00:00I mean, could one interpretation, General Votel, be that, you know, a ceasefire for six weeks or more suggests that
00:06neither side is able to map out an obvious military way forward or a military way out of this conflict?
00:14Well, I think that's I think that's very true. And, you know, my analysis is, is that, well, I think
00:20a lot can be done militarily to continue to weaken the Iranians and certainly by the Iranians to punish the
00:27Gulf or attempting to punish the United States for for this for this conflict.
00:33Neither of these really can be decisive. What I think has to happen is there has to be a kind
00:40of a skillful application of military, diplomatic, economic efforts that are designed to create the maximum amount of pressure on
00:49the regime to get them to, you know, move in a more positive direction towards some kind of negotiated settlement
00:57of this.
00:58And it does appear from some of the discussions, at least from what we've heard over the over the weekend,
01:04that there is some movement in that direction, although it does also appear that both sides are still, you know,
01:11a long ways apart in terms of trying to reach some kind of negotiated settlement or at least create some
01:17kind of platform along which discussions can be can be based going forward.
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