‘LAST CHANCE?’: Air Force veteran reveals his ‘BIGGEST CONCERN’ in US-Iran conflict

E. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. >> Sandra: JENNIFER GRIFFIN. LIVE OUT OF WASHINGTON. THANK YOU. >> John: DIPLOMATS IN QATAR. SAY THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE. U.S. AND IRAN TO FIND A SOLUTION. AS BOTH SIDES PUBLICLY DISAGREE. OVER DIRECT TALKS AND. PRESIDENT TRUMP WARNS TEHRAN. THIS IS THEIR LAST CHANCE TO. MAKE A DEAL. GENERAL JOHN TEICHART WITH ME, RETIRED AIR FORCE. GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. HERE'S HOW THE PRESIDENT PUT IT. YESTERDAY. >> WE ARE TALKING RIGHT NOW. WE ARE TALKING AT THE REQUEST OF.

IRAN BACKED BY SAUDI ARABIA. BACKED BY UAE. BACKED BY QATAR IN PARTICULAR. BUT OTHERS ALSO APPEARED MANY. COUNTRIES. THEY ALL WANTED TO GIVE THIS. LAST CHANCE FOR THIS IS THE LAST. CHANCE. >> John: THIS IS THE LAST. CHANCE. YOU THINK IRAN BELIEVES THAT? >> THE CHALLENGE IN THESE. SITUATIONS IS IT'S ALL BASED ON. THE CREDIBILITY OF YOU AND THE. MIND OF AN ADVERSARY FOR THESE. CONSTANT THREATS AND WE FIND OFF. RAMPS TO NOT ENACT THOSE THREATS.

ARE CAUSING OUR CREDIBILITY TO. DRIVE TO ZERO IN THE MIND OF THE. ADVERSARY AND OUR STRONGEST. BARGAINING POSITION VIS A VIS. IRAN IS AT THE END OF ACTIVE. COMBAT OPERATIONS NOW FOUR. MONTHS AGO AND THE FURTHER WE. GET AWAY FROM THAT MOMENT, THE. LESS STRENGTH WE HAVE IN THE. MIND OF OUR ADVERSARIES CREATES. FEAR AND YOU HAD A GOOD ANALOGY, A POP CULTURE ANALOGY OF WHERE. WE ARE. >> I SAID FROM THE MOVIE "MALL. COPS," WE WILL YELL STOP AND IF. YOU DON'T STOP WE WILL YELL STOP. AGAIN AND I THINK WE ARE IN THAT.

CYCLE WHERE THE MORE CYCLES WE. HAVE OF THIS THE LESS LIKELY IT. IS TO DETER. LESS LIKELY IT IS TO COMPEL AND. I THINK WE ARE LESS LIKELY TO. GET A GOOD DEAL EVEN IF IRAN. DECIDES. >> John: TO THAT POINT ABOUT. YELLING STOP OR YELLING STOP. AGAIN. THERE WAS A SHIP ATTACKED BY. SOME SORT OF PROJECTILE OFF THE. COAST OF OMAN CLEARING THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. REMEMBER WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP. SAID TWO WEEKS AGO ABOUT. SHIPPING AND ATTACKS HE SAID AT. ANY TIME THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF. IRAN SHOOTS A SHIP IN THE.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ WHETHER IT BE. BY MISSILE ROCKET DRONE OR ANY. OTHER WEAPON THE UNITED STATES. WILL BOMB AND DESTROY ONE BRIDGE. OR POWER PLANT INCLUDING THOSE. LOCATED NEXT TO OR IN THE. CAPITAL CITY OF TEHRAN. WHERE IS THE BRIDGE? WHERE IS THE POWER PLANT? >> WE NEED TO SEE IT AND I THINK. THE PRESIDENT'S INSTINCTS ARE. RIGHT WHEN HE MAKES THESE. THREATS, THOSE THREATS ARE. LEGITIMATE AND IF WE CARRIED. THEM OUT IT WOULD MOVE THE. NEEDLE. >> John: THAT'S THE THING. THE SHIP WAS ATTACKED. NO POWER PLANT, NO BRIDGE WAS.

ATTACKED. >> IF WE TOOK A STEP BACK AND I. WOULD HAVE HOPED THE MEETING. WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF. ISRAEL LAST WEEK WOULD HAVE. HELPED RESET US, WHAT ARE WE. TRYING TO ACHIEVE, HOW ARE WE. GOING TO DO SO AND MAP OUR. TARGETING STRATEGY TO THE THINGS. THAT MATTER MOST TO THE REGIME. AND I THINK THAT CAN MOVE. PEOPLE. >> John: THE PRESIDENT SAID. YESTERDAY IN THE OVAL OFFICE. THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN. ARE GOING TO PROCEED ON TWO. PHASES. LISTEN. SPEAKER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE. STRAIT, THE OPENING OF THE. STRAIT, HAVING IT OPEN LITERALLY.

BY TOMORROW. COMPLETELY OPEN. AND THAT IS PHASE ONE. PHASE TWO IS WE WILL TALK ABOUT. THE NUCLEAR CAPACITY, THE. NUCLEAR, AS WE'VE BEEN. MENTIONING THEY'RE BASICALLY THE. DENUCLEARIZATION. IT HAS TO HAPPEN. HAS TO HAPPEN. >> John: WE WERE TOLD WEEKS. AGO THERE WAS A DEAL TO OPEN THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ, THAT IRAN. AGREED TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR. PROGRAM, ALLOW THE UNITED STATES. TO GET THE NUCLEAR DUST AND NOW. WE ARE BACK TO SQUARE ONE AGAIN.

>> MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS WAY. BACK AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL. THERE WAS ONE AND ONLY ONE. PRECONDITION TO THE ORIGINAL. CEASE FIRE AND THAT WAS IRAN. WOULD OPEN UP THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ, NO STRINGS ATTACHED. THEY NEVER DID. THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH ON. THE MOU. RIGHT NOW EVEN IF THEY MADE A. DEAL I WOULD SEE IT AS HOLLOW, AS WHAT I FEAR OUR THREATS ARE. SEEN AS IN THE EYES OF THE. REGIME. >> John: THEY JUST KEEP. PLAYING THE SAME TUNE OV.