STRAIT TENSIONS: CENTCOM says US blockade redirected 45 ships

N. ALL THE TIME. >> Martha: THANK YOU. LET'S BRING IN MARC THIESSEN. ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US. YOU HEAR THIS OPTIMISM FROM THE. TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT. THAT THERE COULD BE A DEAL THE. DEAL COULD BE IMMINENT. WE HEAR FROM THE IRANIAN SIDE. THAT THEY ARE NOT REALLY TALKING. TO US BUT TALKING TO OMAN. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT? >> THEY ARE TATALKING TO US. THEY TALK TO US AND DENY BECAUSE. THEY WANT TO SAVE FACE. HERE'S THE WAY I LOOK AT IT.

IRAN HAS BEEN WAGING WAR ON THE. UNITED STATES FOR 47 YEARS UNDER. NINE DIFFERENT PRESIDENT'S. DONALD TRUMP IS THE FIRST WHO. EVER FOUGHT BACK AND HE. ACCOMPLISHED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT. OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HE ENTOMBED. THEIR NUCLEAR PROGRAM DESTROYING. 85% OF THEIR DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL. BASE. HE SUNK THEIR NAVY AND GROUNDED. THEIR AIR FORCE AND DECIMATED. THEIR BALLISTIC MISSILES. THESE ARE HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. BUT WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. WHEN WE HAD THE CEASE FIRE IN. APRIL WE STOPPED AT THE 20-YARD. LINE. WE WERE NOT DONE WITH THE.

MILITARY CAMPAIGN AND THERE ARE. ABOUT 14 DAYS OF BOMBING TO GO. TO FINISH THE JOB MILITARILY. IF IT TURNS OUT THAT WE ARE ONLY. GOING TO GO TO THE 20-YARD LINE, I'M WILLING TO LIVE WITH THAT. IT'S 80 YARDS BETTER THAN ANY. PRESIDENT BEFORE HIM AND IT'S A. HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT BUT WE HAVE. THIS OPPORTUNITY HERE TO. IRREVERSIBLY CHANGE THE COURSE. OF THE MIDDLE EAST SITTING RIGHT. HERE FOR THE PRESIDENT TO SEIZE. AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, I DON'T. KNOW IF IT'S CONCERNED ABOUT THE.

MARKETS OR GAS PRICES OR THE. MIDTERMS, THE ADMINISTRATION IS. HESITATING TO SEIZE THAT. OPPORTUNITY. MAYBE THEY WILL TAKE IT AFTER. THE MIDTERMS, I DON'T KNOW BUT. WE SEEM TO BE IN THIS PATTERN. WHERE WE ARE IN A CUL DE SAC. SINCE APRIL OF NEGOTIATE AND. THEN THE IRANIANS VIOLATE AND. THEN WE RETALIATE AND NEGOTIATE. AGAIN. WE THREATEN ANAND IT JUST SEEMSO. BE NEVER ENDING AND SO IF THAT'S. WHERE WE ARE GOING TO BE, IF. THIS IS THE MOST WE CAN ACHIEVE, IT'S MORE THAN ANY PRESIDENT IN. MY LIFETIME HAS DONE TO SET BACK. THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

>> Martha: YOU HAVE TO ENTER. ANY CONVERSATION WITH THAT AS A. BASIS UNDERSTANDING THERE HAS. BEEN A MILITARY ACTION THAT HAS. BEEN DECISIVE AND EFFECTIVE. AGAINST IRAN BUT YOU DEFINITELY. HAVE TO FINISH THE JOB CAMP. VERSUS THE LET'S GET OUT OF. THERE AND MAKE SURE PRICES COME. DOWN CAMP. HOW MUCH CREDENCE DO YOU PUT IN. THIS IDEA THAT IT'S THE SAUDIS. SAYING PLEASE BACK OFF OR ARE WE. JUST -- IS THAT IN THE INTEREST. OF LOWER GAS PRICES THAT IT.

HELPS TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT THE. SAUDIS AND THE OTHER GULF STATES. WANT US TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE. OR IS THAT THE REAL REASON? >> IT'S S CERTAINLY PART OF THE. REASON AND THE SAUDIS ARE. TELLING THE ADMINISTRATION NOT. TO DO IT AND THE ANSWER SHOULD. BE YOU'VE BEEN HIDING UNDER OUR. NUCLEAR UMBRELLA FOR FIVE. DECADES AND NOW YOU HAVE TO LINE. UP BEHIND US AND LET US FINISH. THE JOB. I'M SORRY, SAUDI ARABIA DOES NOT. DICTATE TO THE UNITED STATES. DONALD TRUMP WOULD NOT SIT BACK. AND LET NATO TELL HIM WHAT TO. DO, RIGHT.

SO WHY DOES HE LET THEM? THE MESSAGE IS WE ARE FINISHING. THE JOB, WHY NOT GET BEHIND US. AND STOP CHIRPING BECAUSE WE. HAVE BEEN PROTECTING YOU FOR. DECADES AND NOW YOU NEED TO BACK. US UP. >> Martha: DOESN'T IT BENEFIT. THE SAUDIS AS WELL? THEY'VE BEEN IN LOTS OF BATTLES. WITH THE HOUTHIS AND IRANIAN. PROXIES AND REALLY IRAN IS THE. OUTLIER IN THE GULF REGION THAT. DOES NOT SEEM TO WANT TO. PROGRESS TOWARDS A BRIGHTER. FUTURE OR A STRONGER ECONOMY FOR.

ALL OF THESE COUNTRIES. >> IT'S A MASSIVE LACK OF. COURAGE IN SAUDI ARABIA AND. QATAR AND SOME OF THESE OTHER. COUNTRIES. A MASSIVE LACK OF COURAGE AND. THE PROBLEM IS THAT AS MUCH AS. WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND I GIVE. DONALD TRUMP ENORMOUS CREDIT, IT'S NOT IRREVEVERSIBLE RIGHT N. THE ONLY WAY THIS BECOMES. IRREVERSIBLE IS IF WE DESTROYED. 85% OF THEIR INDUSTRIAL BASE. THEY CAN BUILD WITH 15%. WE HAVE TO FINISH 95, 99% AND. THEN WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WE.

NEED TO HAVE A COVID ACTION PLAN. TO HELP P THE IRANIAN PEOPLE. OVERTHROW THE REGIME BECAUSE WE. DID IT DURING THE COLD WAR AND. WE CAN DO IT AGAIN AND IF WE. DON'T DO THAT IT WILL JUST BE A. PROBLEM THAT ANOTHER PRESIDENT. WILL INHERIT AND THEY WON'T HAVE. THE COURAGE OF DONALD TRUMP. >> Martha: PRESIDENT TRUMP. SAID THE HOUR OF FREEDOM IS NEAR. AND THAT GAVE THEM AN ENORMOUS. AMOUNT OF ENCOURAGEMENT. >> HELP IS ON THE WAY. >> Martha: AND THEY ARE IN A. VERY TOUGH SPOT SO WE WILL SEE. WHERE THIS GOES THE PRESIDENT. SAYS THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE AT.

THE NEGOTIAT.