Gen Keane: They will INCREASE aggression…

KYRGYZSTAN, ♪♪. >> President Trump: WE WENT INTO. IRAN AND WE'RE BEATING THE HELL. OUT OF THEM AND DOING A GOOD. JOB. DON'T KNOW WHO THE LEADER IS. YOU HAVE THE RADICALS BUT THEY. HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT. THE MILITARY IS JUST A FRACTION. OF WHAT IT WAS. THEY WERE CALLED THE BULLY OF. THE MIDDLE EAST.

THEY AREN'T THE BULLY ANYMORE. >> Bret: PRESIDENT TRUMP TODAY. WITH HIS TAKE ON HOW HE BELIEVES. THE U.S. IS WINNING. LET'S BRING IN RETIRED GENERAL. JACK KEANE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. -- U.S. FORCES HITTING THESE. IRANIAN ROCKET LAUNCHERS OVER. THE WEEKEND. FIRST ACTION IN A WHILE THAT. WE'VE SEEN AND THE PRESIDENT. THREATENING MORE BUT MAYBE MORE. TELLING IS THAT WE'RE GETTING. REPORTS THAT SENIOR LEADERSHIP. FROM IRAN IS FLEEING THE COUNTRY. IN THE WAKE OF THESE ECONOMIC.

SANCTIONS THAT HAVE REALLY, REALLY CHANGED THE DYNAMIC. >> CERTAINLY THE PRESSURE THAT. SECRETARY BESSENT IS PUTTING ON. THE REGIME IS REALLY QUITE. SIGNIFICANT. IT'S LIKELY THE MOST. COMPREHENSIVE ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE. A COUNTRY BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND. FINANCIALLY FROM THE WORLD AT. LARGE, AND CERTAINLY, AS WE'VE. SEEN IN THE PAST. SANCTIONS DOES TAKE TIME. ENFORCEMENT IS CRITICAL.

WE'VE WATCHED THESE SANCNCTIONSN. THE PAST WHERE COUNTRIES SAY. THEY WILL COMPLY AND THEN A FEW. WEEKS IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS AND. SOMETIMES IT FALLS OFF. COMPLETELY BUT IT'S QUITE AN. AMBITIOUS PLAN AND I THINK. SECRETARY BESSENT IS OBVIOUSLY. VERY WELL QUALIFIED TO BE IN. CHARGE OF THIS. WHERE THE IRANIANS ARE COMING. FROM HERE WITH THIS ATTACK, THEY. ARE DEALING WITH THE REALITY. THAT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, WHICH. IS A STRATEGIC ASSET IN THEIR. MIND, AFTER ALL, WHEN THEY TOOK. IT, CHARGE OF IT, IN DISRUPTING.

IT, INTIMIDATING AND COERCING. SHIP BUILDERS ON MARCH 2, JUST A. FEW DAYS AFTER THE WAR. COMMENCED, THAT ABSOLUTELY HAD. AN IMPACT ON THE ADMINISTRATION. OIL AND GASOLINE PRICES. PRICES BEGAN TO SPIKE AND WE. WENT TO A CEASE-FIRE OSTENSIBLY. BECAUSE IRAN WAS WILLING TO. NEGOTIATEIATE. WE DON'T HAVE A DEAL SOME FOUR. MONTHS LATER BUT THEIR POSITION. IS WEAKER AND THE REALITY IS, THAT ADMIRAL COOPER AND HIS TEAL.

HAVE BEEN MOVING SHIPS STEADILY. THROUGH THE STRAITS ON THE. SOUTHERN CORRIDOR CLOSER TO OMAN. AND THE TREND IS UP IN TERMS OF. THE NUMBER OF SHIPS GETTING. THROUGH AND THEY JUST FINISHED. CLEARING THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR OF. ALL OF ITS MINES. THUS THE ATTACK FROM IRAN, OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE CONTINUING. TO DISRUPT IT AS MUCH AS THEY. CAN EVEN THOUGH THEIR POSITION. IS GETTING WEAKER. I THINK THE IRANIANS WILILL. CONTINUE THEIR AGGRESSION AS WE. GET CLOSER TO THE MIDTERMS AND. MAYBE EVEN INCREASE IT AS IT.

GETS CLOSER BECAUSE THEY CLEARLY. WANT PRESIDENT TRUMP TO LOSE. THESE MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND BE. IN A WEAKER POSITION AND THEY. ARE TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE. WAR IS NOT BEING MANAGED. PROPERLY. THAT'S THEIR GAME PLAN HERE. THEY THINK IN THEIR MINDS THEY. CAN OUTLAST US. THAT TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE. THEY ARE DIABOLICAL, TYRANNICAL. LEADERS HERE AND WE WON'T KNOW. FOR SURE OF THE IMPACT OF WHAT. BESSENT IS DOING AND OBVIOUSLY.

THE MILITARY RESPONSES HERE. UNTIL IT TRULY HAPPENS RIGHT. BEFORE OUR EYES. IT'S UNKNOWABLE TO PREDICT IF. THE REGIME IS GOING TO COLLAPSE. NOW OR WEEKS OR MONTHS FROM NOW. BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME. FISSURES THAT ARE GOING ON IN. THAT REGIME RIGHT NOW. I'M HOPING THE CIA AND MO SAD. ARE EXPLOITING WHAT YOU JUST. DESCRIBED AS SOME OF THE LEADERS. ARE BEGINNING TO WEAKEN AND. MAYBE GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WITH THEIR FAMILIES ALIVE. >> Bret: SECRETARY BESSENT SAID. THE REASON IRAN IS STRIKING BACK.

KIN NETALLY AND FIRING AT UAE. AND JORDAN AND U.S. BASES IN THE. REGION IS BECAUSE THEY ARE. FEELING SUCH A PINCH. ECONOMICALLY TO YOUR POINT. I WANT TO TURN TOPICS TO THIS. "WASHINGTON POST" OVER THE. WEEKEND. MILITARY LEADERS WARN SECRETARY. HEGSETH AGAINST EXTENDING IRAN. WAR OPERATIONS. YOU KNOW I COVERED THE P PENTAG. FOR SIX YEARS. THIS PEACE WAS VERY DETAILED --. PIECE WAS VERY DETAILED. WHILE THE PENTAGON PUSHED BACK.

ON IT, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION RELEASED. THEY SAID IT WAS INACCURATE BUT. IT SEEMED LIKE IT CAME FROM. SENIOR LEADERSHIP. GET THAT, THE STORY, AND THE. DETAIL IN THERE AND THEN YOU GET. DAN DRISCOLL RESIGNING AS ARMY. SECRETARY AHEAD OF WHAT A LOT OF. PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS GOING TO. HAPPEN, WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE. MIDTERMS AND MAYBE RUN VANCE'S. POSSIBLE CAMPAIGN. >> OBVIOUSLY IT'S AN OPEN SECRET.

THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS. ISSUES WITH ITS ARSENAL OF. STOCKPILE OF AMMUNITION. AND CERTAINLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN. PROVIDING TO UKRAINE AND WHAT. WE'VE BEEN CONDUCTING HERE IN. THIS OPERATION SINCE FEBRUARY. 28, THERE HAS BEEN A CEASE-FIRE. FOR SOME MONTHS BUT INTERMEANTLY. WE'VE USED WEAPONS, HAS HAD AN. IMPACT ON ALL OF THAT. I'M NOT PRIVY TO THE INFORMATION. THAT THEY HAVE, BUT I THINK IN. MY OWN JUDGMENT ABOUT IT, WHAT.

THEY ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT. IS THE EXTENSIVE WAR THAT COULD. POSSIBLY TAKE PLACE. REMEMBER, THE ORIGINAL PLAN TO. EXECUTE THIS WAS SOMEWHERE. AROUND 50 SOMETHING DAYS. WE STOPPED AT THE 38th DAY. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND. THAT COOPER HAS THE AMMUNITION. AND THE STOCKPILE AVAILABLE TO. HIM TO EXECUTE THAT MISSION. OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY. I SUSPECT, I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.

BECAUSE I'M NOT IN THE. DISCUSSIONS, NOR SHOULD I BE, THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IF. THIS THING GETS EXTENDED OUT, THEN IT'S GOING TO HAVE AN. IMPACT IN THEIR THEATERS AND THE. SERVICE CHIEFS OBVIOUSLY, THEY. SEE UP CLOSE ALL THE AMMUNITION. THEY HAVE IN THEIR ARSENALS. BUT LOOK, WE'VE GOT TO FIX THIS. STOCKPILE AND THIS ARSENAL THAT. WE HAVE. >> Bret: YEP. WE'VE HEARD MANY STORIES ABOUT. IT. >> YES. WHAT HAPPENS IS, WHEN YOU HAVE.

DEFENSE BUDGETS THAT ARE NOT. WHAT THEY SHOULD BE AND YOU HAVE. TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT TO. CUT WHERE DO YOU GO? YOU DON'T WANT TO CUT ANYTHING. THAT'S AFFECTING THE CURRENT. FORCE. YOU CUT THE FUTURE FORCE. I DID IT MYSELF. AND WE'VE BEEN PAYING THAT PRICE. FOR A LONG TIME AND IT HAS TO DO. WITH THE PRESS DEFENSE BUDGET. JETS, DROVE THIS MORE THAN. ANYTHING ELSE. >> Bret: YES, GENERAL, WE ALWAYS. APPRECIATE THE TIME. THERE IS A LOT COMING OUT, WHETHER IT'S BEING LEAKED FOR. PURPOSE. SECRETETETY.