1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: Let's go to the lightest on the war. David Smith, 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Washington Bureau Chief of The Guardian, joins me live. Good morning, David, 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: good morning. So we're hearing more and more that Iran 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: is going after Golf. The golf state Saudi Arabia in 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: the last few minutes apparently said that he's been two dead, 6 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: twelve wounded, and they are attacking. This is Iran attacking 7 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: the diplomatic quarter in Riads. So what's the latest here, 8 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: what are we what's going on? 9 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a great question because in Iran seems to 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: have been giving conflicting signals on that. There was a 11 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,319 Speaker 2: statement from the president yesterday suggesting that they would no 12 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 2: longer go after countries in the Golf region, but it 13 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 2: did seem to have a little bit of ambiguity that 14 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 2: that would only be the case if the implication was 15 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 2: those countries were no longer backing the US attack. And 16 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: of course, you know, the US does have military bases 17 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 2: in almost all of those countries, and so it would 18 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 2: appear Iran is still attacking on that pret and it's 19 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 2: a very high risk strategy for them. I mean, I 20 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 2: think some of the view of some in Washington is 21 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 2: that it's going to backfire. It just alienates the region, 22 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: It makes those countries even more likely to collaborate with 23 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 2: the US. You know, some of those critics would say 24 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 2: Iran is just kind of lashing out here almost indiscriminately, 25 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 2: and appears to be kind of no no let up 26 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: in that happening. And it does obviously carry that risk 27 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 2: of just a wider conflagration of this war really spreading 28 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 2: in a dangerous way and airlines having to cancel flights 29 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 2: and people desperate to get out and pressure on the 30 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 2: US to provide the passage for them. It sort of 31 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: feels like the war is escalating and widening rather than 32 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 2: the opposite. 33 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, and could they're in a perverse kind of way 34 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: get it over with quicker. I know it's you know, 35 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: there's obviously going to be casualties, is going to be 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: bad things that come from that. But I think a 37 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: lot of people, including in America as you'll know, as saying, well, 38 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: we don't want this pushing prices up. 39 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, because clearly, oil in a simple word, 40 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: is one of the key factors here, and we're already 41 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 2: seeing the oil price go up because of the strait 42 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: of her moves in Iran are being affected and these 43 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 2: other countries as well, and that will increase global pressure. 44 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 2: And already we're seeing here in the US petrol price 45 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: is affected as a consequence, maybe not as dramatically as 46 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 2: some fear, because the US itself has become a massive 47 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 2: oil and gas producer, partly through fracking, to provide some 48 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 2: insulation precisely for this kind of global turbulence. But even 49 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: so it is a potential negative, especially for Donald Trump 50 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 2: and Republicans politically going forward to the midterm elections in November. 51 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 2: And so yes, I think there is something in that 52 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 2: theory that, you know, the wider this war goes, the 53 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: quicker it might be over because because of those pressures 54 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 2: and because you know, Gulf countries have a motivation to 55 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 2: join the battle against Iran. 56 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: David, appreciate your analysis this morning. David Smith, Washington bureau 57 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: chief for The Guardian. 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