>> THE WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT APPEARS TO BE SOME SURPRISE IN THE REGION, MAYBE IN SAUDI ARABIA, IN QATAR, SOME ANGER ABOUT THE RESPONSE BY IRAN.

THIS IS WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID YESTERDAY, TAKE A LISTEN.

>> AMAZINGLY, THEY ARE HITTING COUNTRIES THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, LET'S CALL THEM NEUTRAL.

THEY LIVED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME, THEY --I THINK THEY WERE SURPRISED, I WAS SURPRISED.

AND NOW THOSE COUNTRIES ARE ALL FIGHTING AGAINST HIM AND FIGHTING STRONGLY AGAINST THEM.

>> FROM AN INTELLIGENCE POINT OF VIEW, I MEAN, IRAN DID BASICALLY SAY THAT IT WAS GOING TO HIT OUT AT THESE PLACES THAT HOST AMERICAN BASES AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE AS WELL.

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT THE EXTENT OF IRAN'S RETALIATION?

>> WELL, I AM SURPRISED AT THE PRESIDENT'S SURPRISE.

RESPECTFULLY, I WOULD RECALL THAT THE CROWN PRINCE AND OTHER GULF LEADERS HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGING AMERICA NOT TO UNDERTAKE MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN, BECAUSE ALL OF US BELIEVE THAT THAT ACTION WILL NOT BE MADE CONFINED TO IRAN.

THAT IRAN WILL RETALIATE AGAINST AMERICAN PRESENCE IN THE AREA, WHICH IS PRESENT IN ALL OF THE GULF STATES, AND AS FAR AWAY AS TURKEY APPARENTLY, SO, IF HE WAS SURPRISED, I DON'T THINK SAUDI OR OTHER GULF LEADERS WERE SURPRISED, THEY HAVE BEEN WARNING , THE AMERICANS, NOT TO UNDERTAKE MILITARY ACTION AND SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.

>> YOU KNOW, FOR A LONG TIME, SAUDI LEADERS AND OTHER ARAB LEADERS IN THE GULF STATES HAVE TOLD THEIR PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE HOSTING AMERICAN BASES BECAUSE IT IS IN YOUR INTEREST, BECAUSE IT WILL PROTECT YOU AS WELL.

NOW YOU ARE BEING ATTACKED AS IRAN SIGNALED YOU WOULD BE, AND I DON'T SEE MUCH DEFENSE COMING TO YOU ALL.

YES, DEFENSE TO ISRAEL, BUT YOU FEEL YOU'RE BEING DEFENDED?

IS HOSTING AMERICAN BASES A LONG-TERM, VIABLE SITUATION ANYMORE, DO YOU THINK?

CAN YOU ALL TRUST AMERICA AND ITS DEFENSIVE POSTURE FOR YOU?

>> WELL, THAT'S WHY I CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT I SEE IS HAPPENING IN SAUDI ARABIA.

THAT'S WHY SAUDI ARABIA HAS BEEN TRYING TO BUTTRESS AND EXPAND ITS MILITARY CAPABILITIES IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DEFEND ITSELF, AND DEVELOPING A MILITARY INDUSTRY IN THE KINGDOM, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD LIKE AMERICA OR EUROPE TO PURCHASE WEAPONS AND SO ON, BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR GULF STATES PARTNERS IN ORDER TO TRY TO FORM SOME KIND OF COMMON COMMAND, AND THAT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, AND I'M SURE THE PRESENT SITUATION WILL HAVE HASTENED THE FORMATION OF SOME KIND OF PAN GOLF DEFENSE COMMAND TO PROTECT THE GULF STATES.

THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA, YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BACK IN 2019, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE WERE BOMBED BY IRANIAN MISSILES AT THAT TIME.

AND MR.

TRUMP AT THE TIME DID NOT OFFER ANY SUPPORT AT THAT TIME.

SO, IT IS NO SURPRISE FOR THE KINGDOM THAT HE IS NOT COMING TO OUR HELP, IF YOU LIKE, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING ON OFFICIAL CIRCUITS, BUT DEFINITELY, THE WHOLE ISSUE OF MORE BLOODSHED AND MORE DESTRUCTION IS AN AFTERMATH TO THE KINGDOM.

THE KINGDOM IS NOT A COURSE OF SOCIAL, AND YOU KNOW, INDUSTRIAL, AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.

WE WANT TO CONTINUE ON THAT ROUTE INSTEAD OF HAVING MILITARY CONFLICTS IN THE AREA.

>> I WANT TO ASK YOU, BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT, SAUDI ARABIA IS THE GUARDIAN OF THE SUNNI FAITH, CALLED THE GUARDIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES.

IRAN IS PRETTY MUCH THE GUARDIAN OF THE SHIA FAITH.

THERE IS A CLASH BETWEEN YOU TWO.

I DO BELIEVE THAT THE ASSASSINATION OF THE SO-CALLED LEADER CAN COLLAPSE THE REGIME, COLLAPSE THE [ INAUDIBLE ], DO YOU BELIEVE IT CAN EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THE UPRISING OF PEOPLE IN IRAN?

BECAUSE TRUMP HAS MOVED BACK FROM REGIME CHANGE.

>> WELL, I WOULD PUT IT ANOTHER WAY.

YOU KNOW, THE KINGDOM HAS SHIA CITIZENS AS WELL AS SUNNI CITIZENS.

IRAN ITSELF HAS SUNNI CITIZENS AS WELL AS SHIA CITIZENS, SO I WOULD NOT PUT IT SO STARKLY AS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUNNI AND SHIA.

BUT DEFINITELY, I DON'T THINK THAT THE SYSTEM IN IRAN WILL COLLAPSE ANYTIME SOON.

AS I SAID, THE IRANIAN LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR AN EVENTUALITY LIKE THIS, BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO HEAR FROM MR.

NETANYAHU IN THE PAST 40 YEARS.

HE HAS BEEN CALLING FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF IRAN, AND SO, THE IRANIANS OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, TOOK NOTE OF THAT, AND HAVE BEEN PREPARING THEMSELVES FOR SUCH AN EVENTUALITY.

AND AS WE SEE IN THE NEWS ALREADY, THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ELECTING A NEW SO- CALLED LEADER TO SUCCEED .

THEY HAVE ALREADY SET UP AN INTERIM LEADERSHIP OF THREE PERSONALITIES FROM LEADERSHIP.

THE ONLY WAY THE SYSTEM WILL GO, I THINK, IT WILL BE FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE.