Yingst: Iran miscalculated Trump...

. >> GREAT TO BE HERE. >> Brian: APPRECIATE IT TO THE. MIDDLE EAST, IRAN MAY RAMP UP. ITS AGGRESSION AS WE GET CLOSER. TO THE MIDTERMS WHILE PRESIDENT. TRUMP INSISTS THE U.S. BLOCKADE. ON THE STRAIT IS HOLDING. CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT TREY. YINGST JOINS US WITH THE. DETAILS. HEY, TREY. >> Trey: HEY, BRIAN, GOOD. MORNING. NO DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH. TENSION REMAINS HIGH ACROSS THE. MIDDLE EAST. THERE ARE STILL MAJOR QUESTIONS. ABOUT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND. IF A DEAL CAN BE REACHED TO OPEN. THIS CRITICAL WATERWAY. WE DO KNOW THE PERSIAN GULF. STRAIT AUTHORITY AND IRANIAN.

GOVERNMENT AGENCY SAID. WEDNESDAY, CLAIMS AND REPEATED. POSTS BY U.S. OFFICIALS THAT THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS NO LONGER. BLOCKED, DO NOT CHANGE THE. REALITY. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ REMAINS. BLOCKED AND WILL NOT BE REOPENED. UNTIL IRAN'S CONDITIONS ARE. ACCEPTED. THIS CAME AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP. POSTED YESTERDAY ON TRUTH SOCIAL. SAYING IN PART THE U.S.A. HAS. TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. OUR NAVAL BLOCKADE SOMETHING. CALLED BY EVERYONE A WALL OF. STEEL AND THERE IS NOTHING IRAN. CAN DO ABOUT IT STILL LESS THAN. 10% OF THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF.

PREWAR VESSELS ARE PASSING. THROUGH THE STRAIT AS SOME. ANALYSTS WARN OF POSSIBLE. ESCALATION BEFORE A SOLUTION IS. FOUND. >> YOU SEE THE MIDTERMS COME IN. MY GUT FEEL IS THAT THEY'RE. LIKELY GOING TO GET MORE. AGGRESSIVE. BECAUSE THEY DON'T BELIEVE THE. PRESIDENT WILL DO MUCH PRIOR TO. THE MIDTERMS IN TERMS OF. MILITARY REACTION. >> Bret: HE HAS ALREADY SAID HE. IS LOW KEYING IT. HE SAID THAT IN AN INTERVIEW. >> HERE'S THE FACT IS THEY HAVE. MISCALCULATED WITH HIM TIME AND. TIME AGAIN. WE HAVE MORE CAPABILITY IN THE. REGION NOW THAN WE HAD ON. FEBRUARY THE 2 #TH.

AND IT ALL IS READY. >> THE FOCUS ON IRAN COMES AS WE. ARE ALSO TRACKING DEVELOPMENTS. BETWEEN ISRAEL AND LEBANON. TALKS ARE SET TO RESUME IN. SEPTEMBER IN ROME. AIMED AT NORMALIZING TIES. BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND. DISARMING HEZBOLLAH. STILL DETAILS HAVE TO BE WORKED. OUT ABOUT THE PROPOSED SECURITY. ZONES. >> UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO WE. RETREAT? NOT IN LEBANON, NOT IN SYRIA, NOT IN GAZA, FROM THE SECURITY. ZONES. THE LESSON OF OCTOBER 7TH IS. THAT WE PROTECT THE RESIDENTS BY.

HAVING THE PRESIDENT DEFENDING. THEM. >> ISRAEL IS STILL CARRYING OUT. LIMITED STRIKES IN BOTH LEBANON. AND GAZA. ON WEDNESDAY, A SENIOR HAMAS. COMMANDER WAS KILLED IN ONE OF. THOSE STRIKES. BRIAN? >> Brian: SO, TREY, WHEN WE LOOK. AT THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW, I. THOUGHT GENERAL KEANE BROUGHT UP. ANOTHER GREAT POINT LAST NIGHT. HE SAYS THAT THE BIGGEST. SURPRISE TO THE IRANIANS WAS. WHEN THEY HIT THE GULF STATES. THE GULF STATES CALLED US UP AT. LEAST THEE TIMES AND ASKED US. NOT TO HIT BACK.

AND WE HAVE LISTENED. THAT'S REALLY WHAT IS PROBABLY. HOLDING THE PRESIDENT BACK NOW. PREDOMINANTLY IT'S THE GULF. STATES SAYING WE GET HIT WHEN. YOU HIT THEM. SO, PLEASE DON'T HIT THEM. AT ONE POINT, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE. GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A. DECISION, CORRECT? >> Trey: ABSOLUTELY. THEY HAVE TO MAKE A MAJOR. DECISION, AND THIS IS PART OF. THE PRESIDENT'S CALCULATION. HE HAS SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THTHE GOAL HERE IS TO ENSURE THT. IRAN NEVER HAS A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

TIERED APPROACH, DEAL WITH THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ FIRST AND THEN. ULTIMATELY ENTER INTO MORE. DETAILED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT. IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM. AS IT RELATES TO THESE GULF. COUNTRIES, THERE IS REAL CONCERN. ABOUT THE ESCALATION LADDER AND. WHAT HAPPENS IF MAJOR STRIKES. RESUME AGAINST IRAN BECAUSE THE. IRANIANS STILL HAVE PIECES ON. THIS CHESS BOARD. YOU KNOW, THEIR NAVY IS AT THE. BOTTOM OF THE SEA. MUCH OF THEIR MISSILE ARSENAL. WAS TAKEN OUT IN U.S. AND. ISRAELI STRIKES DURING OPERATION. OPERATION EPIC FURY. THEY STILL HAVE MANY OF THESE. SHORTER RANGE MISSILES AND.

DRONES THAT CAN THREATEN ENERGY. INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE GULF. THAT'S PART OF THE REASON YOU. HAVE COUNTRIES LIKE SAUDI. ARABIA, QATAR AND THE UAE ASKING. THE PRESIDENT TO EXHAUST ALL. DIPLOMATIC OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE. RETURNING TO COMBAT OPERATIONS. BUT, TENSION AGAIN REMAINS HIGH. ACROSS THE REGION BECAUSE AT. THIS MOMENT, THE IRANIANS ARE. MOCKING WHAT THE TRUMP. ADMINISTRATION IS SAYING ABOUT. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. >> Griff: THEY ARE, TREY. GENERAL KEANE ALSO SPOKE LAST. NIGHT ABOUT THIS IS ULTIMATELY. COMING DOWN TO A BATTLE OF. WILLS. AND IT SEEMS THAT NOTHING HAS.

CHANGED INSOFAR AS THE IRGC AND. GENERAL AHMAD NOT BENDING THAT. WILL NO MATTER HOW BAD THE. IRANIAN PEOPLE SUFFER. ECONOMICALLY AND OTHERWISE. DO YOU SEE THAT CHANGING ANY. TIME SOON? >> Trey: THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. THE IRANIANS DID MISCALCULATE ON. THE PRESIDENT'S PATIENCE. THEY THOUGHT ULTIMATELY, ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THAT HE. WOULD WANT TO WRAP UP THIS. SITUATION MORE QUICKLY OUT OF. CONCERN OF EVENTS IN THE UNITED. STATES.

BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. IS QUITE INTERESTING. THERE IS AN EMINENCE AMOUNT OF. ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON THE IRANIAN. REGIME AS WEWE SPEAK. THE U.S. NAVAL BLOCKADE IS. COSTING THE IRANIANS HUNDREDS OF. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EACH AND. EVERY DAY. HAD TO EXTRACT THEIR CRUDE OIL. EXTRACTION RATE. INCREASING DOMESTIC EXPORTS. AND INFLATION IS RISING RAPIDLY. INSIDE OF IRAN. AND SO EACH AND EVERY DAY THE. U.S. MILITARY PRESSURE IN THE. REGION IS CONSISTENT. THERE ARE STILL MORE THAN 50,000. U.S. SOLDIERS IN THE REGION. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, DESTROYERS,

AND REFUELERS PREPARE IF. MILITARY OPERATION DOES RESUME. BUT IT'S THE ECONOMIC PRESSURE. THAT THE IRANIANS ARE STARTING. TO REALLY FEEL, ACCORDING TOTO. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS THAT WE. HAVE TALKED TO IN THE REGION. AND THE PRESIDENT HAS SHARED A. FEW GRAPHS OF THIS, LOOKING AT. THE INFLATION INSIDE IRAN. FOX NEWS IS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE. IS EVEN WORSE THAN IS BEING. PUBLICLY DESCRIBED. BECAUSE THE IRANIANS ARE OUT OF. OPTIONS IN TERMS OF PAYING THE. IRGC OFFICIALS AND SORMDZ ON THE. GROUND.. IN TERMS OF KEEPING THEIR PEOPLE. HAPPY, THE DOMESTIC PRESSURE IS. RISING ON THE REGIME.

THAT'S PART OF THE CALCULATION. HERE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP. HE MAINTAINS ALL OPTIONS ON THE. TABLE. BUT, IF GENERAL KEANE IS CORRECT. HERE, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THE. IRANIANS ESCALATE MILITARILY, THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN VERY. CLEAR IN THE CONVERSATIONS AND. INTERVIEWS H HE HAS CONDUCTED. ABOUT THE SITUATION IN IRAN. HE IS WILLING TO ESCALATE IN. ORDER TO DE-ESCALATE. THAT IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY. IN THE WEEKS AND MONTH AHEAD. >> Ainsley: TREY, THANK YOU SO. MUCH. >> Griff: THANKS, TREY. >> Brian: ALL RIGHT. SO WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. BECAUSE WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT, WE DO HAVE MORE ASSETS NOW.

HE SAYS WE HAVE PEOPLE ARE. MISTAKING THE STORY ABOUT. MUNITIONS, OUR TOP LEVEL, THE. THAAD MISSILES, THE PATRIOT. MISSILES, WE DON'T HAVE IT. WE HAVE DIFFERENT STUFF. WE DON'T HAVE STUFF AS MUCH AS. WE WAN.