nor is it clear what the iranians are asking for. there are some contours', but to see the substance remains unclear. there are a couple of things -- the iranians want to be recognized as a regional leader. they want to have a seat at the table. they don't want to have any decisions made without its input. they want to be accepted major power in the region. there are a major power but not and accepted one. it's not part of a single security package. it is as alone as it could possibly get. it does not have access to legitimate avenues of influence. >> it wanted recognized, they want power, they want to be a player at the table. >> the type of security order the united states assumes they want -- the iranians are not looking to be accepted in the existing architecture in the region but want to change it. >> because of the nuclear weapons? >> i think -- >> a nuclear weapons would make them a player. >> i think with the iranians want is to have the capability. there has not been a decision made to build it. there certainly moving toward

>> because basically they think the iranians will te us far ride, that the iranians will stall for time, that they will go ahead and build a bomb and that the only way to stop them is literally by coming down hard on them wit massive force. >> rose: the way they did in iraq? >> that's right. >> so the other question about this, is it smart policy and is it legal policy whoever's doing it? especially if it is... the united states is helping in evading this. is it, therefor, are we... are we equally guilty? >> well, one of the principle arguments that's been twirling around is if the iranians put a bomb on an american's car it would be called terrorism, or an israeli's car. when another foreign service does that n iran it's called espionage. so i have to take the david ignatius track, though. i also spoke to somebody who could only be referred to as a "u.s. official" who said "look, if you're asking us was that our operation or not, that was not our operation." and in this case, given that contact, i don't have a lot of reason to doubt that. if you look at other potential suspect, the wor

iranians say well that's punish them for us but i don't know where the iranian parliament is going to take this issue but just briefly now that about tehran's promise earlier to block the strait of hormuz is that still a prospect i mean is that on the table and also do you think iran will come back to the negotiating table. well iran has always been at the negotiating table that has talked with the russians the new proposal they. tried to resolve in the previous issue on with regard to the production of uranium enriched uranium at twenty percent with the brazilians a very good web site on the iranian nuclear issue is a race for iran dot com people can look at in it's a very well documented tale the whole program the whole issue but in general the mood in iran is that it is the west that is that is promoting tension after all the iranians have not threatened to block the strait of homos on their own or just in some vacuum western countries have threatened iran constantly with war you have military drones flying over iranian airspace you have western intelligence organizations murdering

every other iranian has access to a cell phone, if not every iranian. and so they do text messaging, they're on twitter, they're on facebook, they blog. so, i mean, this protest movement is a very different protest movement than the one in... that lead to the revolution in 1978, '79. this is a very different one because this is an instant messaging takes place, you know? the government, after the june election, expelled all the foreign journalists from iran by refusing to renew their permit. but then they had on their hands 30 million journalists... >> hinojosa: on the ground. >> ...on the ground because everybody, to use their cell phone... >> hinojosa: and we were all getting information from... >> yes, and you were all getting information from them at this end. >> hinojosa: so, finally, haleh, you have not gone back to iran since you were detained there. you say you cannot go back. are you optimistic? should we be optimistic about the future of iran? >> look, i'm an optimist by nature, and i believe this repressive phase that is going on in iran toda

>> provocation by iranians?e united states for one and others would consider it a provocation if you tried to prevent flow of oil through the strait of hormuz. >> the question is first of all that why iran should do that. >> rose: why they should try to stop -- >> why iran should close the strait of hormuz. >> rose: it was not somebody else who proposed it it came out of your government as a threat. >> yes. actually, the government officially did not say it. >> rose: who said it? >> some literary people in iran. >> rose: is that not the government >> in that case, it is nothe government. if you want to speak like that, gingrich is not a powerful government -- >> rose: wait a minute. girich is a politician who has no office and running for president. you are saying a military official is part of the government. >> i am ng if you want to get into discussions, fortunately i brought with you his statements that they are a part of the system of the united states. >> rose: no. believe me, believe me -- >> maybe i do n

the energy is elsewhere and i think the iranians feel it so again. looking at this, it seems to me the iranians are on their back foot and their actions show it. this combination of bluster and peace feelers sit is fascinating but to me, i think it is not a strong iran in the way that it was. >> i don't disree with you, but there are also opportunities, just because you have a fluid circumstance, like if iraq begins to disingrate into much greater sectarian violence and provides them in ways to maneuver in a way they wouldn't if iraq has a stable government. iran could fall in different ways. the foreign minister at one point says if syria falls apart there are no winners that jordan or israel or lebanon would also be equally losers as iran might be. and so, you know, they are going to basically gain this, and as this sort of unfolds over a period of time, the diplomatic forces, et cetera would provide them with some opportunities as well as with some hindrances. >> i think syria in at that lot of ways is going to be the mt interesting barometer beca

the iranians to sit down with that group. which has been the principal group that has been interacting with them. they have not answered that. they've said a couple things, they said recently they would be willing to. they need to answer that letter, they need to come sit down at the table. that's the first thing. >> charlie: you're saying this evening if the iranians are serious they should go talk to the group. >> we'll meet you at x, y and z date and we'll have serious conversation and the nuclear conversation will be on the table. >> charlie: that's a way for them to suggest, to enter negotiations. >> yes. now we have other way, diplomatic methods which we can send clear messages but that's the principal form right now to have this discussion. >> charlie: you're waiting to hear from them for them to take that initiative. and you invited them to take that initiative. >> of course they haven't, and so we ave continued awe long the pressure -- along the pressure track to force a smarter choice by the iranians. what have the

iranian crude oil in these markets if. going to cover iranian oil or not that's an other issue and saudi arabia would always love to keep certain amount of spare capacity in case of an emergency in future now iran is threatening as a result of these sanctions if these sanctions you happen they are threatening to shut down the strait of hormuz this critical waterway where huge portion of the world's oil supply passes through last night in the presidential debate i don't know if you tuned it tuned in but republic republican presidential candidate ron paul argued that that iran really doesn't want to shut down this waterway because they need it to it's not it's not in their best interest to do so. that's true actually i think this threat is it's it's real but not likely to happen sometime soon if we exactly look into what iranian officials said they saw the closure of her mr a is the last card that iran is going to play and that's not going to be due to it is not going to be when the european union is going to implement their

suffocate the iranians will have no option but to respond in a sea of severe manner and the iranians are far stronger than the americans would like to admit just recently they've brought down and captured the most sophisticated drone in the us military the iranians have blinded. cia satellite and if you recall in the two thousand and six war the israelis made the very same miscalculation they attack lebanon thinking it's good that it would be a walkover but they were soundly defeated by hezbollah so the only difference though here is that this is a region where an extraordinarily large amount of oil and gas. goes through and if there is insecurity in the region it's not just the strait of hormuz if there is a conflict in the persian gulf tankers who will be at risk insulations will be it was war as hell so it's not at all just the strait of hormuz and this instability will go beyond the persian gulf it will i think oh oil exports and gas exports will be at risk in central asia and throughout the middle east and there will be a lot of backlash from the public throughout the region so

the iranian government is making sure the iranian people know that it's directly affecting them.ite understand why the sanctions are there. they don't quite understand why their planes are falling out of the sky when they could easily be buying boeings to safely take people. they were looking. i think this is a reflection of the leadership. i think hillary's correct. they were looking for some sign -- i don't know about china, i'm not an expert at all. i'm not a historian. buff i think they were looking for some sign beyond the rhetoric that said, yeah, we're actually serious about this. >> given all the pressures that are building, do you believe within a year we will have reached some kind of crisis? will there be an israeli strike? what is this going to look like a year from now? if the pressures are building to a point where something feels like it's going to give? >> i think we are in a crisis. the question is whenn we were i a breakdown. we're not where we were in 2003 or in 2009. we're at the point where -- the regime in iran would feel that if they sat at the table and th

iranian leaders reacted sharply. they say sanctions haven't convinced them in the past and they won't now. we have a report from tehran. >> iran foreign ministry spokesperson posted a statement on the website. he says the eu -- imposing economic sanctions is illogical. will not stop iran from exercising its rights. the government yet to announce -- the council made no notable response to western neighbor deployment, through the strait of hormuz sunday. >> leaders of france, germany, britain say they're willing to negotiate, but only if the iranians are ready to talk seriously. they released a joint statement after the eu approved the sanctions. the leaders call on iran to suspend the nuclear development immediately and fully abide by its international obligations. their statement stresses iran is a threat to peace and security in the region. it says they will unite behind strong measures to undermine the iranian regime's ability to fund the nuclear program. the strait of hormuz is the only waterway to the open ocean

naval buildup comes on the heels of iranian military exercises. it was an ostentatious display of military might. the iranian navy carried out weeks of training in the gulf, giving the world a chance to see their country's armory. iran even threatened to block state -- duplicate the strait of hormuz. such a move could impact seriously on oil supplies. up to 40% of the world's oil passes through here. those threats were a direct provocation to the u.s. the navy's fifthly patrols the region, which is a strategic importance to washington. u.s. iranian relations are characterized by such tit for tat provocations. >> the u.s. is already ratcheted up its sanctions on iran. iran wants to send a signal to the u.s. into its own people that it will not about to such threats and that they are in a position to retaliate if necessary. >> president barack obama signed into law a package of sanctions on iran. the eu has followed suit. they are among the toughest sanctions imposed on the islamic republic, and they get hit the economy hard. their real bone of cont