'T GET MUCH OF
AN ARGUMENT FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION ON THAT.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
MESSAGE MIKE POMPEO DELIVERED
IN IRAQ IN THE MONTH OF MAY
THAT WAS DESTINED FOR TEHRAN
ABOUT NOT KILLING A SINGLE
AMERICAN.
>> SECRETARY POMPEO IS VERY
INTELLIGENT AND WILL STAND HIS
GROUND IN BEING CONCERNED ABOUT
IRANIAN AGGRESSION SPECIFICALLY
IN IRAQ, AS WELL AS WHAT WE'RE
SEEING IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
BUT WHAT WE NEED IS FOR THE
IRAQI GOVERNMENT, THERE ARE
MANY WHO AREN'T BEHOLDING TO
IRAN WITHIN THE IRAQI
GOVERNMENT.
FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT THE
UNITED STATES HAS THEIR BACK.
THEIR SUPPORT, THEIR
ENCOURAGEMENT TO HAVE THEIR OWN
SOVEREIGNTY, TO CONTROL THEIR
OWN DESTINY AND NOT ALLOW
THEMSELVES TO BECOME PROXIES
FOR IRAN.
I BELIEVE THAT IN ANY OF THESE
CONVERSATIONS HE WOULD BE WELL
PRESSED AND STAND HIS GROUND.
OFFER ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
FOR THE IRAQIS.
>> Bill: WE WILL FIND OUT
WHETHER IRAN RECEIVED THAT