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Interview with King Abdullah II of Jordan; Video Shows U.S. Sailors Apologizing to Iran; Hillary Clinton Losing Support in Iowa Poll. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 14, 2016 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[13:30:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you see this war against ISIS now as World War III?

ABDULLAH, II, KING OF JORDAN: Well, I've said that the war against the outlaws of Islam is a third world war by other means, which is probably slightly different. How I've explained it, it's not just is. All these groups, from Philippines or Indonesia, all the way to Mali, these are all the same, whether it's is, Boko Haram, al Shabaab, al Nusra, wherever you find them around the world. Again, as I said, from Asia all the way to the African continent, there is either a full-out war or counterinsurgency warfare. This is a global struggle that brings, as I said many times, Muslims, Christians, Jews, other religions, fighting alongside us, as we fight our civil war in Islam.

BLITZER: The Iraqi prime minister, Haider al Abadi, says ISIS can be defeated this year. In the president's State of the Union address, he says this is a war that's going to go on -- it's going to be a generational war. What's your assessment?

KING ABDULLAH II: Well, again, let's make the differentiation. When we say is, Syria, or Iraq, or are we saying this global war. So is, Syria, Iraq, can be defeated fairly quickly. But the global war, what I call the third world war by other means, is one that is a generational one. Hopefully, the military secure aspect is the short term or the military part is the short term. The midterm is going to be the intelligence and security aspect. The long term is the ideological one and the educational one.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: And that's a generational war?

KING ABDULLAH II: That's a generational one. Not only inside of Islam as we regain -- we as Muslims regain the supremacy against the crazies, the outliers of our religion, but also reaching out to other religions that Islam is not what they have seen being perpetuated by 0.1 percent of our religion.

BLITZER: The U.S. says most of the air strikes against ISIS have been U.S. air strikes. The coalition, other countries, whether the Europeans, Jordan, the UAE, Saudis, maybe 6 percent of the air strikes. The suggestion is the coalition is not doing enough.

KING ABDULLAH II: I know the figures, the amount of air strikes that we did, not counting the amount of air patrols and reconnaissance flights we did. We've been hitting tremendous amount of targets. We always wanted to hit more. And I think that having a good relationship with the secretary of defense and there's a couple of new generals in the Pentagon now that I think want to over, I think you'll see an increase in tempo. There's been some good operations. I can say we want to see a bit more. That's one of the reasons why we visited D.C. And it comes down to this issue of synchronization. How do we bring it all together? This is something we've discussed over the past several months and this is what we're trying to do now. What can we do to really close the circle? What do the Iraqis do? What do the Kurds do? In coordination with the rest of the coalition? Vienna is very important because, how do we deal with the Russians? If we can get the Russians to part of it, that is even better.

BLITZER: Do you believe Russia and Iran, dealing with the future of Syria, might abandon Bashar al Assad, the Syrian leader, and allow him to sort of abdicate, move away?

KING ABDULLAH II: My discussions with President Putin is we need to move the political process forward as quickly as possible. Obviously, there are those countries that say Bashar has to move today and the Russians are saying not before 18 months. I'll talk about this from our point of view because obviously we have the Free Syrian Army in the south and we're working with the Russians, creating a cease-fire with our forces in the south. And I specifically have discussed with Putin. You can't expect young men and women to put their arms down and abide by a cease-fire if there's no movement on the political process Vienna. They're not going to sit there and do this for two or three months and not expect something to happen. So the Russians are fully aware that sooner rather than later we have to have a mechanism that allows the process to move forward. And I think we all understand that that does mean the departure of Bashar.

BLITZER: The Saudis, as you know, executed a Shiite cleric. Others accused of terrorism. In response, the Saudi embassy in Tehran was burnt, ransacked. The Saudis severed diplomatic relations. Other countries, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, they downgraded or severed relations. Jordan didn't. Why?

[13:35:10] KING ABDULLAH II: Well, we are in coordination with the Saudis. We took a firm position against what the Iranians did. We fully support our Saudi friends. We took the position that we took. We brought in the Iranian ambassador and expressed our displeasure. This was done in coordination with our Saudi allies. We have an amazingly strong relationship with our Saudi Brethren. My relationship with his majesty the king, the crown prince, is extremely strong, and this was the position that we had worked out between ourselves and again don't forget we are part of the Vienna talks when it comes to Syria, so it was felt having us in a bit more flexible position at the talks is probably more prudent at this stage. Obviously, there is now heightened tensions between the Saudis and the Iranians that is going to play out in the Vienna talks, but more importantly, I think what the Saudis, looking at the higher moral ground, don't want this to escalate into a regional Sunni conflict. So I think everybody's trying to make sure we can calm this down and focus on what needs to be done.

BLITZER: I know you have, Jordan has very good relations with Saudi Arabia, but did you have a problem with their execution, the beheading of these terrorists?

KING ABDULLAH II: No, they told us about this beforehand. This is an internal issue. And we respect obviously their decisions and their internal decisions cycle. As we said, we fully supported what they had to do.

BLITZER: Your Majesty, you've been very generous with your time. Thank you so much. Welcome to Washington.

KING ABDULLAH II: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up, the U.S. Navy now releasing new details about what caused those 10 U.S. sailors to drift into Iranian waters, how they were treated while in custody and when U.S. officials were finally notified. We have the details. We'll share them with you right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:22] BLITZER: Two U.S. Navy boats off course in Iranian waters. We're now learning new details about what led Iran to grab 10 U.S. sailors. A U.S. defense official says one of the boats was having engine trouble but it's still unclear if the sailors knew they were in Iranian territory. When the Iranians approached, the U.S. boats could not rapidly get out of the way because the so-called engine problems. The U.S. Navy says it's conducting a full debrief of the 10 sailors and how they were treated.

They're also looking into the details of the sailor's apology broadcast on Iranian television.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED U.S. SAILOR: The Iranian patrol boat came out when we were having engine issues and had weapons drawn so we talked -- tried to talk to them until more boats came out and took us in.

It was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake. It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial waters.

The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your assistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It's not clear the sailors were speaking voluntarily. The U.S. government has yet to clarify the circumstances under which these statements were made.

Joining us, our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto; and CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.

Jim, any new information you're getting about these 10 sailors, their condition, and what happened to them?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is what we're learning. Basically the Navy found out they were detained or the first sign of trouble is when they lost contact with them. They weren't communicating. And through the great reporting of our Barbara Starr, we're learning one of those two fast boats had engine trouble. As they were tending to it, they apparently drifted into the three miles recognized as Iranian territory around Farsi Island, which has a naval base for the Revolutionary Guards, and that is when they were then surrounded by Iranian forces. And the word is they were outnumbered. And Iranian forces then boarded them. The U.S. Navy, while alarmed certainly by these pictures, understanding the local commander's decision to, in effect, give up, because he couldn't fight. You're outnumbered, you're surrounded, your first priority is protecting your crew.

BLITZER: These images we are showing viewers, very disturbing. When was the last time we saw 10 American sailors down on their knees with their hands over their heads, machine guns pointed at them? Very disturbing pictures. What do you make of that?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think the Iranians overreacted. This obviously was a ship in distress. They were seeking assistance. If you read the Iranian reports, they say the other American ships in the area were acting unprofessionally and they felt they had to take this action to defend themselves. We all understand that Farsi Island is a very sensitive intelligence facility for the Iranians. They were looking for propaganda tool here in which they used very, very effectively. Over the last couple of days, we've seen numerous videos, numerous still pictures. Some of them are disturbing. One of them compares the Iranian treatment of our sailors versus what we did to the Iraqis in Abu Ghraib. I mean, that level of reporting on social media and in the media. But this raises so many questions about what they were doing there, 50 miles off the coast.

BLITZER: Jim, within the next few days, the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal is about to go forward. And millions of dollars in sanctions relief will go forward to the Iranians. Walk us through that process. Do they get $100 billion right away? Is it spread out over a long period of time?

[13:45:11] SCIUTTO: No one's going to write them a check for $100 billion. Where that figure comes from is more than $100 billion in Iranian assets have been unfrozen. When those sanctions are lifted, they will have access to them. Fact is many of those funds are due other creditors that Iran's in effect going to have to pay. They're going to get billions dollars as part of this deal. They're not going to get that full amount. Of course, they will also be open for business. They can sell their oil again, et cetera. I'm told by diplomats that implementation could come as soon as this weekend. Imagine the timing there, if you still had U.S. sailors in Iranian custody, what exactly Iran would be risking by extending this beyond the 16 hours that they held them.

BLITZER: Getting back, Colonel Francona, to the 10 sailors, some are suggesting this was a violation of the Geneva Conventions to parade these sailors with their hands over their head and put them on video, show the world these images, degrading images, if you will. Do you believe it is a violation of the Geneva Conventions?

FRANCONA: Well, it is, but we've never seen the Iranians or people in that part of the world pay attention to the Geneva Conventions. But the humiliation of those sailors certainly was a violation. And of course the Iranians meant it to be a humiliation of the United States and this constant reputation is all over media, trying to reinforce that opinion. That they're equal to the United States in the gulf and they're humbling the Great Satan. This is a propaganda victory for the Iranians. They seem to have suffered no consequences for it.

BLITZER: Rick Francona, Jim Sciutto, guys, thanks very much.

Coming up, Senator Bernie Sanders continues his dramatic climb up the polls, closing in on the Democratic presidential front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in Iowa. What's behind the new numbers? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:20] BLITZER: Hillary Clinton's lead over Bernie Sanders in Iowa has just down to about 2 percent. That according to a new "Bloomberg"/"Des Moines Register" poll, shows Clinton at 42 percent to Bernie Sanders 40 percent, well within the margin of error.

For more on the Clinton versus Sanders battle, let's bring in our panel. Joining us our CNN political commentators, S.E. Cupp and Donna Brazil.

Donna, is Hillary Clinton starting to see shades of 2008 when she not only lost Iowa to then Senator Barack Obama but also to then- former Senator John Edwards?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: She's winning among Democrats, but among Independents, first time caucus goers, there's no question she's having trouble getting their support. I think the campaign needs to make sure she cannot just grab Democrats but those who will caucus, Independents, first time caucus goers, and a big generational divide. She has to go after them as well.

BLITZER: He's 74. She's 68. But he's doing better among young voters.

BRAZILE: 74 is the new 35. Who knew?

(LAUGHTER) S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I talked to a lot of

Democrats. Ask Donna. They will tell you Democrats love Hillary Clinton. Her favorables among Democrats show that. But they love Hillary Clinton until there's any other alternative. And that's what we saw in 2008. She just doesn't -- she can't get the kind of enthusiasm that Elizabeth Warren gets or Joe Biden had for a brief period of time. It's not to say she's not going to win the nomination, but he's giving her a hard time because she isn't the well liked, enthusiasm-building Democrat that some of the oh other candidates are.

BLITZER: Bill Clinton, he says he's not surprised it's getting closer in Iowa and New Hampshire. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All they are doing now or should be doing is talking about the differences in their positions. That's good. That's healthy.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about the polls tightening? Does that surprise you?

CLINTON: No. I am surprised it didn't happen 60 days ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He says he's surprised it didn't happen 60 days ago, the polls tightening so dramatically.

BRAZILE: As you recalled, Joe Biden decided not to run. The first Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton surged in the poll. She's having problems with Independents and young voters. If she's able to pick up the steam with Independents and get young voters, she will do fine. She's only lost once and that was to Barack Obama.

That was the most exciting political call of my career. This is going to be a close race. Bernie has momentum, but Hillary Clinton still has a lot of gas.

BLITZER: She was elected Senator from New York twice.

BRAZILE: Twice. That's right.

CUPP: Interesting thing about what Bill Clinton just said. They are talking about the differences in their positions. And they are doing that to a certain extent, but they are also not doing that. When Chelsea Clinton talks about Bernie Sanders wanting to dismantle Obamacare, completely dishonest, I don't think that's pointing out differences in positions. When Clinton has a surrogate say that Bernie Sanders doesn't care about the Hispanic community, I don't think that's a difference in position. The Hillary Clinton campaign is getting nasty and they have been getting nastier to Bernie for quite some time now. They are having panic attacks.

BLITZER: Bernie Sanders wants a single-payer medical system in the United States. Medicare is already available to older Americans. He wants Medicine basically to be available to all Americans. What he isn't explaining is, how is he going to pay for that.

BRAZILE: How is he going to pay for it? That's going to be one of the big issues at the Democratic debate. Chelsea was asked a question and she responded. She earned her Ph.D. in studying health care systems. I just want to defend Chelsea on that.

But, look, the Clinton campaign has to be a lot more aggressive. Bernie Sanders has real momentum. There's a real difference between Bernie and Hillary on many issues, whether Wall Street reform, income inequality, paid sick leave. I get the e-mails. I'm also getting a lot of fundraising requests from both campaigns.

[13:55:25] BLITZER: They will have a little debate Sunday night the Democrats. That potentially could be lively.

CUPP: Oh, I'm sure it will be because the ranker has really started to build up. There was a time when Bernie Sanders was very complimentary of Hillary, very careful not to take a swing. He's started to get more aggressive. It's getting close to Iowa. It's getting personal. You're going to see a lot of passion from both candidates, not to mention -- is there another Democrat running?

(LAUGHTER)

BRAZILE: Martin O'Malley.

CUPP: Oh, yeah. I forgot his name.

BLITZER: We'll talk about all that later.

(LAUGHTER)

But that's it for me now. I'll be back at 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is coming up next.

For our viewers in North America, NEWSROOM, today with Pamela Brown, starts right after a quick break.

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