Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the conflict in the Middle East, ceasefire, Iran seizing container ships

Trump aide Karoline Leavitt has denied claims that the ceasefire has been shattered by Iranian forces seizing two cargo ships, because the ships did not belong to the US or Israel.  US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking two former national security advisors had weighed in, with one calling Leavitt’s claim “utterly incoherent” and another saying it was “very concerning” Iran could still seize ships after six weeks of intensive conflict.  Meanwhile the New York Times was reporting Iran was being run by a group made up mostly of generals, with the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, still not seen on camera or heard from directly since the initial strikes, Arnold said.  According to the Times, “written messages to and from the younger Khamenei are delivered through a chain of human couriers who take a convoluted path to his hideout. He appears to rely heavily on the advice of the generals now running the country”, Arnold said.  Meanwhile Trump was getting “antsy” over Washington politics, with talk of a cabinet shakeup as midterms approached.  New polling favoured Democrats on the economy for the first time since 2010, while Trump's approval rating was at 32% – the same as George W. Bush’s approval rating when he left office.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.