Trump says Iran ceasefire is on life support

Iran's parliament speaker is urging the US, meanwhile, to accept the country's proposal, writing, quote, "The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it." And consumers are paying more at the pump. Gas prices have soared more than 50% since the war began. A gallon of regular will now cost you $4.50 on average. That's down just slightly from yesterday, but still high. In an exclusive interview with CBS News, President Trump said he wants to now suspend the federal gas tax. That move would save drivers about $0.18 per gallon. And CBS News has exclusively learned Pakistan allowed Iran to park military aircraft on its airfields, despite its mediator role in the conflict. That move potentially shielded the aircraft from American airstrikes. US officials also tell CBS News Iran sent civilian aircraft to park in Afghanistan. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Keane, they are expected to face tough questions on the Hill today. The pair will testify on the war in Iran and the 2027 budget. CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro joins us from our DC Bureau for more on all of these top lines this morning. Aaron, good morning. President Trump seemed to project confidence in the ceasefire up until this point. So from the Oval Office, what is his overall message now?

Good morning, Errol. The president's comments both yesterday and immediately when the proposal was received from Iran, when President Trump called it, quote, "totally unacceptable." So just how far apart the two countries are when it comes to some sort of peace deal, or even just setting the terms for more rounds of negotiations. Yesterday, President Trump said the ceasefire was on life support and really berated Iran for their response, though he did reveal that Iran, according to him, told the US that they wanted them to retrieve enriched nuclear material from its facilities, which was thought of as a potential US military operation earlier in this conflict. The president also told our colleague Nancy Cordes he wants to suspend the federal gas tax of about $0.18 per gallon, which did prompt support from Republicans on the Hill and Democrats to say, it's not enough. Take a listen.

I think the president is 100% right. We ought to suspend the gas tax. We ought to do diesel as well. Why wouldn't we take the opportunity to give working people some relief? Senate Democrats will support real action to lower costs. But let's not pretend $0.18 of gas tax relief per gallon makes up for the damage Trump created with this war. Now, Senator Hawley of Missouri said he would introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax, with a companion bill ready in the House as well. The president also told our colleague Nancy Cordes that he's not considering a bailout for US air carriers, as they struggle with higher jet fuel costs as a result of this war. Errol.

All right. Aaron, thank you very much. We're going to speak with another Aaron now. CBS News national security analyst Aaron McLean joins us for more of an overall discussion on the war. Aaron, good morning. The president appeared irritated from the Oval Office on the latest Iran proposal. But so many weeks into this, what options does he have left? There are some critical descriptions describing the US position as being stuck, being deadlocked. Why won't the US just walk away, do you think? Well, look, I've heard it said about life, and it's certainly true about war, that sometimes you're just faced with a series of bad options, none of which are good. And I think that is the president-- that is President Trump's situation right now. He could, of course, walk away. Formally speaking, that's an option. But with the Strait of Hormuz closed and the future of Iran's nuclear program unresolved, along with a bunch of other issues, it would be very hard to portray the last two months as a success for the United States of America. So I would be surprised if that were his course of action. Of course, a return to hostilities would see a lot of damage across the region. It would violate the president's commitment to the American people that this was going to be a four to six-week war. It would cause further trouble in the markets. There are other options besides that, but those are the two major polls, and neither one is great.

And both have serious consequences, specifically politically, for Republicans in the president's party. With the midterm elections around the corner, you don't want this to be on voters' minds. But at the same time, voters make choices based on their pocketbook. And if prices continue to be high for fuel, that could also cost the president. So what do you think would be the least damaging choice for the president? So the fact is, either of the choices I just outlined-- that is to say, walking away and leaving Iran in charge of the Strait of Hormuz or returning to hostilities to reopen the Strait and perhaps pursue some other goals-- frankly, both of those options have prices staying pretty high for some time, so I don't think you can make the decision on those grounds. I think leaving the Strait of Hormuz in Iranian hands indefinitely essentially allows the Islamic Republic to continue to hold the economy hostage at its leisure indefinitely. So I would not be surprised at all at this stage to see a return to hostilities. I think the president and this administration's desire for a diplomatic resolution is genuine. But as of right now, the negotiations themselves are deadlocked, not just the overall situation. And with every passing day, I think it's more likely that you see a return to military action.