美议员：特朗普不应仓促制定对伊战略

If we could begin with the president's comments when it comes to Oman, which he made repeatedly a threat to bomb them if they get in the United States way. Are you comfortable with us bombing an ally? Uh, obviously, you have to take it in the context of if they negotiate a side deal where Oman and Iran decide they're going to charge fees and split, uh, this, uh, passage. Oh, that's unacceptable. And it's one in which, uh, I'm honest, I understand that that's outside any possible, uh, agreement that we would make with Iran or with Oman.

So, uh, I think he's really referring to that, making it clear that he's brushing them back sort of like a a pitcher. Uh, when the baseball player gets too close to the mound, uh, making it clear that this is completely unacceptable, that, uh, what we want at the end of this is an Iran that doesn't threaten it and or bomb its neighbors, and a strait that is open and free to all international travel, as it has been at times in the past.

Congressman, welcome back to Bloomberg. It's good to have you. Thank you Joe. We consider the situation in the Middle East. I'm curious your thought here on on the way forward. There's been a lot of talk, of course, about finishing the job. There was also a startling report in the Wall Street Journal this morning, uh, that painted a picture of an Iran mobilizing for a much bigger war that, in fact, could be Iran that escalates this.

Are we done militarily or is there more work to do? Well, I believe the president will react to what Iran does or doesn't do. Um, and, Joe, you know, I'm I wasn't around as a congressman 47 years ago, but I was a young lieutenant, very young lieutenant. Then, um, we're solving or attempting to solve a 47 year problem, one that has led to thousands of American deaths. One that as far back as Ronald Reagan required the sinking of their Navy when they tried to take over the country previously.

This is not a new problem, and it is a difficult one, just as the situation with North Korea is difficult, just as a situation to a pro-China, left leaning South Korea complicates a long standing relationship. And so, you know, the president inherited, uh, problems around the globe, many of which hasn't even been dealt with properly. Uh, and so I have a little more patience than others when I see him trying to solve what most people considered intractable problems.

So let me ask you, with that timeline that you just mapped out there. Uh, 47 years, it's been that long that we've had sanctions on Iran as well. And the Treasury secretary, uh, is promising more at some point this week, he said he would be out with an announcement as the administration tries to get an economic stranglehold to pair with the straight. Bloomberg has counted 2200 sanctions that have been put on Iran in that period of time, and yet they somehow survive.

Congressman, do we need to be serious about secondary sanctions and cracking down on oil that Iran is selling to China? Well, you nailed it right there, Joe. Uh, a sanctions is only works if it's actually enforced. Uh, the, uh, the selling of of oil somewhat openly, although technically clandestinely, uh, to China in massive amounts, uh, and to India, by the way, there were others who, uh, wink and buy, buy discounted oil.

Uh, that means that the sanctions could have been effective, but clearly we'll never know. If we don't make sure we enforce it. And so the first sanction is a piece of paper. The second sanction is negotiations and work with allies to prevent them from buying, uh, that oil and so on. And the last one ultimately is a bit of a blockade of one sort or another to enforce that their ships will not carry oil on the high seas to foreign countries.

That last one is part of what the president is doing is using a combination of Navy and Coast Guard. But again, Joe, 47 years without a solution means that when as we're getting through this and combat combining diplomacy and quite frankly, military force, we are still feeling our way to what the right solution is. Uh, do I think it will end on some politician's timeline? No. As a matter of fact, the most important thing I think, for people to understand is if the president looks at November as somehow he has to have it done, he plays into Iran.

If he looks and says, I'm not in a hurry, I'm going to get it right, and I'm going to make sure that Oman and Iran and others play by international law going forward, that I believe he can be successful, but he's got to do it on the right timeline. And it's not some politicians want or need. Well, we consider that timeline and the perhaps elongated deployment of soldiers and troops, uh, and sailors in the Middle East.

The USS Abraham Lincoln obviously has relief on the way in the form of the USS George Washington, which will steam over from the Indo-Pacific region. And I wonder, as you see us moving assets from other theaters to the Middle East now with this move to pull back on joint military exercises in South Korea, what signal overall is being sent to China? Well, clearly, I think there are two completely different things. The situation with South Korea, a left leaning government that recently took over.

That is abusively attacking American companies, uh, including well known meta and uh, and other less known companies. Uh, uh, they in fact, is the Amazon of, uh, of South Korea is owned by a South Korean, uh, immigrant to the United States. And they are being, uh, attacked in a terrible way by the government systematically making unreasonable claims. Uh, so we do have a problem even in trade with South Korea. We also have a problem with an important military ally.

We, uh, we in NATO buy parts and, uh, finish products from South Korea. And they have to pick whether their best trading partner is China or whether they're going to be in the West, uh, as they do that, obviously, around the globe, there are other bigger problems that are more immediate. So shifting resources, uh, to, uh, Iran, uh, to get that conflict over is sensible. And you mentioned, uh, uh, unfortunately, the Abraham Lincoln, one of our older ships, a ship that has had some technical problems, including, oddly enough, the loss of Wi-Fi, which for the the younger generation is their lifeline to their families, uh, has been a problem.

It's one that we expect, uh, the secretary and his team, uh, to make extra effort to make sure it doesn't happen again, because these comfort items, uh, on a ship of 5000, mostly young people, uh, it did stress it, but it would have stressed it when they were at sea anywhere. Uh, and ultimately, aircraft carriers cannot come into port just willy nilly. So, um, I know that the Department of War now is, uh, focusing on this.

Uh, to be honest, uh, if I'd had my way, we'd have had Elon Musk, uh, send a few of his satellite receivers out there. We fixed it on the fly. And hopefully that kind of initiative will happen going forward with the president's leadership. In the meantime, we're sending a fresh, uh, a fresh crew and providing needed relief to these, uh, sailors.