CLEARING THE FOG with Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt 4/2/26

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Clearing the fog with Lieutenant Colonel Christopher in Military Narrative. On the list, Camilla Way show with Nick Summer, talk 94.5.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

And he's joining us from where? Alabama?

SPEAKER_03 0:16

Mobile, Alabama.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

Oh my goodness. All right. How is it there in Alabama?

SPEAKER_03 0:21

It's uh rainy because the tropical, whatever they want to call it. Oh yeah, Arthur. Yeah, the remnants of Arthur. Arthur, yeah, is passing north of us, but for the most part, it was uh smooth sailing yesterday, flying over from Myrtle Beach.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

All right.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Excited to work with the company that we're gonna be uh helping over the weekend.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Awesome. Well, very good. Yeah. Um I wanted to ask you if you had any time really to see what was going on with uh the the memorandum of understanding.

SPEAKER_03 0:52

I actually read it. I'm I'm a nerd, aren't I?

SPEAKER_02 0:55

I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

It's only two pages. Don't get all high-minded. It is only two pages.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

All right, tell us what can you share?

SPEAKER_03 1:06

So uh first off, it needed to be done. We all know that. Like we it was time that something needed to be done. What it really focuses on is the opening of the straits. And that's what this memorandum does. It leaves all the other major issues um off the table. They're gonna be in round two. The other thing that it did was it took their ballistic missile program out of round two. So one of the original um requirements that we had was, you know, end your nuclear program, dispose of all your nuclear material, and your ballistic missile program. So that is off the table. So they're only gonna focus on getting rid of the nuclear material. So that was kind of we talk about the art of the deal, um, and they're really dissecting President Trump's book and this because this is probably going to be his biggest deal um in his both of his presidencies if he can pull this off. So, you know, that that's that's how negotiations work. It was like, okay, you can plus we all know from our end, they expelled they used almost all of their missiles. So, you know, it's kind of like one of those we gave them a concession, but they really don't have anything to build them back anyway, right now. So okay, let's focus on what's the most important thing.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

So they're not stronger than ever. Iran is not stronger than ever ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 2:28

You gotta love when um Middle Eastern countries stand up and say that there's remember when uh uh Baghdad Bob was talking about how the Americans were never gonna take them down and the tanks ran behind them in 2004. Mostly peaceful. Yeah, I know. Yeah. Um so that that's the really big deal. So now the this was actually probably the easiest part, which it took a long time and was really hard. The next part is going to be how to actually get the nuclear materials destroyed and out of the country. Um and that's what the next sixty days is going to um is going to to produce. And from an outside looking in, the scary part about it is, you know, you think about sixty days from now, that puts us in September, two months before the midterms. And Iran knows that all we all they have to do is, you know, show something and you know, oh, Israel did this in Lebanon, or the United States did something and the next thing you know, you know, hostilities might have to flare back up, and it's right before the midterm. So that's the only cautious part about the timeline um is the Iranians are playing our political system.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Yeah. Um you know, uh there are there was a question I don't know if you saw it, uh, but during the press conference that they had, there was a question that someone in the audience proposed to Trump about that. I think it was a school that was I I wanted to play the clip room for you and get your response. So here we go.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

I would ask Bitcoin. I would ask B Fix that question first. They have it under investigation, please.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

What did you think uh about his answer on that?

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Well, his answer is really good. Um again, I'd be confused of why you're asking that question now, other than you were trying to embarrass the president of the United States at a press conference. Right. Who the hell are you? Um and it it's like been well reported, and um they had military weapons gear, everything else. There was a military target literally parked next to the school. I mean, this is like the playbook of Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, you the command centers are under hospitals, they put weapon systems next to schools, and then they go, Oh my gosh, I can't believe that you would, you know, you would blow up a school. But they didn't blow up, they also blew up weapons. And as he said, you know, when you make a decision to go to war, it's on a whole different level. Um and it's he I thought he gave a very good answer. I mean, I know he's they're probably gonna rip him um on the left, but he gave a the exact answer that somebody should give.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Yeah. Okay. Um anything else? Anything else?

SPEAKER_03 5:57

Yeah, so the other big piece to watch, uh, a little little different is um Secretary of War Hegseth is looking at NATO and these troop strengths of NATO. Um, but also what why this goes with the peace deal too, is um Iran in the peace deal, first stage of this peace deal, talks about not elevating US troop levels in the Middle East. So troop levels always go hand in hand when they're overseas. So, you know, is the if the US pulls back from Europe and then we're also not putting them in in the Middle East anymore, you know, that shows the starting to meet the president's desire to start bringing troops home and not have them stationed overseas all the time. Um so the Pentagon is actively looking behind because you know you have to ask the question why are we still in Kuwait? Why are we still in Qatar? Why are we still allegedly maybe maybe not in Yemen? Um because we have you know thousands of troops in the Middle East and we have thousands of troops in Europe, and is it time to start you know bringing them home?

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Mm-hmm. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

Um that's not too hard.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

What uh you know, I'm wondering uh because uh there were people um concerned about how this nuclear dust is buried. And uh how do we they said they have some uh you know they're watching it all the time. Do we know for sure that that nuclear dust is being underneath the rubble of that mountain? Like uh how do we know where that dust is? I just I if I were in the audience as a reporter. No, but if I were a reporter, you know, I would ask what confirmation, what is the level of confirmation that you have of the where the location of this dust? Are we assuming it's in the bottom of the mountain?

SPEAKER_03 7:48

I'm just wondering. I think that what the they're gonna piece together all the intelligence sources, and it's been shocking at how much intelligence sources um Israel and then also we have had in um Iran. So when you put all of that together, they're probably gonna tell you it's about 92% that the stuff is under there, unless there was some last second miracle um that Iran pulled off that it could have happened. I mean it's possible, but it's probably about 92% sure that it's underneath the rubble from those major compounds. That's where it's been, that's where they've had it. Um and there was and part of the reason why they pulled the trigger when they did was there was signs that they were starting to, you know, send trucks and to do stuff to then move it safely out of those compounds, which is why they launched when they launched. And that was the decision that President Trump made um before was that that that was their timeline. They knew Iran was going to start to move the stuff, and so that's why they launched the war when they did.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Um it's it's probably gonna be it's it's it's gonna be there. Um it's and like this is the m biggest part is if we can Trump President Trump in the United States wins if Iran finally wakes up and says, here's all the nuclear material. Now they're still gonna be bad actors, they're gonna fund, they're still going to try to kill as many Israelis as possible um on a on a daily basis. That's their they're still gonna do that because unless they regime change. But if we can get nuclear material out, the entire world is a better place.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Yeah. Now the other thing that um they said that Trump made sure was in the deal that they wouldn't be able to procure any type of nuclear. In other words, you know, yeah, they can't make it, but they also are not allowed to buy any. Um and I remember Trump in the past talking about how getting nuclear energy, he's he was like, you know, we can help you with that uh instead. Uh you you don't make it at all because you can't be trusted. And so what did what did you think about that?

SPEAKER_03 9:56

So it it's that was the what the the sky the disguise that they used was we need power. So we're gonna build nuclear power plants. And Russia gave them a lot of the um materials needed, and who knows what happened in the 90s with the exchange of materials that um came between the United at the end of the Cold War between the United States and and Russia. And so they don't and they have oil. So, you know, this goes back to the whole climate agenda. There was no need to allow Iran to have a nuclear power plant. They have so much oil that they can make they can have enough power. Yet we've all in the name of you know the climate agenda, we're gonna let them have nuclear nuclear power plants so they don't have to burn fossil fuels. I mean, you say it now, and it sounds so ridiculous. Yet that's what people, presidents of the United States were up there saying on press conferences, and people are like, Oh yeah, that sounds great. We'll give them nuclear power plants in exchange for the reduction of fossil fuels. It's it's mind-blowing.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Now, I I have to ask you about Senator Ted Cruz's response. Um, he wrote that history teaches that giving billions of dollars of theocratic l to the theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is a bad idea. Um, and that we shouldn't be interested in rebuilding Iran. Uh what did you make of that uh the monies that were talked about? I think it was three hundred billion dollars or something like that. Um, a fund, a renovation fund.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

I 100% agree with him. Let them do it on their own. If they're gonna murder their own people, like that's kind of the the deal. And he's right. We learned under President Obama when he signed that crazy terrible deal, when we un when we we released the funds, and then we even gave them money, which was even Yeah, like interest.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

We gave him interest.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

Yeah. We gave them interest and everything.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

Um But it was their money, and Trump says what we learned is when we freeze money, we eventually have to give it back. But they want to put it in this renovation fund and let it come out in drips and drabs as they earn it.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

So and so that's if he's gonna structure it that way, I think that's the difference.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

That's what he said.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Um but no matter what right, and but no matter what you do with these programs, and you see it with the food programs in Africa all the time, is it still goes to the wrong people. It's uh massive amounts of it still go to the wrong people. Um, you know, people are still starving in a lot of the war-torn places in Africa and in the in Syria. I mean, it was just and even Palestine, you know, when they were oh, we're gonna get it to Hamas, we're gonna get it to um Hezbollah. Well, then the fighters take everything first, and then they drove out a little bit to the people and be like, see, look at it, we're giving you this. So that's the only problem is it I don't necessarily say it's gonna go to where it needs to go.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:53

But we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

All right. Lindsey Graham said, I want to see it myself. The way Iran describes it is awful. The way we describe it, it makes sense to me. And he says he is um giving cautious support and he's hoping that this will open the Strait of Hormuz and end the hostilities.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

Um that's that's a fair assessment. I mean, Iran, if you ever read what Arab states say when their press conferences is completely different than what they're actually signing. So they want to go out, they want to project that they're standing up to the United States of America, they want to project that they're not caving to the Israelis because that's what they've built, that's the reputation that they want to have. But then they'll do what they need to do to survive behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_04 13:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

So that's probably the fairest take is you know, we're cautiously optimistic. But I'm really worried about the 60-day timeline.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

That's it's just I know we get close to Venturans. They could they could extend it. It's written in there, if the um negotiations are going well, there is an option to extend it, but if it's not going well, he's gonna drop bombs right smack in the middle of their heads. That's what he said.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

Yep. And uh just like I said, and they're gonna hopefully when we get to September, they're not gonna look at November and say, Oh, are you really gonna do that right before a midterm election?

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:19

So that's my only that's that's my caution. And people, you know, right now people are really finicky um because they want to see a deal more than they want to see uh nuclear material out of Iran.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yeah. Okay. All right, Army Lieutenant Colonel Chris OPart, thank you for your insight.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

All right, it's great talking with you, Liz.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

All right, too. See ya, buddy. Have a good one.