1 month ago
The pursuing is simply a transcript of an question and reply pinch Adm. John Kirby, White House National Security Council coordinator for strategical communications, that aired connected April 14, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we move now to Coordinator for Strategic Communications astatine nan White House National Security Council, John Kirby. Good morning, and invited back.
COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, JOHN KIRBY: Thank you, Margaret, bully to beryllium pinch you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, do you judge that Iran intended these strikes to beryllium successful and lethal aliases conscionable look for illustration they could be?
KIRBY: No question. I'm gonna look astatine nan size and nan scale- nan scope of what they fired astatine Israel from Iran proper. More than 300 missiles and drones, they wanted to origin damage, nary mobility astir that. But they were utterly unsuccessful successful doing so.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Israel intelligibly has nan subject precocious manus here. But nan Israeli Foreign Minister said days agone that if- that Israel will respond, if Iran attacks from its territory, arsenic you conscionable said, they did precisely that. So has Israel committed to nan US that they will springiness a heads up earlier they return action against Iran?
KIRBY: I don't deliberation I'm going to spell into nan specifications of nan speech that- that we had past nighttime betwixt nan President and nan Prime Minister. It was a bully con- speech really focused connected nan unthinkable occurrence that- that Israel achieved past nighttime pinch their partners. I mean, 2 really think- things are clear astir past night: one, Israel doesn't guidelines unsocial and nan United States stands pinch them arsenic good arsenic others. And two, nan Israeli subject does person superior capacity to beryllium capable to take sides itself. But arsenic for what the- what nan adjacent steps are, I deliberation I'll time off that to nan Prime Minister and nan War Cabinet to- to- to talk about
MARGARET BRENNAN: And that War Cabinet gathering is ongoing. But- But I asked, because, arsenic you know, nan US has important beingness successful nan region, troops successful Iraq, successful Syria, successful Jordan--
KIRBY: --We do indeed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And location is consequence to that.
KIRBY: Absolutely.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you said, and nan Pentagon spokesperson said, that nan US was not notified successful beforehand by Israel earlier they carried retired nan April 1 onslaught that started this concatenation of events. Should they person forewarned nan United States? And arsenic a matter of principle, what is nan US position connected bombing what Iran says was a negotiated facility?
KIRBY: Again, I won't talk astir nan specifications of that peculiar strike. To nan larger point, obviously, we do person a batch of troops successful Iraq and Syria going aft ISIS, we person a batch of accommodation elsewhere successful nan region, and it ships astatine sea. And truthful what happens location surely has an effect connected us. And we do want to make judge that--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --The consequence level went up.
KIRBY: The conversations- we want to make judge nan conversations we're having pinch nan Israelis are arsenic contextual arsenic possible, truthful that we tin make nan basal preparations for our ain troops and facilities. The different connection nan President sent complete nan past fewer days, and surely it was discussed past night, is we're going to return immoderate steps we request to return to protect our troops, our ships, our accommodation successful nan region going forward. And that was nan lawsuit past night, earlier nan strikes past night, and it's going to beryllium nan lawsuit coming going forward.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Does nan US request to beryllium prepared to tie down a beingness from immoderate of our negotiated accommodation aliases reposition?
KIRBY: That's a speech that nan President and Secretary Blinken are having virtually successful existent time. They talked astir that arsenic good yesterday. I won't speak for Secretary Blinken and nan State Department. They'll make those kinds of unit protection decisions arsenic they spot nan threat in- successful nan region. But nan threat changes from clip to time. And- and you're ever monitoring that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But I cognize you don't want to spell into a telephone telephone betwixt leaders. But nan basal premise of what we're talking astir present is nan blowback for nan United States. So do you person logic to judge that Prime Minister Netanyahu shares nan desire not to escalate this further, which nan President has made clear is his intent?
KIRBY: I would opportunity that nan Prime Minister is good alert that nan President is not looking for a conflict pinch Iran, that nan President doesn't want nan tensions to escalate anymore, and that their president is doing everything, and has since nan 7th of October, to effort to support this from becoming a broader location war. I mean, 1 of nan reasons we were capable to thief nan Israelis knocked down truthful galore of these missiles and drones is because nan President made decisions successful caller days to preposition further ships successful nan eastbound Mediterranean and an other combatant squadron successful nan region that- that virtually had a immense effect connected past night--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --To deter what could person been worse.
KIRBY: To- to forestall a- a greater consciousness of demolition wrong Israel.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Would nan US participate successful violative action if location is an Israeli reprisal?
KIRBY: I'm not gonna get into hypotheticals, Margaret, arsenic I said--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --In principle?
KIRBY: The President- nan President's made it clear, we're not looking for a warfare pinch Iran. We're not looking for a broader location conflict and everything we've been doing since nan 7th has been designed to forestall that outcome.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because nan IRGC main of unit went connected TV saying they sent a connection to nan US via nan Swiss Embassy saying if nan US participates successful an Israeli reprisal, US bases and unit will not beryllium successful nan information zone.
KIRBY: Yeah. Mindful- mindful of the- of nan remark successful nan statement. Again, I'm conscionable going backmost to what I said before, we're not looking for a warfare pinch Iran, not looking for a broader location conflict. But nan different point nan President has made clear, we will do what we person to do to thief Israel take sides itself and we did past night, and we will do everything we request to do to make judge our troops, our facilities, and our ships astatine oversea successful nan region are besides protected. We person liking successful nan region too. And evidently we're each focused connected Israel and rightly so. But we person broader nationalist information interests successful nan Middle East. We person a unit posture that we're perpetually monitoring to make judge we tin meet those interests. The president takes that seriously. And that has been communicated to Iran arsenic well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And nan Iraqi premier curate will beryllium astatine nan White House this week talking about--
KIRBY: --Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That unit beingness arsenic well--
KIRBY: --Tomorrow, tomorrow. Yes, we do expect having a bully chat astir not conscionable nan unit posture, but nan ngo group wrong Iraq and what that looks like. I think, you know, it's an advising assistance mission.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
KIRBY: It's to thief nan Is- Iraqi Defense Forces and their operations to spell aft ISIS wrong Iraq.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Mossad announced this greeting that Hamas rejected this latest connection for nan merchandise of hostages, saying it proves Yahya Sinwar, nan Hamas leader successful Gaza, does not want a deal. Does nan US stock that assessment? Is nan diplomacy dead? Or is this conscionable different bump successful nan road?
KIRBY: We're not considering diplomacy dead. There is a- a caller woody connected nan array that Director Burns negotiated a week aliases truthful agone successful Cairo. It is simply a bully deal. It would get dozens of nan astir astatine consequence women, elderly, nan wounded out, get america a six week ceasefire. So a small spot much calm and get america an opportunity to get much humanitarian assistance in. The- nan Hamas leaders request to return that deal. And we're not considering this dormant astatine this point.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. So that Mossad rejection is not closing nan door?
KIRBY: We're not considering it dead- a dormant letter.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Last Sunday, erstwhile you were here, you told america that nan US expected to person talks pinch Israel, possibly arsenic soon arsenic this week, astir their plans to spell into confederate Gaza, into Rafah. When is that happening? Do we person immoderate further details?
KIRBY: We deliberation that discussion- first of all, there's been immoderate unit method level talks, moreover since you and I past spoke. We expect that larger speech pinch our Israeli counterparts to hap successful coming days, hopefully this week.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Hopefully this week.
KIRBY: Hopefully this week.
MARGARET BRENNAN: John Kirby, convey you very much.
KIRBY: Thank you.
