‘REGIME COLLAPSE’: Ted Cruz urges US to arm Iranians to fight their government

WE'RE DOING FINE. SENATOR TED CRUZ IS STANDING BY. WE'LL SPEAK TO HIM IN A MOMENT. FIRST, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS. STEVE HARRIGAN LIVE FROM TEL. AVIV. HI, STEVE. >> DIFFERENT MESSAGES COMING OUT. OF IRAN. IT'S TOUGH TO DECIDE WHICH. FACTION TO BELIEVE. IN PARLIAMENT, TALKING ABOUT. PERHAPS TRYING TO BAN ISRAELI. AND U.S. SHIPS FROM THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ. AT THE SAME TIME, OTHER IRANIAN. OFFICIALS TALKING ABOUT REAL. PROGRESS ON TALKS TO REOPEN THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH OMAN HAVE.

MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID HE'S. PLAYED AN ACTIVE PERSONAL ROLE. IN THOSE NEGOTIATIONS, AND HE. COULD EXPECT AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON. THEM AS EARLY AS TODAY. HERE'S PRESIDENT TRUMP. >> President Trump: I THINK IT'S. GOING TO END PRETTY SOON. I DON'T THINK THEY CAN GO MUCH. LONGER. >> IRAN HAS BEEN DEMANDING FEES. FOR ANY SHIPS THAT GO THROUGH. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. THAT POSITION HAS BEEN REJECTED. BY THE U.S. IT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR ANALYSTS.

HAVE RAISED AN ISSUE OF AND ALSO. CONCERN THAT NO MATTER WHAT. AGREEMENT IS EVENTUALLY SIGNED, REAL QUESTION IS, WILL IRAN LIVE. UP TO IT OR UPHOLD ANY DEAL AT. ALL. HERE'S GENERAL KEANE. >> WE KNOW THEY WON'T COMPLY. WITH A DEAL EVEN IF THEY SIGN SO. IT THE UNITED STATES HAS TO GO. INTO THIS CLEARLY KNOWING FULL. WELL, LET'S GIVE THIS A TRY BUT. IF THE IRANIANS DON'T COOPERATE. HERE, THEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO. MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS.

>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS. MAINTAINED THAT THE U.S. BLOCKADE ON IRANIAN PORTS, ALSO. THE THREAT OF RENEWED MILITARY. ACTION, WILL BE ENOUGH LEVERAGE. TO ENFORCE ANY DEAL. MARTHA, BACK TO YOU. >> Martha: STEVE HAIR DAN IN TEL. AVIV. THANK YOU. WITH THAT WE BRING IN TEXAS. REPUBLICAN SENATOR T TED CRUZ W. IS COMMITTEES INCLUDE JUDICIAL. AIR AND FOREIGN RELATIONS. GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US TODAY. >> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. >> Martha: THANK YOU. YOU SAID RECENTLY WHAT WE SHOULD. BE DOING IS ARMING THE IRANIAN.

WHO IS OPPOSE THEIR GOVERNMENT. AND REGIME CHANGE NEEDS TO BE. THE GOAL. WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING. DIFFERENTLY HERE? >> WELL, LISTEN, I THINK THE. PRESIDENT HAS HAD EXTRAORDINARY. LEADERSHIP STANDING UP TO THE. THREAT OF IRAN. THE AYATOLLAH AND THE ISLAMIC. REGIME THERE HAVE BEEN WAGING. WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES FOR. 47 CONTINUOUS YEARS. THEY HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S. NUMBER ONE LEADING FUNDER OF. TERRORISM ACROSS THE GLOBE. THEY HAVE KILLED NEARLY A. THOUSAND AMERICANS.

AND THE AYATOLLAH TWICE HIRED. HITMAN TO TRY AND MURDER. PRESIDENT TRUMP. SO PRESIDENT TRUMP EARLIER THIS. YEAR ACTED DECISIVELY AS. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF TO TAKE OUT. THEIR MILITARY CAPACITY AND. PREVENT THEM FROM ACQUIRING A. NUCLEAR WEAPON. HE WAS RIGHT TO DO SO. IN MY VIEW THE OBJECTIVE SHOULD. BE REGIME COLLAPSE. THIS IS A REGIME LED BY. THEOCRATIC LUNATICS WHO HATE US, WHO CHANT "DEATH TO AMERICA,". WHO OVER AND OVER AGAIN, HAVE.

DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY ARE. WILLING TO KILL AMERICANS AND. THEY HAVE KILLED AMERICANS OVER. AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO WHAT I HAVE URGED FROM THE. BEGINNING OF THIS CONFLICT IS. FOR US TO ARM THE IRANIAN. PROTESTORS. LOOK, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT. GOING TO SEND AMERICAN BOOTS ON. THE GROUND. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE AMERICAN. SOLDIERS IN HARM'S WAY IN IRAN. BUT THE PROTESTORS, THERE ARE. MILLIONS OF PROTESTORS THERE. THAT ARE LIVING UNDER THIS. ISLAMIC TYRANNY, THIS FORCED. SHARIA LAW, AND THEY WANT TO BE. FREE. WE SAW AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS.

CONFLICT, BETWEEN 10,000 AND. 40,000 PROTESTORS MURDERED BY. THE REGIME. IT'S NOT FAIR TO EXPECT. PROTESTORS WITH ROCKS TO STAND. UP TO SOLDIERS WITH MACHINE GUNS. IN. WE ARMED THE PROTESTORS, THE. IRANIANS COULD BE IN CHARGE OF. DETERMINING THEIR OWN FUTURE. INSTEAD OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN. HARM'S WAY. >> Martha: I THINK EVERYBODY. WANTS THE PEOPLE OF IRAN TO HAVE. THE HOUR OF FREEDOM THAT THE. PRESIDENT TALKED ABOUT AT THE. BEGINNING OF THIS CONFLICT.

THAT FREEDOM WAS AT HAND, AND --. IT'S HARD TO KNOW THE NUMBERS. BUT MANY WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE. OVERTHROW OF THE REGIME BUT HOW. CLOSE DO YOU THINK THE REGIME IS. TO BEING TIPPED OVER? >> I THINK THEY ARE HANGING ON. BY A THREAD. THEIR ECONOMY IS IN A FREE FALL. THEIR BALLISTIC MISSILES HAVE. BEEN ALMOST T ENTIRELY DESTROYE. THEIR DRONE HAS BEEN DECIMATED. THEIR NAVY IS SUNK AT THE BOTTOM. OF THE OCEAN. THEIR NUCLEAR WEAPONS FACILITIES. ARE IN RUBBLE. I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS. UNLEASHED DEVASTATING FORCE ON.

THE MILITARY AND THE ECONOMY. RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, THE IRGC DOES. NOT FACE ARMED OPPOSITION. I REMEMBER BACK MORE THAN 20. YEARS AGO, WHEN TIANANMEN. SQUARE, WHEN THAT GIANT PROTEST. HAPPENED, AND A WEEK LATER, THE. NRA BOUGHT A FULL PAGE AD ACROSS. THE COUNTRY AND THE FULL PAGE AD. HAD A PICTURE OF EVERYONE AT. TIANANMEN SQUARE, AND IT SAID ON. THE AD, LAST WEEK, MORE THAN A. MILLION PEOPLE ROSE UP IN.

PROTEST IN TIANANMEN SQUARE. IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. IF THEY HAD HAD GUNS? I REMEMBER READING THAT AT THE. TIME AND GOING, WOW! OKAY, THAT'S NOT A PROTEST, THEN. THAT'S A REVOLUTION. AND SO LOOK, THERE WERE EARLY. DISCUSSIONS, EARLIER THIS YEAR. IN THE ADMINISTRATION ABOUT. ARMING THE PROTESTORS, AND IN. PARTICULAR ARMING THE KURDS, WHO. HAVE BEEN A VERY LOYAL AMERICAN. ALLY IN MULTIPLE CONFLICTS. THE PUBLIC REPORTING WAS THAT.

THAT IDEA WAS KILLED BECAUSE. ERDOGAN IN TURKEY DIDN'T LIKE. IT. LOOK, AT THE END OF THE DAY I. DON'T CARE IF ERDOGAN DOESN'T. LIKE IT. IT'S IN OUR INTEREST NOT TO HAVE. A THEOCRATIC LUNATIC LEADING. IRAN WHO IS ACTIVEVELY TRYING T. AND TRAGICALLY SUCCEEDING IN. KILLING AMERICANS, AND SO I. THINK WE OUGHT TO GO DOWN THAT. ROAD. >> Martha: SO HOW WOULD YOU GO. DOWN THAT ROAD? WE HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT THAT. SINCE THE EARLY DAYS, AS YOU. JUST POINTED OUT. THERE WAS THIS PUSH, THAT LOOKED. LIKE REGIME CHANGE WAS WHAT WAS.

GOING TO HAPPEN AND WE KNOW. ISRAEL SAID THEY WANTED TO. ESSENTIALLY UNDERMINE THE REGIME. UNTIL IT COLLAPSED OF ITS OWN. WEIGHT. THAT'S NOT WHERE WE SEEM TO BE. RIGHT NOW SO WHAT'S A PRACTICAL. WAY TO ARM THE PEOPLE OF IRAN. AGAINST THEIR GOVERNMENT? IT FEELS LIKE THAT MOMENT HAS. PASSED. >> WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO. THAT. THE CIA HAS DONE THAT IN OTHER. CONFLICTS WHERE WE'VE ARMED. REBELS STANDING UP.

YOU'RE TALKING SMALL ARMS. YOU'RE NOT TALKING TANKS AND. BAZOOKKAS BUT THE ABILITY TO. FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE IRGC, WE. HAVE THAT CAPABILITY. THAT HASN'T HAPPENED IS MAKING. THE DECISION TO USE IT. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. ARTICULATED MILITARY O OBJECTIV. BUT THEY HELD SHORT OF SAYING. THE OBJECTIVE WAS REGIME. COLLAPSE. I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE AFTER THE. IRAQ WAR, THE PHRASE REGIME.

CHANGE IS RADIOACTIVE. I UNDERSTAND THAT. I THOUGHT THE IRAQ WAR WAS A. MISTAKE. I OPPOSED THE IRAQ WARAR. PRESIDENT TR.