English transcript

Why are we having, um, it's, it's, it seems

to be a continuing nagging problem with the

Strait of Hormuz. We've all but destroyed Iran's

Navy. Their leadership, I mean, we, there are

five or six people remaining who seem relevant.

Um, so I know it's been 20 days or we're in

our 20th day now. But why has this taken so

long?

Well, I would, I would look at it the exact

opposite, which is, how has this happened so

fast?

So you're talking about what would normally

be considered months or even years to achieve

these military objectives, instead have been

achieved in a matter of days. Because under

the leadership of President Trump, and then

of course with Secretary Hegseth at the Department

of War, we are not fighting a politically correct

battle. The hands of our warriors are not tied

in getting up and going after the objective,

and going after the objective ruthlessly. Because

this is war, and in a war, you have to fight

totally. And so we have seen the leadership

of this regime has been completely decapitated

and obliterated. We have seen the IRGC dealt

one humiliating blow after another. Their Navy

is in the bottom of the ocean. Their Air Force

is in rubble. Their ballistics missile program

has been annihilated and is getting further

annihilated every single day. This is a phased

operation. Phase by phase, step by step, objective

by objective, the President is achieving his

goals. And right now, as you have seen, as has

been reported, as has been discussed, the United

States military is laying waste to targets all

across the Strait of Hormuz that Iran uses to

menace commerce in that region. But very importantly,

the United States is better positioned than

any nation in the world to take on this battle.

Why?

Because President Trump has unleashed American

energy, and now, what else is he doing?

He's unleashing Venezuelan energy. Um, NATO

Secretary General, um, Rutte spoke about opening

the Strait, um, of Hormuz. Watch. When it comes

to the Strait of Hormuz, I have been in contact

with many allies. We all agree, of course, that

Strait has to open up again. And what I know

is that allies are working together, discussing

how to do that. What is the best way to do it?

They are working on that collectively to find

a way forward. Obviously that's Rutte. Um, have

any NATO members told you that they're going

to help?

Because so far France, Germany, UK have been

adamant that this is not their problem. Well,

look, President Trump has been very clear in

his views about the NATO alliance and his views

about European countries' willingness to step

up, especially after everything that we have

done in Ukraine, a nation that, yes, was invaded,

but is far closer to Europe than it is to the

United States of America. We have a giant ocean

between us, as President Trump says. The rest

of the world depends on traffic through the

Strait of Hormuz, not the United States. But

again, I just want to underscore, this is a

conflict that is only days long. The United

States has achieved its objectives even faster

than anybody thought possible. President Trump

was aware of and has calculated through every

permutation and every degree of strategy. This

has been, by far, the most overwhelming victory

based on the objectives. So in other words,

victory over the Navy, victory over the Air

Force, victory over the missile launchers. In

terms of each individual military objective,

ahead of schedule. So that's where we are right

now. And again, the President has very wisely,

very intelligently, created maximum leverage

for the United States by building up our energy

independence as we engage in this conflict.

But just imagine, Laura, just think through

this for a second. If Iran had long-range missiles,

if Iran had thousands more missiles that they

could aim at Europe and the United States and

our bases, and they were as powerful as they

were going to be under the Obama deal, and had

a nuclear weapon, and the ability to shut down

the Strait of Hormuz, then the whole world would

be at the mercy of this terrorist regime. President

Trump alone has stopped that from happening.