On Tuesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that while President Donald Trump’s strategy to rely on economic pressure with Iran could take a while, there has been a lot of damage done to their military, and “the President understands that, when you continually weaken them economically, then you create the atmosphere in which maybe their people decide, that’s enough, this regime has tortured us enough, and they overcome the regime themselves from within.”
Host Rob Schmitt asked, “The President has indicated they’re low-keying this war, that he wants to just — I guess that’s just to sit back and starve out this regime, continue the economic decimation, maybe not be too active militarily and let this go. That could take a long time, right?”
Huckabee answered, “It could. But I think the President certainly is making the right move by putting real squeeze on them economically. He’s not just proven that he was willing to bomb them, but he’s also willing to bankrupt them. And if you add the two, the damage that was done to their military capacity, which was catastrophic. No matter what they say, the operation between the United States and Israel did an enormous level of damage. They’re the weakest they have been since they took over the regime in 1979. The other piece of this is that the President understands that, when you continually weaken them economically, then you create the atmosphere in which maybe their people decide, that’s enough, this regime has tortured us enough, and they overcome the regime themselves from within.”
Schmitt then asked, “I have literally 10 seconds left. Do you think that’s how this war ends, with just the economic decimation of the regime and finally a collapse?”
Huckabee answered, “Let’s hope so. Let’s pray so. It would make the world a better place.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett