Karoline Leavitt clashes with reporter over war crime claim

[0:00] Sure. Hi, Lindsay Ellis from the Wall Street Journal. I'm trying to square the four objectives [0:04] laid out by the administration with the goal of reopening fully the Strait of Hormuz. [0:10] Would President Trump declare victory and wind down military operations if the four objectives [0:14] are met but still passage remains quite slow through the Strait? Look, as I've said repeatedly [0:20] and as the President has laid out, the objectives of Operation Epic Fury are as follows. Destroying [0:24] the Iranian Navy, destroying their ballistic missiles, dismantling their defense industrial [0:29] infrastructure that produces those weapons that have long threatened the United States and our [0:34] allies, and then, of course, preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. The full [0:39] reopening of the Strait is something the administration is working towards, but the [0:43] core objectives of the operation have been clearly defined for the American people by the Commander [0:47] in Chief. The President posted this morning about, you know, his threat that on leaving Iran, he said [0:54] we might be blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells, [0:59] hard island, and possibly all desalinization plants. Under international law, striking civilian [1:05] infrastructure like that is generally prohibited. Why is the President threatening what would [1:10] amount to potentially a war crime with the U.S. military? And how do you square that with the [1:14] administration repeatedly saying that the U.S. does not target civilians? Look, the President [1:18] has made it quite clear to the Iranian regime at this moment in time, as evidenced by the statement [1:23] that you just read, that their best move is to make a deal or else the United States Armed Forces [1:29] has capabilities beyond their wildest imagination. And the President is not afraid to use them. [1:35] That's not what I said, Garrett. And you're saying the word potential for a reason, because I'm sure [1:40] some experts are telling you that in your ear to try to ask me that question. Of course, this [1:46] administration and the United States Armed Forces will always act within the confines of the law. [1:51] But with respect to achieving the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going [1:56] to move forward unabated, and he expects the Iranian [1:59] regime to make a deal with the administration. [2:01] The Press Right on. Which of those objectives would destroying a desalination plant most help? [2:07] Ms. Haley, go ahead. [2:08] The Press Thanks, Caroline. I want to follow up on Iran. When you're describing that the Iranians [2:13] you're in contact with are being more reasonable this time around in discussions, what specifically [2:18] are you hearing that is leading you to that conclusion? And how are you defining what's [2:22] reasonable versus unreasonable in that regard? [2:24] Ms. I'm not going to detail the private, insensitive conversations that are taking [2:28] place between the United States and Iran. [2:29] The Press But generally speaking? [2:31] Ms. Generally speaking, the President gave you the answer. What we're hearing from them [2:35] is more reasonable. They have agreed to some of the points the United States laid out, [2:39] as the President said last night aboard Air Force One. But again, as for the specifics, [2:43] as these negotiations are ongoing, we're not going to broadcast them to the world unless [2:47] the President chooses to do so, which he has the full right to do as the leader of the [2:50] free world. [2:51] The Press On Cuba, the President threatened to tear any country that would send oil to [2:57] Cuba. [2:59] He said he would not allow any Russian tanker to Cuba. Is this a policy change, or is he [3:04] willing to let more tankers into Cuba now? [3:06] Ms. This is not a policy change. There has not been a formal change in sanction [3:11] policy. As the President said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order [3:16] to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on [3:21] a case-by-case basis. [3:23] As the administration has said, Cuba's non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo [3:28] dramatic political and leadership changes. [3:29] But there has been no formal change with respect to sanction policy. [3:33] The Press So you could expect more tankers to go to Cuba? [3:37] Ms. Again, these decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis right now. [3:40] The Press Thanks, Carolina. You addressed this a little bit in the opening, but just [3:43] to follow up, because Americans are sort of seeing these conflicting messages between [3:46] the United States and Iran. I know the President insists that negotiations are underway. As [3:51] you just mentioned, he's also said that Iran has agreed to most of the 15 points. We just [3:56] heard from Iran again. They're saying no negotiations are taking place. They're calling on the United [3:59] States. They're calling the proposal excessive, unrealistic. [4:03] So how do you square that? How do you explain that discrepancy between the two? [4:06] Ms. I think the American people are smart enough not to take the word of a terrorist [4:11] regime that has chanted death to America for 47 years at their word. And I hope the journalists [4:17] in this room are wise enough not to take an Iranian regime that has repeatedly lied about [4:22] our country, about our values, about everyone in this room, frankly, for nearly five decades. [4:29] I think the American public are smart enough to understand that. [4:31] The Press Just to follow up on the objectives, you've laid them out, but I know the President [4:34] has set a deadline for April 6th in just one week. What does the President need to see [4:40] to not move forward with those strikes by April 6th? [4:42] Ms. Well, I think he said it in his true social post this morning. He wants to see [4:46] a deal over the next 10 days. That timeline is waning. Several days left. And we'll see. [4:52] I won't get ahead of it. We'll see what happens in the end of the 10-day period. [4:55] The Press Thank you, Carolina. Thank you. One on Iran, one on the shutdown. [4:59] The President continues to say the U.S. is in conversations with a more reasonable regime, [5:05] but there are now hundreds of U.S. special operations forces, including Navy SEALs and [5:09] Army Rangers in the Middle East, as well as thousands of other troops already deployed. [5:13] So is he trying to end or intensify the conflict? [5:17] Ms. The President is focused on achieving the objectives of Operation Epic Fury. With [5:23] respect to forces that are on the ground in the Middle East, it's the job of the Pentagon [5:28] to create maximum optionality for the commanding authorities. [5:29] The Press Thank you. [5:30] Ms. The President continues to say the U.S. is in conversations with a more reasonable [5:36] regime, but there are now hundreds of U.S. special operations forces in the Middle East, [5:40] as well as thousands of other troops already deployed. [5:43] The Press Thank you. [5:44] Ms. I'd like to know what's going on in the Middle East. [5:50] The Press Thank you. [5:52] Thank you. [5:53] The Press Thank you. [5:54] The Press Thank you. [5:55] The Press Thank you. [5:56] The Press Thank you. [5:57] The Press Thank you. [5:58] I think, too, you have to keep track of what's on the ground. [5:59] Ms. Thank you. [6:00] faith to engage in diplomacy with the Iranian regime prior to this operation being launched [6:06] in the first place. [6:07] He wanted to strike a deal, and he sent his top negotiators to do so. [6:11] They spent an extensive amount of time and effort trying to strike a deal, and unfortunately, [6:17] the previous regime, again, many of those leaders no longer with us here on Earth because [6:21] they faced the consequences of the United States military. [6:24] So if there's ever a chance for a deal, again, the President is open to listening, but it [6:29] does not deter him from focusing on the military objectives that he set out 30 days ago and [6:34] that our military is continuing to achieve day by day.