WEBVTT - US boasts of ‘punching Iran while it’s down’

0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:04.480
<v Speaker 1>Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with

0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:09.800
<v Speaker 1>the Front's afternoon headlines. America's not running out of AMMO,

0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.960
<v Speaker 1>but Iran is. That's the forceful message from United States

0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:18.000
<v Speaker 1>Secretary of War Pete Hegsaf, who addressed reporters on Thursday

0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:21.319
<v Speaker 1>in the wake of reports America's arsenal was running low.

0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:29.840
<v Speaker 2>America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy. They are

0:00:29.880 --> 0:00:31.840
<v Speaker 2>toast and they know it.

0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:36.559
<v Speaker 1>US Central Command says Iran's missile launchers have dropped by

0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:40.240
<v Speaker 1>eighty six percent and its drone launches by seventy three

0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:44.800
<v Speaker 1>percent in four days. Central Command released spectacular footage it

0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:48.440
<v Speaker 1>said was shot from a submarine periscope showing a torpedo

0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:51.919
<v Speaker 1>sinking an Iranian vessel off the Sri Lankan coast, one

0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.680
<v Speaker 1>of nearly two dozen Iranian Navy ships. Sent Com says

0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.640
<v Speaker 1>it has sunk. There are reports Iran's ballistic missile manufacturing

0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.560
<v Speaker 1>physilicies have been damaged by US and Israeli strikes, and

0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:08.520
<v Speaker 1>that Iran's existing missile stocks are declining. Hexceth didn't seem

0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:12.320
<v Speaker 1>concerned by critics who say America doesn't have justification in

0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:17.160
<v Speaker 1>US or international law for the strikes. Under America's constitution,

0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.840
<v Speaker 1>the president commands the armed forces, but only Congress can

0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:25.080
<v Speaker 1>declare war. Donald Trump hasn't attempted to have Congress declare

0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:29.160
<v Speaker 1>a war, although his Republicans dominate both chambers at present.

0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.120
<v Speaker 1>In international law, the United Nations Charter says states have

0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:36.759
<v Speaker 1>a right to self defense in response to an armed attack.

0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:40.680
<v Speaker 1>America has a veto power in the UN Security Council,

0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:44.120
<v Speaker 1>so doesn't need to worry about a resolution declaring its

0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:48.360
<v Speaker 1>war illegal, and both the US and Israel have repeatedly

0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:52.280
<v Speaker 1>said Iran's prior attacks on Israel and on America over

0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:56.720
<v Speaker 1>recent years constitute an armed attack, and that its plans

0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.840
<v Speaker 1>for a nuclear weapon and further strikes on Israel amount

0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.560
<v Speaker 1>to an imminent threat. Some international law experts say that

0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:06.720
<v Speaker 1>would also make Operation Epic Fury legal.

0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:11.480
<v Speaker 2>This was never meant to be a fair fight, and

0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.799
<v Speaker 2>it is not a fair fight. We are punching them

0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.560
<v Speaker 2>while they're down, which is exactly how it should be.

0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:24.080
<v Speaker 2>Iran negotiated in bad faith, stalling, scheming and preparing to strike,

0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:28.640
<v Speaker 2>and we acted decisively to defend our people, our interests,

0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:34.680
<v Speaker 2>and our allies. President Trump took bold action, putting America first,

0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.160
<v Speaker 2>the kind of bold action that the American people elected

0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:44.520
<v Speaker 2>him to execute. To our steadfast partner, Israel, your mission

0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:49.560
<v Speaker 2>is being executed with unmatched skill and iron determination. Fighting

0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:53.200
<v Speaker 2>shoulder to shoulder with such a capable ally is a

0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:57.200
<v Speaker 2>true force multiplier and a breath of fresh air.

0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:01.079
<v Speaker 1>That's a swipe at Britain and the other European countries

0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:03.960
<v Speaker 1>whom the US has accused of failing to spend enough

0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:08.799
<v Speaker 1>on defense. Trump has forcefully attacked British Prime Minister Kirstarma

0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.400
<v Speaker 1>for failing to allow US forces to use British bases.

0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:16.959
<v Speaker 1>Another three planeloads of Australians stranded in the Middle East

0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:19.840
<v Speaker 1>are expected to land in Australia in the coming hours.

0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.200
<v Speaker 1>That's after two hundred people touched down in Sydney on

0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:24.040
<v Speaker 1>Thursday morning.

0:03:24.840 --> 0:03:28.160
<v Speaker 3>I'm sure that Australians who were able to touch down

0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:32.400
<v Speaker 3>on their home soil felt very relieved to be home.

0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.040
<v Speaker 3>Now I confirm that right now another flight EK four

0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:38.200
<v Speaker 3>one four is in the air with over two hundred

0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.720
<v Speaker 3>Australians on board, and we are hopeful of more flights

0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:45.680
<v Speaker 3>being in the air today, which is what we want.

0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:46.320
<v Speaker 3>To see.

0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:50.400
<v Speaker 1>Anthony Albanezi also confirmed the deployment of Australian military assets

0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.280
<v Speaker 1>to the region during question time.

0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:57.040
<v Speaker 3>The government is deploying six crisis response teams to the

0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:01.080
<v Speaker 3>region and we've already deployed military assets as part of

0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:05.920
<v Speaker 3>our contingency planning earlier this week. I think those Australians

0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.560
<v Speaker 3>who are going into a dangerous situation in order to

0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:14.160
<v Speaker 3>help their fellow Australians caught up in this conflict.

0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.520
<v Speaker 1>Check out those stories live right now at the Australian

0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:22.960
<v Speaker 1>dot com dot au and come back to the front

0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:25.360
<v Speaker 1>first thing in the morning for analysis of the Iranian

0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:29.320
<v Speaker 1>conflict by The Australian's inimitable Foreign editor, Greg Sheridan.