Expert on Tump's remarks on Iran strikes

Yes. We were going to be striking very-- it would have been happening right now.

[INAUDIBLE] Yeah, it's all done. The boats, the ships are all loaded. They're loaded to the brim, and we're all set to start.

You see he was giving a tour of the White House ballroom construction. On Capitol Hill, the Senate advanced a resolution, though, to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran. Four Republicans, including Senator Bill Cassidy, voted in favor of the resolution. However, even if it cleared the House, the president would likely veto it. CBS News National Security Contributor Sam Vinograd joins us now from Prague. She's also a former White House official. Good morning, Sam. From your view, we've heard the bluster from the president and it be used to get Iran to negotiate. So could we really be on the brink of the war restarting, or is this just more of a rhetorical negotiating tool? Well, Errol, it is certainly hard to know whether the president is serious about the fact that he was just an hour away from authorizing resumed military strikes against Iran. But I will tell you that in Washington, DC, various foreign officials that I spoke with did indicate that they thought that President Trump and that they had heard that President Trump was very close to resuming these military operations. Certainly, Central Command and other parts of the US military have worked to keep all options on the table. So even with the ceasefire in place, they have maintained a degree of readiness to resume military operations if the president gives the order. So while the hour away mentioned may be a little hyperbolic, certainly there were indications that the president was close to resuming operations. And there's some interesting reporting out of the New York Timesthat the US and Israel did have someone in mind, an Iranian leader, former leader, and a really surprising choice in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take over after the campaign. Why is that a remarkable choice and story? Well, this story is really remarkable on a lot of levels. In the first instance, it indicates that the Israelis and, we should assume the United States, weren't just focused on the Iranian nuclear and missile program but they actually were focused on regime change. Second, it does tell us that the Israelis had an extensive covert action campaign underway within Iran itself. Not just the pager operation against Hezbollah but other covert operations in Iran have come to light before, including assassination operations and more. But now, based on this New York Timesreporting, it indicates that they were in ongoing and direct contact with the former president of Iran and launching operations, reportedly to help facilitate his release from house arrest. Certainly, the choice of Ahmadinejad is curious. He was not known as a friend of the United States when he was in power in his second term when I was at the White House. He had very hardline views. He clashed repeatedly with reformists and certainly was not viewed as someone who was a peacemaker or a builder of freedom and civil rights within Iran. So this certainly was a curious choice, if the reporting is true. And it all fell apart, reportedly because a strike near his home spooked him. Really unusual but interesting nonetheless. Sam, great to get your insight on all of this. Thanks, Errol. Thanks for being [INAUDIBLE].