MEF Chief Editor Jim Hanson discussed how the Iranian regime will respond to the massive strike on their nuclear facilities.
Transcript:
FOX: Now, Jim, right now Iran talking tough, but when the dust settles, how do you expect Iran to respond?
HANSON: I think they need to decide, does the Supreme Leader want to go out in a blaze of glory and make this his last stand, or are they going to be somewhat rational actors and decide to continue the revolution under other terms and try to rebuild?
I don’t think now is a good time to test President Trump’s resolve. He’s a little bit unhappy with the fact that they refused his many good offers to negotiate a way out of this. So he already had to hit them once. And he used a calculation we in Special Forces and when calculating demolitions called P for Plenty with six of the massive ordinance penetrators. I don’t think they want to see what comes next.
FOX: I asked you this question on my show. I’m going to ask it to you again, verbatim, albeit under completely different circumstances this morning. Do you believe that an 86-year-old religious zealot with not much to lose at this point is going to negotiate?
HANSON: I think he is a true believer. I also am not convinced he’s the one calling the shots anymore. I don’t think anyone knows who is actually going to make the decision as to whether they go all in and start attacking and trying to kill, you know, service members or assets around the world.
I don’t believe they are going to do it. I think they will make a face-saving gesture. They will try to do some sort of hit. But I think then they’ll back off, and immediately, that phone in the White House will start ringing, and they’ll say, Let’s talk.
FOX: You are an expert in counterterrorism. What is happening right now in our intel community to protect Americans from retaliation, both overseas and right here in the homeland?
HANSON: We’ve upped all of the force protection stature around the world since this began. So I think there’s an element of, okay, now it’s real because we joined in, but there wasn’t much left to ratchet up.
I think the real red line and the craziest thing they could do is to attack us here in America. Obviously, they have agents and operatives here in the United States. An attack on soil would be the end of the Iranian regime. So I don’t believe that’ll be it.
I think there will be somewhere around the globe they will do something to disrupt and be able to say, we’re not just going to take this, but not to push it so far that they caused President Trump to act.
FOX: Jim Hanson, as always, a pleasure. Thank you, sir, for your insight this morning.
HANSON: Good to be with you.
