00:00I think it's really important for us to understand what your bottom lines are,
00:04what you're asking for in this negotiation,
00:08what commitments you need Iran to make in order for you to release the blockade,
00:13and we hope for them to release the blockade as well.
00:17So give us a little insight into what your bottom lines are,
00:24what is going to get the strait reopened,
00:27because this is kind of the only question that matters for American consumers right now,
00:31and every day we get wildly different signals from the president
00:35as to whether he even is engaged in this question as to whether the strait is going to reopen.
00:42Yeah, I think your question gets right to the heart of the matter,
00:44so I think that's a good question.
00:46Let me first bifurcate two things.
00:49The only reason there's a blockade, the only reason why there's a U.S. blockade
00:52is because Iran has closed the strait.
00:54They're firing on commercial ships, and they've mined large segments of Hormuz,
00:59international waters.
01:00And so the blockade is only against Iranian ships, and it's very simple.
01:03The notion is if no one's ships are going to get out,
01:07then Iran's ships aren't going to get out either.
01:09We can't live in a world in which they get to close the straits
01:11and tell everybody, pay us a toll or we'll blow you up,
01:13but their ships get to go out unfettered.
01:15So that's the reason why there's a blockade.
01:17There wouldn't have been a blockade if Iran had agreed to do what they said they would do
01:21when the ceasefire kicked in, which is they were going to open the straits.
01:24So let me just focus on the straits for a moment.
01:26Number one, what they're doing is unlawful and illegal.
01:28There isn't a country on earth other than Iran,
01:31and maybe Oman that flirted with it,
01:33who's in favor of what Iran is doing in the straits.
01:36The Chinese are against it.
01:37The Russians are against it.
01:38Everyone is against it.
01:39The whole world is against it.
01:40So condition number one is they have to reopen the straits,
01:43and reopening the straits means the following.
01:45Ships can sail through international waters the way they can do
01:48through other choke points around the world without being fired upon,
01:51without paying a toll.
01:52That's condition number one.
01:54But the strait is closed because of our decision to invade Iran.
01:58This is a consequence of our military action.
02:01So I guess I'm not interested in litigating that question.
02:04We all know why the strait is closed,
02:06because you took military action against Iran,
02:08and we knew ahead of time that that would be their likely response.
02:12The question is, how are we going to get it reopened?
02:14And are you going to drive a bargain that is so tough and so hard
02:18that the strait remains closed?
02:20So how are we going to get it open?
02:23The first thing, that is a predicate to anything else happening.
02:26The straits have to be reopened.
02:27So the way to think about it is this.
02:28If Iran wants to be able to move its oil again through the strait,
02:32they will have to reopen the straits.
02:33If they refuse to do so, then we have other options available to us,
02:36but we would prefer to negotiate the opening of this,
02:39which means the following.
02:39Tell us about the negotiations.
02:40What do you need from them in order to get the strait reopened?
02:42We need the strait reopened tomorrow.
02:44Well, what needs to happen is very simple.
02:45They need to announce that they will no longer fire on commercial ships
02:49that are going through or threaten to fire on ships,
02:51because in many cases, ships just won't move.
02:53They won't go, not because they got fired on,
02:55but because of the risk of being fired upon.
02:57And so they have to announce very clearly the straits are now open.
03:00We're not charging a toll.
03:02We will help remove the mines that they put in there,
03:04and they will not fire on ships.
03:06But the president says they also need to make commitments
03:08on their nuclear program.
03:09That's what I'm asking.
03:10Oh, I see what you're saying.
03:11What commitments do they need to make in order for the strait to be reopened?
03:15Well, the second thing they have to agree to as part of this is,
03:18so in addition to the straits,
03:20that's the predicate that opens the door to phase two.
03:22Phase two is they have to commit to very specific negotiations
03:25on highly enriched,
03:26the disposition of the highly enriched uranium
03:29that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere.
03:31They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations
03:39and or cancellation of enrichment activity in their country.
03:42In the second phase of negotiations.
03:44Well, obviously, these are highly technical matters,
03:46so I don't think you could work those out in five days.
03:48That would require a team of experts to meet over a 30-, 60-, 90-day period
03:52and work out the details.
03:53But they have to commit to their willingness to do that.
03:56For example, they have to commit to say,
03:57we will dispose of the enriched uranium.
04:00And the question now is,
04:01what are the mechanisms by which we do so?
04:03That can be negotiated.
04:05Final question.
04:05In order to get to that second phase,
04:07are you willing to release sanctions
04:10or release frozen money
04:12that the United States is withholding from Iran?
04:15Right now, everything that's been discussed with them
04:17is that any sanctions relief.
04:18Now, remember, sanctions come.
04:20There's international sanctions.
04:21There's congressional sanctions.
04:22There's executive sanctions.
04:23So some we can release and some we cannot.
04:25But any sanctions relief is condition-based,
04:28which means it has to be in return
04:29for the reason why those sanctions were put in place
04:32in the first place,
04:32which is their nuclear program.
04:34So, yeah, look,
04:35Iran is being sanctioned because they enrich uranium.
04:37Iran is being sanctioned
04:38because they've highly enriched uranium.
04:40Iran is being sanctioned
04:41because of their nuclear activities.
04:42If they agree to give up those things,
04:44there will be sanctions relief
04:45associated with their commitment and compliance
04:48with those agreements.
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