Latest on Iran war after Trump threatens Oman

Nobody's going to control it. We're going to watch over it. We'll watch over it, but nobody's going to control it. That's part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it. Nobody's going to control it. It's international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine. What's the reaction to that been so far? Well, it certainly came as something of a curveball. Oman is ostensibly a US ally. In fact, the US military has military and economic ties that go back with Oman for decades. Oman is also taking part in mediating talks between the US and Iran. US forces have even used ports and air bases there. So, in fact, Oman came under attack from Iran during the last round of fighting. And the British maintain a military base there. But President Trump's statement was a reaction to reports that came out of Iran that Tehran and Oman were discussing ways of controlling the Strait of Hormuz by possibly even charging a toll there. Both sides share that narrow stretch of waterway, even though an even more narrow strip is considered international waters because of how important that is to global shipping. So the White House hasn't walked that back. Some were suggesting maybe he confused Iran with Oman. But they said he meant what he said. So we're waiting to see if there's any reaction from Oman. But that Arab nation tries to maintain some kind of neutral status. So we'll see. Wow. All right, so we're hearing Israel also, Charlie, is ramping up attacks in Lebanon, where it's now declared a new combat zone. Bring us up to speed there. Yeah, so, Vlad, this is where it gets confusing because part of the vocabulary of this peace agreement, for as much as we know, says that all warring parties, which means the United States and its allies, which would mean Israel and Iran and its allies-- proxies in the region-- would stop any kind of military activity. But what we've seen from the Israelis is they have continued to not only encroach into southern Lebanon, but to take out targets inside southern Lebanon. So there's supposed to be a ceasefire in place, but the Israelis don't really see it that way, because they continue to go after targets they see as a threat. And they still have. We reported this weeks ago. The Israelis have gone into southern Lebanon, and they're holding that territory. So if anything, they're advancing into Lebanese territory. And honestly, I can't see the Israelis pulling back, at least any time soon. All right, Charlie D'Agata reporting from Washington for us this morning. Charlie, thank you, my friend.

CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro joins us now from our DC Bureau. Aaron, I want to talk messaging because we've got a lot of Americans who want to see an end to this conflict. But as we just talked about with Charlie, it doesn't really seem like there's clarity there. How is the White House navigating this messaging? Good morning, Kelly and Vlad. Well, frankly, the president was kind of all over the place yesterday in that cabinet meeting. But when it came to Iran, it was clear that he is OK with this war lasting as long as it needs to in order to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon, despite the political and economic ramifications. At one point, he was very dismissive of the political heat he and his party are taking because of the rise in gas prices and grocery prices, and despite the president's own approval rating tanking. The president seemed to suggest it would not change his approach to Iran or cause him to concede to any points during the negotiations. Take a listen to what he said yesterday.

They thought they were going to outwait me. We'll outwait him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. People understand it. They know that-- very simple-- Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I'm doing that for the world. Now, his mention of the Texas runoff elections on Tuesday, where his endorsed candidate beat incumbent Senator John Cornyn, saying that that would be a prelude for November, that doesn't really show in any polling results. Yes, the president has had success with Republican primaries, but most polls show that the Democratic Party has the advantage when you look at the general elections this November. But part of his messaging suggests that he's really prioritized the war with Iran, preventing them from having a nuclear weapon, over the domestic issues that it has caused. He has referred to gas prices and the rise in them as peanuts. He has thanked Americans who have had to, quote, "deal with it" in terms of the rise in prices, and has suggested that letting Iran have a nuclear weapon is preventing them-- rather, is worth the economic pain. So the president is definitely still trying to hone in on his messaging, but it's unclear if that will become more focused as the midterms draw closer. CBS News, as you know, Aaron, has learned exclusively that the President of the United States did not visit the troops that were injured in the Iran war during his visit to Walter Reed. So who did he visit? Well, he had met with service members that were at the Army's main medical center. The White House did not provide details on who they were, nor did they confirm nor deny CBS's reporting that he did not visit the 14 service members injured in the Iranian drone attacks in the Middle East at the beginning of this war. This is according to the family of one of those soldiers and another military official familiar with the president's visit. And there is a precedent, even for President Trump, in terms of visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. During his first term, he presented the Purple Heart to a soldier who had been wounded in Afghanistan. Again, the White House did not share any details on why he did or did not meet with these injured soldiers from the current war with Iran.

All right, Aaron, appreciate the update on that.