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00:01Yeah, but that's a different question from what you just asked me.
00:03Who said that they're doing that?
00:05Reporting in the media?
00:06Oh, then it must be true.
00:07It's in the media.
00:08It's a leaker.
00:09I'm not going to...
00:10Let me say...
00:10Let's imagine that were true.
00:11I certainly wouldn't discuss it in the press.
00:13I've already told you guys yesterday something, and I was very clear about it.
00:16Nothing that Iran is doing, nothing that anyone's doing to help Iran is in any way increasing
00:21their ability to target Americans.
00:23What you need to all understand, because we've explained this repeatedly, is Iran has spent
00:27the better part of 20 years not just sponsoring terrorism, but building long-range rockets,
00:31short-range missiles, and drones.
00:33And they were intending to build them a lot more.
00:35They were intending to double their stockpile.
00:37The stuff you're seeing them use now, they were going to double that.
00:39And they were going to use that and hide behind that to say, we're untouchable.
00:43We can now do a nuclear weapon, and you guys can't touch us, or we're overwhelming your
00:46air defenses.
00:47Which is why the president had to address this threat.
00:49And he did, and he should have.
00:50Another president should have done it earlier.
00:52The world will be a safer place because we addressed it.
00:54Unfortunately, in the short term, it creates disruptions.
00:57But you know what's really disruptive?
00:58A nuclear weapon in the hands of these radicals.
01:01In Ukraine, do you sense that the momentum is shifting a little bit in the conflict?
01:05And if so, does that manifest itself?
01:07I think it's a bloody war.
01:09I think it's a very bloody war.
01:10I think Russia's now suffering strikes deep in their territory.
01:14That's something you didn't see.
01:15At the end of the year, the winter's still going to hit Ukraine, and they're obviously
01:19going to have to defend their airspace.
01:21People suffering every day.
01:23I think it's the only conflict, I've been told, it's the only conflict that anyone in
01:27the military can recall, where the killed in action rate is higher than the casualty
01:31rate.
01:31That's how bloody it is.
01:33The Russians, I believe, are losing upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers a week.
01:38That's a staggering number.
01:40Does Lavrov sort of express that?
01:42Well, look, guys, I mean, when I have these talks, these things don't work well unless I
01:45come out here and characterize what the other side is saying.
01:47Suffice it to say that, I think it's obvious to everyone that this war is very bloody.
01:51And look, Ukraine's played a tremendous price as well.
01:53I mean, we've seen civilian deaths, strikes in Kiev.
01:56We've seen some of that increase.
01:58Certainly, I mean, this war has not been good for Ukraine either.
02:01So I think both sides should have an incentive to bring it to an end.
02:04That's been the challenge, is an end that both sides can accept.
02:07And we've tried, and we'll continue to try to see if we can find a middle ground that
02:10brings this about.
02:11And we're prepared to play that role.
02:13The opportunity presents itself.
02:14We expressed that today, and we've expressed it in the past.
02:17Mr. China launched live fire drills in the Taiwan Strait and apparently used water cannon
02:24on Philippine vessels near Scarborough Sho.
02:26Yeah, those are two separate instances.
02:27Two separate instances, right, as your Chinese...
02:29Yeah, look, I mean, on the...
02:30Well, look, I mean, they know where we feel about those issues.
02:32Obviously, we publicly expressed ourselves on the missile launch.
02:36It's a destabilizing event.
02:38And what's happened with the Philippines, you know, obviously, we saw that, too.
02:41The whole world saw it.
02:41And it's disturbing, you know, and these challenges and these claims of sovereignty over territory
02:48are a growing challenge.
02:49It's why we continue to reiterate our commitment to our treaty partners, but also our commitment
02:53to freedom of navigation and respect for territorial rights in the region.
02:57And it's one of the cornerstones of our engagement in the Indo-Pacific and especially via ASEAN.
03:02And I made that point in every forum that we've had here.
03:04Sir, President Trump, he said on TrueSocial that the U.S. is going to bomb and destroy
03:08a bridge or power plant every time that Iran targets a ship in the street.
03:12Is he talking about civilian infrastructure there?
03:15Do you think that is...
03:15This is what he's talking about.
03:17Iran is begging us, okay, both directly and indirectly, let's do a deal.
03:21Let's talk.
03:21Let's talk.
03:22Iran is begging every day.
03:23The problem with Iran is every time they make a deal, the people that are in charge there,
03:26they either break it or they want to change it.
03:29So it looks like they're not ready to make a deal.
03:32So they're going to continue to pay a price.
03:33And every night the price gets higher and higher and higher.
03:36And that's what's happening now.
03:38And until maybe in a few days they'll be ready to make a deal once they realize that this is
03:42not a winning proposition for them.
03:44And that's what the president is outlining.
03:46The idea that this is going to continue, it's not going to continue this way.
03:49The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses.
03:53Right now, apparently, they haven't come to their senses.
03:55And so the president doesn't see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point.
03:59Because, frankly, Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not one they're willing to live by.
04:04But is he talking about civilian infrastructure?
04:06Yesterday you were saying you were hoping that there would be de-escalation in the Red Sea.
04:11And the Houthis now attack two Saudi ships.
04:14What is your reaction to that?
04:15Yeah, look, I hope that they'll stop.
04:17They shouldn't really do that.
04:18They got suckered into this by the Iranians.
04:20You know, the Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict.
04:25But they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this going after Saudi Arabia and their ships.
04:30And by the way, that's, you know, I was reading reports a few hours ago that there was actually a
04:35Saudi fuel ship that's flagged Chinese.
04:38It's a Chinese ship.
04:39Are they going to blow up the Chinese ship?
04:40Then this becomes a problem for China.
04:42This will become a problem for the whole world.
04:44But I hope that will de-escalate because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the
04:49Iranians.
04:51And they were smart to stay out of it.
04:53And they should stay out of it.
04:53And they should stop.
04:54We'll see what happens there.
04:55Obviously, it's not a positive development.
04:57We'll see what happens.
04:58Secretary, what prompted the easing of-
05:00I'm sorry, man.
05:01I love his little court reporter thing.
05:02It's cool.
05:02Why didn't the rest of you guys have this?
05:04This guy's the smartest guy here.
05:05Look at that.
05:06I know he is.
05:07You better catch up.
05:08All right, go ahead.
05:08I'm sorry.
05:08Yes, what prompted the easing of sanctions on Hong Kong last week in terms of letting the executive order expire?
05:16Yeah, no, it wasn't easing of sanctions.
05:18The executive order expired.
05:20The conditions underlying some of those elements no longer existed.
05:24There remain other individuals that remain sanctioned nonetheless, despite the executive order is a partial expiration on certain individuals, but
05:31not on others.
05:32It just depends on the light of it.
05:33And, you know, the justification and rationale behind that original executive order had sort of- the circumstances had changed
05:39in the president's judgment.
05:41But there are individuals- there's still a significant number of individuals in Hong Kong that remain sanctioned, that were
05:46not covered by the executive order.
05:48And that remains in place.
05:49And obviously, that was raised with us yesterday.
05:51But we don't see a change any time in the near future on that.
05:54The Secretary, the Russian lead-out of your meeting also, once again, mentions Anchorage proposals.
05:59Can you please clarify what those proposals are and how relevant are they today?
06:03Yeah, I mean, there was no- I mean, proposals, we know, they've been reported about- they call it
06:073 plus 2, the trading of terror.
06:09But those- those failed.
06:10You can't have a peace deal unless both sides agree to it, and the Ukrainians would not agree to it.
06:14And so that's why that effort didn't work.
06:16So we'll have to find new suggestions and new ideas, because certainly that one, it was not acceptable to Ukraine
06:21at the time, and I don't think it's acceptable to them now either.
06:23In fact, it's probably less acceptable to them.
06:26So, you know, if- when peace comes, it'll be because of some new idea and some new concepts.
06:33And we're prepared to offer some of those in the right setting and forum.
06:36If the opportunity presents itself and the conditions are right, we're prepared to play that role in a positive way.
06:45In terms of putting more strategy in terms of the sides, in terms of freedom of navigation operations, will you
06:54be conducting more of that soon?
06:56Yeah, I mean, look, we're a treaty ally.
06:58I mean, the United States and the Philippines have a treaty.
07:00And so we will- we will live by that treaty.
07:03We're committed to supporting our treaty partners.
07:05And, you know, obviously, we've already done quite a bit.
07:08In fact, there was a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the region at the time that this happened
07:12and actually helped stand between the two sides and allowed the individual who was injured to be rescued and brought
07:18back for medical treatment.
07:19So we're already here.
07:21We're already present.
07:21We have a role, and we're not going to abandon our allies.
07:23We've made that abundantly clear.
07:25We're going to have to have a good relationship with China.
07:27Okay, these are the two most powerful economies in the world, two large militaries, two nuclear powers.
07:32We have to have a relationship with China.
07:34We want it to be as positive as it possibly can be.
07:36But that won't come at the expense of our allies and our partners in the region or our presence here
07:41either.
07:42Sir, it's been a day since we asked you about the Saudi nuclear agreement.
07:46Have you had a-
07:47Well, let me refer- no, but let me refer you-
07:49I know that was in the press the last few days, but let me refer you back.
07:51I think it was in November of last year when the Energy Department entered into this agreement, so the details
07:56are there.
07:57Obviously, even when the official announcement is made, it will have to go through a congressional notification process, and then
08:02we can talk more in depth about it.
08:04But suffice it to say that the U.S. is always looking for cooperation agreements with allies.
08:09I mean, Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner of the United States, and I think, without speaking in specificity about
08:14that deal, but in general,
08:16we're not the only country in the world that offers nuclear technology.
08:20And when countries decide they want to pursue a peaceful, civil nuclear program, we'd prefer them do it with us
08:26than do it with some other country.
08:28It allows us to have influence over the direction that it goes.
08:31It allows us to make sure that there are safeguards in place, things of this nature.
08:34And in the case of Saudi Arabia, they've been an important strategic partner for us, so it would make sense
08:38for us to enter into such an agreement.
08:40But obviously, the details of it, once it's released, you'll see it, you'll be able to understand it.
08:45And more importantly, it'll go through its congressional review process, which is a key part of this, you know, and
08:49so there'll be a lot more questions answered at that time.
08:52Would you be comfortable with Saudi Arabia enriching and reprocessing, Karina?
08:56I'll let the agreement speak for itself.
08:57Suffice it to say that any agreement that we're going to make with any country in the world on civil
09:02nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can't be turned
09:06into a weapons program.
09:07And one of the best safeguards is to make sure that American technology and American companies are the ones that
09:12are involved in doing it.
09:13If, on the other hand, a country pursues nuclear technology with another country, well, then we don't really control those
09:18safeguards.
09:19So, again, Saudi Arabia seeks to have a peaceful civil nuclear program.
09:25Other countries do as well.
09:26We have a similar agreement in place now with the UAE.
09:29And U.S. companies are the world standard in providing that.
09:32And so we are always looking for opportunities, by the way, not just in, you know, conventional reactors, but in
09:37small modular reactors,
09:38which is an area that we are increasingly around signing MOUs all over the world to help do as well,
09:43to countries that are exploring civil, peaceful nuclear energy.
09:48The United States wants to be their partner of choice.
09:51And we're always looking for opportunities to be able to make sure that our technology and our companies are the
09:55ones that are providing that.
09:56Does anybody over here have questions?
09:58Because this side is really lopsided.
09:59Go ahead.
10:00You just put sanctions on China's moonshot AI for apparently distilling.
10:04I don't have any announcement on that today.
10:06Go ahead.
10:06If Saudis agree to the additional protocol, it's sort of the gold standard.
10:10And if the administration is trying to stand up to say that nonproliferation is a problem in the Middle East,
10:16shouldn't that be the barrier?
10:17Any agreement that we would make on civil nuclear energy with Saudi Arabia or any other country is going to
10:21have safeguards in place to ensure that those cannot ever be turned into a weapons program.
10:26I mean, that's the gold standard.
10:27And obviously we live in a new era.
10:29There are competitors that we face, so we'll have to adjust individual deals to that reality.
10:33We're not the only show in town, but we're the best show in town.
10:36But we want to make sure that it's our companies they're picking.
10:39So, again, we understand any deal we enter into with any country will have to go through a congressional review
10:45process.
10:45And so we will ensure that in order to get congressional approval, we're going to need to have those safeguards
10:50in place.
10:51Whether they're structured differently from other deals in the past or not will depend on the individual deal.
10:57On Cuba policy, you've said in recent years.
11:00I'm in Asia.
11:00You're asking me about Cuba.
11:01It's far.
11:01But you said, yes, sir, you're the main guy on Cuba policy, so we should ask.
11:05No, I said most of all you guys were asking me a question about people that are involved in Cuba
11:08policy.
11:08So no one's more involved in it than me, so go ahead.
11:11This is a good question for you.
11:12So you said in recent months that the economic system can't improve unless there's a change in the political system.
11:17But you've been very vague about what that change in the political system would tell.
11:21Can you give us some more details with the Communist Party staying power, put a different leadership, with the Castros
11:26still be in power?
11:28So you want me to give you details on our plan?
11:29Yeah.
11:30Okay, not today.
11:31No, I'm not going to do that.
11:32I'm going to tell you this.
11:33No, no.
11:33Here's what I told you, and this is the truth.
11:35The people who are in charge of the country don't know what they're doing.
11:37They don't know.
11:38They don't know how to fix their economy.
11:39They don't know how – they don't understand basic concepts.
11:42And I think the challenge that Cuba has faced for the last 15 years is they want to somewhat improve
11:47their economy, but they're afraid that if they improve it too much, they'll lose political control over people.
11:52That's the challenge that they face.
11:53So I think for us, we are looking for an opportunity to influence the direction that that goes because it's
11:5990 miles from our shores, and we want Cuba to be prosperous.
12:01We want Cuba to be free.
12:03But in that sense, on the level of detail you're asking me, suffice it to say that as long as
12:09the people that are in charge think the way these people think and act the way these people act, it's
12:13going to be difficult for them to make the changes that need to be made in order for Cuba to
12:16have a better future.
12:17Because they just really – they either – they don't understand that some of them are incompetent, and some of
12:21them just basically don't understand, and others are just so recalcitrant that they'd rather destroy the country than ever walk
12:28away from a failed ideology, although I think the number of people in that category is less than it's ever
12:33been.
12:33But for the most part, it's just people that don't know what an economy is supposed to look like.
12:37They really don't, because they've always relied on foreign sponsors.
12:41That regime has survived on subsidies from the Soviet Union and then from Chavez.
12:49This is the first time they don't have a sponsor that's giving them subsidies for free, and they don't know
12:54what to do with themselves, because all they've done is freeload off these countries for all these years.
12:57The people of Cuba deserve better than that.
12:59Did you have a question?
13:01Yeah.
13:01What are your thoughts on the appropriate defense spending for allies like Japan and the Philippines?
13:06What is my opinion on –
13:08Defense spending.
13:09Appropriate defense spending.
13:10Well, we've communicated that to them, but look, at the end of the day, I still think that these are
13:15partners and allies, but we want countries to assume more responsibility for their own security.
13:19And for the most part, I think the countries in this region agree.
13:23And so the U.S. will continue to do its part.
13:26But by the same token, we're now in many cases dealing with advanced and wealthy economies who have the ability
13:31to spend more on their own defense, and they should.
13:33I think the primary responsibility of any government is the national security of their country.
13:39So, you know, but I wouldn't – I don't think it's a point of conflict between us and the region.
13:45Can you just wait a second?
13:46I have a question.
13:47Yes.
13:47I have a question.
13:48Are you looking to at least step up this support that you've mentioned, especially the U.S. Commission BRT share
13:55a matter?
13:56Yeah, look, again, we have a treaty agreement with the Philippines that we intend to keep.
14:01We have a treaty agreement that we intend to live by, and we have had a longstanding defense partnership.
14:07We don't view that as a hostile act towards anybody.
14:09We view it as keeping our commitments to long-term allies with whom we have many shared values, shared history,
14:15and we hope shared future.
14:17Venezuela, you said that next month, I think, they're going to start this transition talks.
14:21First week of August, yeah.
14:21Yeah, between the interim government and –
14:23The 2015 Assembly.
14:24The 2015 Assembly.
14:25Is there going to be a direct role for Maria Corina Machado and her opposition movement?
14:29Well, that's up to the Venezuelans to decide.
14:30I'm sure she can play a role if they allow – if they want her to.
14:33But the 2015 National Assembly is the government that we recognized up – you know, that's the government we had
14:39recognized up until these changes when we have these interim authorities.
14:42But we think it's a really good development.
14:44In the end, I would say that in order for Venezuela to have the reconciliation that that country requires to
14:49move forward on all these other projects, every element of Venezuelan society needs to be represented.
14:55And obviously, Maria Corina represents an important element of that.
14:58I mean, she's got supporters there and people that are supportive of her.
15:01And there are others as well.
15:03But a reconciliation process, we are there to facilitate it, not to dictate it.
15:07And we will certainly provide guidance and support in the direction that it moves forward.
15:11And we think it's important for the country to do that.
15:13And there's a lot to work on.
15:14I mean, if you think about in a country like that, that's been under a regime now for 20 to
15:1825 years, political parties have to transition from being street protest movements to electoral forces.
15:24You have to have a free and open press so you can communicate it.
15:27You have to have an electoral council that will actually accurately count the votes.
15:31You have to have enough security in the streets to ensure that the ballot box is safe and people aren't
15:35being intimidated.
15:36There's a lot that goes into an election.
15:37Then creating the infrastructure for an election that really was not invested in for a very long time.
15:42And in some cases, they were hostile towards.
15:44So there's a lot of change to happen.
15:46But what it requires is patience, persistence.
15:49We have to stay on top of it because these transitions do take some time.
15:52They don't need to take a decade or even five or seven years.
15:55But they take more than a few weeks, especially when you're dealing with something that's been in place for 25
16:00years, unfortunately, for the people of Venezuela.
16:02There's some prominent Republicans who have said they want you to take over the Iran negotiations.
16:07They trust you.
16:08They think that you will prioritize Israel's interests.
16:11And they're attacking Vice President Vance.
16:13Who are these prominent Republicans?
16:15Senator Xi, the Wall Street Journal opinion page.
16:18Well, that's not a Republican.
16:19That's a newspaper.
16:20Well, they...
16:21You're a troublemaker of these questions.
16:23I think you know it leads right into...
16:24No, no, look, guys, listen.
16:25Here's the bottom.
16:26You know who the lead negotiator is?
16:28His name is Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States.
16:31That's who dictates our policy.
16:32He has a team of people that work together on this.
16:34We all have a role to play, depending on what the topic is.
16:37We have very good negotiators in Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
16:40We have the Vice President of the United States, which is the second highest ranking official,
16:43which tells you how the importance we've given this file.
16:46Obviously, I have a role to play.
16:48The Department of War has had a role to play.
16:50That's how we approach it.
16:51This doesn't...
16:51I mean, it's a combined effort, and it always should be.
16:54Do you wish people didn't endorse you to take over the talks yourself?
16:58I mean, you're telling me about that.
16:59But that's not how our system works.
17:00That's not how this administration works.
17:02It starts at the top.
17:03The President is in charge, and he has a team of people that provide counsel and provide advice,
17:08but ultimately whose job it is to execute on the President's directive.
17:11We have a great team that works very well together on that topic.
17:14We've worked well together on a number of targets.
17:16We've worked together as a team on Lebanon.
17:18We've worked together as a team on Venezuela.
17:20We've worked together as a team on the Thailand-Cambodia peace agreement that was put together.
17:25We've worked together as a team.
17:26We have a really good core team that works on foreign policy and national security.
17:30And oftentimes, it's a multi-agency effort because there's a role for Treasury to play.
17:35Sometimes there's a role for energy to play.
17:37That's how these things work.
17:38It's not one person.
17:39It's all these different elements of our government that have to work in conjunction and in concert
17:43to execute on the President's directive and on the direction that he's giving us.
17:47The Secretary argued that the ICC threatens the sovereignty of the United States and its allies.
17:54How do you reconcile that position with the need for an international mechanism
17:58to hold perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable?
18:02Well, here's how I reconcile it.
18:04We're not members of the ICC.
18:05We never signed that treaty.
18:07We never joined it.
18:07And they somehow claim that they have a right, nonetheless, to go after non-treaty members
18:12and put heads of state and others in jail.
18:14We've long had quarrels with them.
18:16And we have lunatics and crazies involved in the ICC that are talking about charging members
18:21of the U.S. military, maybe even the president or a future president, with crimes.
18:25It's not going to happen.
18:26It's just not going to happen.
18:28We are not members of that court.
18:29We never signed on to that treaty.
18:31They need to understand that.
18:32If people want to sign on and be a part of that stupid organization, they can.
18:35But we're not going to be a part of it, and they're not going to apply their jurisdiction
18:38to Americans.
18:39That's just not going to happen.
18:40We're not going to tolerate it now or in the future.
18:42And we've warned them about it repeatedly.
18:44And now they're going to see the consequences of ignoring us.
18:46Mr. Secretary, can I come back to Ukraine, please?
18:49You want to go back to Ukraine?
18:50Oh, as a question, you're saying?
18:51As a question, yes.
18:52Yeah.
18:53And you're meeting with Mr. Lavrov.
18:55The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Mr. Lavrov told you or asked you
19:00or said to you that the U.S. needs to stop arming Ukraine.
19:06What was your reaction?
19:07And there's a statement.
19:08They said that.
19:09Yeah, I know.
19:10I mean, I don't know what their statement said.
19:11I know what happened in our meeting.
19:12At the end of the day...
19:13Yeah, but what did you say?
19:14Well, first of all, the U.S. position on it is we don't...
19:16We sell arms.
19:17Yeah.
19:17We sell arms via Pearl, which is an initiative we have through NATO.
19:22And that's what we're involved in.
19:23There's been no change to our policy in that regard.
19:25We want a peace deal.
19:26We want the war to end.
19:27We're prepared to play whatever positive role we can to end the war.
19:30And in order to end this war, we'll require something that both Russia and Ukraine can agree to.
19:35That's not going to happen at a press conference.
19:37That's not going to happen in one meeting here in the Philippines.
19:40That's going to require a lot of work.
19:42We've invested in the past in it.
19:43It was unsuccessful, or at least unfruitful at the time.
19:46If conditions and factors have changed to make that possible, we're ready to go.
19:50The president's committed to that.
19:51And every single day, if we identify an opportunity to make a difference in that, we will.
19:55Because in the end, what the president most cares about is not the stuff people are...
19:58Well, here's what he most cares about.
19:59That people stop dying.
20:01That people stop being slaughtered.
20:02That Ukraine can go on and live in peace, and Ukrainians can move back to their country and rebuild it.
20:08That young Russians aren't being killed at the tune of 5,000 a week in the battlefield.
20:12He thinks it's a stupid war.
20:13He thinks it's a senseless war.
20:14And if we can play a role in bringing it to an end, we're going to use the power and
20:18influence of the United States to do so.
20:20And we're prepared to do that as the opportunity presents itself, and I hope it has.
20:23And I hope it does.
20:24And that's what we've communicated consistently to both sides, by the way.
20:28On that line, Secretary, you said that you are open for new ideas.
20:31Now that you've met with Lavrov, are you and the president prepared to sit down with your counterparts, your current
20:36counterparts, if they visit Washington next week for the funeral?
20:39Well, I don't know if they're coming next week or not.
20:41I think President Zelenskyy had expressed an interest in coming.
20:44We've met.
20:45I mean, we just saw them.
20:46We'll meet with them.
20:46We've met with them often.
20:47We talk to them often.
20:49In fact, we saw them two weeks ago in Turkey.
20:52I would argue we've probably met with the Ukrainians far more times than we've met with the Russian side.
20:56And I'm sure we'll meet again in the future.
20:58Whenever that is, we're always open to meeting with them.
21:07I think I saw, you know, guys, I saw Arachi, their foreign minister, who the other day say something about
21:14their policies, an eye for an eye.
21:16The president's policy is a head for an eye.
21:19I mean, honestly, that's what it's going to be.
21:21I mean, they will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing.
21:24They're already paying a very heavy price.
21:25You guys don't know it because you don't cover it.
21:26You're not in Iran.
21:27You're not in the street.
21:28They don't have a free media.
21:29But they're going to continue to pay a very heavy price.
21:31Their industrial base has been decimated.
21:33Their defense industrial base has been decimated.
21:35They're losing launchers.
21:37They're losing radars every single night.
21:39They are suffering billions of dollars in damage, and their economy is a disaster.
21:43But despite all that, these people who are calling us every day, begging let's do a deal, they send us
21:48messages through other countries, third countries.
21:50I mean, they're running out of countries to send.
21:51Even I had countries here coming up to me, oh, I just spoke to the Iranians.
21:54They want to do a deal.
21:55The problem is every time these people do a deal, they either break it or after they make it, they
22:00want to change the deal.
22:01So they're probably not ready to do a deal yet, but they will be soon, because the price they're paying
22:05is very high, despite their tough talk and their flowery language and their stupid Lego videos they put out.
22:10I've never seen them, but they put these things out on social media.
22:13Despite all that bravado, they are suffering tremendously, and they're going to suffer more until they come to their senses.
22:18They're not there yet, unfortunately.
22:19Which countries came to you?
22:20I can't tell you who told me that.
22:21I mean, they're not betraying the conferences.
22:23There's some of them that are here, yeah, and every day I get a text or a call or a
22:26signal message from a foreign minister.
22:28Oh, so-and-so called me.
22:29The Iranians want to talk.
22:30The Iranians want to talk.
22:31But the problem with these guys, in addition to the fact that they're probably fighting with each other, is they
22:36make a deal, they agree to something, and then they decide, oh, let's change it after they made it.
22:40Or they decide, oh, I know we made a deal, but we're going to violate it.
22:44I mean, these people, unfortunately, just, they aren't ready for a deal.
22:47I think they'll be ready soon, though.
22:49Do you think there's going to be a big escalation by the United States in the coming days?
22:53That's the president's decision to make.
22:54They're going to pay a price.
22:55They're already paying a price every single night.
22:57I mean, you can't do the stuff they're doing for free.
22:59They're going to pay a price.
23:00On Russia and Ukraine, did you talk with Wang Yi about any influence that China might be able to exercise
23:06to help bring that war to an end?
23:07We didn't discuss in our meeting, no.
23:09We didn't discuss Russia and Ukraine.
23:10We had a lot of other stuff to talk about.
23:12Secretary, did you discuss with Wang Yi the issue of technology and whether that will be on the agenda for
23:17the September leaders?
23:19Well, that's a broad topic, technology.
23:20Like what?
23:21AI, AI discussion.
23:21Oh, AI.
23:22Yeah, look, I think that they've expressed they'd like to see some global governance about what AI is governed by.
23:28Obviously, I'm not sure we're aligned on that point yet, but that topic has come up.
23:33I think they've expressed an interest in discussing what the rules are going to be for how AI is used
23:39in the future.
23:40And I think that's going to have to be an international conversation.
23:42So, you know, we have some ideas about what that should look like and what those standards should be.
23:46And maybe they're different from theirs.
23:48But we didn't go into great depth on that topic.
23:50But it's an issue.
23:51It came up in Beijing as well.
23:53Just a final point on Iran.
23:55What was Iran's fault now?
23:57His diplomacy running out of time?
23:59With Iran?
23:59I just don't think they're serious about making a deal.
24:02These guys, I mean, the more the president's gotten to know them, the more he's come to that realization.
24:05I mean, he said it yesterday, I believe he gave a speech in Georgia.
24:07These guys, the problem with them is you can't make a deal with people unless they're going to keep it.
24:13And these people make deals and then they break it almost immediately.
24:15Or they decide, oh, let's change the deal.
24:17That's not how deals work.
24:18I mean, they violated the MOU within days of it being implemented.
24:21We kept our end of it.
24:22So now they're paying the price for it.
24:24And maybe they'll change their mind here over the next few days as they continue to suffer great losses.
24:28Mr. Secretary, I can know the Senate better than most anybody.
24:30They're debating the new military policy bill right now after the House passed it.
24:34One of the more controversial topics is about fusing the U.S. and Israeli military when it comes to co
24:41-production on things.
24:42Do you have any sovereignty concerns about that?
24:45If there are situations where the United States wants to send weapons, Iron Dome came up with Ukraine when the
24:51Israelis...
24:51You're asking about NDAA?
24:52Yeah, I mean, largely the Department of War manages that legislative portfolio.
24:56So I'm aware of the provision you're discussing that involves cooperation on technology.
25:01And look, at the end of the day, the truth is we do that with countries all over the world,
25:05right?
25:05I mean, if somebody...
25:06Well, I haven't read the specific provision in terms to tell you in detail.
25:09I understand the topic, though, because it's not new.
25:14On air defense, for example, we've long cooperated with the Israelis.
25:17Look, if we have a breakthrough in our system or they have a breakthrough in theirs, we could share that
25:22in a way to improve our own systems as well.
25:24So if they've come up with some novel way of defeating drones, for example, of course we would want to
25:29have that and benefit from it.
25:30By the way, they're not the only country in the world that we would do that with.
25:33We do that with other countries as well.
25:34So I think that's the provision you're referring to.
25:37And that's something we're already doing.
25:39I mean, that's something that already exists.
25:40But I don't think there's any...
25:42That's different from sovereignty.
25:44I mean, it's not like U.S. forces are going to come under the command and control of a foreign
25:48general or anything of that nature.
25:49When Ukraine was asking for Iron Dome, the United States and some lawmakers, including Lindsey Graham, wanted the U.S.
25:56to send an Iron Dome battery that was in the East Coast.
25:59Netanyahu vetoed that.
26:00That was the co-production.
26:01Well, yeah, yeah.
26:02But any time you enter into co-production, we have those restrictions too.
26:06I mean, if we provide weaponry to a country as part of an agreement, they can't transfer that to a
26:12third country without our approval.
26:14That's...
26:14We do the same thing.
26:16And Israel's not the only country in the world that does it.
26:18Other countries do it with their systems as well.
26:20That's just a normal way.
26:21When you do arms sales, part of the restrictions is you get to veto them passing it on to a
26:25third country.
26:27That's not just us to do it or Israel.
26:29It's every country.
26:29Is President Trump coming to Mandela for the ASEAN leader summit in November?
26:34I think he'd like to.
26:35I don't know what the schedule looks like.
26:36You know, yeah, I can't commit him to that trip because I don't control his schedule.
26:39But he was there last year.
26:40And I think that's something that we're going to talk about.
26:42It's an important forum.
26:43And I think APEC is a few days after.
26:45So, but I'm not...
26:47I can't make scheduling announcements for you today.
26:49Secretary, would you rule out running for president in 2028?
26:52Do what?
26:53I'm not asking president questions.
26:54Come on, guys.
26:55Do you think this visit has eased concerns about declining U.S. engagement in Asia?
27:02Are there eased concerns about our engagement in Asia?
27:04I mean, we're engaged in Asia every single day.
27:06I mean, obviously, this is a conference.
27:08We're here.
27:09We're participating.
27:10But we're engaged in Asia every single day.
27:12The Department of War is present all over Asia.
27:14The Department of State and our embassies are involved every single day in Asia.
27:18We have strong partnerships and economic ties to multiple countries in the region.
27:22Virtually every country represented here in ASEAN is someone that we deal with every single day.
27:27So there's a lot of competing interests in the world.
27:30So I think there's always going to be a concern that America is so focused on one place that it
27:33can't focus on another.
27:35But one of the great things about our country is that it is a large, powerful country.
27:38It has the ability to be present in the Western Hemisphere, in the Indo-Pacific, in Europe, in Africa, in
27:43the Middle East, and anywhere else where our interests are vital.
27:46Including the Arctic, by the way.
27:47Do you think it would be easier to make a deal with Iran if the United States didn't wipe out
27:50so many layers of their leadership?
27:52Trump often mentions that they're on the third tier now.
27:54Do you think it would be easier to make a deal?
27:58Well, I think the first two layers weren't necessarily the nicest people on Earth.
28:02So I don't think that, you know, we'll just keep going down the layers, I guess.
28:06But the first two layers were not like reformers.
28:10These were not like renaissance men.
28:11You know what I mean?
28:12So I don't think that the layers are the issue here.
28:16Look, the system is, at the end of the day, it's a country run by radical clerics.
28:21I think they have political people in their system.
28:23I wouldn't call them moderates, but they at least understand that hyperinflation is bad.
28:28High food prices is bad.
28:29Gas shortages are bad.
28:30But I think when you get to that clerical level, these guys are just oblivious to all of that.
28:35And they're destroying their country.
28:36These are the people.
28:37Understand, Iran is a rich country.
28:38Iran can be the richest country in the Middle East if they want it to be.
28:41But instead, they take their money and they use it and they give it to Hezbollah, they give it to
28:45Hamas, they give it to the Houthis, they give it to Shia militias, they give it to sponsor terrorism all
28:50over the world, they give it to try to kill people all over the world, they build drones and missiles
28:54and pursue a nuclear weapons program.
28:56That's what they spent their money on.
28:57If they had spent their money on their people and on their economy, today, Iran could be probably the richest
29:02country in the region if you want to know the truth.
29:05I think the U.S. is seeking a regime change in Iran or just change in its behavior?
29:09I think the U.S. is seeking a denuclearized Iran that will never have a nuclear weapon.
29:14The future of Iran, you know, that's obviously, you know, it would be easier to have people in charge that
29:18don't want nuclear weapons.
29:19But in the end, that's our interest.
29:21Our number one interest and the threat they pose to the world is these lunatics in possession of a nuclear
29:26weapon.
29:27And that's not going to happen, not as long as Donald Trump is president.
29:29I don't know if some future president or I know some past presidents have made some bad deals and others
29:33just haven't dealt with a problem.
29:35But our issue and our concern and our focus is denuclearizing Iran.
29:39They can never have a nuclear weapon.
29:40I don't know how many times the president has to say that.
29:42But if the people who you describe as lunatics, I mean, if they decide to make a deal, the United
29:46States is okay.
29:46Well, some of them are lunatics, some of them are evil.
29:48Some of them are evil lunatics.
29:49You can be both.
29:50So the United States is okay, comfortable, leaving these evil lunatics in place.
29:53They just can't have a nuclear weapon.
29:55They can't have a nuclear weapon.
29:56I mean, imagine what they would do to the world.
29:57What changed between now and the beginning of the war when they made it sound like that was not going
30:00to be the case,
30:01that regime change was one of the goals of the war?
30:03No, I never said regime change was a goal.
30:05From the very beginning, like from day one of the operation, it was very clear that we were going to
30:09degrade their missile launchers,
30:10their drones, and their factories, and their navy.
30:13Their navy no longer exists.
30:17There is no such thing as an Iranian navy.
30:19What they have left is a handful of Boston whalers.
30:22But they don't really have a lot of, they don't have a navy.
30:24They don't have an air force.
30:25Their air defenses are crushed from the very beginning.
30:28Now, what the president has pointed to is the fact that the people of Iran deserve better leadership.
30:32I mean, they slaughter their own people.
30:33It's by the thousands.
30:34They shoot them in the head.
30:35They slaughter them in the streets.
30:36Yeah, we don't like that.
30:37I mean, we don't think that's good for Iran.
30:39But our goal and our national interest in Iran is they can never have a nuclear weapon.
30:43And that's what they were going to try to do.
30:45If they had been able to hide behind double the number of missiles, double the number of drones, that's where
30:53they would have been in about a year, had they continued on the pace of construction.
30:56Even though their economy was suffering, even though their people were suffering, that's what they were spending their money on,
31:01even though they had sanctions.
31:02The money that was coming in, they were spending it on those things.
31:04Because that tells you everything you need to know about them.
31:06All right, guys.
31:08Thanks.
31:08Do you have a photo of your secretary?
31:09That one?