00:00The aim of this strike was there's a suggestion that this was an effort to decapitate Iran's leadership, which is
00:07something the Iran, the U.S., excuse me, has so far avoided in these strategic strikes.
00:12Why try to do that now? And do we think it would have been effective?
00:15So I am a little surprised myself how explicit President Trump was in his remarks, calling out the Islamic Revolutionary
00:24Guard Corps and trying to set the conditions for regime change.
00:30He went back to his original justification to get involved in Iran.
00:34Remember, weeks ago when he said we were locked and loaded and ready to help the protesters.
00:39So I think it's remarkable that he said, please, people, stay in your house for now.
00:46But when the bombing is over, you should go back and take out your government.
00:50So, you know, in a sense, this is classic Trump. If you're going to go, go big. And that's what
00:54he's done.
00:55Michael Allen, I'm curious sort of what this says about the evolution of this, the Iran project, the way that
01:00administrations successively have looked at Iran and the prospects for regime change there.
01:05There have been some who have hoped for it. Some have tried to action via sanctions and other means.
01:08There have some have been agitating for this kind of military action.
01:12What does it say to you about that evolution that we saw this administration take this tack?
01:16I think what's different this time is just the sheer state of the Iranian economy, plus widespread disaffection among every
01:24class and creed across the Islamic Republic.
01:27The protests, as you all are well aware, were the most broad based in Iran's history, at least since 1979.
01:34So when you put together a restive public, a growing ballistic missile program and a president who wants to do
01:43big things and President Trump, I think, in general here is used military force aggressively.
01:49I think that's what set the conditions for the United States getting involved and going big.
01:54I think it was a head fake when people leaked a few days ago that we were going to do
01:58symbolic strikes.
02:00He's going large. He's going after them. And with the help of Israel, I think they're really trying to get
02:06the supreme leader and decapitate the regime.
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