Idrees Ali

It's a particularly important time.

And incidents like this really highlight the lack of trust on both sides.

I think there are a couple of important things to remember here is that the incident took place in international waters.

Aircraft from militaries do have the right to operate in international airspace.

What is sort of in a gray zone is when they're seen as being threatening towards another country.

Was the drone just flying in the general vicinity and the U.S.

took it down?

Or was it maybe heading towards the aircraft carrier in a way that was seen as threatening?

If you're a listener, then confused.

I think that is totally warranted because officials in Washington within the administration themselves are confused because this all started as President Trump really focusing on protests in Iran and quite directly telling the Iranian protesters on Truth Social saying,

Help is on its way.

That help never came or hasn't come so far.

But the buildup continues, and now it seems to be some version of limiting Iran's nuclear sort of ambitions and potentially its ballistic missile program.

The U.S.

in June carried out a large sort of attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

And at the time, Trump said, mission accomplished.

Iran's nuclear ambitions have been essentially decimated.

And so it's really unclear what the aims are.

It's unclear how you can achieve them through an aerial bombing campaign.

The Iranian government, the leadership, has never been...