ARI FLEISCHER: They are not taking it seriously and that's the very problem in essence. What we are saying to Iran is, attempted murder is fine. Now, if they murder somebody, maybe we'll do something different. Who knows? I suspect Joe Biden's knees will buckle and he won't do what is necessary to deter Iran and protect Americans.
Look, I miss Donald Trump. If Donald Trump were in power, he would have sent a message as soon as Hamas attacked Israel that if Iran does a thing, if Hezbollah does a thing, that will be their last breath they ever take and they'll never going to have an oilfield again. And that's what we need to do. They have now attacked and injured almost two dozen American servicemen and we do nothing? We need to militarily strike Iran, Harris. If you want deterrence to work, it's got to be credible. What they are saying is nonsense. It's not backed up by anything of meaningful significance.
HARRIS FAULKNER: What do you say about the argument that that could tip us into World War III?
FLEISCHER: (laughs) That is exactly what Barack Obama said when he would not enforce the red line in Syria.
FAULKNER: Exactly.
FLEISCHER: He said it's war, it's war. As we've seen, when President Trump took out the commander of Iran's military, they tucked their tail and ran. That is what deterrence gets you. It's the absence of deterrence that leads to war. That's what makes Iran get emboldened to think they can get away with it, because under Joe Biden they have and they can.