US, Israel agree to 2-week Iran ceasefire; Iran claims victory

[0:00] just an hour and a half away from that deadline president trump seconds ago taking to true social [0:04] to say that he is talking to pakistani officials and based on that conversation he will agree to [0:09] stop bombing for two weeks he also says that iran has agreed to open the strait of hormuz for that [0:16] time period so i'm going to read part of this to you it says uh subject okay and he says subject [0:21] to the islamic republic of iran agreeing to the complete immediate and safe opening of the strait [0:25] of hormuz so they still have to agree i agree to suspend the bombing and attack of iran for a [0:31] period of two weeks this will be a double-sided ceasefire the reason for doing so is that we have [0:36] already met and exceeded all military objectives and are very far along with the definitive [0:41] agreement concerning concerning long-term peace with iran and peace in the middle east we received [0:47] a 10-point proposal from iran and believe it to be believe it is a workable basis on which to [0:54] negotiate that's all straight forward [0:55] so also news jake almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the [1:01] united states and iran but a two-week period will allow the agreement to be finalized and [1:06] consummated on behalf of the united states of america as president and also representing the [1:11] countries of the middle east it is an honor to have this long-term problem to a resolution [1:17] so a couple of things that we're going to still be asking questions about what is in that 10 [1:21] proposal what has actually been agreed to and i will go back [1:25] through that language because I said that Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz. It does [1:30] sound as though he's still leaving it there, as that he's only agreeing, if that is in fact the [1:34] case, that they will fully open the Strait of Hormuz. This, of course, again, coming as President [1:41] Trump has been threatening to wipe out an entire civilization, saying that he was going to bomb [1:47] bridges, to bomb civilian infrastructure, saying at one point that the Iranian people wanted him [1:52] to continue bombing. And we knew behind the scenes that there were ongoing conversations, [1:58] negotiations between the two parties, between Pakistan was serving as an intermediary between [2:03] the two countries at various times. Senior White House official telling our Elena Treen that Israel [2:08] is part of this ceasefire, that they have agreed to suspend its bombing campaign while these [2:13] negotiations continue. Now, of course, we don't know where that ends. We don't know if that's for [2:18] two weeks. It's not specific. But Israel is part of this starting point. [2:22] Which is this ceasefire. So all three sides are participating, at least that is according [2:26] to a senior White House official. Now, back to what your point is about the 10-point plan. I mean, [2:30] we've been hearing about a 10-point plan from Iran for weeks now. The idea was that the United [2:35] States presented a 15-point plan, that several of the points on that plan, Iranians, Iranian [2:40] officials were saying were unrealistic, they were impossible to meet, and they came back with their [2:45] own plan. We are still at a loss as to what exactly was in that plan. What are the actual points? [2:52] What exactly is the U.S. now saying that they are willing to work with? President Trump had gone [2:56] back and forth on the idea of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Clearly, he has focused on that as a top [3:03] priority after last week saying he didn't need to reopen the Strait as part of a deal to end the war [3:08] in Iran. So whatever it is, Iran is likely to have said long-term the free and fair passage through [3:15] the Strait of Hormuz, because that is something President Trump just two days ago or just [3:18] yesterday said was a top priority. Breaking news, Iran's foreign minister [3:22] is responding to Trump's ceasefire announcement. I want to read part of it to you. He says, [3:26] if attacks against Iran are halted, our powerful armed forces will cease their defensive operations. [3:33] For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via [3:38] coordination with Iran's armed forces and with due consideration of technical limitations. Obviously, [3:46] those words are crucial there. And the Supreme National Security Council of Iran has also issued [3:52] a statement that I have here, and I'll just share you a couple of the important lines here. One of [3:57] them is that the regulated passage through the Strait of Hormuz under the coordination of the [4:02] Armed Forces of Iran, thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing, [4:09] which sounds like in a translation, Iran saying that they see this as acknowledgement that they [4:16] control the Strait of Hormuz. Let's go to Zachary Cohen, our national security reporter here. Zachary, [4:21] you learning about this? We're just getting these dual statements, one from Foreign Minister [4:25] Abbas Aragji and also from the Supreme National Security Council that I just shared part of. [4:31] What else stands out to you here? Yeah, Erin, the piece of this about the Strait of Hormuz [4:35] really is the most remarkable thing. I think that jumps out immediately and says Pakistan [4:40] has submitted the same to the American side. Said plan emphasizes fundamental matters inter [4:45] ala the regulated passage to the Strait of Hormuz under the coordination of the armed forces of [4:49] Iran, thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing. So effectively, [4:55] that's reiterated in the tweet as well, saying that at least for the period of two weeks, [4:59] the Strait of Hormuz will be open effectively, though with coordination via the Iranian military. [5:06] And it's important for people to remember that the Strait of Hormuz was not controlled in a [5:11] literal sense by Iran prior to those U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes that kicked off this [5:18] entire conflict. [5:19] It's important to note that Iran responded to those strikes by closing the Strait of Hormuz, [5:24] and it appears that this ceasefire is predicated at least in part on the legitimization of Iran's [5:29] control of that key waterway. And that goes with an implication of if the waterway can be open [5:34] temporarily, Iran likely could reclose the Strait should negotiations not progress in a way that [5:41] they see fit effectively. So it also says that talks between the U.S. and Iran should occur as [5:48] soon as this week. [5:49] In Islamabad, Pakistan has been acting as the key primary intermediary country between the U.S. and [5:56] Iranian regimes. A lot to hammer out here, but the Iranian statement does seem to suggest that [6:01] in principle, at least, the Trump administration has agreed to the broad contours of their 10-point [6:08] proposal, at least as a starting point for these negotiations. And again, it's hard to overemphasize [6:13] how important the Iranian control and demand that that control be legitimized of the Strait of [6:18] Hormuz is. [6:19] As far as a starting point for these talks. [6:21] Yes, and that, of course, may be the absolute deal breaker. And I'm just reading the final [6:26] sentence here of the statement from the Supreme National Security Council in Iran. They say, [6:29] our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, [6:33] it shall be met with full force. They also emphasize that this deal, such that it is, [6:38] does not signify any termination of the war. Obviously, we're talking about a temporary [6:43] ceasefire of sorts. Just sharing this information, right? So we've got the response here from [6:49] the foreign minister, and also from the National Security Council in Iran. But two things really [6:55] stand out here. One, the safe passage that Trump is saying is going to be provided for two weeks [7:00] as part of this, kind of the central part of it, through Hormuz. They're saying it's possible via [7:04] coordination with Iran's armed forces, which obviously implies that Iran controls the Strait. [7:08] And then from the National Security Council, they say this confers upon Iran a unique [7:12] economic and geopolitical standing in terms of them regulating passage to the Strait of Hormuz. So, [7:19] What do you hear in all this? [7:22] I mean, listen, who knows what's going on? [7:24] Donald Trump lies every single day. [7:27] Clearly, he's not telling the truth. [7:29] But if you accept even part of the Iranian statement, Donald Trump has agreed to give Iran control of the Strait of Hormuz. [7:38] That is extraordinary. [7:40] If you go deeper into the statement from the Iranian National Security Council, they claim that Trump has also agreed to Iran's right to enrichment, to suspend all sanctions against Iran, and to allow Iran to keep their missile program, their drone program, and their nuclear program. [8:00] Now, who knows if any of that is true, but if at the very least this agreement gives Iran the right to control the Strait, that is extraordinary. [8:10] It's cataclysmic for the world, and it is just stunning that that's where we have gotten to, that Donald Trump took a military action that has apparently, at least for the time being, given Iran control over a critical waterway that they did not have control over before the war began. [8:28] So it just doesn't sound like there's actually an agreement, because what Trump is saying is totally different than what the Iranians are saying. [8:35] But if Iran has the Strait permanently now, what an error. [8:40] What a mistake. [8:40] What a miscalculation this entire endeavor was. [8:44] I mean, the day began, Senator, with a post on Trump's social media website that I don't know what you thought when you saw it. [8:51] I have said that I did not think it was real, and I had to go check it because it was so stunning. [8:58] But it began with, right, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. [9:04] That is how the day began. [9:06] And, of course, this outcome that that is not going to happen tonight is one that everybody would want, and yet the path to get here, [9:12] where we are right now, how do you see it? [9:18] Well, I mean, listen, the president has promised to commit war crimes. [9:21] He's promised to eradicate an entire civilization. [9:24] We have never, ever seen that in the history of this country. [9:29] That's why I and many other people have been talking for the last 24 hours about the 25th Amendment. [9:35] It does seem that Trump has lost touch with reality. [9:38] I mean, we just can't accept a president who is literally promising to destroy an entire civilization, to murder, [9:45] to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings. [9:49] That alone should be grounds for the removal of this president. [9:54] But he thinks, I guess, that the threat of mass-scale war crimes has achieved some success. [10:01] But as we're learning in the last few minutes, the success seems to be that Iran has more power over global commerce than ever before in our lifetime. [10:13] And so the combination of the threat of war crimes. [10:15] along with the outcome of this so-called ceasefire, it's just really hard to get your head wrapped around. [10:21] No, it is. [10:22] And I was saying last summer, along the Strait of Hormuz, you know, when the whole possibility was that Iran could escalate by doing something, [10:29] it still seemed to many, although possible, unthinkable, right? [10:32] And how the world has changed since then, just in such a, the reality has changed. [10:38] I want to ask you about one other important thing, though, Senator, and that is obviously the military operation to, [10:43] which was astounding. [10:45] I want to ask you the downed U.S. airmen inside Iran over the weekend. [10:48] You know, their performance and what they did is truly incredible. [10:52] And I'm sure every American is rightfully proud of that. [10:56] Secretary Hegseth speaks about this war in explicitly Christian terms, as you well know, and he does so frequently. [11:02] He compared that airman on Easter weekend to Jesus Christ. [11:07] I wanted to play for you what he said. [11:08] Shot down on a Friday, good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday. [11:19] And rescued on Sunday. [11:23] Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday. [11:29] A pilot reborn. [11:34] Senator, what do you say to that, to that analogy? [11:42] It's clear that for many in Trump's orbit, this is a holy war. [11:49] And I think you have to pair what Hegseth said and has said with Trump's threat to end the Iranian civilization, right? [11:57] This is. [11:58] A historic, proud civilization. [12:02] The regime is evil. [12:04] They have perpetrated great harm throughout the world. [12:06] But the Persian civilization, a Muslim civilization, is a historic, proud civilization. [12:13] And the reality is that it is probably true that President Trump and others see this through religious terms. [12:20] See their, see good, see righteousness in eradicating a Muslim civilization. [12:28] From the world, that's disgusting and the reality of some of the rationale for this entire operation may be coming into focus. [12:39] It never made sense as a national security matter. [12:43] Everyone knew that beginning this war would almost certainly end up with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and the American economy being held hostage by Iran. [12:53] And so maybe we're seeing some of the real rationale. [12:58] The true objective, a war waged by a majority Christian nation, apparently, against a majority Muslim nation. [13:08] Again, something that I think most Americans would have thought unthinkable as a premise for war just a handful of months ago.