English → Chinese transcript

I mean, I think what's going on here, Piers, is that the United States and Israel thought that we could win a quick and decisive victory, either by decapitating the regime or some form of shock and awe campaign for the first few

days of the war. And the Iranians would then throw up their hands and they would submit to our demands. And in fact, President Trump has said that he was told that there was a good Strait of Hormuz, but he ignored that warning

because he thought we would win a victory before that became a viable option for the Iranians. But what's happened here is that we did not achieve a quick and decisive victory, and we're now in a long war, a war of attrition. And that's

a war that the Iranians prepared for, and that's a war that the Iranians are in an excellent position to prevail in. If you think about the various steps up the escalation ladder that we can take, what you see is that the Iranians

can match us at every point, and they can cause can match us at every point, and they can cause not only enormous damage for the countries in the region and for the United States military forces that are located there, but maybe even

forces that are located there, but maybe even They have the ability, as you go up the escalation They have the ability, as you go up the escalation ladder, to tank the international economy. This would be catastrophic. So we are now in a situation,

would be catastrophic. So we are now in a situation, having failed to achieve a quick and decisive victory, where we could lose in a really serious way. So if you were advising Donald Trump, which is, I have to say, at the unlikely end of the

is, I have to say, at the unlikely end of the expectation ladder, but if you were, what advice would you give him? He clearly, I think, wants to get out of this, but he doesn't seem to really know how he can

do that which doesn't look like a crushing defeat do that which doesn't look like a crushing defeat or retreat. What would you advise him to do which would be a skillful and achievable way of extricating America from this war?

I've thought long and hard about this, and I've I've thought long and hard about this, and I've talked to a number of very smart people, a number of my friends who are what I would call spinmeisters. They can figure out almost always how to get

out of a mess. And I don't think anybody can out of a mess. And I don't think anybody can come up with a good solution for solving this problem. What most people say is that what President Trump should do is declare victory and get out.

I mean, he can do that, but it will be seen I mean, he can do that, but it will be seen as a humiliating defeat for the United States. as a humiliating defeat for the United States. And furthermore, you run into the problem that

And furthermore, you run into the problem that the Iranians themselves might not agree to end the war. The United States can quit, but the the war. The United States can quit, but the Israelis and the Iranians may continue fighting.

Israelis and the Iranians may continue fighting. And again, as I said, the Iranians have a lot of cards to play here. They can do a lot of damage. So even if we walk away, it's not clear damage. So even if we walk away, it's not clear

that that solves the problem. And then again, where I started, the United States will look where I started, the United States will look like it suffered a humiliating defeat. So I think that President Trump has got himself into

think that President Trump has got himself into a situation where there is really no good exit strategy. Yeah, that's the way I see it. And strategy. Yeah, that's the way I see it. And I'm still completely baffled why, politically,

never mind anything else, he thought this was never mind anything else, he thought this was a good time to take the biggest gamble he's a good time to take the biggest gamble he's ever taken, because he's got the midterms coming.

ever taken, because he's got the midterms coming. You know, already he was looking like he might lose the House, he could lose the Senate over this. And then that's pretty much it. You know, as a president, if you don't have any control

as a president, if you don't have any control of any part of Congress, there's not much you