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DAVID: IRAN EXPECTING PRESIDENT
BIDEN TO CAVE APPARENTLY IN THE
LATEST ROUND OF INDIRECT NUCLEAR
TALKS.
U.S. OFFICIALS ACCUSING IRAN OF
DRAGGING THEIR FEET IN IN
NEGOTIATIONS BUT BASED ON
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S FOREIGN POLICY
RECORD, MAKE THEY’RE RIGHT.
WE HAVE GENERAL JACK KEANE,
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I’M MORE WORRIED THEY STRIKE A
DEAL THAT THEY DON’T REACH A
DEAL.
WHAT WORRIES ME WHAT HAPPENS TO
THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS THE
WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENT EVER THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IF THERE IS
ANOTHER IRANIAN DEAL?
>> THIS IS VERY INTERESTING.
I HAVE THE SAME CONCERN AS YOU
HAVE BECAUSE THE GROUP THAT IS
NEGOTIATING THIS DEAL ON BEHALF
OF THE UNITED STATES IS VERY
MUCH THE SAME PLAYERS WHO WERE
DOING IT BACK IN 2014 AND 2015
DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
WE KNOW THAT DEAL WAS HIGHLY
CRITICIZED, FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED
AND THE CONCERN I HAVE HERE IS
ALL THE IRANIANS WANT OUT OF
THIS IS REMOVE THE SANCTIONS.
DAVID: YES.
>> WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, SO OUR
AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDS, THEY HAVE
VIOLATED THE DEAL THEMSELVES
QUITE CONSIDERABLY BECAUSE
THEY’RE ENRICHING URANIUM AT 60%
AND ACCORDING TO THE OLD DEAL IT
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BUY LOW 4%.
THEY HAVE THEY HAVE 10 TO 11
TIMES MORE ENRICHED URANIUM
STOCKPILED THAN WHAT THEY’RE
SUPPOSED TO HAVE.
THERE IS PLENTY OF JUSTIFICATION
HERE TO INCREASE SANCTIONS ON
IRAN BASED ON WHAT THEY HAVE
DONE BUT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS
NO STOMACH FOR IT.
SO MY CONCERN IS WE’RE GOING TO
TAKE A DEAL THAT IS ACTUALLY
WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL BECAUSE
THE IRANIANS WILL BE THAT MUCH
CLOSER TO A NUCLEAR WEAPON.
DAVID: WOW.
>> THAT WOULD BE A TRAVESTY.
DAVID: THAT WOULD BE A TRAVESTY.
GO AHEAD.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE
ABRAHAM ACCORDS.
IT IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT
THE POLITICS WE PLAYED TODAY
WHEN ONE PRESIDENT TAKES OVER
FROM ANOTHER, THEY APPEAR TO
REJECT THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT
PARTICULARLY FROM ANOTHER
ADMINISTRATION.
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
IT IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE
THE MAXIMUM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN
WAS HAVING A DEVASTATING EFFECT
ON THE IRANIAN ECONOMY.
SUDDENLY THEY WERE WAITING OUT
TO SEE IF TRUMP WON THE ELECTION
FOR NOT BEFORE THEY CAME TO THE
TABLE TO MAKE A NEW DEAL, AND
SECONDLY THE KILLING OF KASSEM
SOLEIMANI SIGNIFICANTLY
UNDERESTIMATED IN THIS COUNTRY,
THE IMPACT ON IRAN, IT ROCKED
THEM, HAD THEM BACK ON THEIR
HEELS.
THIS IS JANUARY OF 2020.
THIS ADMINISTRATION SHOULD HAVE
TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BOTH OF THOSE
EVENTS AND PUT MAXIMUM PRESSURE
ON THE IRANIANS TO ENFORCE THE
SANCTIONS THAT WE HAD ON THEM.
THERE WAS SOME LOOPHOLES THERE.
AND WHAT DID THIS ADMINISTRATION
DO?
THEY EASED UP ON ENFORCING THE
SANCTIONS.
DAVID: INCREDIBLE.
>> THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A
YEAR.
DAVID: THEY ARE ON THEIR HEELS
WITH THE SANCTIONS.
NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE THE
SANCTIONS OFF, BUT THEY HAVE
HIGHER OIL PRICES.
WE HAD ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN
THE UNITED STATES.
THAT CAUSED PRICES TO COME DOWN
DRAMATICALLY.
THAT HURT THEM AS WELL.
NOW THEY HAVE HIGHER OIL PRICES
AND RELIEF IN THE SANCTIONS.
I MEAN, IF THEY GET ANYMORE
THEY’RE GOING TO BE IN THERE FOR
MY LIFETIME?
>> YEAH.
THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS YOU
MENTIONED ARE DEALS STRUCK WITH
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ARAB
STATES AND ISRAEL.
THE REASON WHY THOSE DEALS ARE
BEING CONSTRUCTED NOT JUST THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A ECONOMIC
RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL IS
BECAUSE THEY’RE COMING TOGETHER
TO STAND AGAINST IRAN.
DAVID: RIGHT.
>> THAT WAS A GEOPOLITICAL SEA
CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH
THIS ADMINISTRATION REGETTABLY
HAS NOT PUT ANY EFFORT IN
COMPARISON TO WHAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP WAS DOING.
THAT IS A STRATEGIC MISTAKE.
DAVID: BY THE WAY THERE WAS
SOMETHING THAT JOHN KERRY,
REMEMBER, FAMOUSLY IN 2017 SAID
WOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE A DEAL
BETWEEN AN ARAB STATE AND ISRAEL
WITHOUT THE PLO OTHER AUTHORITY
IN THE MIDDLE.
HE WAS WRONG.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
NEGOTIATORS WERE CORRECT.
THEY GOT IT DONE.
WOULD BE ASHAMED TO LOSE THOSE
WONDERFUL SET OF TREATIES.
I WANT TO SWITCH TO RUSSIA IF I
CAN.
WE KNOW THEY’RE ON THE BORDER OF
UKRAINE, YES THEY PULLED A FEW
THOUSAND OUT BUT THEY’RE STILL
OUT THERE.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW?
THERE WILL BE A PHONE
CONVERSATION BETWEEN PUTIN AND
BIDEN, I WAS INTERESTING TO HEAR
PUTIN APPARENTLY INITIATED THE
PHONE CONVERSATION.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN OR TRANSPIRE IN
THAT PHONE CONVERSATION?
>> WELL I THINK PUTIN WANTS TO
TALK TO BIDEN BEFORE ALL THE
ADVISORS GET HIM TO STIFFEN UP
IN TERMS OF RESISTANCE TO
THINKING HE CAN MAYBE WORK A
DEAL WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN BUT
THE RUSSIANS HAVE PUT FORTH IN
WRITING WHAT THEY’RE INTERESTED
IN.
SO NOW IT IS NO MORE MYSTERY.
NUMBER ONE, NO MORE NATO
EXPANSION PERIOD, PARTICULARLY,
THIS IS DEALING WITH THE FORMER
SOVIET UNION STATES WHICH IS
ALWAYS BEEN A REAL CONCERN TO
PUTIN.
NOT ONLY DID THE SOVIET UNION
COLLAPSE BUT MANY OF THE
COUNTRIES THAT WERE PART OF THE
SOVIET UNION BECAME A PART OF
NATO WHICH HAD ENABLED THE
COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION.
THAT STICKS IN HIS CRAW.
THE SECOND THING IS, HE DOESN’T
WANT ANY EXPANSION OF THE NATO
COUNTRIES MILITARILY IN TERMS OF
INCREASING BASES, MILITARY
CAPACITY IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING
HAPPENING IN RUSSIA HERE.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT NATO
COUNTRIES UPGRADING THEIR OWN
MILITARY CAPABILITY CLOSE TO
RUSSIA.
HE IS OPPOSED TO THAT HE IS OPPOSED TO THE UNITED STATES OR
OPPOSED TO THE UNITED STATES OR
ANY NATO COUNTRIES SISSING
ASSISTING UKRAINE OR ANY OTHER
COUNTRIES WITH MILITARY ARMS,
AND THE LAST THING WHICH IS
PRETTY RICH DOESN’T WANT ANY
INTERMEADE I CAN’T THINK NUCLEAR
WEAPONS DEPLOYED IN NATO.
IT WAS HIS DEPLOYMENT OF HIS
INTERMEDIATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
FORCED THE UNITED STATES TO COME
OUT OF THE 1987 INF TREATY THAT
PROHIBITED THOSE VERY WEAPONS.
NOW PUTIN DOES, HE GOES TO PUSH
TO SEE HOW MUCH HE CAN GET.
HE IS A HUGE STRATEGIST, AND
OPPORTUNIST.
HE UNDERSTANDS THE PRESIDENT.
I THINKS HE WANTS TO LEVERAGE
THIS PRESIDENT.
AND THAT IS LIKELY WHAT THIS
PHONE CALL IS ABOUT.
DAVID: WHICH HAVE ONLY 30
SECONDS, IS IT CONCEIVABLE AFTER
THE HORRIBLE AFGHANISTAN
WITHDRAWAL, THE IT WAS TERRIBLE,
WE DIDN’T TELL THE EUROPEANS
ABOUT IT, UNTIL IT WAS DECIDED,
BEGAN PULLING PEOPLE, GOT OUT OF
BAGRAM, IS IT POSSIBLE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION MIGHT CUT A DEAL
WITH PUTIN WITHOUT GETTING OUR
ALLIES INVOLVED?
>> I DON’T THINK SO.
THEY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED UP TO
THIS POINT IN DISCUSSIONS WITH
HIM.
THERE IS GOING TO BE FOLLOW-ON
MEETINGS AFTER THE
JANUARY 10th MEETING BETWEEN
THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA,
THAT WILL INVOLVE THE EUROPEANS.
THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER MAJOR
BLUNDER TO MAKE A MOVE LIKE
THAT.
OBVIOUSLY THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
ARE LOOKING ACROSS THEIR BORDERS
AT THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, THEY
HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE
PROCESS AND THEY HAVE GOT A HUGE
STAKE IN IT.
DAVID: YEAH.
>> I DON’T THINK THAT IS GOING
TO HAPPEN.
DAVID: LET’S HOPE NOT.
THERE WOULD BE HELL TO PAY,
PARTICULARLY AFTER WHAT HAPPENED
WITH AFGHANISTAN IF THEY WERE
NOT INVOLVED SOMEHOW IN THESE
DISCUSSIONS.
GENERAL, GREAT TO SEE YOU, HAVE