Iran’s leadership has a serious internal split, retired general says

>> IRANIANS IN THIS COUNTRY WANT. TO UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS SUCH. A COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A. NUCLEAR PROGRAM SAYING THAT IT'S. AN ENERGY PROGRAM RATHER THAN. HELPING PEOPLE TO LIVE BETTER. LIVES. HAVE BETTER WATER. BETTER ELECTRICITY. LOWER INFLATION. ALL OF THESE ISSUES THAT THEY. WOULD LIKE TO PERHAPS SEE BE THE.

PRIORITY. A BETTER IRANIAN ECONOMY. >> OF COURSE, WE SEEK A BETTER. ECONOMY. AMERICA ON A DAILY BASIS. INCREASES SANCTIONS. >> Trace: THERE YOU HAVE THE. IRANIAN PRESIDENT SPEAKING WITH. MARTHA MacCALLUM AFTER ITS. 12-DAY WAR WITH ISRAEL. IN NEW COMMENTS HE SEEMS TO PUSH. FOR AN END TO THE CONFLICT WITH. THE U.S. SAYING, QUOTING, THE. WAR MUST END AT SOME POINT. IT'S BETTER TO END THE WAR TODAY. WHEN WE'RE IN POWER, AND DIGNITY.

AND THE WHOLE WORLD ACKNOWLEDGES. OUR VICTORY. THAT ACCORDING TO STATE MEDIA. AS A REMINDER, HERE'S THE. REALITY FOR SOME IN TEHERAN. >> PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE. ENDS MEET. THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT. THEY BUY LESS. IN MY OPINION THEY HAVE NO OTHER. CHOICE. IT HAS TO NEGOTIATE AND SOMEHOW. WORK THINGS OUT. >> Trace: LET'S BRING IN AIR. FORCE GENERAL CHARLES WALL, FORMER DEPUTY COMMANDER OF U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND SERVING MORE.

THAN 45 YEARS, FLYING COMBAT. MISSIONS. IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE YOU HAVE THE. IRANIAN PRESIDENT LOOKING FOR AN. OFF-RAMP AND YET THE IRGC WANTS. TO KEEP GOING. WHERE DOES THAT PUT US? >> WELL, I THINK IT'S WHERE. WE'VE BEEN FOR A WHILE. THE GOING BACK AND FORTH. THINKING THAT IF WE PUNISH THEM. ENOUGH THEY WILL COME TO THE. NEGOTIATING TABLE, AND EVERY. TIME THEY DO THAT THEY RENEGE ON.

THEIR PROMISES. I THINK WE'RE SEEING A COUPLE OF. THINGS. I THINK THE IRGC HAS THEIR BACK. TO THE WALL AGAIN, AS I HAVE. SAID BEFORE. NUMBER TWO, AS I THINK THERE IS. AN ATTORNEY -- A SERIOUS. INTERNAL SPLIT IN THE LEADERSHIP. IN IRAN. THE PRESIDENT VERSUS THE IRGC. LEADERSHIP VERSUS THE AYATOLLAH. FOR THAT MATTER. SO I THINK WE NEED TO PROBABLY. TAKE ANY DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE. WITH THE IRANIANS WITH A GRAIN.

OF SALT. I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE AND I'LL. SAY IT AGAIN. I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO. MAKE SURE WE KEEP THE IRANIAN. CAPABILITY TO THREATEN. EXTERNALLY DOWN AS MUCH AS WE. CAN AND CERTAINLY START OPENING. UP THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, AND WE. COULD TALK ABOUT THAT. BUT I WOULD NOT TRUST THE. IRANIANS AS FAR AS I COULD THROW. THEM. >> Trace: YOU LOOK AT. THIS HERE'S WHAT THE. CHIEF-OF-STAFF OF IRAN'S ARMED. FORCES SAID ABOUT TRUMP'S THREAT. OF ECONOMIC WARFARE.

GOES ON TO SAY, QUOTING, WITH. PREPAREDNESS ACROSS LAND, SEA, AIR DEFENSE AND CYBERSPACE. IRAN'S ARMED FORCES WILL RESPOND. TO THE ENEMY'S NEW THREATS WITH. CRUSHING, PUNISHING AND. DEVASTATING RESPONSES. DOES IRAN THINK THESE TYPES OF. STATEMENTS ARE GOING TO MAKE THE. PRESIDENT JUST TURN TAIL AND RUN. AWAY? WHAT'S THE THINKING BY. FERMENTING THIS KIND OF STUFF. WITH THESE TYPES OF STATEMENTS? >> I'LL GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT.

FOR THE FACT THAT THEY. UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE IMPLYING. THE UNITED STATES, THE. PRESIDENT, CERTAINLY, AND THE. UNITED STATES AT LARGE, IS NOT. GOING TO COWARD TO THE RHETORIC, THE BELLICOSE. THE MESSAGE IS FOR THE IRANIAN. PEOPLE. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE. IRANIAN MILITARY LEADERSHIP, THE. IRGC, AND THE GOVERNMENT,

WHATEVER THAT IS, IS REALLY. CONCERNED WITH POPULATION. TURNING ON THEM. OBVIOUSLY, WHEN THEY HAVE THE. PROTESTS MONTHS AGO IN JANUARY, AND REPORTEDLY KILLED UP TO. 43,000 IRANIAN CITIZENS, THAT'S. A DETERRENT FOR PEOPLE. PROTESTING. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC. SITUATION, THE REPORT SAID, YOU'VE SEEN AND I HAVE SEEN, SEVERAL SOURCES, 70% INFLATION.

I READ AN ARTICLE TODAY WHERE A. LADY REPORTED IN IRAN SHE WENT. TO BUY SOME GROCERIES AND COST. HER 85 BILLION -- $65 IN. DOLLARS. THEY ARE BUYING TIME, TALKING. BIG, BUT I THINK, WE HAVE TO. STICK TO OUR GUNS, SO TO SPEAK, AND BE CAREFUL. BUT WE STICK IT OUT AND START. OPENING THE STRAITS MAYBE FOR A.

SIX-HOUR PERIOD.