'RUNNING OUT OF MONEY': Iran is approaching FINANCIAL 'COLLAPSE'

STEVE HARRIGAN IS LIVE IN TEL. AVIV WITH THE VERY LATEST. GOOD MORNING, STEVE. >> GOOD MORNING, GRIFF. IRANIAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY PLAN. TO PUT INTO EFFECT AN EXCLUSION. ZONE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ TO. GIVE THEM FURTHER CONTROL OVER.

SHIPS THAT PASS THROUGH THE. STRAIT BUT THEY DON'T GIVE ANY. DETAILS YET ON HOW THEY PLAN TO. ENFORCE THAT EXCLUSION ZONE. HERE IS THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL. SECURITY COUNCIL IN IRAN. >> IN THE COMING DAYS AND WEEKS. WE WILL ANNOUNCE RESTRICTIVE. EXCLUSION ZONES OUTSIDE OF THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. >> WE WILL DECLARE IT A. PROHIBITIVE ZONE MEANING ANY. SHIP THAT ENTERS THIS AREA WITH. THE INTENTION OF PASSING THROUGH. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND IS. IDENTIFIED BREAKING OUR.

SANCTIONS. >> IT'S MOVE BY IRAN COMES AFTER. THE U.S. HIT THREE IRANIAN OIL. TANKERS ON SATURDAY. THE U.S. ATTACKS WERE IN. RETALIATION FOR AN IRANIAN. ATTACK. IRAN LAUNCHED TWO BALLISTIC. MISSILES ON U.S. WARSHIPS THAT. ATTACK BY IRAN FAILED BUT THE. VERY FACT THEY WERE TARGETING. NOT COMMERCIAL SHIPPING BUT U.S. WARSHIPS WAS SEEN BY MANY AS A. DANGEROUS ESCALATION. U.S. OFFICIALS NOW SAY THE STRIP. HAS BEEN CLEARED OF SEA MINES. AND THE U.S. IS ESCORTING MORE.

AND MORE SHIPS THROUGH THE. STRAIT EACH WEEK. >> WE KNOW EVERY SHIP, THE NAME. OF THE SHIP, WHAT IT'S CARRYING, YOU KNOW, IN THESE CONVOYS WE. ARE PUSHING. SO WE DID INDEED GET JUST UNDER. 18 MILLION BARRELS OF CRUDE IN A. 24-HOUR PERIOD EARLIER LAST WEEK. AND THE RUNNING AVERAGE RIGHT. NOW IS OVER 9 MILLION BARRELS A. DAY. >> AND 20 U.S. WARSHIPS CONTINUE. TO ENFORCE A BLOCKADE ON IRAN'S. PORTS. GRIFF, BACK TO YOU.

>> Griff: STEVE HARRIGAN LIVE. FOR US IN TEL AVIV, THANK YOU. VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT, JOINING US NOW, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY. ADVISER AND HERITAGE FOUNDATION. VICE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL. SECURITY VICTORIA COATES. GOOD MORNING, VICTORIA. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I WANT TO PICK UP WHERE STEVE. LEFT OFF. OBVIOUSLY IRAN ANNOUNCING THESE. EXCLUSION ZONES, HOW DO WE. ANTICIPATE THEY WILL TRY TO. ENFORCE THIS BECAUSE WE ARE. SEEING JUST A DAY AFTER DAY OF A. TIT-FOR-TAT IN THE SITUATION IN. HORMUZ. >> WELL, GRIFF, GOOD MORNING.

YEAH, IF THE IRANIANS COULD. IMPOSE EXCLUSIONARY ZONE IN THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ, THEY WOULD. HAVE DONE IT SIX MONTHS AGO AND. THEIR CAPABILITIES WERE MUCH. GREATER SIX MONTHS AGO. SO THEY ARE VERY LONG. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THESE SORT OF. THINGS AND VERY SHORT ON THE. ABILITY TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT. THEM AT THIS POINT. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, THE. UNITED STATES CONTROLS THE. STRAIT. WE ARE GETTING INCREASING. SHIPPING GOING OUT AND WHAT IS. NOT GOING OUT THOUGH IS IRANIAN. OIL. AND WHAT IS NOT COMING IN ARE. THE DESPERATELY NEEDED IMPORTS.

THAT IRAN RUNS ON. SO THEIR ECONOMIC SITUATION IS. BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIRE, APPROACHING COLLAPSE, IT WAS. DISCUSSED TODAY THAT THEY'RE. RECENTLY RAISED THEIR MINIMUM. WAGE BY 60%, A COUPLE MONTHS. AGO. THAT CAN'T KEEP UP WITH. INFLATION. IT'S ALREADY BEEN SURPASSED. PEOPLE ALREADY CAN'T AFFORD FOOD. ON THOSE WAGES. AND THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF. MONEY TO PAY THEM. >> Griff: YOU ARE RIGHTS. IRANIAN CONCERN VALUATION WAS. 2 MILLION RIAL TO 1 U.S. DOLLAR.

NO DOUBT THEY ARE SUFFERING. ECONOMICALLY. THIS COMBINATION OF THE. ADMINISTRATION'S ECONOMIC. STRANGULATION ALONG HOLDING ONTO. THE STRAIT AND CONTINUING TO. RESPOND TO ESCALATIONS. WE TALKED TO IRAN IS PLAYING. OUT. WHAT ABOUT THE MIDTERMS? WE KNOW IRAN IS WATCHING OUR. MIDTERMS. AND THEY BELIEVE THEY STILL HAVE. AN EDGE BY MAKING THIS A. DIFFICULT DOMESTIC ISSUE FOR THE. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICANS. >> WELL, OF COURSE THEY ARE. I MEAN, EVERYONE AROUND THE. WORLD IS WATCHING THE AMERICAN. MIDTERMS.

IT'S AN OBJECT OF FASCINATION AT. THIS POINT. I DON'T KNOW, GRIFF, THAT THEY. COULD EVEN MAKE IT TO THE. MIDTERMS. THE OTHER THING THAT CROSSED. OVERNIGHT IS ONE OF THE NEW. SUPREME LEADERS LUXURY. PENTHOUSES IN LONDON WHICH WAS. PURCHASED A COUPLE YEARS AGO BY. HIS BROKER ALIEN SAARI IS ON THE. MARKET. IT WAS BOUGHT FOR $19 MILLION. AND AFTER ANSARI WAS SANCTIONED. BY THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT IN. JULY, IT IS NOW WENT INTO.

RECEIVERSHIP NOW ON $12 MILLION. IF ANY OF YOUR AUDIENCE IS IN. THE MARKET. AT THE SAME TIME, THAT'S A FIRE. SALE OF THE SUPREME LEADER'S. PERSONAL ASSET WHICH THIS H. BEEN STOLEN FROM THE IRANIAN. PEOPLE. WE ARE GETTING DOWN TO BRASS. TACKS HERE. >> LEFT SHIFT GEARS QUICKLY. WHILE WE TIME AND ASK YOU ABOUT. JARED KUSHNER, STEVE WITKOFF, THE U.S. ENVOY HOLDING TALKS. WITH ZELENSKYY IN KYIV A DAY. AFTER MEETING WITH PUTIN AND. RUSSIAN OFFICIALS IN MOSCOW OVER.

THE WEEKEND. THEY BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE. SIGNS OF REAL PROGRESS BEING. MADE IN TRYING TO FIND SOME SORT. OF PEACE DEAL, SOME SORT OF SEAS. FIRE. THIS AS WE BORE TO HEAD INTO. WHAT THEY CALL FIGHTING SEASON. IN UKRAINE. WHAT'S YOUR READ ON IF? >> WELL, THIS IS THE. ADMINISTRATION WALKING AND. CHEWING GUM AT THE SAME TIME. ATTENDING TO TWO MASSIVE PROBLEM. SETS HERE. AND GOOD TO SEE MR. WITKOFF AND. JARED GO TO BOTH MOSCOW AND. KYIV, HOPEFULLY THE PRESSURE. THAT THE UKRAINIANS HAVE PUT ON. THE RUSSIANS OVER THE SUMMER ARE.

AFFECTING PUTIN'S CALCULUS. OF COURSE, UKRAINE WANTS TO WRAP. THIS UP AND GET BACK TO BEING A. PRODUCTIVE COUNTRY. START LOOKING AT THEIR. PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EUROPEAN. UNION. SO, HOPEFULLY, THERE'S A MUTUAL. INTEREST IN GETTING TO PEACE NOT. GOING THROUGH ANOTHER GRINDING. AS YOU SAY FIGHTING SEASON. STOPPING THE THOUSANDS OF. KILLINGS AND FINALLY WRAPPING. THIS THING UP. >> Griff: WE'LL SEE WHERE IT. GOES AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL G.