>>> LAST WEEK, NORTH KOREA ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL ALLOW
UNFETTERED ACCESS TO MEDIA OUTLETS TO VIEW THE DISMANTLING
OF ITS NUCLEAR TEST SITES, AND DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCED THE
WITHDRAWAL OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL IRAN
NUCLEAR AGREEMENT.
RETIRED ARMY LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND
CURRENT AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE PROFESSOR GARY LEFORT,
WHO SERVED IN THE PENTAGON, JOINED CAROLEE MCGRATH IN THE
STUDIO TO OFFER ANALYSIS >> OWN THE SURFACE
, THE QUESTION WOULD BE OH GEE, WHY ARE WE DOING THAT BUT
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, THEY DON'T WANT IRAN TO HAVE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY AND BASICALLY WHAT WE DID IN THE
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL IS JUST KICKED THAT ISSUE DOWN THE
ROAD FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS SAYING AT THE END OF TEN
YEARS, THEY COULD KIND OF RESUME THEIR ENRICHMENT OF
URANIUM USED IN MAKING THE NUCLEAR WEAPON PROGRAM.
THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT THE DEAL DID NOT ADDRESS MISSILE
TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS ONE OF THE PARTS OF THE TECHNOLOGY.
YOU DON'T JUST HAVE THE NUCLEAR ABILITY TO ARM THE
WEAPONS BUT YOU HAVE TO LAUNCH THEM AS WELL.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU LOOK AT A DEAL THAT IS NOT
ACCOMPLISHING WHAT YOU WANTED WHICH IS TO STOP IRAN FROM
DEVELOPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
>> SO OUR FRIENDS IN EUROPE, FRANCE, GERMANY, NOT HAPPY
ABOUT THIS DECISION.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP IS SAYING THERE WILL BE A FULL ECONOMIC
SANCTION AROUND IRAN UNTIL SUCH TIME AS IRAN STOPS THE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY AND THAT HAS AN EFFECT ON
COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, NOT JUST EUROPE.
BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH IRAN AND IT IS
IN AN AREA WHERE THERE IS AN ECONOMIC SANCTION AND YOU
WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF U.S. LAWS, AND SO THAT MEANS IF YOU
ARE A COMPANY THAT IS LIKEWISE DOING BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED
STATES, YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS
WITH THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN AT THE SAME TIME.
AND MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE IRAN
DEAL, STARTED TO NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS THAT HAD ALREADY
BEEN IMPLEMENTED OR WILL BE IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
>> SOME OF THE LEADERS SAID THIS IS A FLAWED DEAL.
WAS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE IT BETTER OR BETTER FOR THE U.S.
TO WALK AWAY?
>> I THINK IT WAS BETTER FOR THE U.S. TO WALK AWAY BECAUSE
THE DEAL WAS NOT JUST COMPLETE ENOUGH.
THE ABILITY TO LAUNCH MISSILES, VERY IMPORTANT.
THE STORAGE OF HARD WATER USED IN NUCLEAR REACTORS, AND ALSO
THE QUESTION THERE WERE OTHER AREAS OF INTERNATIONAL
CONCERNS THAT WEREN'T ADDRESSED AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN
ADDRESSED LIKE AROUND SPONSORING TERRORISM, YOU
KNOW, ON AT LEAST A REGIONAL BASIS AND ALSO EXTENDING ITS
INFLUENCE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST AS IN THE CASE
OF SYRIA AND ALSO YEMEN.
>> SO FOLLOWING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, IRAN'S PRESIDENT
SAID THE COUNTRY WILL START ENRICHING URANIUM IN ANOTHER
COUPLE OF WEEKS OR SO-SO THIS MAKES OTHERS CONCERNED THAT
THIS WITHDRAWAL UPSETS THE WHOLE PREMISE OF WHAT WAS
TRYING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED.
>> WELL, IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.
IRAN WHEN THEY CAME TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE IN THE
2013-14 TIME FRAME THAT LED TO THE DEAL WERE THE ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS WERE HAVING AN EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY.
SO WITH THE UNITED STATES NOW LEAVING THE DEAL, IF THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL FOLLOW IN STEP AND AGAIN
REAPPLY THOSE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, I THINK WE HAVE A
MUCH BETTER CHANCE IN THE LONG RUN OF GETTING IRAN TO COME
BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.
>> WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE REGION WHEN YOU LOOK AT
ISRAEL?
>> I THINK THE MIDDLE EAST IN GENERAL, SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY,
JORDAN, ARE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, VERY HAPPY WITH THE
DECISION BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING A
NUCLEAR-CAPABLE IRAN WHO HAS AMBITIONS TO HAVE A REGIONAL
INFLUENCE HAVING THAT CAPABILITY.
SO I THINK IT WOULD FORCE THEM INTO DEVELOPING THEIR OWN
NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY WHICH WE DON'T WANT.
>> SO SAUDI ARABIA HAS SAID THEY WILL CREATE A NUCLEAR
PROGRAM IN IRAN DOES SO BACKING OUT OF THE DEAL TO SEE
WHAT IRAN WILL DO NEXT, DOES THAT PUT THE WHOLE REGION IN
FURTHER TURMOIL?
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK THE MOVE TRUMP HAS MADE HAS PUT A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON IRAN TO REASSESS THE SITUATION,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN GET THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO BACK HIM
AND IF HE CAN PUT BACK IN PLACE THE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
OF BEFORE, WILL IN FACT BRING IRAN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE
AGAIN.
>> ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE NORTH KOREA WITH MAJOR
DEVELOPMENTS THERE WITH THE PRESIDENT HAVING A MEETING
PLANNED FOR JUNE.
SO TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THAT.
>> I THINK THAT IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT, THAT, YOU
KNOW, THE UNITED STATES AND NORTH KOREA ARE WILLING TO SIT
DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THE DENUCLEARIZATION OF THE MENS
LA.
-- PENINSULA.
DOES THE U.S. KNOW THE TRUE EXTENT OF THEIR NUCLEAR
WEAPONS AND LAUNCH CAPABILITY?
IF THEY ONLY GIVE AWAY PART OF IT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
THE FULL CAPABILITY IS, THEN THERE WILL BE SOME NUCLEAR
WEAPONS LEFT BEHIND AND EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE DISMANTLING
THEIR HARD SITES, LAND-BASED SITES, THEY STILL HAVE A
GROUND BASE OR MOBILE BASE OPERATION THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPING OVER THE YEARS THAT GIVES THEM BOTH A SHORT AND
LONG-TERM CAPABILITY.
AND SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT AT THE END OF THE
NEGOTIATIONS, THAT WE HAVE IN FACT ELIMINATED ALL NUCLEAR
WEAPONS TO INCLUDE IN LAUNCH CAPABILITIES.
>> SO THIS IS A GOOD THING?
>> THE REUNIFICATION OF KOREA IS TREMENDOUS CONSIDERING
THERE HAS BEEN A ARMISTICE IN PLACE SINCE 1953.
>> WHAT ROLE DID CHINA PLAY IN ALL OF THIS?
>> I THINK IT PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE.
IT HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN SEEING A NUCLEAR-FREE
PENINSULA.
I THINK THE HOSTILITY AND EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND KIM JONG UN INTENSIFIED, IT RAISEABLE D
THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE BE A RAMPING UP OF CONFLICT
INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND THAT WAS NOT IN CHINA'S INTERESTS.
IF THEY COULD REJOIN WITH SOUTH KOREA IN A MORE
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, THAT WOULD GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO
INCREASE HIS PRESENCE ON THE PENINSULA AND IF I WAS THE
UNITED STATES, I WOULD NOT WANT CHINA ON MY BACK DOOR.