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Gregg Carlstrom: Middle East Correspondent on the conflict between Israel and Iran · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is the sound of an Iranian state TV broadcaster
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: being interrupted by an Israeli missile live on air. Oh y,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: you could see the debris falling and the screens crashing
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  Speaker 1: behind he The bombardment both sides continuing overnight. Greg Calstrom
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  Speaker 1: is Middle East correspondent with US This morning, Greg, Good morning.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: We're hearing we might be close to some sort of talks.
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  Speaker 1: The Iranians apparently waving a bit of a white flag
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  Speaker 1: through some Arab allies. What are you hearing, Well.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure I would read it quite as a
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  Speaker 2: white flag. The Iranians are willing to talk about a
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  Speaker 2: mutual ceasefire where both sides would stop shooting, but I
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  Speaker 2: don't think either Israel or the United States are at
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  Speaker 2: a point where they're going to push for that. The
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  Speaker 2: Israelis have been planning this war for years. Obviously, they're
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: not willing to stop after just a few days. With
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  Speaker 2: money of their military goals on met, so they will
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  Speaker 2: want to press ahead. And the Americans are insisting that
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  Speaker 2: they're going to talk to the Iranians. They want to
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  Speaker 2: talk about a nuclear deal, something that will impose restrictions
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  Speaker 2: on Iran's nuclear program. As far as I can tell,
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  Speaker 2: Iran is not willing to make any concessions yet around
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  Speaker 2: its nuclear program, So I think we're actually still some
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  Speaker 2: ways away from any kind of serious negotiations starting.
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  Speaker 1: Are we any closer to this expanding into a more
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  Speaker 1: regional war or for bigger pliers, Are the pliers getting
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  Speaker 1: involved or do you think this will stay contained?
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  Speaker 2: I think so long as the United States does not
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  Speaker 2: get involved, it will stay contained. I don't think Iran
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  Speaker 2: is going to, for example, strike at Arab states in
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  Speaker 2: the Gulf or strike at American bases in the region
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  Speaker 2: right now, because it doesn't want to draw America into
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  Speaker 2: the war. But Israel has asked the US to join
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  Speaker 2: the fighting to help carry out airstrikes on four DO,
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  Speaker 2: which is this enrichment facilit in Iran dug into the
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  Speaker 2: side of a mountain. It's very far underground. It's hard
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  Speaker 2: for Israeli planes to reach it with their bombs. You
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  Speaker 2: need American bombers that can deliver much heavier bombs. So
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  Speaker 2: Israel has asked the United States to help with those strikes.
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  Speaker 2: I think if Donald Trump goes along with that, if
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  Speaker 2: there is an offensive American role in this war. At
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  Speaker 2: that point, you could see Iran try to widen the war,
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  Speaker 2: strike at regional targets, and hope that countries in the
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  Speaker 2: region will put pressure on America and Israel to stop.
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  Speaker 1: Interesting analysis. Really appreciate your time, Greg, Greg Calstrom and
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  Speaker 1: Middle East Correspondent.
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• 2:39
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• 2:42
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