1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 2: Joining us now at the National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby. 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 2: Admiral Kirby, fantastic to catch up with you, sir, Busy weekend, 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 2: I'm sure for you and the administration, let's get straight 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 2: into it. We've heard from Iran at least they've indicated 6 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: the matter can be deemed concluded. I think we all 7 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 2: want to know, Admiral Kirby, whether Israel is indicated the 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: same thing. 9 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:28,319 Speaker 3: I won't speak for the Israelis. I think you can 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 3: understand that. I believe the war cabinet is still deliberating 11 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 3: and making their decisions. The President had a very good 12 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 3: conversation with the Prime Minister right after or towards the 13 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 3: end of the attacks on Saturday night, and the President 14 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 3: was very direct that this was a huge success, that 15 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 3: Israel can be proud that it doesn't stand alone and 16 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 3: that it has superior military capability, iron utterly failed in 17 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 3: what they were trying to achieve, and that that success 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 3: alone sends a strong message to Iran into the region 19 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 3: about Israel's place there. 20 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: So could we just define success? How can we define 21 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: the weekend's events as a success? To see the first 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 2: direct strikes coming from Iranian soil on Israel. How is 23 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 2: that a success in any way? Shapel for Let's talk 24 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 2: about what didn't happen. 25 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 3: Hardly any damage, and the only impacts were to an 26 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 3: airbase in central Israel, no real casualties except sadly, a 27 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 3: young civilian girl was critically injured. And the vast majority, 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 3: as the IDF have said, ninety nine percent of what 29 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 3: Iran threw up in the air drones and missiles never landed, 30 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 3: either it failed or actually got shot down. So that's 31 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 3: what didn't happen. And what did happen was Israel proved 32 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 3: it has superior military capability and just as critically, they 33 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 3: don't stand alone that the United the United States stands 34 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 3: with them. I think people are maybe not cognizant of 35 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 3: the fact that the President put US forces in harm's 36 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 3: way to help defend Israel for the first time, American 37 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 3: fighter pilots in the air shooting things down that we're 38 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 3: heading towards Israel, and they were extraordinarily successful in doing so. 39 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 3: I think that's significant. 40 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 2: You're talking about a successful defense. I think a lot 41 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: of people also focused on the unsuccessful deterrents. The President said, 42 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: don't and they did. And we're trying to work out 43 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: Admiral Kirby, in what way the US is able to 44 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: influence Iranian behavior. 45 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,119 Speaker 3: Well, the President prepositioned military forces in the region, which 46 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 3: allowed for that unprecedented successful defense. The President met with 47 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 3: the G seven meters yesterday to talk about a unified 48 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 3: diplomatic response and to consider other options and alternatives to 49 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 3: try to hold Iran accountable for what it did on 50 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 3: Saturday night. Iran is increasingly isolated in the world, certainly 51 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 3: in the region. Israel has proven that it has friends. 52 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,359 Speaker 4: If Israel does not respond, is the new status quo 53 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 4: that Iran can strike Israel from its own soil and 54 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 4: there won't be a retaliation. 55 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 3: Again, I can't speak to that emory. That's going to 56 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 3: be up to the Prime Minister in the War Cabinet 57 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 3: to make those decisions. We respect that it's a sovereign nation. 58 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 3: They have to make those decisions. 59 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 4: There's lots of reporting that the Biden administration that was 60 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 4: verbalizing to these realis that they do not support a 61 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 4: counter strike. Isn't that in the sense taking one of 62 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 4: those tools out of the toolbox and brandishing it to 63 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 4: the world. 64 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 3: The tools that we took out of the toolbox were 65 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 3: pretty significant. On Saturday night, Emory ballistic missile destroyers in 66 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 3: the instrument helping shoot down ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft in 67 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 3: the air, other partners participating. There was a lot of 68 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 3: tools in the toolbox, and that there's no question that 69 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 3: Iran recognizes the coalition that was put together to help 70 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 3: Israel defend itself. Again, I can't speak for what either 71 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 3: side will do going forward. All I can do is 72 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 3: speak for President Biden as commander in chief. He has 73 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 3: since October seventh, and he will continue going forward, making 74 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 3: sure that we are meeting our commitments to Israel, but 75 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 3: just as critically, that we're meeting our commitments to our 76 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 3: own national security interests in the region, making sure we 77 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 3: have the resources in place to protect our troops, our facilities, 78 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 3: and the missions that we're conducting there in the Middle East. 79 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 4: We've had sixty tons of arsenal fired upon Israel directly 80 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 4: from Iran. We've had six months of Iranian backed who 81 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 4: Thi's hitting as well, trying to hit even US vessels 82 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 4: in the Red Sea and disrupting global trade. We also 83 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 4: had an uptick of uranium enrichment by Iran. So to 84 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 4: get to this deterrence, what is the US willing to do? 85 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 4: We have sanctions in place, is the United States willing 86 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 4: to enforce them? 87 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 3: We have been enforcing sanctions, I mean my goodness. In 88 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 3: the three and a half years of this administration, we 89 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 3: have implemented more than fifty sanctioned regimes, targeting more than 90 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 3: five hundred entities and individuals. And again, I won't preview 91 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 3: coming sanctions or anything like that, but I can tell 92 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 3: you that additional sanctions are certainly not off the table 93 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 3: in terms of holding Iran accountable. And take a look 94 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,799 Speaker 3: at the additional military resources that President Biden has added 95 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 3: to the region even before October seventh. This is something 96 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 3: that he's been keenly focused on. And as we saw 97 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 3: from Saturday night, Iran is increasingly isolated on the world stage. 98 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 3: They are increasingly making it harder for anybody in the 99 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 3: international community to be sympathetic to any of their andimical 100 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 3: interests there So, again, I think we've done a lot. 101 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 3: We'll continue to look at our options going forward, and 102 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 3: I suspect that we'll continue to hold Iran properly accountable 103 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 3: aneral Corey. 104 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 4: How are they isolated? They had a call with the Saudis. 105 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 4: They're sending all their oil to China. They're sending Shaha 106 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 4: drones to Russia. In March, irani An oil output hit 107 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 4: a five year high. 108 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 3: Where is the enforcement. There is enforcement of the sanctions. 109 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 3: Memory Again, this is one of the most heavily sanctioned 110 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 3: countries in the world, and we're going to continue to 111 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 3: look at our options going forward to hold them properly accountable. 112 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 3: As sanctions are certainly not off the table, neither is 113 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 3: going making sure that we've got the capabilities in the 114 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 3: region and we do to thwart some of their destabilizing activity. 115 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 3: You talked about the uranium enrichment. When the previous administration 116 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 3: pulled out of the Iran deal, it vastly accelerated the 117 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 3: degree to which Iran could start to spin up their 118 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 3: centrifuges and get closer to some sort of breakout capability. 119 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 3: The President obviously tried, We tried, but Iran was not 120 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 3: negotiating any good faith to get back into that Iran deal. 121 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 3: But he also made clear that we will not allow 122 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 3: Iran to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. We prefer to 123 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 3: do that through diplomacy, but if not, we've got other 124 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 3: options available. 125 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 4: What's diplomacy, Bob Malley, The Iranian envoy is still under investigation. 126 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 4: Who is leading these diplomatic efforts. 127 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 3: As I said, the diplomatic efforts to get them back 128 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 3: into the Iran del are no longer being pursued because 129 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 3: Iran wasn't negotiating in good faith, which is why we're 130 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 3: going to make sure we have other options available to 131 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 3: us to prevent them from achieving a nuclear weapons capability. 132 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: Admall one question, and Amory did touch on this, this 133 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: question around what the response could be to Iran seizing 134 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: a vessel in the Straits of Hormuz, the idea of 135 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: freedom of the seas. What's the US's response to that, 136 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: given the fact that a lot of companies have already 137 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: started to rejigger some of their trade routes and bake 138 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: in extra costs as a result. 139 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, I had a little trouble hearing you over the 140 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 3: lawnmower there, but I think I got the gist of 141 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 3: the question. We certainly condemned this most recent maritime attack. 142 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 3: This is a tactic that the Iranians have used in 143 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 3: the past. We have when able, been able to interdict, 144 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 3: been able to try to afford other such maritime attacks, 145 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 3: not all of them, of course, And we are also 146 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 3: making a concerted effort over time, and we have been 147 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 3: somewhat successful in intercepting goods that the Iranians have been 148 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 3: trying to ship by sea to some of their proxies 149 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 3: in Iraq and Syria and certainly the Huthi's. 150 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: One thing that a lot of companies are saying, a 151 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: lot of executives is that they do have to make 152 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: contingency plans because they aren't sure that there can be 153 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: such safety and you've see insurance costs go up. Is 154 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: it appropriate for the US for Israel to more directly 155 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: respond to Iran at some point, just not now. 156 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 3: Again, I can't speculate about future operations one way or another, 157 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 3: or future decisions that we might have to make. The 158 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 3: President has been clear we're gonna hold Iran accountable for 159 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 3: their destabilizing activities. He's also been clear, and we don't 160 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 3: want a war with Iran. We're not looking for another 161 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 3: war in the Middle East, or to see the conflict 162 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 3: that's currently underway in Gaza broadened or deepened across the region. 163 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 3: Now We'll have to see how things unfold over the 164 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 3: next coming days here, but we don't want a war 165 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 3: with Iran, and everything the President has been doing since 166 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 3: the seventh of October has been designed to try to 167 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 3: bring the tensions down and to make sure that the 168 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 3: United States is best posture to defend our interests there 169 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 3: in the region. 170 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 2: You want to find now with the lower Mama sas, 171 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 2: So we're going to let you go. National Security Council 172 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 2: Communications Advisor John Kirby, John, thank you, Sir Admiral Kirby. 173 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 2: We appreciate your time.