Jordana Miller, ABC News correspondent Interview

Jordana Miller joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran as Iran launched missile attacks overnight, and Donald Trump’s social media post warning Iran.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, President Trump has made it clear to Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin net Yahoo that he does not want Iran's
supreme leader taken out, Ali Kamenie. He does not want
that to happen, and he's been clear about it. Except
Benjamin Netanyahoo has been going on ABC, on Fox, on

(00:25):
NBC and saying over and over again, look, this would
end it. If we take him out, it would end it.
It would not escalate it. That seems well, too good
to be true. So let's talk about that with Jordana Miller,
ABC News correspondent in Jerusalem. Jordana, as always, I hope

(00:45):
you're doing well. Was it another night in the bombshelter?
It was.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
We were in there a couple times overnight, and that's
because I'm in Jerusalem, and you know this, Irons don't
always go off here, So I was in there twice.
But for example, people living in Tel Aviv were the
north of Israel, they were in three times over the night.
Iran this time, we're told by the Israeli Army, fired

(01:15):
about thirty ballistic missiles in smaller groups throughout the night. Thankfully, thankfully, Larry,
nobody was killed. There were only light injuries. There was
damage to some buildings, some cars. For example, one of

(01:37):
the one of the missiles crashed into a parking lot
where there were buses, of course they were empty. And
then this morning there was another siren. So really since
midnight local time, we've had four waves, four waves of
strikes from Iran.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Now, as you know, President Trump left the G seven early.
He put out an ominous tweet that everybody should get
out of Tehran. Marco Rubio is also in the Secretary
of State is also on his way back. They're expected
to meet in the situation room today and it doesn't always,
but many times it portends an operation that they're going

(02:17):
to be watching. And so I think a lot of
people are speculating there may be a major attack today.
What are they saying in Israel?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, in Israel, of course, that is the headline. That
President Trump left the G seven, that he's huddling with
his top advisors, and that it appears some of America's
military assets are moving and coming closer to the region here,
and that appears to be giving President Trump the option,

(02:50):
should he take it, to join these military strikes against
Oran's nuclear facilities. We also are seeing reports credible reports
that the Iranians are sending messages through Oman, through Katar
to Washington that they want to talk again. So it

(03:13):
may be that President Trump will give the Iranians one
last chance to agree and come to a diplomatic solution. Remember,
President Trump does not want iran to have any enrichment
abilities or permission at all. In other words, under President

(03:36):
Barack Obama, the former deal allowed the Iranians to keep
their centrifuges spinning and they could enrich to three point
five percent. They didn't have to dismantle anything. The Israelis
called that a terrible deal. Well, the deal that President
Trump wants is vastly different. He's saying the Iranians, you
cannot have any enrichment facilities, and you can enrich uranium

(04:00):
period And as a matter of fact, the sixty percent
of enriched uranium, the tons that you have produced in
the last year and a half, you got to give
that to a third party that can't stay in the country.
These are very stiff terms for the Iranians that they
said they were not going to agree to. Right but

(04:20):
now just days later, after these devastating strikes by the
Israelis and even though they have not destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities,
they have caused significant damage. Even the IAE now is
saying that ntence is completely wiped out because of the attacks.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
Right.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
That was the main place where Iran was enriching uranium. Right,
so there have been major setbacks. These reely say we're
not done. Right, but the Iranians now are They're not
in a strong position to negotiate. You know, they are
seeing their military command. I mean, they just replaced the

(05:02):
head of the chief, the chief of staff for the
Iranian Armed Forces, and Israel now says they killed him overnight. Right,
so they're still struggling even in their command and control
of their military. And as you know, Larry, or Israel
is carrying out strikes over the skies of Tehran with

(05:25):
a lot of ease. We should say, so the Iranians,
if they can come to a deal, uh, you know,
they're in a desperate position right now. It's a good
time for President Trump to put a last deal on
the table. If they agree to it, even the Israelis
will say great, you know, if we can do it
through diplomacy, excellent, Right, it's they'll dismantle their nuclear facilities

(05:49):
with the international community watching fantastics. So there is another
option before we get to the military option, and I
think Trump is indicating he's going to try that option first,
but you know, we have to wait and see.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yes, absolutely, we will have to wait and see. Jordana Miller,
thank you for spending some time with us. I know
you have a lot to take care of today, both
professionally and personally, so we appreciate the time that your
Dana Miller ABC News in Jerusalem. Thanks again, Jordana