Nicholas Burns
speaker
39 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard Jul 2026
last heard 9 Jul
Nicholas Burns’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.
Appearances
Thanks so much, Scott.
I think it's clear that Iran does not want to honor the ceasefire.
The rulers in Tehran clearly believe they have a stronger will than the United States, that they can outlast us, that can actually get a better deal in the straighter form moves where they're the toll keeper, where they can exact tolls of all commercial shipping.
Imagine what kind of power that would give them
I think that's where they're heading, and that's why you've seen the administration push back with these airstrikes over the last couple of days because our American objective has to be, and the Trump administration has been clear about this, the Strait has to be open to commercial shipping.
It's a vital international waterway, and we can't abide Iran becoming a tollkeeper, having this coercive impact over commercial shipping.
Unfortunately, the nature of this regime in Tehran is I don't think they've ever demonstrated that they have a clear interest in the welfare of their own people, but they clearly have an interest
in the survival of their regime and the empowerment of that regime.
And it's an extraordinary situation, Scott, that the Iranians took extraordinary
blow to the military infrastructure and civilian infrastructure in the country, and yet they suffered through it.
They didn't flinch.
We're dealing with an exceedingly difficult and often very untrustworthy government in Tehran, and it appears to be a government that's divided.
There seems to be one faction that does want a ceasefire of the United States, but the stronger faction is defiant.
They think that they're stronger than we are, stronger of will, and so they're testing us.
I don't think there are any good options.
I think the more likely option available to the president and the administration is do everything we have to do through US naval power to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and
use American military power selectively, as you've seen the administration do over the last couple of days.
When Iran violates a ceasefire by attacking shipping in the Strait, the U.S.
has had these surgical strikes, but quite substantial strikes on Iran's military infrastructure.
I think it's important to put economic pressure on what the regime really cares about.
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