Trump: Iran talks are ‘MOVING ALONG NICELY’

>> Martha: TODAY OR TOMORROW, THAT IS THE LATEST FROM. PRESIDENT TRUMP ON A POTENTIAL. TIMELINE TO REOPEN THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. SO WE WAIT FOR ANY INFORMATION. THAT CROSSES ON A POSSIBLE DEAL. HERE. OIL PRICES TAKING A TUMBLE ON. HOPES OF A DEAL. 75 AND CHANGE RIGHT NOW PER. BARREL FOR CRUDE OIL. HERE IS THE PRESIDENT LAST NIGHT. WITH TRACE GALLAGHER. >> President Donald Trump: THEY.

WOULDN'T BE TALKING IF WE. WEREN'T DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE HIT THEM VERY, VERY HARD BUT. THE HARD HIT IS YET TO COME AND. HOPEFULLY WE WON'T HAVE TO USE. IT. WE'RE HAVING VERY GOOD. DISCUSSIONS. THEY DON'T LIKE TO ADMIT IT. THEY WANT TO MAKE A DEAL. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS F THEY. DON'T MAKE A DEAL, IT'S GOING TO. BE TOO BAD. >> Martha: CHIEF CORRESPONDENT. STEVE HARRIGAN REPORTS FROM TEL. AVIV. >> Reporter: OFFICIAL INSIDE. BAHRAIN SAYING THEIR COUNTRY IS. COMING UNDER ATTACK FROM IRAN. THIS TIME IT IS BALLISTIC. MISSILES TARGETITING BAHRAIN AN.

THAT COMES AS PRESIDENT TRUMP. CONTINUES TO MENTION THE VERY. OPTIMISTIC POSSIBILITY OF A. DEAL, A DEAL ON THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ THAT WOULD ALLOW THE FREE. PASSAGE OF COMMERCIAL SHIPPING. THROUGH HORMUZ. THIS COULD TAKE PLACE AS EARLY. AS TODAY. HERE'S PRESIDENT TRUMP. >> President Donald Trump: THERE. ARE A LOT OF PROGRESS HAS BEEN. MADE. THEY CALLED ME AND THEY SAID, PLEASE, LET'S TALK. THEY WANT TO TALK. BUT THE FUNNY THING IS THEY. NEVER MENTIONED THAT. THEY ALWAYS SAY, WE'RE NOT. TALKING. BUT THEY GO, THEY WANT TO TALK. WE'VE BEEN TALKING.

>> Reporter: IRAN CONTINUES TO. INSIST THAT THERE ARE NO DIRECT. TALKS UNDERWAY WITH THE U.S. THEY DO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT THEY. ARE NEGOTIATING WITH OMAN AND. THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND. REALLY TALKING ABOUT WHAT A HIT. IRAN'S ECONOMY IS TAKING FROM. THE WAR AND FROM THE U.S. BLOCKADE. THEY ESTIMATE IRAN'S CURRENT. LEVEL OF INFLATION AT NEAR 70%. MARTHA, BACK TO YOU. >> Martha: STEVE, THANK YOU VERY. MUCH. WITH THAT WE BRING IN RICH. GOLDBERG, FORMER DIRECTOR FOR. COUNTERING IRANIAN WEAPONS OF.

MASS DESTRUCTION FOR THE WHITE. HOUSE, THE NATIONAL SECURITY. COUNCIL. HE HAS ENGAGED IN DIRECT TALKS. WITH IRAN AND HE'S A SENIOR. ADVISOR TO THE FOUNDATION FOR. DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY. RICH, GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING. ME TODAY. I WANT TO START WITH THIS. THIS HAS CROSSED ABOUT HALF AN. HOUR AGO. IRAN'S PRESIDENT, PEZESHKIAN, SAYS INTERACTIVE WITH THE. SUPREME LEADER IS DIFFICULT AT. THIS TIME. WHY WOULD HE PUT OUT A MESSAGE A. LIKE THIS WHEN WE'RE IN THIS.

NEWEST WINDOW WHERE THE. PRESIDENT BELIEVES THE DEAL MAY. BE COMING? >> THERE HAD BEEN SOME STORIES. FLOATING INSIDE OF IRAN THAT. ACTUALLY TRIED TO CHARACTERIZE. PEZESHKIAN AS HAVING HAD SOME. KIND OF INTERACTION WITH THE. SUPREME LEADER WITH THE LAST 24, 48 HOURS, THAT HE WAS WHISKED. AWAY, SOME VOICE WAS TALKING TO. HIM AND HE DIDN'T SEE WHO THE. PERSON WAS. HE WAS TOLD IT WAS THE SUPREME. LEADER. NOW WE HAVE THIS COMMENT AND WE. HAVE TO SEE WHAT WOULD CONTEXT. WAS OBVIOUSLY FOR THE COMMENT.

BUT IN THE END, THIS IS SOME. SORT OF CROSS BETWEEN "WEEKEND. AT BERNIE'S" AND SOME OTHER USE. YOUR METAPHOR FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S. MISSING IN ACTION AND PLAYING. SUPREME LEADER. EITHER HE'S DEAD AND WON'T GHIT. THAT. OR HE'S TERRIBLY MUTE LAIDED, KEPT IN HIDING, CAN'T COMPETE. JUST IN A FOOD FIGHT, NONSTOP. WITH PEOPLE LIKE PEZESHKIAN AND.

OTHERS, WHO ARE MORE THE. POLITICAL AND TECHNOCRATIC SIDE. OF THE HOUSE WHO ARE SAYING, THE. BLOCKADE IS KILLING US. WE CAN'T SURVIVE. >> Martha: THEY'RE THE POLITICAL. LEADERS. THEY HAVE TO -- EVEN IN SOME. SMALL SENSE, I GUESS, EVEN IN. IRAN -- ANSWER TO THE PUBLIC IN. SOME WAY. WE KNOW THE ECONOMY IS SO BAD. WE HEARD STORIES THE OTHER DAY. ABOUT PEOPLE SELLING THEIR HAIR. ON-LINE IN CLASSIFIED ADS THAT. JUST SELLING THE STUFF IN THEIR. HOUSE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. WHEN YOU HEAR THE PRESIDENT SAY. THAT HE THINKS THERE'S A DEAL.

COMING TOGETHER, DO YOU THINK. THAT'S TRUE? >> I THINK THE IRDC OR SOMEBODY. ON THE IRANIAN SAID IS TALKING. TO THE OMANIS TRYING TO. NEGOTIATE OUT THE ELEMENTS THAT. WERE MISSING IN THE MOU THAT. WERE SUPPOSED TO BE NEGOTIATED. THROUGH THE MOU OF HOW THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ WOULD OPERATE. BUT REMEMBMBER, ALL OF THAT WIL. STILL POTENTIALLY BE DEPENDENT. ON WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT. LIFTS THE BLOCKADE OR NOT. WE'VE SEEN A DIFFERENT COMMENT. COME OUT FROM ANOTHER IRANIAN. LEADER SAYING THEY CAN NEGOTIATE.

ALL THEY WANT WITH OMAN. IN THE END, IT HAS TO DO WITH. THEIR RESPONSE, THEIR THREATS TO. THE STRAIT WILL BE COMMENSURATE. WITH WHAT THE UNITED STATETES I. DOING, MEANING OUR BLOCKADE. IF I'M THE PRESIDENT, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF. THE LEDGER HERE. THE FACT THAT THEY'RE TALKING, THE FACT THAT THEY'RE AT THE. TABLE IS THEIR SIGN OF WEAKNESS. AND THEY ALSO WANT TO SEE IF WE. HAVE SIGNS OF WEAKNESS, IF WE. HAVE SIGNS OF DESPERATION. THIS IS THEIR MOMENT TO GET US. BACK TO THE TABLE AND WORK US. OVER IN NEGOTIATIONS AND THEN. HAVE A DEAL THAT WHO KNOWS, DO. THEY KEEP THIS DEAL THE WAY THE.

MOU FELL APART? IS HE BACK AT THE TABLE IN TWO. WEEKS AGAIN HAVING TO GO BACK TO. MILITARY OPERATIONS? SO IF I'M THE PRESIDENT, WONDERFUL. THEY'RE TALKING. I'M SQUEEZING THEM. WE HAVE A BLOCKADE GOING. WE ARE GETTING SHIPS OUT OF THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ DESPITE THE. FIRING ON SHIPS, FIVE MILLION. BARRELS PER DAY. LET'S GET THAT TO 10 MILLION. BARRELS PER DAY. IF YOU KEEP THE SQUEEZE ON AND. THEY KEEP TALKING, AT SOME POINT. THEY REALIZE THEY'RE RUNNING OUT. OF GAS AND THEY GIVE MORE. CONCESSIONS. >> Martha: I KNOW THERE ARE A. LOT OF EFFORTS TO MOVE OIL OUT.

OF THE GULF IN OTHER WAYS, AND. THERE'S CONSTRUCTION BEING DONE. ON PIPELINES, OBVIOUSLY, THAT. TAKES SOME TIME. BUT IT ALSO MAKES IRAN -- IT. LESSENS THEIR POWER IN THE. REGION. YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK. ABOUT THE PRESSURE THAT THE. SASAUDIS AND OTHERS KEEP PUTTIN. ON THE PRESIDENT TO GO BACK TO. THE TABLE? >> THE SAUDIS ARE CONTEMPLATING. WHAT THE RETALIATION WILL BE. FROM IRAN IF THEY RETAIN. PRECISION CAPABILITIES TO HIT. THEIR ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, IF. WE HIT IRAN'S FIRST.

SO I UNDERSTAND THAT HESITATION. BY THE WAY. YOU'RE SEEING OIL PRICES FALL. TODAY RIGHT NOW. EVERYBODY'S CELEBRATING THAT. IF YOU WENT INTO A TIT FOR TAT. ON ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, I. GUARANTEE YOU THE PRICES WOULD. BE A LOT HIGHER AND YOU WOULDN'T. LIKE IT. AT THE SAME TIME, THE SAUDIS, OBVIOUSLY, ARE KEEPING US AFLOAT. AND IN THE GAME WITH 7 MILLION. BARRELS PER DAY MOVING OVERLAND. THROUGH THE PIPELINES THAT. ALREADY EXIST AND THE RED SEA. TRAFFIC. WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAUDI.

RELATIONSHIP, WE NEED TO. COORDINATE WITH THEM. THEY ARE IMPORTANT. THEY HAVE JOINED US IN MILITARY. ACTION AGAINST IRAN'S PROXIES IN. IRAQ. THEY'RE ATTACKING RIGHT NOW. IRAN'S PROXY IN YEMEN, THE. HOUTHIS. I DO THINK THAT THERE'S MORE TO. THE STORY THAN JUST THEM SAYING, HEY, WE WON'T ALLOW TO YOU TAKE. ON IRAN. >> Martha: MITCH GOLDBERG, GREAT. TO HAVE YOU ON.