THIS IRAN-IRAQ TENSION. SAVANNAH, BACK TO YOU --
IRAN-U.S. TENSIONS.
IRAN-U.S. TENSIONS. >> RICH CHAR, APPRECIATE IT.
JOINING US FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
IS THE PRESIDENT, MIKE PENCE.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, SAVANNAH.
>> LET ME START WITH THE IRANIAN
STRIKES AGAINST U.S. AIR BASES.
SOME SAY THEY BELIEVE IRAN WAS
SHOOTING TO MISS, IN OTHER
WORDS, NOT KILL ANYBODY.
DO YOU THINK IRAN DELIBERATELY
AVOIDED U.S. CASUALTIES?
>> THE BALLISTIC MISSILES FIRED
AT AMERICAN BASES OUTSIDE IRBIL
WE BELIEVE WERE INTENDED TO KILL
AMERICANS.
AMERICANS. WE HAVE INTELLIGENCE TO SUPPORT
THAT WAS THE INTENTION OF THE
IRANIANS.
IRANIANS. FRANKLY, THANKS TO THE EXCELLENT
WORK OF OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL
ON THE GROUND, THE FORCED
PROTECTION THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
DIRECTED, MEASURES THAT WERE
TAKEN AND OUR INTELLIGENCE,
THERE WERE NO AMERICAN
CASUALTIES, NO KE LIGS
CASUALTIES.
CASUALTIES. AND AS THE PRESIDENT SAID
YESTERDAY, WE CONTINUE TO
BELIEVE THAT IRAN IS STANDING
DOWN AND THE MOST DANGEROUS
TERRORIST IN THE WORLD, QASSEM
SOLEIMANI, IS GONE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THAT.
YOU SAID SOMETHING REMARKABLE,
THAT YOU BELIEVE IRAN WAS
SHOOTING TO KILL, TRYING TO GO
AFTER U.S. FORCES.
YOU ALSO SAID IN PREVIOUS
INTERVIEWS THAT THE U.S. HAD
SOME WARNING THAT THE MISSILES
WERE COMING, INTELLIGENCE.
WAS IT INCREDIBLY RISKY FOR THE
U.S. TO ALLOW IRAN TO TAKE THE
SHOT?
SHOT? I KNOW THE PERSONNEL AT THESE
BASES WERE TOLD TO HUNKER DOWN.
THE U.S. HAS THE CAPABILITY TO
STOP A BALLISTIC MISSILE IN
THEIR TRACKS.
THEIR TRACKS. WAS IT RISKY?
>> WE HAVE THE SAME THREAT --
IRAN WAS MAKING THREATS OVER THE
LAST WEEK.
LAST WEEK. REMEMBER THIS ALL BEGAN ON
DECEMBER 27th WHEN
IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIAS KILLED
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, INJURED
FOUR AMERICAN PERSONNEL.
THE PRESIDENT ORDERED AIR
STRIKES ON FIVE MILITIA BASES
SAYING WE WOULD NOT TOLERATE
VIOLENCE AGAINST AMERICANS.
WE HAD INFORMATION OF AN
IMMINENT THREAT OF A LARGER
ATTACK BEING ORGANIZED BY QASSEM
SOLEIMANI, THE PRESIDENT TOOK
ACTION, AND ALL ALONG THE WAY
WE’VE HEARD THE THREATS.
WE’VE BEEN PREPARED.
FRANKLY, THE ACTION THAT WE TOOK
WASN’T SIMPLY HUNKERING DOWN,
SAVANNAH.
SAVANNAH. LET’S BE CLEAR.
OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL
REPOSITIONED PEOPLE, WE
REPOSITIONED ASSETS.
REPOSITIONED ASSETS. >> COULD YOU HAVE STOPPED THE
BALLISTIC MISSILE?
BALLISTIC MISSILE? >> TO MAKE SURE WE WERE AS SAFE
AS WE COULD BE, BUT WE ALSO MADE
IT VERY CLEAR THAT AS PRESIDENT
TRUMP SAID IN HIS TWEETS AND HIS
STATEMENTS, THAT ANY LOSS OF
AMERICAN LIVES WOULD BE MET WITH
STRONG REPERCUSSIONS, STRONG
MILITARY RESPONSE.
MILITARY RESPONSE. I GIVE THE CREDIT TO OUR
MILITARY PERSONNEL AND OUR
PLANNING ON THE GROUND THAT
FRANKLY THERE WERE NO
CASUALTIES.
CASUALTIES. AGAIN, WHERE WE STAND TODAY IS
THE MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST IN
THE WORLD IS GONE AND NO
AMERICAN CASUALTIES IN IRAN IS
STANDING DOWN.
STANDING DOWN. >> NO QUESTION.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE IMMINENT
ATTACK.
ATTACK. THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS SAID
THAT IRAN TALKED ABOUT IT AS A
BIG ATTACK.
BIG ATTACK. YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW SOLEIMANI,
THIS NOTORIOUS LEADER IS OFF THE
BATTLEFIELD.
BATTLEFIELD. AS FOR THIS IMMINENT ATTACK THAT
YOU AND THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS
WAS HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS AWAY, IS
IT TOTALLY ERADICATED NOW?
IN OTHER WORDS, SOLEIMANI WASN’T
GOING TO BE THE ONE STRAPPING ON
A SUICIDE VEST OR PRESSING GO ON
A MISSILE.
A MISSILE. NOW THAT HE’S GONE, IS THAT
PARTICULAR THREAT GONE?
>> WELL, THE THREAT OF
SOLEIMANI’S LEADERSHIP IS GONE.
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT.
FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS QASSEM
SOLEIMANI LEAD THE QUDS FORCE,
THE IRGC, THE TERRORIST ARM OF
IRAN.
IRAN. >> BUT THAT IMMINENT THREAT.
>> -- VIOLENCE ALL ACROSS THE
REGION.
REGION. LOOK, THE PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN
MILITARY ACTION HERE -- LOOK,
THE IRANIANS ALWAYS KNEW WE HAD
THE ABILITY TO USE MILITARY
FORCE.
FORCE. WHAT THEY KNOW NOW THANKS TO THE
PRESIDENT’S DECISIVE LEADERSHIP
IS THAT WE HAVE A
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF WHO HAS THE
WILL TO USE MILITARY FORCE.
WE HOPE THAT HAS RESTORED
DETERRENCE.
DETERRENCE. WE HOPE THAT IRAN’S EFFORTS TO
STAND DOWN WILL CONTINUE, BUT
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT.
WE ARE READY FOR ANY EVENTUALITY
INCLUDING THE ONGOING THREATS
FROM RIERN-BACKED MILITIAS IN
IRAQ.
IRAQ. >> I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU.
FOREIGN MINISTER ZARIF SAID
THOSE MISSILE ATTACKS CONCLUDED
ITS ACTIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS
MATTER.
MATTER. ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT IRAN IS
REALLY DONE WITH THIS?
DON’T YOU THINK THEY’RE EVEN
MORE HUNGRY FOR REVENGE NOW, IF
THIS GOES UNDERGROUND?
>> WE’RE WATCHING IT VERY
CLOSELY, THE PUBLIC STATEMENTS
AS WELL AS OUR INTELLIGENCE.
I CAN ASSURE ALL OF YOUR VIEWERS
THAT IRAN, BY ALL INFORMATION WE
HAVE, CONTINUES TO STAND DOWN.
BUT OUR READINESS LEVEL
CONTINUES AT THE SAME LEVEL
BEFORE.
BEFORE. THAT BEING SAID, THE PREDENT
SAID YESTERDAY WE HOPE FOR
BETTER THINGS IN OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAN.
IF IRAN WILL ABANDON ITS LONG
HISTORY OF SEWING TERRORIST
VIOLENCE ACROSS THE REGION,
ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS,
WE CAN HAVE A FRESH START WITH
THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AND THE
IRANIAN GOVERNMENT.
IRANIAN GOVERNMENT. WE DO NOT SEEK REGIME CHANGE,
BUT WE SEEK FOR THE REGIME IN
IRAN TO CHANGE ITS BEHAVIOR AND
JOIN THE FAMILY OF CIVILIZED
NATIONS AND BRING AN END TO THIS
VIOLENCE AND THE THREAT OF
NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION THAT
THEY’VE BEEN PURSUING IN THE
REGION.
REGION. >> I’M SHORT ON TIME.
ON THIS ISSUE OF INTELLIGENCE,
AS YOU KNOW, THE CONGRESSIONAL
LEADERS HAD A BRIEFING YESTERDAY
ON WHAT IT WAS, THIS IMMINENT
THREAT THAT JUSTIFIED THE
KILLING.
KILLING. SENATOR MIKE LEE, A REPUBLICAN,
LEFT THAT BRIEFING AND SAID IT
WAS DEMEANING AND INSULTING,
SAYING IT WAS THE WORST BRIEFING
HE EVER HEARD AND HE DIDN’T GET
THE INFORMATION HE NEEDED.
WHY NOT IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING
CAN OUR BRIEFERS FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION SHARE WHAT IT
WAS, THIS THREAT YOU TALK ABOUT,
IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING?
>> WELL, SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO
WITH WHAT’S CALLED SOURCES AND
METHODS, SAVANNAH, THAT IF WE
WERE TO SHARE ALL OF THE
INTELLIGENCE -- IN FACT, SOME OF
THE MOST COMPELLING EVIDENCE
THAT QASSEM SOLEIMANI WAS
PREPARING AN IMMINENT ATTACK
AGAINST AMERICAN FORCES AND
AMERICAN PERSONNEL ALSO
REPRESENTS SOME OF THE MOST
SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE THAT WE
HAVE.
HAVE. IT COULD COMPROMISE THOSE
SOURCES AND METHODS.
>> EVEN IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING?
>> I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR
SENATOR MIKE LEE.
I RECOGNIZE HE’S HAD A
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION WITH OUR
ADMINISTRATION OVER SELF-DEFENSE
MEASURES, THE PRESIDENT
AUTHORIZED IN YEMEN.
WE’LL WELCOME THOSE DEBATES
GOING FORWARD, BUT I CAN ASSURE
YOUR VIEWERS THAT THOSE OF US
THAT HAVE SEEN ALL THE EVIDENCE,
THAT SAW THE EVIDENCE IN
REALTIME KNOW THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO
TAKE QASSEM SOLEIMANI OFF THE
BATTLEFIELD.
BATTLEFIELD. AMERICA IS SAFER.
THE WORLD IS SAFER.
NOW, EVEN AFTER THE IRANIAN
RESPONSE, NO AMERICAN CASUALTIES
AND IRAN IS STANDING DOWN.
>> JUST ONE FINAL QUESTION
BECAUSE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
EVIDENCE, THE STRENGTH OF THE
EVIDENCE, THE INTELLIGENCE THAT
YOU HAVE SEEN BUT THAT IS NOT
AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
THE PRESIDENT, AS YOU WELL KNOW,
HAS BEEN VOCALLY DISMISSIVE OF
OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES.
IN A TWEET EARLIER THIS YEAR HE
CALLED OUR IRAN INTELLIGENCE IN
PARTICULAR CAPTIVE AND NAIVE AND
SAID PERHAPS THEY SHOULD GO BACK
TO SCHOOL.
TO SCHOOL. HE NOW SAYS HE WANTS THE U.S.
PUBLIC TO TRUST THE
INTELLIGENCE.
INTELLIGENCE. DOES HE, HIMSELF, HAVE A
DIFFERENT VIEW NOW OF OUR
INTELLIGENCE?
INTELLIGENCE? >> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU, IN
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE HAVE A LEADER THAT IS
ALWAYS GOING TO ASK THE TOUGH
QUESTIONS, WHETHER IT BE
MILITARY PERSONNEL OR
INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL.
INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL. BUT I CAN TELL YOU I WAS THERE
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, SAVANNAH,
AND WE WERE GATHERING
INTELLIGENCE IN REALTIME THAT
WAS BROUGHT TO THE PRESIDENT
THAT QASSEM SOLEIMANI WAS
PLANNING IMMINENT ATTACKS IN
RESPONSE TO OUR AIR STRIKES ON
FIVE IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIA
BASES.
BASES. HE WAS PLANNING IMMINENT ATTACKS
THAT WERE LARGER IN THE REGION
AGAINST AMERICAN FORCES, AND
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP PUT
AMERICAN LIVES AND AMERICAN
PROTECTION FIRST.
PROTECTION FIRST. HE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND
AMERICA AND THE WORLD ARE SAFER
TODAY AS A RESULT.
>> VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE