Transcript [00:00] So, Marco Rubio met uh yesterday with [00:03] the leaders of the Gulf states to talk [00:07] about what's going on with Iran, talk [00:08] about the negotiations. They issued a [00:10] joint statement after the meeting. And [00:13] then Marco Rubio stood in front of the [00:14] media and spoke for a while. And what [00:16] we're going to do in this video is we're [00:19] going to [00:20] play a number of clips of Marco Rubio [00:23] speaking at this press conference and [00:25] comment on them. We haven't heard a lot [00:26] from the Secretary of State over the [00:29] last few weeks. As we've all noticed, [00:31] Vice President J.D. Vance has been the [00:33] lead man in the negotiations with Iran, [00:36] and he's been really the one doing more [00:38] of the of the media. And and a lot of [00:40] people have commented that Secretary of [00:42] State Rubio has kind of gone quiet, but [00:43] he was sent to Bahrain to meet with the [00:46] leaders of the Gulf states and to hear [00:48] them out and to and to uh you know, to [00:51] exchange ideas with them. And they [00:52] issued this joint statement. So, there's [00:54] there's a lot in this press conference [00:56] that uh Marco Rubio in his press [00:57] statements there's a lot in there. He [00:58] said a lot of things that really come [01:01] off sounding different than what we've [01:02] been hearing from Vice President Vance [01:05] and even from President Trump over the [01:06] last little while. Uh and just notable [01:09] things. So, I want to go through all of [01:10] this [01:11] uh in this video. [01:13] Okay. So, let's start with the joint [01:16] statement that they issued after the [01:17] Gulf after the the GCC meeting. This is [01:21] uh on from the from the State [01:22] Department. Joint statement following [01:25] the ministerial meeting of the United [01:26] States and the Gulf Cooperation Council. [01:28] And it talks about who was there. [01:31] And I don't want to [01:33] read the whole thing, but there's some [01:34] key things here. Here, this is this is [01:36] the key paragraph, one of them. [01:38] Secretary Rubio reinforced the enduring [01:40] US commitment to GCC security. And the [01:44] ministers reaffirmed their strong [01:45] commitment to the US-GCC strategic [01:47] partnership. The ministers welcomed the [01:50] June 17th MOU between the United States [01:53] and Iran, recognizing the important [01:55] roles played by Pakistan and Qatar. They [01:57] stressed the need to maintain momentum [01:58] and unity as negotiations proceed [02:01] toward a more permanent end to [02:02] hostilities and the shared objective of [02:04] preventing Iran from ever developing or [02:06] otherwise acquiring a nuclear weapon. [02:09] Here we go. This is big, this next [02:11] sentence. The ministers further [02:12] emphasized that lasting regional peace [02:15] and security requires [02:17] the full spectrum addressing the full [02:20] spectrum of Iran's threats, [02:22] including its ballistic missiles, [02:25] drones, and support of proxies in the [02:27] region. This is You know, when you read [02:30] between the lines in these things, now [02:32] you know what this meeting was really [02:33] about. [02:34] Because the MOU [02:37] did not talk about the ballistic [02:40] missiles. It did not talk about the [02:41] drones. It did not talk about the [02:44] proxies. [02:46] In fact, it even kind of gave some [02:49] legitimacy to Iran's proxy Hezbollah in [02:52] there talking about [02:54] you know, this deconfliction mechanism [02:57] that Iran's going to be a part of in [02:58] Lebanon, but it didn't address them. The [03:00] key is that it did not address them. So [03:02] here you see by the fact that this is in [03:04] here, it says that they support the MOU, [03:06] but but you can't really deal with the [03:09] Iran issue unless you deal with these [03:10] threats. What it's Reading between the [03:12] lines, this was an issue for the Gulf [03:14] states saying, "Hey, you're moving [03:16] forward with this MOU. You haven't [03:18] really consulted us, [03:20] and these are big issues that need to be [03:21] dealt with, okay?" And that's big [03:23] because according to the Iranians, these [03:25] issues are not part of the negotiations. [03:28] And when you read the 14-point MOU, they [03:30] kind of have a point. All it discusses [03:31] really is [03:33] lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, [03:35] opening the Strait of Hormuz, the [03:36] nuclear issue. Those are the things [03:37] discussed there. We've talked about [03:39] that. [03:40] The ministers also emphasized the [03:41] importance of reopening the Strait of [03:42] Hormuz, noting that free, unconditional, [03:44] and unrestricted navigation, including [03:46] the right of transit passage as [03:47] guaranteed under international law, [03:49] remains essential to regional and global [03:51] security. The ministers rejected any [03:54] tolls, fees, or attempts to assert [03:56] control over the strait. [04:00] Not just tolls and fees, but any attempt [04:02] to assert control over the strait. [04:05] The MOU specifically [04:08] names Oman and Iran [04:11] as saying that they will have [04:13] conversations about setting up [04:16] setting up the mechanisms and setting up [04:18] the rules of the game for the Strait of [04:19] Hormuz. So, there this is also very [04:21] interesting pushback. [04:27] And welcomed the Sultanate of Oman and [04:29] the International Maritime [04:31] Organization's announcement on the [04:32] launch of an evacuation plan for over [04:34] 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region. [04:38] The ministers further emphasized that [04:40] any trade and investment with Iran is [04:41] conditional and reversible. [04:44] Meaning, [04:46] we're not just giving money to Iran. [04:50] No. [04:51] Contingent on Iran's compliance with the [04:53] MOU and the final deal, cessation of its [04:55] destabilizing behavior. Not just about [04:57] the nuclear. That's not what It's not [04:58] about nuclear in Hormuz. [05:00] It's about their destabilizing behavior [05:02] and creation of the conditions necessary [05:04] for economic engagement. Now, this [05:05] document then goes on. It mentions [05:07] Syria. It mentions Lebanon, that they [05:10] reaffirm a full commitment to Lebanon's [05:12] sovereignty, security, stability, and [05:14] territorial integrity. Very nice. [05:17] And they welcome the [05:19] uh the negotiations between Israel and [05:21] Lebanon facilitated by the United [05:23] States. [05:25] But, check this out. They stressed that [05:27] full Lebanese sovereignty cannot be [05:29] achieved while non-state armed groups [05:32] maintain military capabilities outside [05:34] the Lebanese state authority and called [05:36] for the full disarmament of all such [05:38] groups, namely Hezbollah, and the [05:41] restoration of Lebanese state's monopoly [05:43] of force, while recognizing the [05:44] importance of supporting the Lebanese [05:46] armed forces in doing so. In other [05:48] words, they are [05:50] uh they are coming out uh [05:52] in favor of the disarming of Hezbollah. [05:57] Okay, and then it talks about Gaza, how [05:58] they still support that. They have to [06:00] throw that in there. [06:03] And [06:06] they also condemned attack by attacks by [06:08] the Iranian proxies in Iraq against GCC [06:10] countries throwing in more about the [06:13] proxies. Okay, let's get to the clips. [06:15] So, the first couple of clips I'm going [06:17] to pay you I play you and and these [06:18] clips are from different parts of the [06:19] press conference because he was asked [06:21] questions [06:22] on on on topic, they go to another [06:24] topic, they come back to a topic, so I [06:25] put them together more topically. [06:27] They're not in order of how they [06:28] appeared in the press conference. So, [06:29] the first couple of clips I'm going to [06:31] play you [06:33] are both on the topic of the Strait of [06:37] Hormuz, okay? [06:39] So, let's take a look at those two [06:40] first. [06:43] And do I have it? Here we go. [06:49] >> And so, one thing that came across very [06:51] clear [06:52] is there is zero support, zero support [06:55] among the Gulf countries for any sort of [06:57] toll or fees or anything that charges [06:59] for the use of international waters. The [07:01] president's made it clear that's not [07:02] going to happen. It's not going to be a [07:04] part of this. It cannot be a part of [07:06] this. He made that clear again yesterday [07:07] in the Oval Office [07:09] uh in in a in a press availability that [07:11] he had and I reiterated that point uh [07:13] which I think was a welcome message from [07:15] our partners here to hear that. [07:17] >> Okay, that's number one, meaning we're [07:19] not going to tolerate any tolls [07:22] whatsoever in the Strait of Hormuz, very [07:24] nice. And then he came back to this with [07:26] when he was he was asked about Oman and [07:30] their involvement because apparently the [07:32] Omanis are having conversations with the [07:34] Iranians and so, it's kind of ambiguous, [07:36] right? What's the deal with Oman? [07:38] And here's what he had to say there. [07:41] >> Mr. President [07:41] >> I have a piece of paper. [07:42] >> Thank you. is your comment on the [07:44] uh [07:45] Iranian-Omani dispute regarding the safe [07:47] passage [07:48] in the [07:49] Strait of Hormuz? [07:50] >> Yeah, so we've reached the point now on [07:51] this where you're hearing, for example, [07:53] the Iranians will say one thing, but [07:54] then something else is actually [07:55] happening. So, here's what I would tell [07:57] everybody. It's now obvious to us, and I [07:58] think it should be obvious to all of [07:59] you, that the Iranian system is going to [08:01] continue to produce all sorts of [08:02] maximalist rhetoric. They're going to [08:04] have people going on their TV, on their [08:05] official media, and making all kinds of [08:08] pronouncements. And what we're [08:10] interested in is not their press [08:11] conferences. What we're interested in is [08:13] whether or not ships are moving. If [08:15] ships are moving as they should be [08:16] moving, then that's what we're going to [08:18] judge, and that's what we're going to [08:18] react to. If, on the other hand, this [08:21] rhetoric is backed up by actual ships [08:23] being threatened, and ships are not [08:24] moving, that's a violation of the [08:26] agreement, and we're going to have a [08:27] problem with it. So, what we are [08:29] watching as we see the continued flow of [08:31] ships in this particular case, that that [08:33] lane is the one that's being used for [08:34] this evacuation effort that's being led [08:36] by the International Maritime [08:37] Organization, and that must continue. [08:40] And as long as it continues, they can [08:41] have all the press conferences they [08:42] want. If that stops, then we're going to [08:45] have a problem. [08:45] >> Mr. Secretary, is there a specific [08:47] commitment from Oman that there would be [08:48] no fee or tolling system imposed, [08:50] including after a specific commitment [08:52] from Oman that there was zero interest [08:54] in a tolling or fee system, including [08:56] after the 60-day negotiation? [08:57] >> know if it's been issued yet, but we [08:58] have a joint statement that's coming [08:59] from our meeting, and it makes it [09:01] abundantly clear. And um so, I would [09:03] just reiterate the point that I made [09:04] earlier. And I said this to you I don't [09:06] know if you guys were there in the [09:07] >> His point there is that Oman was part of [09:09] the meeting, so they agreed to the joint [09:11] statement that I read you before. [09:12] >> open portion of it, I said fees and [09:15] tolls are the same thing to me. Okay, if [09:17] you're paying someone to go through, I [09:19] don't care if you call it a fee or a [09:20] toll or a donation, [09:22] it's a toll. That's how we're going to [09:23] define it. That's international [09:25] waterway. There isn't a nation on Earth [09:27] that supports having to pay money to go [09:28] through the straits. And think about it [09:30] this way. If you have First of all, it's [09:32] not even workable. Let's suppose that we [09:33] went crazy for him and lost our minds [09:35] completely and decided to agree to have [09:37] a tolling or a fee mechanism. How would [09:39] that work? It's not doable because [09:42] what's the consequence for not paying? [09:44] And let's say a ship says, "Well, I'm [09:45] not going to pay the fee." It's not like [09:47] a toll on a road, you don't get a ticket [09:48] in the mail. They get shot at. You shoot [09:51] at one ship, you sink one ship, no other [09:52] ship is going to move. So, that sort of [09:54] system is not only unwise, it can't [09:57] happen. It's not even workable. So, you [09:59] might as well abandon the fantasy now. [10:01] So, I think we've been clear. You can [10:02] call it a fee, you can call it a toll, [10:03] call it whatever you want. If you were [10:05] charging money to use the straits, we [10:06] won't support it. We won't We won't [10:08] tolerate it. We won't allow it. And I [10:10] think there was unanimity in that. [10:13] >> Okay. The you know, the problem with [10:15] this I I'm happy he's saying that, but [10:17] the problem with it is that, again, the [10:19] MOU actually [10:21] it, you know, explicitly states that [10:23] Iran will not charge any fees [10:26] for the first 60 days. [10:29] That implies that it's a possibility [10:31] down the road. [10:32] Um but here he's, you know, and and [10:35] President Trump and Secretary of State [10:37] Rubio have said very clearly since then, [10:38] "No, no, no, no, no. There's never going [10:40] to be any fees." So, this is going to be [10:41] an issue that is going to come to a [10:43] head. Now, the next topic that I want to [10:45] that I want to share with you his [10:46] remarks on is has to do with the [10:48] proxies. [10:50] Okay? Cuz I as I read to you in that [10:53] joint statement that they put out, it [10:55] talked about the proxies. [10:57] Talked about the importance of of of [10:59] getting rid of the proxies. And here he [11:00] says something that is very curious to [11:02] me. Check this out. [11:05] So, we are looking at Hold on, let me [11:07] find the right clip. [11:09] It's this clip here. Here we go. [11:12] >> You know, much this morning sir, you [11:14] said there is no agreement with Iran. It [11:16] will like come [11:18] at expense of a Gulf state interest. [11:20] Does that mean you [11:22] in your negotiation with Iran it will [11:24] address proxy and also all the threats [11:27] from Iran coming to Hormuz even if they [11:29] don't close it, but still the threats [11:30] affect their maritime traffic and also [11:33] proxies. [11:34] >> Yeah, if you look at the MOU, it talks [11:35] for peace in a region. It talks for no [11:37] interference in the in the in the [11:39] sovereignty or interest of independent [11:41] countries, of sovereign countries. Well, [11:43] that's what proxies are. They're [11:44] interfering [11:45] >> Okay. I have to cut him off here. [11:48] This is This is when I watched this this [11:51] full press conference, this was the [11:53] first moment where I was like, "What did [11:54] you just say?" [11:56] Let me play it again. [11:57] You understand what he just said here. [12:00] Let's back up a few sentences. [12:03] >> Uh in your negotiation with Iran, it [12:05] will address proxy and also all the [12:08] threats are from Iran coming to Hormuz. [12:10] Even if they don't close it, but still [12:11] the threats affect the maritime traffic [12:14] and also proxies. [12:15] >> Yeah, if you look at the MOU, it talks [12:17] for peace in a region. It talks for no [12:18] interference in the in the in the [12:21] sovereignty or interest of independent [12:23] countries, of sovereign countries. Well, [12:24] that's [12:26] >> I I read through the MOU again after he [12:28] after this after I saw this. There is [12:31] nothing in the MOU [12:33] about not [12:36] interfering with the sovereignty of [12:38] other countries in the region. There is [12:40] nothing there. [12:41] The closest thing to it is that it says [12:44] that the US and Iran agree to not [12:45] interfere in each other's sovereignty. [12:47] There's nothing [12:49] like what he's saying here. It's a [12:50] little confusing to me, [12:52] but let's see what else he says. [12:54] >> what proxies are. They're interfering in [12:55] the sovereignty of a country. When [12:57] you're giving money, for example, to [12:58] Hezbollah [13:00] to act as a rival to the sovereign [13:02] government of Lebanon, you're [13:03] interfering in their politics. When [13:04] you're sponsoring militias in Iraq, [13:07] you're you're interfering in Iraq. Uh [13:09] when you're sponsoring, you know, Hamas [13:11] or the Houthis or whoever it may be, [13:13] you're interfering in the sovereignty of [13:15] these countries. So, that it's covered. [13:17] The MOU contemplates a conversation [13:19] about these things because it's critical [13:20] and it's important. Um so, there's no [13:23] doubt that that will be a topic that has [13:25] to be discussed because ultimately [13:26] you're not going to have peace and [13:27] stability in this region as long as [13:29] there are non-state actors operating [13:31] within the boundaries and borders of [13:32] sovereign countries and being funded by [13:34] Iran. [13:36] >> Okay. [13:37] Again, I just said my peace on it. I I [13:38] could not find this anywhere in the MOU. [13:40] There's nothing even about it. It's It [13:42] doesn't [13:43] It doesn't say anything about not [13:45] interfering in other countries and he [13:46] says it's in there. [13:50] Okay. [13:51] So, maybe drop a comment. If you want to [13:53] go back and read the 14-point MOU, you [13:55] can find it easily. Just Google "Fort" [13:57] you know, uh "Iran US MOU 14 points" or [14:00] something and it'll come up. There's a [14:02] number of news outlets that published [14:03] the full text. [14:05] If someone has an idea of how this is [14:08] actually there, help me out here. [14:11] But, it's nice to see the proxy issue [14:13] back at the forefront. One of our [14:15] biggest issues with this MOU and all the [14:17] stuff that's been happening lately is, [14:18] "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What [14:20] happened with the ballistic missiles? [14:21] What happened with the proxies? What [14:22] happened with those major issues that [14:24] used to be part of our goals here? All [14:26] we're talking about is Hormuz and the [14:28] nuclear issue." And here he's being He's [14:31] adamantly saying that, "No, no, of [14:33] course the proxies are going to be part [14:34] of it." He's also coming out of a [14:36] meeting with the Gulf states and we saw [14:38] from their document that they came out [14:40] with that this is This is right at the [14:41] top of the list for them. They want to [14:43] deal with the the destabilizing aspects [14:46] of the Iranian regime and they talked [14:48] specifically about the fact that it's [14:50] not sufficient to just deal with the [14:52] with the opening the Strait of Hormuz [14:54] and the nuclear issue that you can't [14:55] deal with the Iran issue without dealing [14:57] with the proxies. [14:58] He comes back to the proxies near the [15:00] end of the press conference. I'm going [15:01] to play you one more clip [15:03] uh on this topic, okay? [15:06] Let's find it. It is this one. [15:10] >> Um I'm just curious how concerned you [15:12] are about Iran being able to consolidate [15:14] control over a lot of its proxy militias [15:17] in Iraq. And even as these talks are [15:19] ongoing, mean, um what type of threat [15:21] future threat that poses to some of its [15:23] neighbors? [15:24] >> that's an example of Iranian [15:25] interference in the sovereign affairs of [15:27] another country, in Iraq. Um [15:29] that said, they have a new Prime [15:30] Minister, he's forming a government. Uh [15:32] we have good signals coming from him. [15:34] He'll be visiting Washington soon to [15:36] meet with the president. And our hope is [15:38] that, you know, we can we will continue [15:40] to stand on behalf of the sovereignty, [15:42] respect for the sovereignty of the [15:43] people of Iraq, and not interference [15:45] from Iran. So, that'll be a topic of [15:47] conversation. We've engaged the new [15:48] Prime Minister, he's spoken to the [15:49] president on the phone already once. [15:52] Uh we're watching the so far, there's [15:53] been good signals and some good actions [15:55] that he's taken in the formation of his [15:56] government, but obviously some [15:58] challenges remain. But, it's something [16:00] we're going to watch very closely. [16:02] >> Okay. [16:04] Um [16:05] Okay, we you know, we're watching [16:06] closely. We we don't want the [16:09] destabilizing influence of Iran in Iraq. [16:11] The problem is that the the Iraqi [16:13] government is actually pretty pro-Iran, [16:15] so we'll see how that one shakes out. [16:17] I'm not going to get into the weeds on [16:18] that one now. Uh I'm probably going to [16:20] make a separate video about Iraq. We [16:22] need to revisit that topic, it's a very [16:24] confusing one. [16:26] And let's go to the next topic. The next [16:29] topic he deals with uh that I want to [16:31] deal with is he was asked about the the [16:34] frozen assets and whether any of the [16:36] money [16:37] has already been transferred, cuz [16:39] there's rumors that Qatar has already [16:41] has kind of jumped the gun [16:43] and has already been [16:44] uh [16:45] releasing frozen assets. So, let's take [16:47] a look at [16:49] at this clip here. [16:54] >> order of the Venezuela [16:55] >> And then secondly, are are you aware [16:58] has any or are you aware of any of the [17:00] frozen money that Qatar holds being [17:04] transferred already to Iran? [17:07] >> well, I'm not aware of that. I don't [17:08] think anyone in our system has said [17:09] that. So, I I I don't know if you're [17:12] responding to some news or anything [17:14] that's out there, but as of right now, [17:15] we're not aware of any money, nor have [17:17] we agreed for any money to be [17:18] transferred. [17:18] >> Okay, so that all that money is still [17:20] there. [17:20] >> As far as that's our understanding. And [17:23] there's no agreement on that point, so [17:24] there better be the case. [17:27] >> He says there's no agreement on that [17:28] point. Again, when I go back to the MOU, [17:30] the MOU lists five items that have to be [17:33] done immediately [17:35] in order to proceed. [17:37] That's clause 13. It lists five items, [17:39] and one of the items that has to proceed [17:40] immediately is the unfreezing [17:46] So he's saying here that uh [17:48] that it's not time for that yet. Um [17:51] along the same lines as the as the [17:53] unfrozen assets, cuz it's in the [17:55] financial realm, he then [17:57] uh was asked about the $300 billion [18:00] fund. [18:02] The famous $300 billion fund. I made a [18:03] video about it last week about [18:06] a week ago today, I think, about how I [18:09] don't believe it's ever it's ever going [18:10] to come to be, and his comment on it [18:12] kind of confirmed what I said here. So [18:14] let's take a look. This is a short one. [18:17] >> Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary, in in the [18:19] meeting with the GCC allies, did any of [18:21] them make any commitments to pay into [18:23] this $300 billion reconstruction? [18:25] >> No, it was not discussed. I mean, that [18:26] the reconstruction That's way down the [18:28] road, and that's something, you know, [18:30] that'll be dealt with at the appropriate [18:31] time in this process. [18:33] Um I [18:34] But that was not discussed by anyone. [18:37] >> Right, cuz besides the fact that they're [18:39] not supposed to pay into it anyway, we [18:40] were told that it is meant to be private [18:43] investment. Uh but we were also told by [18:45] J.D. Vance that there's lots of interest [18:47] in the Arab world in investing in Iran, [18:49] and then uh and then we saw a lot of [18:52] reports that were saying, um not really. [18:55] Uh so [18:57] So yeah, that was that also came up [18:58] there. [18:59] And [19:01] then very interesting question was about [19:04] about compensation [19:06] for the GCC [19:09] um for the GCC states for their for the [19:12] damages [19:14] that they that they suffered. Now, the [19:16] context of this question was the person [19:17] was asking him about the specifics of [19:20] certain things that need to be agreed [19:22] upon and why they're not in the MOU. And [19:24] he started off kind of defensively [19:25] saying, "Look, the MOU is not an [19:27] all-encompassing document. It's just [19:28] It's just an outline." But then he gets [19:30] into this issue of the uh [19:33] of the compensation. So, let me pull up [19:35] that one now. Here's the next clip. [19:38] Yeah. [19:39] >> not supposed to be like an [19:40] all-encompassing document. It basically [19:42] just creates the outlines for a [19:44] negotiation process. And that's what the [19:46] MOU did. I mean, it had some specific [19:47] things about immediately reopening the [19:49] straits and so forth. But what [19:50] ultimately does is create the outlines [19:52] for a process of negotiation. Within [19:54] that process, I imagine there'll be many [19:56] things discussed. And on the specifics [19:58] about the GCC, one of the things that [19:59] was mentioned today, which is of great [20:01] interest to them, is they want some sort [20:03] of funding for reconstruction. They [20:05] suffered damages. They want to be [20:06] compensated for those damages. So, I [20:08] would imagine that as part of the MOU [20:10] process and as part of their engagement [20:12] with us in that process, that items such [20:14] as that are going to come up. Okay? [20:16] >> Okay. Now, [20:19] let's let's again read between the lines [20:21] of what actually happened behind closed [20:22] doors there. [20:24] They're not interested in investing in [20:26] Iran. [20:28] They want to get paid [20:30] by Iran. They want to get paid for the [20:32] damages and they Look, [20:35] back up. [20:37] What this meeting was about is that the [20:38] Gulf states, I think, are very [20:42] uncomfortable by what just went down [20:44] over the last week and a half with this [20:46] MOU, [20:47] cuz they looked at it the way a lot of [20:48] us looked at it and were like, "What on [20:50] Earth is this? Where's the proxies? [20:53] Where's the ballistic missiles?" You [20:54] see, they came up in that in that [20:56] paragraph in that top-line paragraph in [20:58] their joint statement today. "Where's [21:00] the proxies? Where's the malicious? [21:02] Where's the drones? Where's our [21:04] compensation?" [21:06] You see, Rubio just shared that that [21:08] came up also. Where's our compensation? [21:10] Oh, did investing in the reconstruction [21:12] of Iran come up? Nope, that's too far in [21:14] the distance. In other words, they're [21:16] not interested in that either. It didn't [21:18] even come up. No one ever mentioned it. [21:22] You can see reading between the lines of [21:24] what he's saying here [21:25] and knowing what we know about the MOU, [21:27] we can see that the Gulf states were not [21:29] happy that they were not part of the [21:31] process. They were not happy that their [21:33] real concerns were not being addressed. [21:36] That's what happened in Bahrain in this [21:38] meeting. Uh next clip we're going to [21:40] look at. We're almost done. We're going [21:41] to look at uh a clip where he was he was [21:44] asked about sort of about regime change. [21:46] He was asked about his previous comments [21:48] that he's always been very [21:50] hawkish on the Iranian leadership being [21:52] very quick to call them out as fanatics. [21:56] And uh he was asked about that. So, [21:58] let's take a look at this one. [21:59] >> Come on, Anon. [22:00] >> very blunt terms to describe Iranians [22:03] >> Iranians' leadership. You used to call [22:04] them [22:05] >> You did. You used to call them religious [22:06] theo- theocratic lunatics. Do you still [22:09] believe that language applies to the [22:10] leadership today? [22:11] >> Well, look, it's not that I believe it. [22:13] It's the fact of the matter. I mean, the [22:14] the the Iranian system is led by [22:17] clerics, radical clerics. Um that's what [22:20] it's always been led by and that's what [22:21] it continues to be led by. That said, um [22:24] we also have to manage the geopolitics [22:25] of the situation. And then there's an [22:27] oppor- If they're If they've changed [22:28] their mindset or if they changed their [22:30] approach to their relations with the [22:31] United States and their neighbors, then [22:33] we're going to give this thing a chance [22:35] to work. Maybe this changed. I I'm not [22:36] saying it has. I'm saying the president [22:38] wants to explore whether that's the [22:39] case. And if it has, we're going to find [22:41] out. But we're not going to find out [22:42] because of what they say. We're going to [22:44] find out because of what they do. We're [22:45] going to judge them by their actions. [22:47] And um we'll test that proposition and [22:50] see. [22:51] And no one says it's going to be easy [22:53] because I think at the end, you know, we [22:54] know that people that are still at the [22:56] top levels of that government are people [22:58] that adhere to the same theology and the [23:00] same mentality as the people that have [23:01] led it in the past. They've got some [23:03] people in the political branches that [23:05] seem more flexible or more willing to [23:06] work with us. Those are the ones we're [23:07] negotiating with. We'll see how it works [23:09] out. [23:10] >> Let's [23:12] >> You see that? Now, that is a very [23:14] different tone from what we've been [23:15] hearing from Vance and from President [23:17] Trump himself talking about, "Oh, [23:18] there's been regime change. These are [23:20] different people. They're far more [23:21] reasonable." And he's coming out and [23:23] saying, "Hey, look, these are the same [23:24] people." [23:25] These are the same people and we don't [23:27] know that they've changed and it's it's [23:30] refreshing to hear. Let's just say that. [23:33] Um so, what is what does President Trump [23:35] actually believe and what is kind of, [23:37] you know, part of his [23:39] his uh [23:40] his posturing? That we don't know. [23:43] Um [23:44] two more topics I want to touch on that [23:46] or that he touched on. One of them is [23:47] Lebanon. Now, I didn't include it in the [23:49] proxy issue cuz it's a little bit [23:51] different. [23:52] But, let's let's go over to the Lebanon [23:54] issue now. [23:58] >> Okay. [23:59] >> He he he said that uh President Trump [24:01] was sometimes frustrated cuz every time [24:03] a deal between Israel and Lebanon was [24:05] close. [24:06] Um uh Israel would launch would launch [24:08] some sort of bomb that would kill a a [24:09] number of civilians in Beirut and it [24:11] didn't seem to be productive. A lot of [24:13] Republicans thought that those comments [24:14] were inappropriate. [24:15] >> He's talking about comments made by J.D. [24:17] Vance criticizing Israel [24:20] for gumming up the process by [24:23] by attacking Hezbollah. [24:25] >> Um in Congress. What I mean, what what [24:27] do you think of those comments? [24:28] >> So, we like one of the things that was [24:30] happening we we actually have been able [24:31] to do this. Last Friday, we restarted uh [24:34] this monitoring mechanism that had gone [24:35] dormant for a while. And what it does is [24:37] CENTCOM is now sitting not just with the [24:39] Israeli military command, but the [24:40] Lebanese command. And anytime an [24:42] incident happens, they we're not taking [24:45] anybody else's word for it. We can see [24:46] the incident and we can qualify quantify [24:48] what actually happened. So, as an [24:50] example, yesterday two individuals in [24:52] some sort of vehicle, armed, clearly [24:55] Lebanese Hezbollah fighters approached [24:57] an Israeli checkpoint and the Israelis [24:58] action that item. A week ago that had [25:01] happened, you would just have a news [25:02] report that two people in Lebanon have [25:04] been killed by the Israelis. Now, we [25:06] have fidelity that we actually know, not [25:08] because they told us, but because we saw [25:09] it. And we saw the footage that these [25:11] were two armed individuals that were not [25:13] a part of the Lebanese armed forces who [25:15] approached the checkpoint and as a [25:16] result posed a threat. So, that's a big [25:18] difference from what we were getting [25:19] just a week ago. Beyond that, I would [25:21] say that today is the you know, we're in [25:23] a we're a few hours ahead here. But [25:25] today will be the third day of three [25:26] days of talks between the Lebanese [25:28] authorities and the Israeli authorities. [25:30] I think we had a very good day [25:31] yesterday. I think we are very close in [25:33] our hopes of getting a commitment of of [25:36] of of of interest between of intent [25:38] between the two countries that I think [25:40] begin to outline a promising future. [25:42] It'll be a process, it'll take some [25:44] time, it'll take a lot of work. But I [25:46] can tell you that for the first time in [25:47] 30 years, the sovereign government of [25:49] Lebanon is speaking to the government [25:50] Israel directly. That's who we're going [25:52] to be negotiating with, that's who we're [25:54] going to be working with. Not Hezbollah. [25:55] Hezbollah's not the government of of [25:57] Lebanon. The Lebanon has a government, [25:59] it has democratically elected leaders. [26:01] They are the they have the sovereign [26:02] right to speak and defend the interest [26:04] of the Lebanese people. And what we want [26:05] for Lebanon is a peaceful future. That's [26:08] what everyone wants here. And frankly, I [26:10] think we're going to have a very [26:10] positive commitment of interest whether [26:12] it's the of intent whether it's today or [26:14] in the days to come. We're working very [26:16] hard at that. Hopefully today will be a [26:18] a day that can build on some of the [26:20] things we we were able [26:23] Okay, I found this a very interesting [26:24] clip [26:25] because of what he revealed about [26:27] CENTCOM now having this monitoring [26:30] mechanism where they're actually [26:32] watching everything going on in Lebanon. [26:34] And he the example that he gave [26:36] was of Hezbollah guys approaching [26:39] Israeli soldiers and you know, some some [26:42] imminent threat and the Israelis taking [26:44] them out. [26:46] And that rather than it just being [26:47] reported as oh, Israel killed a few guys [26:49] in Lebanon, [26:51] they're seeing that Hezbollah provoked. [26:53] So, that's welcome. That's nice to see [26:54] that they're monitoring that way. And [26:56] then, of course, he reiterated that [26:57] we're not dealing with Hezbollah. That's [26:59] a bit of a problem. Look at the MOU. The [27:01] MOU says that there's a deconfliction [27:04] mechanism that involves Iran. But what's [27:06] more, when J.D. Vance was speaking in [27:09] Geneva after his after his uh visit [27:12] there [27:13] and I played the clip in a previous [27:14] video, right? He said explicitly [27:18] that [27:19] you know, this deconfliction [27:21] you know if someone launches a rocket [27:24] and Israel responds, you know, there'll [27:25] be less escalation if everyone's [27:26] talking. And he named in everyone [27:29] talking [27:30] you know, the Israelis and Hezbollah and [27:32] Lebanon and you know, everyone should be [27:34] in the conversation including Hezbollah [27:36] in the conversation for those [27:37] deconflicting. So, we're seeing a little [27:39] bit of a some daylight perhaps between [27:42] Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance. [27:44] Uh maybe that's what we're seeing and [27:45] that's what the media was picking up on. [27:47] So, towards the end of this press [27:49] conference, he was asked directly about [27:51] that. And this is the going to be the [27:54] last clip that we play. [27:56] Okay. So, this is he's going to be asked [27:58] about daylight between him and J- and uh [28:01] Vice President J.D. Vance. [28:06] >> Well, let's put a fine point on this [28:08] question. How wide is the divide between [28:10] you and the Vice President? [28:12] >> On what issue? [28:13] >> On any issue. [28:14] >> This administration, let me tell you [28:15] something. Everyone here is aligned [28:17] behind the President of the United [28:18] States. Every single one of us. The [28:19] President of the United States makes the [28:21] foreign policy of our country. And our [28:22] job, we obviously give advice, we give [28:24] counsel, we give opinions. But when the [28:26] President of the United States is the [28:27] one who is elected by the people of our [28:29] country to conduct our foreign policy. [28:31] The President makes these decisions and [28:33] all of us on his team, every single one [28:34] of us works in lockstep very closely [28:36] with one another to execute on the [28:38] President's foreign policy. Everything [28:40] we do is because the President's made a [28:42] decision that it's going to be done. And [28:44] one of the things I'm very proud of, I [28:45] can't speak for every element of our [28:46] government because I'm not involved in [28:47] other aspects of our government, but one [28:49] of the things that I'm the proudest of [28:51] is that when it comes to foreign policy [28:53] and national security, we have no drama, [28:55] we have no games. We have a group of [28:57] people that work very well together and [28:59] closely to execute on the president's [29:01] directives, which is why I think we've [29:03] had good outcomes and good achievements, [29:04] and we're going to continue to have good [29:05] outcomes and good achievements. Everyone [29:07] has an important role to play, and [29:08] everyone is playing that role and doing [29:10] it in a collaborative process, and I [29:12] think that serves the president well, [29:13] and I think that serves the country [29:15] well. [29:17] >> All right. [29:18] Listen, folks, he said what he said, [29:21] but at the same time, you know, we've [29:23] seen gaps. [29:25] We've seen a different tone coming out [29:27] of J.D. Vance and coming out of Marco [29:28] Rubio. Let's sum this up and end this [29:30] video. [29:32] He goes to the GCC. He sits down with [29:34] the Kuwaitis, the Omanis, the Bahrainis, [29:36] and the Qataris, and the Saudis, and I [29:38] mean they're and they all you know, [29:39] they're all there. [29:41] And you can read between the lines, [29:43] they're not happy. [29:44] They're not happy that they were cut out [29:46] of the process, that there was no [29:47] communication, [29:48] and no coordination with them on this [29:50] MOU. They're not happy that the proxies [29:52] weren't mentioned, that the ballistic [29:53] missiles weren't mentioned. [29:55] They're not interested in paying any [29:58] money to Iran, but they are interested [30:00] in getting paid money from Iran. [30:03] They in their document, they without [30:05] calling them by name, they basically say [30:07] we have to get rid of Hezbollah. [30:09] Uh [30:10] you know, they [30:12] there were some very positive things [30:13] that came out of Rubio's meeting in [30:15] Bahrain. [30:16] And and let's not forget this question [30:18] that I have, which is [30:21] um [30:22] Rubio, and not really a question, an [30:23] observation, that Rubio is saying that [30:26] these things are going to be part of the [30:28] conversations [30:29] going forward with the Iranians. [30:31] Ballistic missiles, proxies, he said [30:32] that. [30:33] He said these will be part of the [30:34] conversations with Iran. [30:37] Iran says no, they're not, and and [30:39] they're not in the MOU. [30:41] So, this is another point of friction [30:42] that we can expect to come to a head. [30:45] Um [30:46] what is the actual position of President [30:48] Trump? Is it more like what Vance is [30:50] saying? Oh, yeah, you know, we could [30:51] talk to Hezbollah and that could [30:52] de-escalate. [30:54] Or Rubio saying, we're not talking to [30:56] Hezbollah, we're not involving them. [30:59] These are the questions that we're going [31:00] to have going forward. Uh but I think [31:01] that this was significant. [31:03] One of the most significant things was [31:04] that we finally have Secretary of State [31:07] Rubio returning to the main stage of [31:10] this drama. All right. Have a good [31:11] weekend, everyone. Shabbat Shalom. [31:12] Bye-bye.
