00:00This is basically trampled upon as it is at the moment, and we have to think how we collectively can
00:07deal with this.
00:09And I think everybody acknowledges that the United States degrading the nuclear capability of Iran, but also the long-range
00:17missile capability of Iran, is crucial for the Middle East, for Europe, for the whole world.
00:21So again, Marco, thank you for being here, for your incredible leadership, and being such a staunch supporter of our
00:28Transatlantic Bond.
00:29Well, thank you. First of all, thank you to this great country for hosting us. They've been phenomenal hosts. They've
00:34been great new members of NATO's really model allies and great hosts, so it's a pleasure to be here, and
00:39it's always great to see you, Mark.
00:40And obviously, we're here to set the groundwork for what I think will be probably one of the more important
00:45leader summit in the history of NATO.
00:48The president's views, frankly, disappointment at some of our NATO allies and their response to our operations in the Middle
00:56East.
00:57They're well documented. That will have to be addressed. That won't be solved or addressed today. That's something for the
01:02leader's level to discuss.
01:03In the meantime, there are other areas where we continue with cooperation. You saw the president's announcement last night with
01:09regards to Poland and deployment.
01:10That said, obviously, the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our
01:15force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops.
01:20This is not a punitive thing. It's just something that's ongoing, and it was preexisting, all these recent reports and
01:26tensions and so forth.
01:27So that's a process that will continue that I think in a very positive and productive way and collaboration with
01:33our allies can reach decisions.
01:35But in the end, you know, like any alliance, it has to be good for everyone who's involved. It has
01:40to be a clear understanding of what the expectations are.
01:43And so certainly we'll try to lay the groundwork for that. One of the areas where I think we definitely
01:47can cooperate on is the defense industrial base.
01:49It is clear to the world, to all of us in the alliance and beyond, that we simply are not
01:55able to produce munitions today at a rate that are necessary for future needs.
01:59That's something that has to be addressed. That's something that we can work together on. That's something we want to
02:03work together on.
02:04I think it's key not just to production but to interoperability, and so I imagine that will be a topic
02:09of conversation.
02:09On the issue of Iran, the news this morning, I know it's early on the – that's still in the
02:14United States, a little later in the region, in the Middle East.
02:17But we await word on those conversations that are ongoing. There's been some slight progress.
02:22I don't want to exaggerate it, but there's been a little bit of movement, and that's good.
02:25The fundamentals remain the same. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. It just cannot – this regime can never
02:31have nuclear weapons.
02:33And to achieve that, we're going to have to address the issue of enrichment. We're going to have to address
02:37the issue of the highly enriched uranium.
02:39And then added to this, of course, is the issue of the straits. Iran is trying to create a tolling
02:42system.
02:43They're trying to convince Oman, by the way, to join them in this tolling system in an international waterway.
02:48There is not a country in the world that should accept that. I don't know of a country in the
02:51world that's in favor of it except Iran,
02:53but there's no country in the world that should accept it. Right now at the United Nations, we have a
02:57resolution that is sponsored by Bahrain.
02:59We've been very involved with it. It has the highest number of co-sponsors of any resolution ever before the
03:05Security Council.
03:06Unfortunately, a couple of countries on the Security Council are thinking about vetoing it. That would be lamentable.
03:11We are doing everything we can, though, to achieve the sort of global consensus that's necessary to prevent this from
03:17happening.
03:18And we're trying to use the United Nations. Let's see if the United Nations still works.
03:22That's a place that we're going to try to get an outcome for.
03:24And obviously, I think almost every country represented here today has signed on as a co-sponsor of that resolution.
03:30And if they haven't, I'm sure they soon will.
03:33Because I don't know of anyone in the world that should be in favor of a tolling system in an
03:37international waterway.
03:38That's just not acceptable. It can't happen.
03:41If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz, it would happen in five other places around the world.
03:44Why would countries all over the world say, well, we want to do this, too?
03:48Not to mention how vital and critical that strait is to every country represented here today,
03:52but frankly to countries not represented here today, particularly the Indo-Pacific.
03:57So we'll have a good meeting today. I hope it'll be productive. I expect it will be.
04:01And it'll set the groundwork for the leaders to meet in about six weeks.
04:04And we have a lot of work to do between now and then.
04:07Absolutely. Okay. Thank you.
04:08Thank you so much.
04:09Thank you so much.
04:10Well, where will they be coming from?
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