Jack Keane: This is WAR

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN ARE FROZEN AND STATIC. AT THIS TIME. JOINING KNEE NOW SENIOR. STRATEGIC ANALYST GENERAL JACK. KEANE. GENERAL KEANE, THE SPOKESPERSON. SAYS THE PRESIDENT WAS SPEAKING. IN JEST, BUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON. HIS COMMENT ON THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. >> WELL, I AGREE WITH THE. STATEMENT IS -- HIS OWN. OFFICIALS HAVE MADE. IF THE PRESIDENT MADE SIMILAR. STATEMENTS ABOUT ASPIRATIONAL. GOALS AND GETTING THE PANAMA. CANAL BACK UNDER OUR CONTROL. AND OTHER THINGS.

LISTEN, WHERE ARE WE HERE? LET'S UNPACK IT A LITTLE BIT. FOR OUR AUDIENCE BECAUSE WE'RE. CLEARLY IN A DIFFERENT PHASE. WE WENT TO A CEASE-FIRE ON. APRIL THE 7TH AFTER 38 DAYS OF. MILITARY OPERATIONS AND 14 DAYS. TO GO AND WE GAVE UP FINISHING. THOSE MILITARY OBJECTIVES. BECAUSE OUR PRIORITIES. ESSENTIALLY CHANGED AND WHY WAS. THAT? WELL, THE IRANIANS TOOK CONTROL. OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND. SHUT IT DOWN ON MARCH THE 2ND.

AND WE WERE LIVING WITH THAT. FOR A MONTH. AND THEREFORE OUR PRIORITIES IN. TERMS OF OIL PRIORITIES, OIL. AND GAS PRICES, POLITICAL. PRIORITIES DEALING WITH THE. UPCOMING MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BECAME PARAMOUNT. AND THAT'S WHY WE WENT TO THE. CEASE-FIRE THE IRANIANS WERE. OFFERING, KAYLEIGH, A. NEGOTIATED DEAL OVER THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ AND OF COURSE, WE. KNOW, EVEN WHEN THEY SIGN A. DEAL WITH OUR PRESIDENT, THAT. BLEW UP IN OUR FACES. SO, THE DIPLOMATIC PHASE THAT.

WE ENTERED INTO AS A PRIMARY. OBJECTIVE REALLY HASN'T WORKED. OUT VERY WELL, BUT WE, ON APRIL. THE 13TH, OBVIOUSLY A WEEK. AFTER THE CEASE-FIRE TO HELP. WITH THAT DIPLOMATIC PHASE, WE. PUT IN A NAVAL BLOCKADE AND. THAT PUT HUGE ECONOMIC PRESSURE. ON THE REGIME. BUT NOT ENOUGH PRESSURE ON THEM. TO OBVIOUSLY MAKE A DEAL THAT. THEY'RE WILLING TO COMPLY WITH. SO NOW WE'RE IN AN INCREASED. ECONOMIC PHASE. SECRETARY BESSENT IS IMPOSING.

EVERY POSSIBLE ECONOMIC. RESTRAINT THAT HE CAN IMPOSE. EXTERNALLY ON THIS REGIME, AND. IT'S QUALITY WORK THAT HE AND. HIS TEAM ARE CLEARLY DOING. SO, THE OBJECTIVE HERE IS TO. MOUNT AS MUCH ECONOMIC PRESSURE. ON THE REGIME AS POSSIBLE IN. THE UPCOMING WEEKS, KNOWING. FULL WELL THAT THE MILITARY IS. IN PLACE. THE ISRAELIS ARE AT FULL. MAGAZINE DEPTH AND ADMIRAL.

COOPER, CENTCOM FORCES IN THE. REGION, WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE. CAPABILITY NOW IN THE REGION. THAN WE HAD WHEN WE BEGAN THE. WAR IN FEBRUARY THE 28TH. SO THAT OBVIOUSLY IS ON. STANDBY. I THINK WHAT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN. HERE, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED. FOR THE IRANIANS TO MAKE. ANOTHER MISCALCULATION, KAYLEIGH. WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT? BECAUSE I THINK AS WE GET. CLOSER TO THE MIDTERMS, THEY'RE. GOING TO THINK THAT IF THEY. CONDUCT SOME AGGRESSIVE VIOLENT. ACTS AGAINST U.S. BASES OR. ALLIES IN THE REGION, WE WON'T.

DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE. THE MIDTERMS ARE COMING AND. THAT WOULD SORT OF POISON THE. WELL IN TERMS OF THE ELECTION. ITSELF. PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL RESPOND IF. IRAN TAKES THAT KIND OF ACTION, IN MY JUDGMENT. SO WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS OVER. THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS AS THE. ECONOMIC PRESSURE BUILDS. WHERE THE IRANIANS ARE IN THEIR. HEADS, THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN. RIDE THIS OUT ECONOMICALLY. THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE, AND WE. HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AND. WE'RE FOUR MONTHS INTO THIS. KIND OF ECONOMIC PRESSURE.

ALREADY AND THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE. NOT RELENTED OR EVEN BEEN. WILLING TO GO INTO ANY SERIOUS. NEGOTIATIONS THAT THEY'RE. WILLING TO COMPLY WITH. SO, IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN OVER THE. NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS HERE. KAYLEIGH: GENERAL KEANE, I WANT. TO ASK YOU ABOUT ANOTHER. SITUATION THAT'S PLAYING OUT IN. THE MEDIA, THAT'S THE. DEPLOYMENT OF THE USS ABRAHAM. THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS HAVE. BEEN CRITICAL OF THE MEDIA FOR. TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. BECAUSE AFTER ALL, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS, THEY'RE DEPLOYED. HOWEVER, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, 266 DAYS DEPLOYED, 200 DAYS IN.

A COMBAT ZONE. THE STATEMENT FROM THE ACTING. SECRETARY OF THE NAVY SAYS THEY. WILL RETURN HOME SOON FOR PART. OF A PLANNED ROTATION. YOUR THOUGHT? THESE ARE VERY HARD DECISIONS. TO ARE A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF TO. MAKE AND VERY BIG SACRIFICES. THAT OUR TROOPS ARE MAKING EACH. AND EVERY DAY. >> YEAH,H, WELL, THEY CERTAINLY. DO AND THEY'RE TRAINED AND. DISCIPLINED. AND WHEN THEY'RE DOING. SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND THEY. KNOW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IT, MORALE IS VERY GOOD, THERE'S A.

SENSE OF PURPOSE AND MEANING IN. WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND THEY. OBVIOUSLY WOULD LIKE TO BE ON A. NORMAL RETATION, BUT THIS IS. NOT A NORMAL ROTATION, THIS IS. WAR. WHILE TROOPS WERE IN IRAQ FOR. 12 MONTHS, 15 MONTH TOURS AND. THE NAVY WAS SUPPORTING THAT. AND NOW THE NAVY AND OUR AIR. POWER, BUT THE NAVY IS DEPLOYED. AND MORE ISOLATED THAN OUR AIR. POWER AND THEY CERTAINLY CAN. DEAL WITH THAT. A CENTCOM COMMANDER JUST LEFT. THAT SHIP, THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN,

BY THE WAY, AND HE SAID IT WAS. VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE, SEEING. THE QUALITY OF WHAT'S HAPPENING. THERE AND THE TROOPS. THEMSELVES. I THINK THEY'VE TAKEKEN A COUPL. OF INCIDENTS THAT WE ALWAYS. HAVE--. LISTEN, THERE'S ALWAYS STRESS. ON OUR TROOPS AND SOME OF THEM. DO NEED COUNSELING AS A RESULT. OF THAT STRESS. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT NORMAL IN. TERMS OF THE PRESSURE THAT'S ON. A HUMAN BEING HERE. SO, THAT TAKES PLACE ROUTINELY. BUT THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE ARE.

DIVING OFF THE SHIPS AND. COMMITTING SUICIDE, THAT'S JUST. NOT THE FACTS AND THEY'RE. TAKING A MISINTERPRETATION OF. THEM AND SENSATIONALIZING THEM. AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE. THAT'S INSULTING TO THE TROOPS. OUT THERE AND THE PERFORMANCE. THEY HAVE TURNED IN HERE AND. WILL CONTINUE TO TURN IN. KAYLEIGH: YES. WHILE THE ACTING SECRETARY SAID. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME MENTAL. HEALTH ISSUES, THERE'S BEEN NO. LOSS OF LIFE AND WE PR.