Trump urges other nations to help open Strait of Hormuz
Washington — President Trump said Monday that the United States has "literally obliterated" the Iranian regime as the third week of the war is underway and encouraged other nations to help open up the Strait of Hormuz.
In comments ahead of a meeting with the Kennedy Center board of trustees, Mr. Trump provided an update on the ongoing conflict with Iran. The president said the U.S. military has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran, which he said has seen a 90% reduction in ballistic missile launches and 95% decline in drone attacks.
"Our powerful military campaign to end the threats posed by the Iranian regime continued in full force over the past few days. They have been literally obliterated. The Air Force is gone. The Navy is gone. Many, many ships have been sunk," Mr. Trump said. "They're war-fighting ships, but I guess they didn't know how to use them. Anti-aircraft is decimated. Their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone. Other than that, they're doing quite well."
The president also said more than 100 Iranian naval vessels have been "sunk or destroyed," which includes 30 mine-laying ships.
While Mr. Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is in "very good shape," he pushed other nations that depend on oil exported through the passage to "come and help us with the Strait."
"Numerous countries have told me they're on the way," the president said, though he did not specify which countries would be assisting the U.S. with ensuring access through the Strait. "Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't."
Mr. Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials would be announcing the countries that will assist the U.S. with reopening the Strait. He also lambasted NATO, saying he doubted allies would step in to help the U.S. when needed.
"We were going to protect them, but I always said, when in need, they don't protect us," Mr. Trump said. "Now this is a need."
The president accused Iran of using artificial intelligence to spread disinformation about the war, but said Tehran is currently engaged in discussions with the U.S.
"They're negotiating, and we always talk," he said, adding, "I don't know if they're ready yet. They're taking a pounding."
Asked about Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Mr. Trump said he has not yet been seen, calling it "unusual." Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was selected to succeed his father after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes late last month.
"We don't know … if he's dead or not," he said of Mojtaba Khamenei.
But Mr. Trump also indicated that he was surprised by Iran's response to the initial U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
"In the last two weeks, they weren't supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East. Those missiles were set to go after them. So they hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait," he said. "Nobody expected that. We were shocked and they fought back. They could have yielded, but think of it if we weren't around. They had tremendous power."
Trump says Kennedy Center was in "very bad condition"
The president then turned to business involving the Kennedy Center, which he has sought to remake since returning to the White House last January. Mr. Trump claimed that under prior leadership of the Kennedy Center, the performing arts center was in "very bad condition" and had "been let go to hell."
Mr. Trump, who serves as chair of the Kennedy Center board of trustees, has proposed significant renovations to the center, a project that is set to cost $200 million. He announced last month that the Kennedy Center would close for two years during the construction beginning July 4.
"Major renovations are required to keep the facility functional," he said, adding that marble and seating have already been purchased. "This temporary closure will enable us to complete the work much faster and of a much higher quality."
The president indicated that the renovations will be funded in part from private donations.
Mr. Trump claimed that the programming at the Kennedy Center was "very woke" and "out of touch with reality," and said necessary maintenance had been ignored.
"Over the past year, we've made incredible strides to restore the true purpose and prestige that the building will soon gain, I think, at a higher level than it had before," Mr. Trump said, adding that the Kennedy Center has "good bones" and "good structure."
Mr. Trump claimed that the programming at the Kennedy Center was "very woke" and "out of touch with reality," and said necessary maintenance had been ignored.
The board meeting comes after the president announced Friday that Ric Grenell would step aside from his post as the center's president, and Matt Floca, who until now has been the center's vice president of facilities and operations, will be the CEO.
Mr. Trump thanked Grenell for his work leading the Kennedy Center, calling him "unbelievable" and praising him for his time serving as U.S. ambassador to Germany during the president's first term.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who is an ex officio member of the board, is suing over the planned closure of the center. Over the weekend, a federal judge granted a motion by Beatty to receive information about and participate in the board meeting. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that Beatty "be afforded a meaningful opportunity to lodge her dissent at the meeting and not be categorically barred from speaking."
After the ruling, Beatty said in a statement, "No president has the authority to shut Congress out of the governance of the Kennedy Center, much less unilaterally rename or demolish it." She continued, "We will not stand by while an important part of our national heritage is jeopardized" and said she intended to "make that clear" at Monday's board meeting.
The meeting is taking place as the war with Iran is fueling higher oil prices above $100 a barrel and as the president pressures several other countries to help open the critical Strait of Hormuz. There are plans in place for the U.S. to deploy as many as 5,000 additional forces to the Middle East, CBS News has learned.
Iran claims the U.S.-Israeli strikes so far have killed nearly 1,500 people. Iran's strikes have killed 14 people in Israel and about 40 more throughout the Middle East. Of those, 13 were U.S. service members.
The Kennedy Center board meeting comes after the president announced Friday that Ric Grenell would step aside from his post as the center's president, and Matt Floca, who until now has been the center's vice president of facilities and operations, will be the CEO.