Ben Rhodes

I also don't think there's any guarantee that Iran, like as in the 12 day war, although I think it's one more, that Iran just stops because Trump stops.

If just because we may run low on interceptors and say, all right, time out, guys, let's pause.

The Iranians could keep firing.

So it is a question of how much.

their ability to manufacture or store or hide drones and missiles can weather this initial onslaught in terms of how much damage they can do going forward.

Well, I think the command and control point you made is essential because it feels like there were delegations made by the Supreme Leader anticipating he might be killed.

Well, that's right.

And look, I don't there was the inevitable story in The Times about the killing of the spring leader and all this great intelligence.

I mean, he was in his office.

I mean, I have no disrespect to the CIA, but it'd be like, you know, wow, we figured out that the president's in the White House, you know.

But it almost seemed like if the spring leader wanted to survive, like, you know.

He might have wanted to be, quote unquote, martyred.

I don't know.

I mean, he's a fucking asshole.

It's not at all someone you have any sympathy for.

But it may be that he delegated down and said, you know what, unload the clip.

In anticipation of this happening and some decapitation, they might have said to every IRGC commander with a drone or a missile, the orders to you are, if we die, just unload the clip.

Because that's what it feels like is happening.

And remember that those drones, those Iranian drones have been used in Ukraine by the Russians.

And the Russians were firing those drones at Ukrainian targets.