Trump is 'wisely and only selectively' using US force: Ex-Pentagon official

E. FROM TEL AVIV. THANK YOU, TREY. ♪. JON: FOR MORE ON THE CONFLICT, LET'S BRING IN JUSTIN FULCHER, FORMER SENIOR PENTNTAGON OFFICIL. AND FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO. SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH. SO, JUSTIN, THE PRESIDENT WAS. ABOUT TO LAUNCH WHAT WE. UNDERSTAND WERE GOING TO BE. MAJOR STRIKES. HE HAS CALLED IT OFF, SAYS HE. WANTS TO GIVE DIPLOMACY A. CHANCE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MOVE? >> WELL, I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP. DID WHAT ANY STRONG COMMANDER IN. CHIEF WOULD DO, HE LEVERAGED THE.

U.S. MILITARY'S STRENGTH TO OPEN. UP AND IS CREATE THE CONDITIONS. FOR DIPLOMATIC OPTIONS TO. CONTINUE. AND SO I THINK, ULTIMATELY, YOU. KNOW, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS WISELY. AND ONLY SELECTIVELY USED THE. MILITARY AND U.S. FORCE WHEN. REQUIRED AND NOT UNNECESSARILY. SO I THINK THIS IS A WISE CHOICE. BY HIM TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW. DIPLOMACY IN ACTION BUT DO IT ON. OUR OWN TERMS. JON: THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE. SAYING THAT THIS HAS TURNED INTO. WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS PROMISED. IT WILL NOT BE, A NEVER ENDING.

WAR. FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF. STATE MARK KIMMITT HAS SOME. THOUGHTS ON THAT. LISTEN. >> PATIENCE IS WHAT THE IRANIANS. ARE USING AGAINST US. THEY HEAR ABOUT WE NEED -- WE. DON'T LIKE FOREVER WARS, WE WANT. TO GET OUT OF THIS QUICKLY, WE. WANT TO GET THIS DONE QUICKLY. BUT THAT'S TO NOT HOW YOU DEFEAT. THE IRANIANS. YOU DEFEAT THE IRANIANS BY GOING. PATIENCE AGAINST PAGE,. IF YOU SAY WE WANT TO GET THIS. DONE QUICKLY, THEY'LL JUST STRAP. IN THEIR SEAT BELTS AND SAY, WE.

WIN BY NOT LOSING. WE CAN T TAKE THE BOMBING, YOU'L. LEAVE AND WE'LL HAVE WHAT WE. WANT. JON, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S MORE. THAN BOMBING --. JON: BUT IT'S MORE THAN THE. BOMBING, YOU KNOW? IT'S THE BLOCKADE AND THEIR. ECONOMY IS IN A SHAMBLES. IT'S -- YOU HAVE TO WONDER HOW. LONG THE IRANIANS ARE GOING TO. BE ABLE TO HOLD OUT, BUT MAYBE. THEY WILL SURPRISE US. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE CERTAINLY HELD OUT BUT. SO HAS THE UNITED STATES. BUT I THINK, ULTIMATELY, THIS. HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE. OF HOW THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL. BASE AND THE FACTORY FLOOR IS.

REALLY THE KEY TO SUSTAINING. LONGER TERM ENDURANCE-BASED. CONFLICTS. ULTIMATELY, PRESIDENT TRUMP AND. SESSION TAKE -- SECRETARY. HEGSETH HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD ON. THAT AND TREMENDOUS WORK HAS. BEEN DONE. BUT THIS HAS TAKEN A LOT LONGER. THAN I THINK SOME FOLKS HAVE. EXPECTED, AND THAT'S SHOWN THE. IMPORTANCE OF AMERICAN. INDUSTRIAL MIGHT AND HOW. CRITICAL THAT IS TO SUSTAIN. LONG-TERM CONFLICTS WHETHER IT'S. CENTCOM OR ELSEWHERE. JON: SENATOR MARK KELLY AND. OTHER DEMOCRATS ARE ALSO.

POINTING TO THE LENGTH OF THIS. CONFLICT AND RAISING CONCERNS. ABOUT OUT. HERE'S -- ABOUT IT. HERE'S SENATOR KELLY. >> I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING. HERE IS A PRESIDENT WHO HAS AN. APPROACH TO IN THAT'S JUST. RATHER ERRATIC. HE SAYS ONE THING, HE DOES. ANOTHER THING. IT'S ESCALATORY AT THIS POINT. HE'S TRYING TO GET US BACK TO. FEBRUARY, AND I THINK IF HE. COULD BRING OUR ALLIES BACK. TOGETHER, HE'S ALIENATED NOT. ONLY OUR GCC ALLIES, BUT OUR.

EUROPEAN ALLIES AS WELL. AND IT'S JUST MAKING THIS MUCH. HARDER FOR HIM TO FIGURE OUT A. WAY OUT. JON: SO IS HE'S SAYING THAT, YOU. KNOW, EUROPEAN ALLIES AND GULF. ALLIES ARE ALIENATED. DO YOU SEE IT THAT WAY? >> I DON'T SEE IT THAT WAY. I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN. VERY CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING. AROUND WHAT THE GOALS OF THIS. CONFLICT ARE WHICH IS TO PREVENT. IRAN FROM HAVING ANY NUCLEAR. CAPABILITY, REOPEN THE STRAIT. AND, ULTIMATELY, SAVE AMERICAN. LIVES AND PROTECT AMERICAN. PRESENCE IN THE REGION. I THINK THAT'S A HARSH.

CRITICISM. THAT BEING SAID, PRESIDENT TRUMP. IS DEALING WITH AN INCREDIBLY. COMPLEX SITUATION HERE WITH. IRAN, AND HE'S ADAPTING IN. REALTIME TO A BAD ACTOR IN IRAN. WHO, WHEN THEY SAY SOMETHING, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY STAND BY. THOSE AGREEMENTS AND THOSE. CEASEFIRES AND DIPLOMACY IS MUCH. MORE DIFFICULT WITH THOSE SORTS. OF ACTORS. JON: THE IRANIANS HAVE. FRUSTRATED EVERY AMERICAN. PRESIDENT FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS. NOW. SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO. HAD SOME THOUGHTS ON REGIME. CHANGE. THAT'S NEVER BEEN OFFICIALLY A.

STATED GOAL OF THE. ADMINISTRATION, ALTHOUGH I THINK. EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SEE. THAT. HERE'S SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO. >> I THINK WHAT -- THE REGIME. HAS TO CHANGE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO HAVE REGIME. CHANGE, BUT THE REGIME HAS TO. CHANGE. THE IRANIAN REGIME TRADITIONALLY. HAS BEEN EXPEDITIONARY. THEY DON'T WANT TO JUST GOVERN. IRAN, THEY WANT TO GOVERN THE. REGION. THEY WANT TO EXPORT THEIR. REVOLUTION. THAT DOES HAVE TO CHANGE, AND. THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GOING TO. CHANGE THAT IS IF YOU MAKE THE. PRICE OF IT TOO HIGH FOR THEM TO.

BE ABLE TO PAY. JON: DO YOU GET THE SENSE THAT. WE ARE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT POINT? I MEAN, AT WHAT POINT DO THE. IRANIANS SAY, OKAY, WE'LL SIGN A. PEACE DEAL AND WE'LL STICK TO. IT? >> I THINK, CERTAINLY, THE U.S. MILITARY HAS BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE. IN NEUTRALIZING A LOT OF THE KEY. AND CORE THREATS THAT IRAN HAS. FACED. THAT BEING SAID, I THINK THE. CONTINUED ECONOMIC PRESSURE AND. DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS ALL COMBINED. WITH THE CONTINUED MILITARY. STRIKES WHEN REQUIRED BY THE. PRESIDENT IS PUSHING IRAN TO A.

SITUATION WHERE THEY WILL ALMOST. HAVE NO OTHER OPTION BUT TO COME. BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. AND ACTUALLY STICK TO A DEAL. JON: NO QUESTION THE MILITARY'S. DONE A GREAT JOB, BUT THEY'RE. STILL FIRING SHAHED DRONES. THEY ARE STILL LAUNCHING, YOU. KNOW, ATTACKS ON SHIPPING IN THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ. >> WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THOSE ASYMMETRIC. THREATS ARE A CONSTANT. CHALLENGE. AND IT'S SOMETHING WHERE, YOU. KNOW, AS WE'VE SEEN IN UKRAINE. AND MODERN CONFLICTS WHERE CHEAP.

DRONES ARE AN EVER PRESENT. THREAT, THE U.S. HAS ADAPTED. QUITE WELL TO THOSE THREATS. BUT MORE AND SHOULD BE DONE TO, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY ELIMINATE. THAT IN IRAN -- CAN AND SHOULD. BE DONE. JON: WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH. THE SITUATION. IT APPEARS THERE ARE NOT GOING. TO BE MAJOR STRIKES THIS WEEKEND. AS THE PRESIDENT CALLED TH.