Iran RESPONDS as US sanctions squeeze economy: 'SERIOUSLY?'

M. NOW. >> Bill: THANK YOU FOR THAT. >> Dana: BRAND NEW VIDEO U.S. MILITARY SINKING AN IRANIAN OIL. TANKER IN THE GULF OF OMAN. 1 OF 5 IRANIAN TANKERS HIT. YESTERDAY IN RESPONSE TO A. SERIES OF FAILED ATTACKS. TARGETING U.S. WARSHIPS. IRAN HITTING BACK TARGETING. AMERICAN ASSETS IN JORDAN. THE MILITARY INTERCEPTING 18. MISSILES REPORTING NO. CASUALTIES. A FORMER COMMANDER OF THE. USS JOINS US NOW. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS POST. FROM THE IRANIAN FOREIGN. MINISTER ABOUT SANCTIONS. PIERCING AFTER 47 YEARS OF. SANCTIONS THE U.S. WENT TO WAR. WITH IRAN ON BEHALF OF ISRAEL. THE FALLOUT HAS BEEN DISASTROUS. FOR AMERICA INCLUDING STANDING. WORLDWIDE. AFTER FAILING TO ACHIEVE --. WASHINGTON'S NOVEL SOLUTION IS. MORE SANCTIONS. SERIOUSLY? AND YET IT APPEARS THAT THESE. SANCTIONS ARE STARTING TO HAVE A.

REAL BITE. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED YOU A. QUESTION ON THAT. DO YOU AGREE THERE'S BEEN AN. EFFECT HERE ESPECIALLY WHEN I. READ YESTERDAY THAT TWO OF THE. IRGC LEADERS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH. MONEY TO PAY THEIR MORTGAGES IN. LONDON? >> I THINK WHAT YOU ARE SEEING. IS THE ACTUAL THIS TIME. SANCTIONS ARE WORKING. UNLIKE IN THE PAST WHERE PEOPLE. HAVE ALWAYS KIND OF CUT CORNERS,

OUR ALLIES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE. NOT EXACTLY EMBRACED THEM, THIS. TIME YOU'RE ACTUALLY SEEING THE. SQUEEZE OCCUR ACROSS THE BOARD. NOT ONLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST BUT. GLOBALLY. THE TWO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS ARE. RUSSIA AND CHINA WHO ARE. CONTINUING TO TRY TO SUPPORT. IRAN AND I THINK IN THE END YOU. ARE GOING TO SEE THE COLLAPSE OF. THE IRANIAN REGIME AND THEIR. ECONOMY, THE IRGC WILL BE OUT OF. POWER BECAUSE THEY CONTROL. EVERYTHING NOW. THE GOVERNMENT, THE MILITARY, THE ECONOMY. THEY ALONE WILL BE HELD.

RESPONSIBLE BY THE IRANIAN. PEOPLE FOR THE DISASTER. UNFOLDING. >> Bill: WHY WOULD THEY. CONCEDE AND GIVE IN TO WHAT THEY. CONSIDERED --. >> I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS. THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO. CONCEDE. THEY'RE GOING TO BE DEFEATED. BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY. WATCHING IS IRAN IS VERY MUCH. AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE. ELECTIONS RIGHT NOW. THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE. DRIVING THEIR REACTION. THEY WANT TO TRY TO HANG ON AS. LONG AS POSSIBLE. THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO. CREATE CIRCUMSTANCES THE.

UNITED STATES HAS TO REACT. PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING A. PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE RIGHT NOW. THEY TAKE AND TARGET SHIPS. TRYING TO GET OUT THROUGH THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND WE REACT BY. TAKING OUT THEIR TANKERS BIG. PART OF THE CRITICAL. INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THEIR. ECONOMY NEEDS. AT SOME POINT HOWEVER IF IRAN. KEEPS RATCHETING IT UP AND. ATTEMPTING TO SHOOT OUR SHIPS. AND BASES, TAKE ON OTHER ALLIES. WITHIN THE REGION, THE. UNITED STATES HAS NO CHOICE BUT. TO THEN GO AFTER THE LEADERSHIP.

OF THE IRGC AGAIN AND TAKE THEM. OUT AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL. HAPPEN BEFORE THE MIDTERM. ELECTIONS. >> Dana: ONE OF THE THINGS IS. OIL GETTING THROUGH THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ OR NOT, WE HAVE A. CHART HERE THAT SHOWS BEFORE. EARLIER IN THE SPRING FROM. JANUARY TO APRIL THEY WERE ABLE. TO GET OUT A LOT OF OIL IN THE. LAST THREE MONTHS NOT SO MUCH. THAT'S HAVING AN EFFECT AND HOW. MANY TANKERS WOULD THEY EVEN. HAVE LEFT?

>> IT'S HARD TO SAY BECAUSE THEY. ARE LOOKING AT ALL THIS -- THE. GREAT TANKERS THAT WORK, THEY'RE. UNFLAGGED AND AROUND THE WORLD. THEY'RE CONTINUING TO BE. SUPPLIED. SUPPLYING CHINA, SUPPLYING. RUSSIA AND AT THE END OF THE DAY. THOSE TANKERS ARE SLOWLY BEING. IDENTIFIED ONE BY ONE AND BEING. INTERCEPTED AROUND THE WORLD BY. THE UNITED STATES NAVY AND OTHER. ALLIES AND THEY'RE BEING STOPPED. SO THE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO BE. SQUEEZED. IRAN'S GOING TO BE HELD. ACCOUNTABLE OBVIOUSLY THE. ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO PREVENT THE. IRGC FROM OBTAINING A NUCLEAR.

WEAPON AND WHILE THEY MAY LASH. OUT THE UNITED STATES STILL. POSSESSES THE ABILITY ALONG WITH. ALLIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO. BEING ABLE TO REACT TO THEM, KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AND AT THE END. OF THE DAY THE REGIME MUST BE. STOPPED AND TAKEN DOWN. BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE IS GOING. TO BE A REGIME THAT'S GOING TO. CONTINUE TO PURSUE NUCLEAR. WEAPON WHICH THE WORLD CANNOT. AFFORD AND I THINK THE AMERICAN. PEOPLE TRULY UNDERSTAND THE END. GOAL WITHOUT REALLY ENGAGING IN. WHAT THEY CALL THE FOREVER WAR.

>> ONE LAST QUESTION HERE. EXTRAORDINARY TO THINK YOU WERE. IN CHARGE OF THE USS -- FOR A. LOT OF US 26 YEARS AGO THAT WAS. THE FIRST SHOT FIRED AND WHAT WE. SAW A YEAR LATER WAS NINE OVER. 11. THAT'S BEEN OCTOBER OF 2000 NOW. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT RUSSIA. AND CHINA HELPING IRAN. "WALL STREET JOURNAL" PUTS IT. THIS WAY TODAY. IRAN WOULD STILL NEED TO KNOW. THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF U.S. WARSHIPS WHEN ATTACKS BEGAN,

RAISING CONCERNS CHINA AND. RUSSIA COULD BE HELPING TRACK. LOCATIONS OF AMERICAN WARSHIPS. I THINK IT'S A VERY REAL THING. AND THE TARGETING THEY'RE. GETTING ON BEHALF OF MOSCOW AND. BEIJING COULD BE SIGNIFICANT. HOW SIGNIFICANT IS IT FOR YOU. AND COULD THEY DO THIS WITHOUT. THEM? >> I DON'T THINK IRAN WOULD BE. ABLE TO DO IT. WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IS. CHINA ESPECIALLY IS PROVIDING. IRAN WITH THE ENGINES FOR ALL OF. THEIR DRONES. THEY'RE PROVIDING TARGETING. INFORMATION FOR U.S. BASES AND.

U.S. FORCES AT SEA BECAUSE THEY. HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DO THAT. AND THEY'RE CONTINUING TO TRY TO. PROP UP THEIR ECONOMY. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS WHERE IRAN. USED PROXY FORCES THROUGH THE. MIDDLE EAST, HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, HOUTHI REBELS, CHINA'S USING. IRAN IN A PROXY WAR AGAINST THE. UNITED STATES TODAY. CHINA IS NO LONGER A COMPETITOR. OR AN ADVERSARY. THEY NEED TO BE VIEWED THROUGH. THE LENS OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WHICH IS AN ENEMY.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SITS DOWN WITH. PRESIDENT XI ON THE. 25TH OF SEPTEMBER HE NEEDS TO. SHOW THE INTELLIGENCE THAT. PROVES CHINA IS IN FACT ENGAGED. IN CONFLICT WITH THE. UNITED STATES AND NEEDS TO S.