Latest on Iran as Trump releases new statement

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Center here in New York City. Thanks for joining our continuing coverage here on CBS News 24-7.

A new chapter of history is unfolding this weekend. The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader

Ayatollah Ali Kamehni at the hands of the U.S. and Israeli military. It's reverberating throughout

the Middle East. In addition to the Ayatollah, some 40 other senior members of his regime are

also dead. After announcing what the U.S. is calling Operation Epic Fury, President Trump says now's

the time for the Iranian people to rise up and reclaim their country. But Iran's foreign minister

says the Islamic Republic regime will not be defeated. Those words backed up today with retaliatory

strikes from Iran targeting Israel and several countries in the Gulf region hosting American military

bases. This war with Iran is already proving to be deadly for the U.S. as well. This morning,

Central Command reports three service members killed in action. The five others seriously wounded

as part of Operation Epic Fury. Earlier, President Trump discussed the attack in a fresh new video

posted on Truth Social. Take a look. An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and

nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American. We cannot allow a nation that raises

terrorists armies to possess such weapons that would allow them to extort the world to their

evil will. Not going to let it happen. We're not happening to us and we're not going to let it

happen to others. The United States says the strongest military the world has ever seen. I

rebuilt our military in my first term. There's never been a military like we possess.

And frankly, there's nobody even close, but we are now using that military for good. We want to

have it for good purpose. We're undertaking this massive operation not merely to ensure

security for our own time and place, but for our children and their children just as our ancestors

have done for us many, many years ago. This is the duty and the burden of a free people.

These actions are right and they are necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face

a radical bloodthirsty terrorist regime armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.

For almost 50 years, these wicked extremists have been attacking the United States while

chanting the slogan, death to America or death to Israel or both. They are the world's number one

state sponsor of terror. We are the world's greatest and most powerful nation so we can do something

about what they do. These intolerable threats will not continue any longer. I once again urge the

Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military, police, to lay down your arms and receive full

immunity or face certain death. Our senior national security correspondent Charlie Daghida filed

this report on escalating hostilities from Tel Aviv. Iran began 40 days of mourning for Ayatollah

Ali Khamenei after state-run media confirmed that he was killed at his Tehran compound.

His successor has been announced as Ali Reza Arafi to lead a temporary council but who's really

in charge and where they can even meet safely is another matter. Israel Defense Forces released

this video today claiming to show multiple airstrikes blowing up Iranian government headquarters

this morning. CBS News cannot independently verify that claim. Intelligence sources tell CBS News

as many as 40 senior Iranian officials were killed in the first wave of strikes.

Iran's Islamic Republican Guard Corps Vowed Revenge saying they'd launched the most ferocious

offensive operation in the history of the Iranian armed forces towards the occupied territories

and American terrorist bases. On day two of the war nearby Gulf State allies have already

borne the brunt of multiple drone and missile strikes, though none as hard as Israel itself.

An Iranian missile strike overnight in the heart of Tel Aviv left a woman in her 40's dead

and more than 40 injured including seven children. Throughout the night air raid sirens and

text messages sent residents here scrambling for their bomb shelters. This missile managed

through one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world and that's what's causing

concern among U.S. forces here. U.S military officials tell CBS News it forces from U.S. Central

Command continue to launch airstrikes and cruise missiles against Iran targeting Iranian air defenses

launchers and missile stockpiles and Iranian regime infrastructure in coordination with Israeli

defense forces. Today the U.S. Embassy here in Israel changed its advisory to American citizens here

saying the embassy is not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing

Israel directing that all U.S. government employees and their family members sheltering place

in or near their residences until further notice. CBS News has confirmed the CIA had been tracking

Iran's supreme leader for months and it gained advanced insight into a Saturday morning meeting

of senior Iranian officials which accelerated the timeline for this strike. CBS News Intelligence

and National Security Reporter Olivia Garza joins me now from our DC bureau to discuss this

intel and how it played a role. Olivia explained for us the timeline because we'd been reporting for

weeks that the U.S. was preparing for this type of operation with Air Force carrier strike groups

in the region. But what information really tipped the U.S. to strike Sunday?

Right, Errol. This was the culmination of a months-long intelligence gathering effort that was

focused on one of the hardest targets in the world Iran's supreme leader. Hamine was known to move

around frequently and unpredictably because of his value as an intelligence target. And from that

standpoint, Iran has long been described as a black box. It's got a closed opaque system that

makes insight into its top leadership exceptionally difficult. But in the weeks following Operation

Midnight Hammer last spring, the CIA was able to build a clearer picture of how and where Hamine

was operating. According to a person familiar with the matter that we spoke with today, the agency

tracked his movements for months, gaining more and more fidelity on his location and as he moved.

And then recently, we haven't been able to learn exactly when there was a key break. Intelligence

learned that Hamine was expected at a Saturday morning meeting, along with senior officials at

this compound in Tehran. And that information was shared with Israeli counterparts. And according

to our source, it moved up the timeline for an Israeli missile strike on that compound in order

to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the senior level gathering.

Any operation like this carries with it serious risks. And today we've got the confirmation

that three U.S. service members were killed. Five others seriously injured during this operation.

Do we have any sense of where they may have been stationed?

Well, that is the latest that we're learning this morning from U.S. Central Command, Errol.

The first known confirmed U.S. casualties in this operation. Five individuals seriously injured

and several other suffering, what we are told were shrapnel injuries and concussions.

But there are major combat operations still underway, obviously. And officials are stressing

that the situation remains fluid. Unfortunately, these numbers can and probably will increase

as the president himself warned in his original online address. We don't at this point have

additional information right now about where the officers were stationed or their names.

The Pentagon has said that it would release that information after their families have been

notified. And as you note, Olivia, after the U.S. Israeli strikes on Iran, there have been

counter strikes from Iran. It's still ongoing now. Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have indicated they

may choose a new Supreme Leader in the next few days. What might regime change look like?

And how quickly could it even happen as this is all still unfolding right now?

Absolutely. It's the central question, I think. When Secretary Rubio was asked it exactly a month

ago, his answer was telling no one knows. I think that picture is only getting a little bit clearer

now, both because intelligence agencies have been explicitly tasked with mapping out possible

succession scenarios. And because these recent strikes have quite frankly removed many of the

regime figures who might have stepped into power to replace the Supreme Leader. President Trump

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ChambaCasino. He believes that diplomacy with Iran may now be getting easier and even

suggested that there were, quote, in his words, good candidates to lead Iran after the Supreme

Leader's death, but he hasn't identified any of them publicly this morning. The Republican

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tonkotten acknowledged that there's intense internal

jockeying underway in Tehran as different figures are positioning themselves in this deliberative

process to replace the Ayatollah, including some who may be trying to become, as he put it,

the Delci Rodriguez of Iran, which is a reference, of course, to the transition we have been seeing

there in Venezuela after the U.S. intervened there. Right, Olivia Ghazis, we appreciate your

reporting joining us from Washington. Thank you. Now, in that new Truth Social video, the President

also spoke about the three service members who are killed in Operation Epic Fury. Listen.

As one nation we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice

for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.

CBS News White House correspondent Willie James Inman is following the President. He's in

West Palm Beach, Florida, for us this morning. Willie James, good afternoon to you. What have we

heard from the President today?

Hey there, El. The President is actually posting just moments ago on True Social, and I want to

bring up that statement from the President, so our viewers can see it. He essentially giving

a battle damage report from the field. He said he has just been informed. We have destroyed

and sunk nine Iranian naval ships. Some of them relatively large and important. We are going

after the rest. They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea also in a different

attack. We largely destroyed their naval headquarters other than that. Their navy is doing very

well. Now, the President has been working the phones with other world leaders, talking to

regional leaders, but also speaking to members of the media, including our own Robert Costa,

as Livia mentioned. The President is saying in that interview last night with Bob Costa,

saying that it was a great day for this country, a great day for the world, in reference to

what took place a yesterday when the U.S. and Israel launched the strikes against Iran,

which led to the death of the Ayatollah, also led to the death of several members of Iran's

regime. The President also saying to the Atlantic today that he will be speaking and agreed to talk

to the Iranians. We, of course, know that there have been negotiations ongoing, those negotiations

appear to have broken down, leading to this moment. In large part, the U.S., the President

wanted Iran to curb its nuclear program, including enrichment and the ballistic missile program,

part of that, those conversations as well. But that statement today coming from the President

saying that you perhaps, the U.S., and these railings were involved in this, but saying that we

have destroyed and sunk nine Iranian naval ships on the latest statement coming there from the

President of the United States on his social media platform. And how is the White House justifying

these strikes, considering those indirect talks, have been ongoing proceeding this weekend?

Yeah, there have been many questions about this. And I'll note that the President's statement

that he gave was one that wasn't broadcast or recorded by us, meaning the media, the reporters

who travel with him. So we weren't able to engage and ask him questions, although he is taking

some of these phone calls, speaking to reporters over the phone at least. But senior administration

officials did brief members of the media without taking questions. They talked about the breakdown

in those negotiations. In large part, the President wanted to curb that program, as I mentioned.

But the ballistic missile program, which we of course know is a threat to not only the region,

but to close ally Israel, senior administration officials say that the Iranians did not want to

engage on a conversation surrounding that ballistic missile program, all of what happened,

and took place in those negotiations led by Steve Wyckoff, the special envoy, and the President's

son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that information was given to the President. And the senior administration

officials saying that POTUS frankly had no choice but to act.

All right, Willie James Inman with the latest forest out of West Palm Beach, Florida. Thank you.

Congress is scrambling to learn more about President Trump's decision to strike Iran,

and there are efforts underway to set up member briefings next week. You're looking at CBS news,

congressional reporter Torian Small, in our DC Bureau with the latest on this. Torian, typically,

when any President wages war, he gets the support of Congress did not appear to happen this time.

So what are lawmakers being told so far? And what questions do they want answers to?

Well, Erwin, we know that the gang of eight was given the heads up by Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

the degree of which the operation was told to them varies depending on who you talk to.

But I do want to point out what Senate ranking member on the Senate Intel Committee,

who's a part of this, Mark Warner, had to say he said, even though, you know, all can be true

about Iran, Ayatollah, about them being state sponsors of terrorism, that still doesn't

relieve the President of his duty to talk to Congress and get authorization for war.

I also believe Greg Meeks, the ranking member on the House Affairs Committee, said something

similar to that fact, saying that those operations that the President is undertaking through

his administration, including de-sabilization of the Nuclear Weapons Program, crushing its

proxy network and instituting a regime change, are not a limited operation.

And all those things encompasses what he will believe to be authorization through Congress

that the President is circumventing. Now, presidents in the past, for the best 25 years, in fact,

have done so through the authorization of AMF, the authorization of use of military force.

That was a 2011, after 9-11, that many have used. But now we're seeing this resurgence,

a renewed effort to push through a war power's resolution through Congress that this will likely

inspire. Again, in fact, Thomas Massey, the Republican from Kentucky, is looking to push through

a similar piece of legislation very soon, Errol. And Torian, of course, all viewers would expect

members of Congress to sharply divide it over this, with Democrats calling President Trump's

strike illegal, Republicans defending his decision. I just want to show some reactions that

aired on Face the Nation. This operation is driven by intelligence collected by Israel and

the United States that has once again proven that our nations have capabilities that no other

nation on Earth has. We would all celebrate if the Iranian people were able to rise up and reclaim

their freedom and reclaim their destiny. This is a disaster. It is illegal. And the president

is obligated another constitution to come to Congress and ask for an authorization of military

force. He wouldn't get that authorization if he asked for it. Congress wouldn't vote to give

him the permission to do it, but he's obligated to come to Congress.

So Torian, with reactions like that, how tangible is this push on Capitol Hill to challenge

or limit the president's war powers? Yeah, I mean, it's a real possibility that we'll see that

we're new push. This was a similar conversation, many lawmakers, including surprisingly Republican

Senator from Missouri, his name is slipping me now, but he was a part of this push. He got

assurances from the Trump administration to ultimately vote against it during the Venezuela

operation by the U.S. military. Right now we're seeing, again, Thomas Massey,

Rocana, the strange bet bellows of sorts, this very liberal Republican and progressive

Democrats coming together to push forth a war powers resolution, considering the threshold,

though, the likelihood that that will actually pass both chambers and then be signed into the law

without a veto from the president is still highly unlikely, Errol.

All right, you have those Republican senators from Missouri as Josh Holy and Eric Schmidt.

Was that the name you were looking for? Holy, yes. All right, thank you Torian or appreciate you.

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