TED CRUZ ADMITS IT: He says he pushed Trump to lanch attack on Iran

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U.S.-Iran relationsTrump administration foreign policyMilitary interventionPolitical negotiationsU.S. national security

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Senator Ted Cruz recounts a one-on-one conversation with President Trump aboard Air Force One on the day before U.S. military strikes against Iran were launched. During the flight to Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump repeatedly asked Cruz for his assessment of what the United States should do regarding Iran. Cruz explained that he urged the president to proceed with military action, arguing that the Iranian regime was at its weakest point and that an opportunity to collapse it should not be missed. He contended that very few developments would do more to improve American national security than the collapse of the Iranian regime. When Trump asked about pursuing further negotiations, Cruz advised against it, characterizing the Iranian government as negotiating in bad faith. Cruz argued that the Ayatollah's strategy was to use negotiations as a delay tactic while rebuilding Iranian military capabilities. He proposed offering Iranian leadership the same ultimatum he suggested for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: either leave power and go into exile, or face unspecified consequences.

Key Points

Senator Ted Cruz describes meeting President Trump aboard Air Force One the day before military strikes on Iran, where he urged Trump to launch the attack rather than pursue negotiations, arguing that Iran's collapse would significantly improve American national security.

Summary

Senator Ted Cruz recounts a one-on-one conversation with President Trump aboard Air Force One on the day before U.S. military strikes against Iran were launched. During the flight to Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump repeatedly asked Cruz for his assessment of what the United States should do regarding Iran. Cruz explained that he urged the president to proceed with military action, arguing that the Iranian regime was at its weakest point and that an opportunity to collapse it should not be missed. He contended that very few developments would do more to improve American national security than the collapse of the Iranian regime. When Trump asked about pursuing further negotiations, Cruz advised against it, characterizing the Iranian government as negotiating in bad faith. Cruz argued that the Ayatollah's strategy was to use negotiations as a delay tactic while rebuilding Iranian military capabilities. He proposed offering Iranian leadership the same ultimatum he suggested for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: either leave power and go into exile, or face unspecified consequences.

Key takeaways

Cruz met with President Trump aboard Air Force One the day before the Iran strikes and directly urged him to launch the military action.
Cruz argued that the Iranian regime was weaker than ever before and that its collapse would significantly improve American national security.
Cruz advised Trump against pursuing further negotiations with Iran, claiming the Iranian government was not negotiating in good faith.
Cruz characterized the Ayatollah's negotiating strategy as deliberate delay tactics designed to allow Iran to rebuild its military capabilities.
Cruz proposed offering Iranian leadership an ultimatum similar to the one offered to Nicolás Maduro: leave power and go into exile, or face the alternative of remaining in power without protection.
Cruz stated he believed the window of opportunity to act against Iran should not be missed and that the timing was optimal for military action.

Full article

Meeting with President Trump Before the Strike

Senator Ted Cruz described being with President Trump the day before military strikes on Iran were launched. Cruz recalled that he was with Trump for much of Friday, flying on Air Force One to Corpus Christi, Texas for a planned event. During the flight, Trump asked Cruz to join him in the presidential limousine, where the two spoke one-on-one for an extended period. Trump asked Cruz repeatedly what he thought the United States should do regarding Iran.

Cruz's Argument for Military Action

Cruz explained that he urged the president to launch the attack. He told Trump that he believed the moment should not be missed because, in his assessment, the Iranian regime was weaker than it had ever been. Cruz argued that if the regime could be collapsed, American national security would improve significantly. He stated that very few developments on Earth would do more to improve American national security than seeing the Iranian regime collapse.

Rejecting Negotiations

When Trump asked whether the United States should pursue further negotiations, Cruz said he advised against it. Cruz stated he did not believe the Iranian government was negotiating in good faith, characterizing them as liars. He argued that the Ayatollah's strategy was to delay negotiations repeatedly while rebuilding Iranian capabilities. Cruz suggested that the only deal worth accepting would mirror the one Trump had offered to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: the option to leave the country and live in exile, or face unspecified consequences if they remained in power. Cruz noted that Maduro had rejected that offer and suggested Maduro likely regretted that decision. He proposed offering the same choice to the Ayatollah and the Iranian mullahs: leave power and allow a new regime to take control, or face the alternative.

Topics#U.S.-Iran relations#Trump administration foreign policy#Military intervention#Political negotiations#U.S. national security#Ted Cruz#Iran policy

Transcript

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0:00 So, Senator, moving forward now to talk about the conflict in Iran.

0:03 You were literally with President Trump the day before the strikes happened.

0:07 Can you explain to us what the reasoning and the rationale are for this war?

0:12 Sure.

0:12 Look, I, I urge the president to launch this attack.

0:15 As you noted, I was with him pretty much the entire day on Friday before the attack launched on Saturday.

0:22 And so we were on Air Force One.

0:23 We were flying down to Texas to Corpus Christi at a big event planned in Corpus Christi.

0:27 So I was on the plane with him and then he asked, asked me to hop in in the beast, the presidential limo.

0:32 And it was just the two of us, one on one.

0:35 And pretty much the whole time he was asking me what I thought we should do on Iran.

0:40 Uh, and I said, look, I think we should we should not miss this moment.

0:46 I think the regime is weaker than it ever has been.

0:49 And we have an opportunity.

0:51 If we can collapse this regime, America will be much, much safer.

0:57 There are very few things on planet earth that would do more to make improve American national security as much as as seeing this regime collapse.

1:08 And he asked me if the beast.

1:11 He said, well, look, do you think we should negotiate further?

1:14 And I said, no.

1:15 I said, I don't believe they're negotiating in good faith.

1:18 They are liars.

1:19 I think the Ayatollah just wants to delay and delay and delay while they rebuild.

1:24 And I said, as far as I'm concerned, the only deal you should be willing to take is the same deal you offered Maduro and Trump offered Maduro.

1:32 If he wanted to leave the country, he could go into exile, and he would be allowed to live out the rest of his days if he left and exited.

1:42 And Maduro said no.

1:43 And I suspect Maduro regrets saying no now.

1:46 And I said I could live with that deal for the Ayatollah to give him and the mullahs the same choice.

1:51 You can leave and allow a new regime to come to power in Iran.

1:55 Or if you don't leave, the alternative is going to be a less than pleasant.

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