'IRONCLAD': US blockade 'strangling' BILLIONS from Iranian economy

. BACK TO YOU, KEVIN. >> THANKS, STEVE. AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU. JULIE? >> RETIRED GENERAL JOHN TYKERT. JOINTS ME NOW. THANKS FOR TALKING TO US. YOUR REACTION ON THESE LATEST. STRIKES. >> JULIE, WE'RE GOING TO SEE AS. THE PRESIDENT SETTLES IN TO THIS. ECONOMIC A FIXATION STRATEGY. THEY'RE UP TO DO THREE THINGS. NUMBER 1, TO DETER IRAN. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THESE. STRIKES WERE ALL ABOUT. NUMBER 2, TO ENFORCE THE.

BLOCKADE AND NUMBER 3 TO DEFEND. OURSELVES AND FRIENDLY OIL BY. STRIKING AREAS AROUND THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ. I THINK THESE STRIKES OVER THE. WEEKEND SENT THE BIGGEST SIGNAL. WITH RESPECT TO THE SHIP THAT. WAS STRUCK OFF OF KHARG ISLAND. IT'S A NOT SO SUBTLE REMINDER TO. THE IRANIAN REGIME THAT ANY TIME. OF OUR CHOOSING, WE CAN STRIKE. KHARG ISLAND AND PERMANENTLY. HARM THE REGIME'S ABILITY TO. FUND ITSELF. >> THIS IS ECONOMIC WARFARE.

ESSENTIALLY. IRAN IS DECLARING ECONOMIC. TERRORISM IN THE SENSE OF. BLOCKING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ BY. NOT ALLOWING THE REST OF THE. WORLD TO ACTUALLY FUNCTION. HOW MUCH LONGER IS THE UNITED. STATES GOING TO HAVE TO BE DOING. THESE STRIKES? YOU SAY THIS IS SENDING A STRONG. MESSAGE. ARE THEY RECEIVING THE MESSAGE? >> I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE. RECEIVING IT. THAT MESSAGE ISN'T ANYTHING NEW. THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO SHUT OFF.

THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND HAVE. DONE SO SUCCESSFULLY FOR THE. LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. WHAT THE ENERGY SECRETARY SAID. IS IMPORTANT. WE NOW ARE ESCORTING FRIENDLY. SHIPS THROUGH THE STRAIT SUCH. THAT WE'RE BACK UP TO ABOUT 50%. OR EVEN 2/3s OF PREWAR FLOW. THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING. TO PRESSURE THE REGIME AND. ISOLATE AND CONTAIN THEM WHILE. ALLOWING A LOT MORE FRIENDLY. FLOW, WHICH MEANS WE'RE. DECREASING THE PRESSURE ON US.

>> LET'S HEAR FROM CHRIS WRIGHT. ON THE ECONOMIC C PRESSURE. HERE HE IS ON FOX NEWS SUNDAY. >> WE'RE PUTTING MAXIMUM REST. SURE ON IRAN AND ISOLATING THEM. AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE DOING. THAT, THEY ARE TRYING TO WAGE. ECONOMIC TERRORISM AGAINST THE. REST OF THE WORLD BY TRYING TO. IMPEDE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. IT IS THE U.S. NAVY THATAT IS. ASSURING THAT THIS FLOW COMES. OUT. WE WISH IRAN WOULD STOP DOING. WHAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT WE'RE. DEGRADING THEIR CAPACITIES TO DO.

THAT. >> HAVE WE DEGRADED THE. CAPACITIES ENOUGH AND IF NOT, HOW MUCH MORE IS IT GOING TO. TAKE TO FINALLY GET A DEAL WITH. IRAN? >> JULIE, TWO THOUGHTS. THE FIRST ONE IS THAT I REALLY. WANT TO SEE THE IMPLEMENTATION. OF THE SANCTIONS THAT THE. SECRETARY OF TREASURY PROMISED. THAT HE WOULD ANNOUNCE TWO WEEKS. AGO AND WE HAVEN'T HEARD THE. DETAILS. WHILE THE BLOCKADE IS SHUTTING.

OFF $6 BILLION OF ACTIVITY OF A. I RAN, WE NIGHT TO TIGHTEN THE. SCREWS MORE. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF. ECONOMIC STRANGULATION IS, THERE'S NO PROMISE IT WILL YIELD. RESULTS QUICKLY. WHICH MEANS THE OPPORTUNITY. COSTS WILL REMAIN. 50,000 AMERICAN MILITARY MEMBERS. WILL BE DEPLOYED IN HARM'S WAY. THERE UNTIL THE REGIME CRUMBLES. OR CAPITULATES. THAT COULD TAKE MONTHS, NOT. WEEKS OR DAYS. >> CENTCOM PUT THIS OUT ON X ON.

THE SUCCESS OF THE BLOCKADE. AS OF SENSE SEPTEMBER, U.S. FORCES HAVE BLOWEDED SHIPS AND. ENFORCED STRICT COMPLIANCE. ONLY THREE SHIPS HAVE BEEN. DISABLED. GREAT, BUT IS IT ENOUGH? >> JULIE, THE IMPORTANT THING. ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS ISN'T THE.

NUMBERS THEMSELVES. IT'S TRYING TO REFLECT THE FACT. THAT WE HAVE AN IRON CLAD. BLOCKADE, WHICH MEANS NO SHIPS. ARE GETTING OUT OF IRAN OR IN TO. IRAN. FRANKLY THE REASON THOSE NUMBERS. ARE SO LOW IS BECAUSE OUR FORCE. PRESENCE DETERRING IRAN FROM. TRYING TO RUN THE BLOCKADE. LIKE I SAID, IT'S STRANGLING. THEIR ECONOMY TO THE TUNE OF $6. BILLION A MONTH. WE'RE CUTTING OFF RESOURCING TO. THE REGIME SUCH THAT THEY CAN'T. THREATEN EXTERNALLY.

WHILE THERE'S NO TIMELINE TO. SUCCESS HERE, THAT THAT IRON. CLAD BLOCKADE IS HARMING T.