ARTHEL: AS GREG IS REPORTING,

TENSIONS STILL SIMMERING BETWEEN

WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN.

THE STATE DEPARTMENT SLAPPING

NEW SANCTIONS ON THE IRANIAN

GENERAL ACCUSED OF ORDERING

TROOPS TO OPEN FIRE ON

PROTESTERS BACK IN NOVEMBER,

AROUND 150 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN

THAT INCIDENT.

WE ARE ALSO LEARNING THAT 11

AMERICANS WERE HURT LAST WEEK

AFTER IRAN FIRED MISSILES AT TWO

IRAQI BASES HOUSING U.S. TROOPS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP NOW ENGAGING IN

A WAR OF WORDS WITH IRAN'S

SUPREME LEADER SAYING ON

TWITTER, QUOTE, INSTEAD OF

LEADING IRAN TOWARD RUIN, ITS

LEADER SHOULD ABANDON TERROR AND

MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.

WHERE DOES DIPLOMACY GO FROM

HERE, LET'S BRING IN VINNIE

BOWLES, THE ARMY'S FORMER

ASSISTANT DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, ARTHEL.

ARTHEL: THANK YOU.

>> ALWAYS A PLEASURE.

ARTHEL: IS DIPLOMACY DEAD,

GENERAL BOWLES?

>> NO, IT'S NOT DEAD.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON

THE WORDS.

AS ALWAYS IN THAT PART OF THE

WORLD, BEHAVIOR IS BELIEVABLE.

I WOULD WATCH WHAT IRAN DOES,

NOT JUST WHAT THE AYATOLLAH

SAYS, SPECIFICALLY WILL THEY

TAKE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO

MOVE FORWARD AND ENGAGE IN SOME

KIND OF A NEGOTIATION TO GET TO

LOWER THE TEMPERATURE OR WILL

THEY CONTINUE TO EXPLOIT THEIR

TERRORISM AS THEY DO THROUGHOUT

THE REGION.

ARTHEL: SO THAT CHANNEL

DIPLOMACY IS ALIVE.

MEANWHILE, MORE U.S. ECONOMIC

SANCTIONS RAINING DOWN ON

IRANIAN LEADERS.

AND IRAN HAS INTERNAL PROBLEMS

WITH MORE LOCALS PROTESTING

AGAINST THOSE IRANIAN LEADERS.

SO WHO OR WHAT COUNTRY IS

PROVIDING IRAN WITH A LIFELINE

AT THIS TIME?

>> THREE PREDOMINANTLY, NORTH

KOREA IS PROVIDING THEM MISSILE

TECHNOLOGY AND HAS BEEN FOR

QUITE A FEW YEARS AND THEN ON

TOP OF THAT ALSO, AS RECENTLY

HAPPENED, RUSSIA AND CHINA WERE

ENGAGED IN NAVAL EXERCISESES

WITH THEM IN THE PERSIAN GULF.

THAT'S SOME AREA THEY'RE GETTING

STABILITY AND SOME SUPPORT FROM

I THINK AS WELL AS SOME NATIONS

IN THE REGION WHO HAVE MAYBE NOT

BOLDLY BUT AT LEAST SUPPORTED

THEM.

ARTHEL: ALL THAT, AS YOU LAID

OUT, WHAT'S THE U.S.'S NEXT

MOVE, DIPLOMATICALLY, MILITARILY

OR OTHERWISE?

>> FROM A MILITARY PERSPECTIVE,

IT HAS TO BE SECURITY.

I THINK THE UNKNOWN IN THIS

EQUATION IS IRAQ.

IRAQ, WHAT WE REALLY HAVE TO

WATCH IS IRAQ DOES NOT WANT TO

BE SER

BE PERCEIVED AS THE CHEW TOY

BETWEEN AN IRAN, U.S. FIGHT AND

DON'T WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS

OUR LACKEY AND DOING WHATEVER WE

WANT THEM TO DO.

IRAQ IS THE UNKNOWN.

IT'S UNFOLDING.

SO I THINK DEALING WITH THE

IRAQI ADMINISTRATIONS THAT ARE

THERE NOW WITH THE PRIME

MINISTER AND THE FORCES THERE

AND MAINTAINING THEIR STRENGTH

AND STABILITY IS KEY FOR US.

ARTHEL: WE KNOW PRESIDENT TRUMP

IS SAYING THAT THE U.S. IS GOING

TO KEEP THE TROOPS IN IRAQ, I

BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME 5,000,

5,300, AND IF YOU HAVE TO YOUR

POINT, IF YOU HAVE IRAQ WANTING

TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A SPINE

AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE

ORDERED AROUND BY AMERICA, HOW

DOES THAT WORK OUT?

WHAT'S THE NEGOTIATION THERE, TO

KEEP THE AMERICAN TROOPS THERE,

TO KEEP STABILITY OVER THERE,

AND TO LET IRAQ CONTINUE TO BE

INDEPENDENT?

>> WELL, CANDIDLY, WE HAVEN'T

HANDLED IT WELL, IN MY OPINION.

THE PRIME MINISTER HAD ASKED

THAT THE U.S. SEND A DELEGATION

OVER SO THEY COULD DISCUSS THE

STATUS OF FORCES AND THE U.S.

TROOPS IN THE REGION, YOU HOW

THAT COULD BE MANAGED -- HOW

THAT COULD BE MANAGED.

THE RESPONSE FROM THE SECRETARY

OF STATE AND OTHERS WAS TO FUSE

THEIR REQUEST AND SAY WE'LL BE

HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT COST SHARING

AND BURDEN SHARING BUT THERE'S

NO NECESSITY FOR US TO GO OVER

AND TALK ABOUT REMOVAL OF U.S.

FORCES ORS TROOPS.

DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS, THAT

CAN'T HELP BUT COME ACROSS TO

BOTH THE IRAQI ADD A MEDICINE

STRAYINGS AND THE --

ADMINISTRATION AND IRAQI PEOPLE

AS ARROGANT.

ARTHEL: WE'LL SEE HOW THAT

PLAYS OUT AND WE'LL HAVE YOU

BACK TO ANALYZE THAT FOR US.

FINALLY, WE HAD GREG PALKOT

REPORTING THAT IRAN IS GOING TO

SEND THE BLACK BOXESES FROM THE

UKRAINIAN FLIGHT THEY

ACCIDENTALLY SHOT DOWN.

IS THAT THEIR WAY OF SAYING

WE'RE TRYING TO BEHAVE MORE LIKE

A NOR L

A NORMAL STATE?

>> I THINK IT'S THEIR WAY TO

TRYING TO SHOW A OTHER NATIONS,

UKRAINE, CANADA, EUROPE, THIS IS

AN EFFORT TO SHOW THOSE NATIONS

THAT IRAN IS NOT WITHOUT A

HEART, NOR WITHOUT A BRAIN TO

ACTIVELY OPEN THEIR -- OPEN

THEMSELVES SO THEY CAN HANDLE

THIS ISSUE.

AND IT'S THEIR APOLOGY AS WELL