EXPLOSION reported in Strait of Hormuz as Trump aborts MAJOR Iran attack

PIRO. I'M TODD PIRO. >> Ashley: I'M ASHLEY STROHMIER. IN FOR CARLEY SHIMKUS. TREY YINGST IS LIVE IN TEL AVIV. WITH THE LATEST ON IRAN. TREY. >> Trey: PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLING. OFF PLANNED STRIKES AGAINST IRAN. THIS WEEKEND AND SAYS A DEAL IS. CLOSE. TALKS WILL RESUME TODAY AIMED AT. FINALIZING AN AGREEMENT ON THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. TRUMP SAYS HE WAS ASKED BY. QATARS, UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA TO.

HOLD OFF WHILE DIPLOMATIC. EFFORTS PLAY OUT. >> President Trump: IT WOULD BE. THE BIGGEST ATTACK SINCE WORLD. WAR II. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS, THEY DID NOT WANT US TO DO IT. SAUDI ARABIA DIDN'T WANT IT. EITHER. THEY THINK A DEAL IS IMMINENT. >> Trey: IRAN'S PRESIDENT. PEZESHKIAN POSTED ABOUT THE. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.

SAYING I BELIEVE THIS WILL BE. CENTER OF GRAVITY FOR FOREIGN. RELATION IN THE FUTURE. THE SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY, REGION AND ALLIES WILL BE. ENHANCED BY THIS MEMORANDUM. INTERNATIONAL FOCUS REMAIN ON. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. EXPLOSION HEARD THIS MORNING BY. A TANKER. REPORTS INDICATE NEW DEAL COULD. SEE THE STRAIT OPEN FOR 60 DAYS. WITHOUT FEE, WITH POSSIBILITY OF. ANOTHER AGREEMENT IN SIGHT.

THE ARMY REMAINS ON HIGH ALERT. >> Todd: JUST GETTING WORD IRAN. IS POURING COLD WATER ON THE. TALKS. THE PRESIDENT SAYING IT COULD. HAPPEN, IRAN SAYING NO. WHERE DO WE STAND? >> Trey: OFTEN WHEN TALKS TAKE. PLACE THE IRANIANS COME OUT AND. PUBLICLY SAY NO CONVERSATIONS. ARE TAKING PLACE. THEY ARE PLAYING TO DOMESTIC. AUDIENCE TRYING TO ENSURE PEOPLE. OF IRAN THEY ARE NOT CUTTING A.

DEAL WITH THE UNITED STATES. BEHIND THEIR BACKS. MANY NEGOTIATORS FOR THE COUNTRY. ARE ON DAILY BASIS CONVEYING. MESSAGES TO THE TRUMP. ADMINISTRATION. WE'LL SEAT IF TALKS BEGIN TODAY. AND WHAT PLAYERS INCLUDING. PAKISTAN AND QATAR SAY ABOUT THE. CONVERSATIONS. >> Todd: THE IRGC DO NOT WANT. ANY PEACE. YOU HAVE THE CIVILIAN FACTION.

WHO DO WANT PEACE. WE WILL GET INTO THAT WITH STEVE. >> Todd: PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLING. OFF STRIKES ON IRAN AS U.S. ATTEMPTS TO REACH A DEAL WITH. THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC. HERE IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAD. TO SAY WHEN ASKED ABOUT A. DEADLINE. >> President Trump: WE'RE READY. TO GO. WOULD I RATHER MAKE A DEAL?

I AM NOT LOOKING TO KILL PEOPLE, WE DON'T WANT THAT. >> Todd: FORMER NATIONAL. SECURITY ADVISOR TO DICK CHENEY, STEVE YATES JOINS ME NOW. LUCY MOVING THE FOOTBALL ON THE. AMERICAN PEOPLE. THAT IS ACCURATE. WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME, WHY. BUY THAT NOW IRAN IS READY TO. MAKE A DEAL? >> Steve: I COMPLETELY.

UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION AND. FEEL LIKE LOSING THE FOOTBALL IS. CYCLE THAT NEEDS TO BREAK. I WOULD PULL BACK AND SAY. ADMINISTRATION HAS TRIED TO DO A. FEW DIFFICULT THINGS AND FIRST. WAS THE JOINT OPERATION WITH. ISRAEL BEGINNING OF THIS. MILITARY CAMPAIGN, THOSE WERE. SUCCESSFUL AND BOUGHT SPACE AND. TIME ON THE NUCLEAR AND OTHER. FRONTS IN ORDER TO TRY TO WORK. ON SECOND PHASE THAT CHANGES THE.

REGIONAL DYNAMICS WITH BROADER. ARAB ALLIES AND THAT HAS MOVED. THINGS TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE. IRANIAN REGIME AND TO THE. BENEFIT OF BROADER PATH TO PEACE. AND PROSPERITY. THIS LAST PART IS VERY HARD, THAT IS WHERE I THINK THEY HAVE. TO CLOSE OUT REVOLUTIONARY GUARD. INSIDE IRAN, OTHERWISE WHOEVER. THEY ARE NEGOTIATING WITH CANNOT. DELIVER AND IRANIAN PEOPLE DON'T. FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO RISE IN THE.

WAY NECESSARY. I THINK WE'RE TWO OF HAD THIRDS. OF THE WAY THERE, THERE IS 80/20. RULE, MAXIMUM PRESSURE ON. ECONOMIC FRONT AND MILITARY. FRONT IS NECESSARY TO GET THERE, AND LOSING THE FOOTBALL ON DEAL. OR NO DEAL IS DIFFICULT FOR. PEOPLE TO WATCH. >> Todd: A FEW THINGS CAN BE. TRUE. THE IRGC HAS NO INTEREST IN.

PEACE, THEY WANT INTRODUCTION OF. AMERICA AND THEY ARE ACTING LIKE. IT. CIVILIAN FACTIONS WE HAVE TO. NEGOTIATE WITH. IT SEEMS CLOSER WE GET TO. MIDTERM WITH POLITICAL PRESSURE. MOUNTING ON THE PRESIDENT, IRAN. IS DRAGGING THIS OUT TO BUY TIME. SO THEY GET THE BEST DEAL. POSSIBLE IN OCTOBER WHEN MAXIMUM. LEVERAGE, IF THEY HAVE ANY. AGAINST THE PRESIDENT, WILL BE. AT ITS HIGHEST.

YOUR THOUGHTS? >> Steve: THAT IS A REAL RISK. I'M SURE THE PRESIDENT'S TEAM IS. TALKING THROUGH THIS, WAS PART. OF THE CONVERSATION AT CAMP. DAVID. DO NOT ALLOW INTERMEDIARIES TO. DRAG US INTO THE DIRECTION THEY. WANT TO GO. IT IS MORE ISRAELI AND UNITED. ARAB EMIRATES AND A FEW OTHERS. AND MAKE SURE WE STAND BY THOSE. WHO HAVE REAL CAPABILITY, SKIN.

IN THE GAME AND ATTACKED DURING. COURSE OF THIS AND ARE GOING TO. BE THE CAPABLE PARTIES TO SHAPE. WHERE THE REGION GOES FCHL THEY. HAVE OPTIONS TO ACT. INDEPENDENTLY TO FURTHER DEGRADE. IRGC, THAT IS WELCOMED PART OF. THIS MIX. IT SHOULD NOT BE AMERICA ALONE. DECISIVE MOVES HAVE TO BE TAKEN. TO SHOW PEOPLE WE'RE ON A PATH. TO SOMETHING UNDERSTANDABLE AND.

AT ACCEPTABLE COST AND RISK. I THINK THAT IS DOABLE. WE HAVE TO BE SEEN DOING THIS. GOOD. >> Todd: OTHER COUNTRIES IN. REGION, THIS RECENT PUSH FOR. DIPLOMACY IS BEING PUSHED BY THE. SAUDI ARABIAS, HERE IS MORE ON. THAT. >> President Trump: THEY ASKED. US, SPECIFICALLY, IRAN, I ASKED. SAUDI ARABIA, THE KING, THE. CROWN PRINCE, WHAT WOULD YOU. RATHER DO, HAVE US DO THIS OR.

NOT. THEY SAID WE WOULD MUCH PREFER A. DEAL AS OPPOSED TO ATTACK. YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE ATTACKS. LEAD. WILL THEY BE FLOODED WITH PEOPLE. POURING INTO THEIR COUNTRY? A LOT OF BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. >> Todd: WE HAVE NOT TALKED. ABOUT THE POTENTIAL REFUGEE. CRISIS IF IRAN BREAKS DOWN AND. THERE IS NO ABILITY TO LIVE. THERE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE. PEOPLE. HOW MUCH OF A FACTOR SHOULD THAT. BE IN OUR CALCULATIONS AS TO. WHAT COMES NEXT?

>> Steve: THE REGIONAL ALLIES. HAVE PRETTY STRONG CAPABILITIES. AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY DANCING. WITH OPEN BORDER CONCEPT THE WAY. FURTHER AWAY ALLIES DO. FOR ME, THIS ARGUMENT GO SAYS TO. POINT OF ALL OF US TOGETHER NEED. TO DEGRADE THOSE WHO WOULD. OPPRESS THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AND. DEGRADE THEIR ABILITY TO DO SO. IF WE DO THAT, THERE IS LESS.

REASON FOR THE IRANIAN PEEP TOLL. FLEE IN ANY MEANINGFUL NUMBERS. I THINK WE HAVE OPTIONS AND THAT. IS WHERE FOCUS NEED TO BE, IT IS. POLITICAL WARFARE AND EMPOWERING. THOSE IN THE REGION WHO HAVE A. STAKE IN NOT HAVING THE FLOOD. COME TO THEIR TERRITORY, STEP IN. AND TAKE ACTION IN THIS AREA. THAT IS THIRD PART OF THE HARD. THING THE PRESIDENT AND. COALITION ARE TRYING T.