Bloomberg Economics' Becca Wasser and Dina Esfandiary Talk Iran Conflict

Becca Wasser (0:02)

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Tom Keene (0:08)

This is a joy and indeed an honor and speaks everything about what Bloomberg is trying to do.

On the terminal, and somewhat visible from there, is intellectual input that's just extraordinary because of the UN and all that. They're probably advising the president here over his morning McDonald's. Becca Wasser, Dina Esfandiary, are with us, this is just a rare, rare joy for us here in New York at Bloomberg. Surveillance, good morning. Are you two on speaking terms? Like, do you see each other? Is this like once a year, you're together?

Becca Wasser (0:42)

They don't always let us be in the same spot, but when we are, it's always fun. And in fact, we're old friends. We go back to 2009

Tom Keene (0:51)

Okay, with the academics. I mean, I have to get to this. I'm reading, finishing up right now, Douglas Beck, Doug Beck, who was intimately involved in the Pentagon, of saying, no, we don't need another aircraft carrier. I want the two of you right now, on my personal fear, Flocklands Argentine Exocet missile boat. How dangerous, Dina, is our American military because of drones? How at risk are they?

Dina Esfandiary (1:19)

Well, I think Becca would be the one to answer that one. The one in the end.

Tom Keene (1:22)

Becca, please.

Becca Wasser (1:23)

Well, they're at pretty high risk. And again, just look at what's happening in the Middle East right now. You have US forces located at bases throughout the region that are at risk from these drones. We've already seen US service members lose their lives because of these drone and missile attacks. And then all you need to do is then look at the Strait of Hormuz and look at the routine attacks that we have seen from Iranian drones on commercial shipping. So it's having an effect on our US military. It's having an effect on our global economy. And if you want to even go broader than that, just look at what's happening in Ukraine with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that game of drones that we are constantly seeing.

Tom Keene (2:02)

After the speech, you have at 10 a.m. the president's scheduled to meet with Mr. Zelensky.

Paul Sweeney (2:06)

Yep, absolutely. Dina, I'm of the opinion here. We've got some folks from Iran here this week in New York for the UN General Assembly. We have President Trump in New York for various meetings.

Can anything get done, do you think? Do we have any expectations that we could have President Trump sometimes this week saying, hey, we've come to an agreement, we're good to go, we're going to claim victory and leave? Is there any reason to have expectations for that?

Dina Esfandiary (2:31)

So can anything get done? Yes. Will anything get done? I think probably not. I think it would be good both for the US and Iran to meet directly while they're here in New York, but I think on the Iranian side, it is a very high cost meeting.

There is a lot of debate going on right now inside Iran about the value of engaging with the United States, about meeting President Trump, and that meeting, I think, may eventually discredit those who do it on the Iranian side amongst their own people back in Iran. And so that's what they will be afraid of.

Paul Sweeney (3:03)

So who's in charge of Iran these days? Do we know?

Dina Esfandiary (3:06)

Million dollar question.

I think it's basically a system that now is making decisions based on debate, discussion. The Supreme Leader is still there, or at least the new one, as far as we know. As far as we know. But it's no longer a situation of him being the final decision maker. I think now he decides at the same level, at the same time, as all the other centers of power that include people like the Revolutionary Guards, who are no monolith. They're a big organization. Some are much more pragmatic. Some are much more militaristic.

Tom Keene (3:40)

Dr. Esfandiary, you were at King's College, which is foundational in this study of war folks. Lawrence Friedman owns the high ground on this. Out of the debris of King's College, how do you perceive our military? I guess it's secretary of war, secretary of defense.

Dina Esfandiary (3:58)

Yeah.

Tom Keene (3:58)

After Trump, is America forever changed?

Dina Esfandiary (4:02)

Again, this is going to be one that Becca is going to be able to answer much better than me.

Becca Wasser (4:05)

No, stop, stop.

Tom Keene (4:06)

Becca, she's underselling herself. King's College folks is like, what's a football school?