>> ALSO WITH US THIS EVENING.

CHAIRMAN OF THE INSTITUTE FOR

THE STUDY OF WAR AND FOX NEWS

SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST.

GENERAL, GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS

EVENING.

GOOD TO BE HERE.

I WANT TO START WITH THIS.

THIS IS A SOUND BITE FROM THE

FORMER CIA DIRECTOR MIKE MOREL.

HERE'S WHAT HE SAID ABOUT WHAT

WE CAN ALL EXPECT NOW.

WATCH.

>> THE PROBLEM IS THAT COMES IN

A VERY HIGH COST.

NUMBER ONE, THERE WILL BE DEAD

AMERICANS, DID CIVILIAN

AMERICANS AS A RESULT OF THIS,

POSSIBLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS

IN ANY PLACE WHERE IRAN HAS ITS

PROXIES, IRAQ IS THE MOST LIKELY

PLACE.

BUT ALSO LEBANON, BAHRAIN, OTHER

PLACES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

>> Martha: DO YOU AGREE WITH

THAT?

>> I THINK THE IRANIANS ARE

GOING TO RETALIATE, THAT'S FOR

SURE.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE

IRANIANS SO OUR VIEWERS CAN

UNDERSTAND THE, THE CIVIL UNREST

DRIVEN BY THE SANCTIONS HAS

REALLY GOT THE IRANIANS BACK ON

THEIR HEELS.

IT SPIKED IN NOVEMBER.

THERE IS NOTHING MORE

THREATENING TO THE REGIME THAN

THEIR OWN PEOPLE.

THAT HAS WHAT HAS GOT THEIR

CONCERN.

THEY ARE DETERMINED TO CREATE AS

MUCH CRISIS AS THEY CAN FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PUT

PRESSURE ON PRESIDENT TRUMP TO

BACK OFF SANCTIONS AND THAT IS

WHY, AS YOU MENTIONED IN THE

INTRODUCTION WITH OUR FORMER

PREVIOUS GUEST, WHY THEY HAVE

BEEN ESCALATING MILITARY ACTIONS

THAT CREATE THAT CRISIS TO

PRESSURE THE PRESIDENT.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS THEY CROSSED

A RED LINE WITH THIS PRESIDENT

WHEN HE EXERCISED ENORMOUS

CONSTRAINT IN NOT TAKING

PROVOCATION BUT SAID DON'T KILL

ANY AMERICANS.

WHEN HE DID, HE ACTED VERY

STRONGLY AS WE'VE SEEN.

>> Martha: THE SUGGESTION THAT

THERE IS NO STRATEGY IS WHEN YOU

HEAR A LOT.

STARTED HEARING IT LAST NIGHT

AND ALL THROUGH TODAY, BUT IT

STRIKES ME THAT IT WAS OBVIOUS

THAT IN THE PRIOR

ADMINISTRATION, STRATEGY WAS TO

NEGOTIATE A DEAL.

AND TO TRY TO CREATE AN

ENVIRONMENT THAT THE ESCALATED

THROUGH THAT AVENUE.

BUT CLEARLY THIS PRESIDENT HAS A

DIFFERENT WAY OF GOING ABOUT IT.

AS I SAID AT THE TOP, HE IS THE

FIRST ONE TO TAKE OUT SOLEIMANI

BUT SOMETHING THESE OTHER

PRESIDENTS, PRESIDENT OBAMA,

PRESIDENT BUSH HAD, I'D IMAGINE.

>> IT'S A DEFINITE STRATEGY

HERE.

THIS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LOOK

AT THE APPEASEMENT STRATEGY AS I

WOULD DEFINE IT, THAT

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD AS A SEMINAL

FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVE, HIS

NIXON MOMENT GOING TO CHINA IS

WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE.

HE THOUGHT BY APPEASING THE

IRANIANS, THE NUCLEAR DEAL THE

CENTERPIECE OF IT, THAT THEY

WOULD ACT RESPONSIBLY AND JOIN

THEIR COMMUNITY OF RESPONSIBLE

NATIONS AND WHAT DID WE GET?

WE GOT $130 BILLION PUT IN THEIR

HANDS, FUELING THE CIVIL WARS IN

SYRIA AND YEMEN, HUNDREDS AND

THOUSANDS OF ROCKETS IN LEBANON.

THE MIDDLE EAST WAS PUT ON FIRE

AND AS A RESULT OF IT, THIS

ADMINISTRATION CAME IN AND FOR

THE MENTALLY REJECTED THAT

STRATEGY AND WITH OUR ALLIES

DEFINITELY HAD AS A STRATEGY.

AS TO CONFRONT THE IRANIANS

USING DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC

MEANS TO THE BRING THEM BACK TO

THE NEGOTIATING TABLE TO CURB

THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THE REGION.

THAT IS A SOUND STRATEGY.

THAT'S WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION

IS ABOUT.

TO SAY THEY DON'T HAVE ONE IS

NONSENSE.

>> Martha: WE ARE GOING TO

HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE BUT WE

NOTICED WE HAVE OUR MILITARY ON

ALERT IN ITALY FOR THE

POSSIBILITY OF POTENTIALLY GOING

INTO PROTECT OUR ASSETS AND

EMPHASES IN LEBANON AND YOU SAY

RETALIATION IS LIKELY --

>> THEY ARE GOING TO GO IN AND

IN THE EVENT THERE HAS TO BE AN

EVACUATION AND PRESSURE IS PUT.

GOING TO LEBANON TO EVACUATE THE

EMBASSY AND THE 82ND WOULD GO TO

EVACUATE THE EMBASSY.