Martha MacCallum: Iran, Houthis CANNOT control 2 major waterways

>> WHERE ARE YOU ON THIS. SOMETHING IN BETWEEN? I'M UNENDED IS WHERE I AM AT AND. I WOULD NOT BE SO ARROGANT TO. SAY I DO NOT KNOW HOW IT SHOULD. HAPPEN.

I KNOW SOME PARTS ON THE. PERIPHERY SUCH AS, IF HE'S. SAYING HE NEEDS THE GOLF STATES. TO ALIGN BEHIND HIM IN ORDER TO. MAKE THAT DECISION, IT SEEMS TO. BE KIND OF WHAT HE WAS SAYING, MEET WITH THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY. WANT. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO PULLED. THEM BACK MORE THAN ONCE. ALREADY. THE REASON WHY IS THEY WANT. SOMETHING FROM US THAT WE DON'T. HAVE TO GIVE. OUR INTERCEPTORS, ALL OF THESE. STATES HAVE SPENT A LOT OF. THINGS, THEY HAVEN'T SPENT THEIR. MONEY THE WAY INHAS. YOU TALK ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA.

OR -- MONEY THE WAY IRAN HAS. YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE US ALONE. AND NOW THAT'S BEING CALLED TO. THE CARPET. THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT, IF THE. U.S. CAN ESSENTIALLY DEFEND. THEM. I THINK WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS, IT'S TIME TO INVEST AND BE ABLE. TO DEFEND YOURSELF AND WE WOULD. BE A GOOD PARTNER FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S VERY COMPLILICATEDN. MY OPINION, AND IT'S GOING TO. COME DOWN TO WHAT PRESIDENT. TRUMP AND MARCO RUBIO AND. SECRETARY HEGSETH WHAT THEY CAN. CONVINCE THE GULF STATES IS THE.

BEST BET. IF THAT'S THE STATES AND THE. GULF STATES CAN BATTEN DOWN THE. HATCHES AND TAKE WHATEVER IRAN. HAS LEFT TO GIVE I THINK WE. COULD GO IN AND FINISH THIS OFF. YOU HEAR THE REPORTS. I UNDERSTAND SHE WELL WHAT IT. TAKES TO PRODUCE WHAT WE NEED, AND THERE IS A LOGJAM, COMING. FROM YEARS OF BUREAUCRACY. TRYING TO FIX THAT BUT YOU CAN'T. DO IT OVERNIGHT. >> MARTHA, IT ALSO SEEMS LIKE.

THE IRANIAN GOODS ARE NOT IN. GOOD SHAPE. THEY ARE STUCK IN THEIR OWN. COUNTRY. IRAN CAN'T USE THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ THE WAY IT WANTS TO BUT. APART FROM PEOPLE SAYING. GASOLINE PRICES ARE UP DO YOU. THINK THAT VICTORY IS POSSIBLE. HERE AND WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE. TO YOU? >> I THINK YOU CAN'T HAVE A. SITUATION WHERE IRAN AND THE. HOUTHIS CONTROL THE TWO MAJOR. WATERWAYS IN THE REGION, AND I. THINK THE GULF STATES ARE MORE. AWARE OF THAT REALLY THAN. ANYONE. I THINK, WHEN THE GULF STATES. LOOK AT THE SITUATION, IN THEIR. HEART OF HEARTS I BELIEVE THEY.

WOULD LOVE FOR IRAN TO BE VASTLY. DIMINISHED, TO NOT HAVE ANY. POWER OVER THIS REGION, AND. BEFORE, IF YOU BACK UP TO THE. ABRAHAM ACCORDS WE WERE LIVING. IN A WORLD WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE. MANY OF THE GULF STATES AND. HOPEFULLY SOON THE SAUDIS WOULD. BASICALLY JOIN FORCES WITH THE. UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL TO FORM. AN ECONOMIC BLOC IN THE REGION, OUTSIDE OF OIL, HAD A VERY. STRONG ECONOMY. WHO HAS NEVER WANTED TO PLAY. THAT GAME? IRAN. IRAN NEEDS TO BE CONTINUALLY.

ISOLATED BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ON. THE SAME PAGE, AND I REALIZE. THAT THE GULF STATES HAVE MANY. DIFFERENT GOALS, AMONG THEM. THEY ARE NOT A BLOC, BUT THEY. HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY WANT TO. ADVANCE AND BE PART OF THE WORLD. ECONOMY IN A WAY THAT IRAN HAS. SHOWN NO SIGN OF WANTING TO DO. NOW, IRAN WOULD SAY, WE HAVE. BEEN BATTERED BY THESE SANCTIONS. ALL OF THESE YEARS AND WE CAN'T. ELEVATE OUR OWN PEOPLE. THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN TOLD ME. THAT IN AN INTERVIEW THE LAST. TIME HE WAS IN TOWN FOR THE U.N.

IT'S ALL EVERYONE ELSE'S FAULT. THEIR WEAPONS ARE MORE. FORMIDABLE THAT ANYBODY THOUGHT. THIS IS A DIFFICULT ELECTION FOR. TRUMP. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO END. ANY TIME SOON AND I DON'T THINK. IT'S GOING TO END BEFORE THE. ELECTION AS MUCH AS HE WANTS IT. TO. IF THAT HAPPENS AND THERE IS. GREAT OUTCOME, ALL THE BETTER. BUT WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE AT THIS. POINT. >> FROM THE BEGINNING PRESIDENT. TRUMP HAS SAID HE HOPES IF THE. IRANIAN PEOPLE WILL TAKE OVER. THE GOVERNMENT.

WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN BUT. THAT'S NOT OUR JOB. >> WE HAVE 300,000 IRANIANS. SUPPORTING THE CURRENT REGIME IN. A RERECENT SHOW, PUBLIC SHOWING. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS. >> IT'S SOMETHING. IN A COUNTRY LIKE IRAN 300,000, IT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET, RIGHT? BUT WHO KNOWS. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE SENTIMENT IS. ON THE GROUND THERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE, MARTHA, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE. GULF STATES IN A WAY, WOULD THE.

PEOPLE AT THIS TABLE, WOULD YOU. SAY THAT THIS IS A TRUE. STATEMENT: THE UNITED STATES HAS. BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE. GULF STATES, UAE, SAUDI ARABIA, BAHRAIN, AND KUWAIT. >> AND QATAR. >> AND QATAR, DURING THEY DID. DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND GULF. WAR. WOULD YOU SAY THAT'S TRUE? >> YES. I THINK RELATIONS WITH THAT. REGION ARE STRONGER THAN EVER, AND I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP.

WOULULD BE WISE TO STRESS THAT,O. TALK ABOUT THAT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HE'S. MEETING WITH THEM SO MAYBE WE'LL. HAVE GOOD NEWS OUT OF THERE BUT. THIS WILL END AND IT WILL END --. YOU KNOW, THE UNITED STATES IS. NOT GOING TO COME IN AND BE THE. ONLY PLAYER HERE. THE UNITED STATES IS WORKING. WITH THE GULF STATES IN THIS, AND IRAN IS BECOMING LESS. POWERFUL AS A RESULT THROUGH ALL. OF THIS. THAT'S THE WAY IT'S GOING TO. END, AND I THINK STRESSING THAT,

THAT'S THE POSITIVE THING. >> Harold: I'M NOT CONVINCED. TOM AND I AGREE ON A LOT OF. THINGS AND HERE'S WHY. JOEY LAID OUT SOME OF THE. ELEMENTS. I THINK WE'VE LOST OUR LEVERAGE, AS WE SIT HERE CURRENTLY BECAUSE. WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF OUR ALLIES. OUTSIDE OF THE GULF. REMEMBER, WHENEVER WE'VE GONE IN. AND WE HAVE TAKEN MILITARY. ACTION AGAINST THE IRANIANS, THEY HAVE RESPONDED BY TAKING. OUT ASSETS OF OURS OR ATTACKING. ASSETS OF OURS IN THE GULF OR. EVEN ATTACKING THEIR GULF.

NEIGHBORS, WHICH HAS ENRAGED. THEM BUT ALSO REMINDING THEIR. NEIGHBORS THEY ARE STILL. POWERFUL. WE'VE DEPLETED A LOT OF OUR. MUNITIONS, OBVIOUSLY THERE AS. WELL AS UKRAINE AND THE COUNTRY, WE DON'T HAVE THE WILL TO GO TO. WAR. SO THE LEVERAGE I THINK HAS. SHIFTED. NOT BECAUSE I WANT IT TO. THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT OF. SUPPORT FOR THIS, BUT THE. LEVERAGE HAS SHIFTED TO THE. IRANIANS. WHAT'S COME OUT OF THIS IS THEY. CONTROL THE STRAIT AND OTHER. ECONOMIC PASSAGEWAY. IF YOU'RE ON THE IRANIAN SIDE, I.

THINK ABOUT THIS A LOT BECAUSE I. CARE ABOUT THIS AS WE ALL DO. THE IRANIANS, TO YOUR POINT, WANTING IT TO END. I THINK THE IRANIANS SAY, WE'LL. END IT IF YOU PROMISE TO STOP. ATTACKING US, GIVE US MONEY TO. HELP US REBUILD OUR COUNTRY AND. WE MAY NOT CHARGE YOU ON THE. ECONOMIC PASSAGEWAYS. THAT UNFORTUNATELY IS WHERE WE. ARE IN THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE. THE PRESIDENT SAID IN THE LAST. TWO DAYS, I'M GOING TO THINK. ABOUT THIS. I'M GOING TO GO BIG OR NOT. IF HE GOES BIG, THEY ARE GOING. TO ATTACK K OUR GULF NEIGHBORS, GASOLINE PRICES WILL GO UP, AND.

IF HE DOES NOTHING, THEY WILL. CONTINUE TO SAY HE ALWAYS TALKS. AND HE NEVER DOES ANYTHING. I DON'T ENVY -- I'M NOT ROOTING. FOR THE PRESIDENT TO BE IN THIS. BAD POSITION BUT WE'RE IN A. POSITION WHERE WE'VE LOST. LEVERAGE FROM MARCH 1, AS WE SIT. HERE, ALMOST ON OCTOBER 1, AND I. CAN TELL YOU, NO POLITICIAN --. WE CAN SAY WHAT WE WANT TO SAY. ABOUT THE PRESIDENT. HE'S STRONG. BUT IF HE ATTACKS GASOLINE. PRICES ARE GOING UP. >> NOBODY WANTS GASOLINE PRICES. TO GO UP. >> THE IRANIAN REGIME IS.

DECAPITATED. THAT'S WHERE --. >> Harold: BUT TOM, IF THEY ARE. SO DECAPITATED HOW ARE THEY. STILL CONTROLLING THE. PASSAGEWAY? I AGREE, WHAT IT WAS IS NOT BUT. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THERE. AND WE KID OURSELVES IF WE DON'T. THINK THE SOVIETS OR THE. RUSSIANS, THTHE SOVIETS ARE. HELPING THEM TO REBUILD AND. RECONSTITUTE. >> TARGETING AND SENDING THEM. THE EQUIPMENT THEY NEED TO. CONTINUE TO REBUILD AND I THINK. THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE THAT HAS TO. BE ADDRESSED. THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS LEVEL OF.

COMPETENCE ON THEIR OWN. THEY HAVE IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE. BACK-UP. >> Harold: I AGREE. >> WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED. WE'RE NOT AT A DEFICIT. THE LEVERAGE THAT YOU SEE US. LOSING IS HERE AT HOME WITH. MIDTERMS ON THE HORIZON. I DON'T THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP IS. EVEN PLAYING THAT GAME. HE'S PLAYING THAT GAME ABROAD. BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE HAS TO WIN. AT THIS POINT. OPENING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. ISN'T WINNING G THIS. THAT'S REALLY ACCEPTING OR. CONCEDING THAT THERE WAS. SOMETHING THERE. >> Harold: I'M TELLING YOU WHAT. THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID. >> I DON'T THINK IRAN HAS.

LEVERAGED. THEY WERE TRYING TO TALK WITH. THE SAUDIS AND THEY WALK AWAY. BECAUSE THEY KNOW IRAN IS CRAZY. ENOUGH TO THINK THEY ARE GOING. TO CONTROL THE STRAIT. ONE THING ABOUT IRAN AND THE. STRAIT IS THEY KNOW THEY CAN. ONLY DO IT ONCE. >> THE AMERICAN PEOPLE A.