U.S. Navy fends off Iranian attacks in Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire is tested

0:00 All eyes are on the straight of Hammuz

0:02 as tensions escalate between the US and Iran.

0:05 The Pentagon says two US Navy destroyers safely made

0:09 it through the waterway after navigating an Iranian attack.

0:13 Military helicopters and fighter aircraft were used to protect the vessels.

0:17 The US says it destroyed seven small Iranian boats

0:20 for trying to interfere in what it is calling Project Freedom.

0:24 Iran launched its first missile and drone attack

0:27 on the UAE since the ceasefire with the US took effect.

0:31 United Arab Emirates authorities claim one drone caused

0:34 a fire at a key oil facility there.

0:36 But yesterday, President Trump touted the success of the US operation in Iran.

0:42 We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon.

0:45 We hit all new highs and I said we have

0:47 to take care of business because we can't let that happen.

0:49 So, we did a little detour and it's working out very nicely.

0:53 I call it a mini war because that's all they are.

0:56 They don't have a navy anymore.

1:00 Iran's foreign minister says peace talks with the US are making progress,

1:04 but he criticized the US initiative to guide

1:07 ships out of the straight of Hummus,

1:09 writing quote, "Project freedom is project deadlock." We've

1:12 got team coverage on this for you this morning.

1:14 Remy Inosencio is tracking the situation

1:16 in the straight of Hmuz from our London bureau.

1:19 Uh, but let's begin with CBS News White

1:20 House reporter Aaron Navaro in our DC bureau.

1:23 Aaron, good morning.

1:24 Great to see you.

1:25 Uh, President Trump told lawmakers hostilities have terminated.

1:29 We heard him there call this a little war,

1:31 but that's not exactly what we're seeing in the straight of Hammoo.

1:34 So, what are you hearing from the White House?

1:36 Good morning, Arrol.

1:37 That escalation we saw yesterday is a result of the US's Project Freedom,

1:41 which President Trump defended.

1:43 At one point in an interview with Fox News on Monday,

1:45 he said Iran will be quote blown off the face of the earth

1:49 if they attack US vessels guiding those stranded ships in the straits.

1:52 We also heard him sound almost ambivalent

1:55 on if yesterday's actions mean the ceasefire is over.

1:58 Asked in the radio interview if this marks

2:00 the beginning of a new phase of the war, the president responded, quote,

2:03 "One way or the other we win."

2:05 And touted the sinking of those Iranian small boats.

2:08 Now, the president did say the two countries are still negotiating,

2:11 and that Iran was being more malleable, flexible than they have in the past,

2:15 but it's clear the US won't shy away

2:17 from more military action as those diplomatic talks continue.

2:21 In addition to events with the president that we're expecting today,

2:24 we'll be hearing from some other voices in the administration

2:26 as well as Secretary Hicks and the chairman Joint

2:29 Chief of Staff Dan Kaine will give a presser

2:31 in an hour or so to talk about the war.

2:33 and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a briefing

2:36 at the White House at 3 PM Washington time,

2:39 subbing in for White House press secretary Caroline Levit.

2:43 All right, Aaron in Washington.

2:45 Thank you.

2:46 CBS News foreign correspondent Remy Oencio joins us now

2:49 from London with more on the situation in the straight.

2:52 Remy, good morning.

2:53 Uh bring us up to see up to speed

2:55 on the latest we're seeing in the straight today, Errol.

2:58 Yes, absolutely.

2:59 Well, it looks like President Trump's Project Freedom

3:01 appears to have notched uh its first success here.

3:05 Uh we are seeing uh the the news that two US

3:08 Navy destroyers did manage to cross west through the straight of Hormuz

3:12 on Monday and then into the Persian Gulf and then that means

3:15 that they are hanging even closer towards uh the Iranian coastline there.

3:20 Uh this coming from US defense officials by the way

3:23 to CBS News and then US Central Command has

3:26 weighed in saying that two US flagged merchant ships while

3:31 those destroyers were operating then crossed out of the straight

3:34 and to the east and Merk which is the Danish

3:38 shipping giant has since confirmed one of those vessels

3:42 was its own and then sent out a very

3:44 public message of gratitude to the US military for that.

3:48 But the the transit of those two destroyers

3:51 uh wasn't without incident because the head of SentCom,

3:54 Admiral Brad Cooper, uh said that Iran did launch several gunboats,

3:58 uh fired cruise missiles, fired drones,

4:00 but that those destroyers were protected by uh

4:02 support aircraft and helicopters and that they weren't hit.

4:05 Um so that is the story from the US side,

4:07 but Iran is pushing back on this a bit at least, not denying that they attacked,

4:12 but that the US Navy hit civilian boats and that killed five civilians there.

4:17 Uh Iranian state media this morning also claimed

4:19 that the strait is still fully under control.

4:23 And just crossing the wires right now,

4:25 I just want to read you the latest from the IRGC's deputy chief

4:28 saying that the US will suffer severe

4:31 repercussions if it escalates tensions against Iran.

4:33 And we have the foreign minister Abasarion

4:35 X earlier also saying again as you said

4:38 uh Errol that project freedom is project deadlock

4:41 and that there's no military solution to this.

4:42 But again, um, in terms of some political solution,

4:46 we also know that those talks, at least for now, are still deadlocked.

4:50 And considering that deadlock, Remy, and that there's tensions in the straight,

4:54 what impact is all of this having on energy markets.

4:58 Absolutely.

4:58 Yeah, I've been monitoring them all day, every minute basically.

5:01 And uh, right now they are at 113 bucks a barrel.

5:04 No surprise here.

5:05 uh oil had been just a little bit higher jumping to 115 overnight uh because

5:09 of the back and forth that we've just

5:11 been talking about in the straight of Hormos.

5:13 But if President Trump I got to say if he was hoping that forcing a way through

5:16 the passage with these two US destroyers and expecting

5:19 Iran to not do something we know now they

5:22 did firing missiles and drones and if he

5:24 thought that that was going to make the price

5:25 of oil fall um obviously it has gone

5:27 the other way at least in the short term here.

5:30 Uh we're also looking at the fallout from Iran hitting uh across the waters,

5:34 the United Arab Emirates.

5:36 There's that plume of smoke from the Fujyra uh oil industry zone.

5:40 Uh this is actually one of the few ways that oil

5:43 can get out of the Middle East by land through a pipeline.

5:47 Uh the UAE there condemned this attack,

5:49 but also we're hearing from regional neighbors.

5:51 Pakistan host of these talks, attempted host of the second round of talks,

5:55 Saudi Arabia, the UK, France, Germany, all saying keep calm guys.

5:59 We got to come together.

6:00 All right, Remy Innocencia with that comprehensive update from London.