"I Don't Trust Pakistan" Trump Ally Lindsey Graham Grills Hegseth On US Ally Shielding Iran Jets

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]that we cover and consider the full range of things all the time in our careful consideration of military actions and the advice andor options that we present to our civilian leaders.

[00:00:14]>> It seems to me that there's been a different plan almost daily uh with dealing with this problem.

[00:00:22]>> Is it possible they could have 60% highlyenriched uranium without them cheating in the past?

[00:00:30]Uh we know in every context of what Iran has undertaken, they've lied and cheated.

[00:00:34]>> The answer is no. Everything that Obama and Biden did was designed to keep it to a civilian nuclear program. There is no way in hell they can have 60% highlyenriched uranium unless they cheat. So everything y'all did failed.

[00:00:48]So, President Trump, when you go to China, realize that the person you're talking to is propping up Russia and Iran. I appreciate what you've done in Iran. I appreciate what you're trying to do to end the Russian Ukraine conflict.

[00:01:04]Do you agree with me, Mr. Secretary, that of all the countries on the planet, China could have the most influence of ending this war if they chose to?

[00:01:14]I think the the most influence is in President Trump's hands and what he decides to do and he'll set what if China stop but >> ultimately China has a lot of leverage.

[00:01:22]You're right.

[00:01:22]>> Yeah, they do. What if they stop buying 90% of oil from Iran? That's not President Trump. That's up to China. If if the mediator is allowing reconnaissance aircraft Iran to be parked in Pakistani air bases, do you think that's consistent with being a fair mediator?

[00:01:42]Um, I again I wouldn't want to get in the middle of these negotiations. I want max I want to get in the middle of these negotiations. I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. So, we have a range of options.

[00:02:08]uh as the chairman and I have discussed extensively mostly privately but some in public to ensure that uh transit were to continue uh should the president or others uh want us to go in that direction but ultimately we control the straight uh because nothing's going in that that we don't allow to go in and trust me when we look at what Iran's thinking about that uh they know they can't break it and it's it's very concerning for them the the destruction of Iran's defense industrial base has been clear and overwhelming >> well it's certainly not clear to me as a member of the committee Because what we see is Iran still producing drones.

[00:02:40]They're still engaged in this conflict.

[00:02:43]We have not won this war.

[00:02:44]>> There's a difference between pulling a drone out of a cave that's been collapsed and producing more drones.

[00:02:50]That's a different thing.

[00:02:51]>> Well, maybe so. But if Iran still has almost 50% of their missile capacity and the ability to pull drones out of caves and still injure our allies and US service members, then we have not won the war.

[00:03:05]>> My concern, Mr. secretary is that you've achieved a series of tactical successes but are on the verge of a strategic loss because we are now negotiating. I >> just think it's so foolish. Here we are in a committee in the United States Senate 74 days in and you're talking about strategic loss. We have the ability to defeat a 47year threat of a pursuit of a nuclear weapon. We have more leverage than we've ever had. We've had incredible battlefield successes and you're talking about a strategic loss in disingenuous questions. Mr. Secretary, this is how you underestimate secretary that could otherwise and are otherwise.

[00:03:38]>> I am not your enemy, sir. I am not your adversary. I share your goal of preventing Iran from ever having a usable nuclear weapon. To finish my sentence, control of the straight of Hormuz, the ability to degrade our partners and allies gas and oil production capabilities through cheap drones, the ability to harass and hairy commercial shipping remains in Iran's hands. And their demands are that we recognize sovereignty for them over the straight of Hormuz, which I believe our president's rejected, you've rejected, I reject. But my question remains, how do we reopen the Straight of Hormuz to commercial shipping? If we control it, how do we reopen it? And your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as the cost of gas continues to rise.

[00:04:29]Heat. Heat. N.