We have very good news on the war front. Namely, they are absolutely being destroyed. Iran is being absolutely decimated. That’s all I can say. We’re going to be in very good shape.
You see it. What’s happening? Uh they are >> pretty much at the end of the line. Doesn’t mean we’re going to end it immediately, but they they are they’ve got no navy. They’ve got no air force.
They’ve got no anti-air traffic uh anything. They have no systems of control. We’re just riding free range over that country. Most people say it’s already been won. It’s just a question of when.
When when do we stop? We don’t want to let it regrow and ideally would like to see somebody in there that knows what they’re doing. In other words, it could build a country. >> That’s President Trump on Operation Epic Fury and how it’s taken out nearly all of the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure. US and Israeli forces launched a barrage of strikes on Tyrron throughout this week despite harsh Iranian retaliation across the region, particularly yesterday.
My next guest says we are seeing the beginning of the end of the Iranian regime. Joining me now is Ronald Reagan Institute director Roger Zachheim. Roger, thanks so much for being here this morning. How would you assess this war? We know that yesterday a number of ships were actually hit by Iranian fire.
Your reaction? >> Well, I think that’s to be expected. Our campaign planners and central command known that this was an area of vulnerability. I think overall the president has it right. This has gone very successfully.
It was not something that was going to be done in a matter of days but weeks to degrade all the capability of the Iranian military and the straits of Kmuz. It’s tight 24 miles wide at its most narrow element over there was always going to be something that the SenCom planners were going to be focused on and knew would take time to clear out and that’s really where we are at at this moment. But what we are going to see here and the reason why I think it’s the beginning of the end of the regime is it’s been degraded as the president said uh and we’re going to exchange really short-term instability for long-term stability and that’s the sort of thing that’s really going to benefit uh the US economic security and of course our national security. >> Absolutely. And and and the president is um aligned with that thinking when it comes to releasing oil as well.
The president yesterday reversed course. You said he will in fact draw down 172 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve to help lower the price of oil with a promise to fill it back up quickly. The International Energy Agency also going to release 400 million barrels of oil, the most ever from its emergency reserves um as Iran is trying to fearonger uh warning that oil prices could go up to $200 a barrel as it fires back on merchant ships. your reaction to the president’s moves here on releasing the SPR oil. >> Yeah, a couple of things.
One, President Trump holds the keys here. I mean, this is a regime that is crumbling. It’s on the verge of collapse. There are lots of options offramps to the president. It’s a thing he can do to actually reassure markets as you’ve just pointed out for those who said, you know, America alone is America first.
Absolutely not. You see the way that allies and partners are cooperating on the economic front. note the tremendous investment in energy resources as why we’re able to carry out this campaign without putting American energy at risk, American fuel prices at risk. So, we’ll have some days, weeks of prices going up, but overall, President Trump controls the keys here. And I think it’s a mistake for anyone to bet on President Trump blinking.
This is somebody who really has full control, all the options before him, and we are winning. >> Yeah, no doubt. and and and General Jack Keane joined me this week. Uh fourstar general obviously a former leader in the army and he made such an important point. I thought it really struck me.
Watch what he said. Watch. >> Oil prices have gone up. Heck, oil prices went up when Putin invaded Ukraine. It went up to $143 and sitting at 90 now.
I mean, you are we really saying that we cannot accept several weeks of oil prices maybe being higher than what they should be to take Iran off the map as a predator in the Middle East for for decades to come? Is that what we’re really saying? That we’re so preoccupied with that that we’re not willing to make that kind of a sacrifice here? I think not. I mean, I think we got to open our eyes, get a little cleareyed about what is really happening here.
And if we fall prey to uh walking away on this prematurely over oil prices, we’ve just given Iran a win. >> So here’s where we are, Roger. Um understanding what the general just said. Um you still have a major issue in the Straight of Hormuz. Uh, US Central Command urging civilians to avoid ports along the straight, writing that the Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the straight of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping.
Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law. So, Roger, what else can be done to secure the straight of Hormuz so that these tankers are not afraid to travel through? We need to continue. Our military needs to continue to degrade the regime. There’s three areas that we got to watch out for.
Missiles, the drones, and the mines. The first two we’ve done a great job of doing. The mines is the next frontier. You talk to military expert. That takes days, right?
It’s not going to happen in one day. It’s probably going to be another week or so before we can kind of create that security. That’s the uncertainty. That’s the instability in the short term. General Keane has the right strategic outlook.
I don’t think it’s going to take tremendous sacrifice in the American people in terms of the price at the pump, but the long-term stability is something the market should really be interested in because we get this right. We’re going to go ahead and secure a passage of economic commerce here that the world relies upon. You know, US has energy dominance. uh but the world overall because 20% of energy uh goes through the straight to form moves uh really needs this and so it’s worth the investment for the next couple of you know week or so to go ahead and get this cleared out in the fashion that Sencom has described and then we’ll go ahead and realize a long-term stability one that as you know we haven’t seen for decades. I mean this is 40 plus years in the making.
>> Yeah. But Roger, the Reagan Institute just recently released this national security innovationbased report card and your institute gave America’s defense modernization a D. Uh you gave innovation leadership a B+. Tell us more about what’s needed here and what it means for the defense infrastructure policy. >> Well, well, thanks for raising it and actually your previous segment talking about the defense supplemental is a big part of it.
The reason why modernization gets that low grade and it’s parody from the previous years is because we’re at this moment where we have a lot of energy from our innovators, from our industrial base. They’re ready to get going, but we haven’t seen the output yet. So, the input here is quite positive. You saw that great on customer clarity had a huge jump. President Trump has talked about a 1.
5 trillion dollar budget that’s essential to get there. We’ve seen some other innov uh other initiatives coming from the Pentagon. Secretary Hex has talked about drone dominance. We know that’s essential. If you weren’t convinced before this conflict, you should be now after seeing what’s playing out in the Persian Gulf.
But the US is not leading with Joan dominance in Operation Epic Fury. It’s doing it with our amazing but conventional military capabilities. That’s where we need to get to next. We haven’t seen that production yet, Maria. Once we do, you’ll see that defense modernization grade go up.
And I hope we’ll see that in 12 months. >> Well, by the way, this is why President Trump had the defense manufacturers at the White House last week. He’s telling them, “Forget about the dividends. Forget about the stock buybacks. Start ramping up production.
We need this now.” And that’s why he’s asking for this, you know, defense supplemental package and the one and a half trillion. I understand. Roger. Thanks very much for weighing in on all of that.
Good to see you, sir. >> Likewise, >> Roger Zachim. We’ll be right back. Stay with us.