White House says Trump hasn’t set ceasefire deadline for Iran

[0:01] of Operation Epic Fury is very, there's obviously a lot of internal division. This is a battle [0:06] between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now, and the president wants a unified [0:11] response. And so as we await that response, there's a ceasefire with the military and kinetic [0:16] strikes. But Operation Economic Fury continues, and the effective and successful naval blockade [0:23] continues as well of ships and vessels that are moving to and from Iranian ports. [0:30] We are completely strangling their economy through this blockade. They're losing $500 million a day. [0:37] The Karg Island is completely full. They can't move oil in and out. They can't even pay their own [0:40] people as a result of this economic leverage that President Trump has inflicted over them. [0:45] So he's satisfied with that as we await their response. And we will see. The president has [0:50] not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal unlike some of the reporting I've [0:55] seen today. Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander-in-chief and the [0:59] president of the United States. [1:00] Are there then who is in charge in Iran and who the administration is even negotiating with? [1:06] Well, we obviously know who we're negotiating with because our negotiating team has sat down [1:10] with those individuals in person. But obviously, there's a lot of internal fraction and internal [1:15] division, which again, just proves the effectiveness of Operation Epic Fury in the first place. [1:21] Their regime and many of its leaders for nearly five decades have been wiped off for the face [1:27] of planet Earth. So again, the president's offering them a little bit of flexibility because [1:31] we want to see a unified proposal to the president's very strong proposal. And he's made his red lines [1:38] very clear. Again, the United States maintains control over this situation, leverage over the [1:43] Iranian regime. Not only have they been significantly weakened and obliterated militarily, but they are [1:49] losing economically and financially every single moment that passes with this blockade. So the president [1:55] is going to continue to lead the free world, to run the United States of America as we await the [2:00] Iranian response. [2:02] Thanks a lot, Caroline. Two questions. What's the ultimate goal of this blockade? [2:08] Is it indefinite as fire that's in place right now, also indefinite? [2:13] Look, again, I'm not going to set a timetable for the president. He has not done that and I won't. [2:19] I know there's been some anonymous sourced reporting that there was maybe a three to five day [2:24] deadline. That is not true. The president has not set a deadline himself. Ultimately, [2:28] he will dictate the timetable. And again, he is satisfied with the naval blockade and he [2:35] understands that Iran is in a very weak position and the cards are in President Trump's hands right [2:39] now. [2:42] On the issue of Virginia redistricting, why didn't, why not spend time on truce? [2:55] That's a question that's political by nature. As you know, I'm not part of the president's [3:06] political team anymore. I do sit here at the White House as a government employee. Look, [3:11] the president has a lot on his plate, a lot on his schedule. He did host a telephone call [3:16] prior to the election the night before, but he's made his position on the result of this election [3:22] clear to all of those. Mary Bruce. [3:24] The president is not setting a deadline right now, but this war has already gone on longer [3:29] and said it wouldn't. How long should America... [3:34] Look, I think President Trump ultimately will dictate the timeline and he will do so when he [3:40] feels is in the best interest of the United States and the American people. [3:43] Thank you very much. So in the same day, the president said that he doesn't want to extend [3:49] ceasefire and the bombs would start falling after the end of the ceasefire. And unilaterally, [3:55] he declared that the ceasefire would be extended indefinitely. Iranian state media are openly [4:01] mocking the president of the United States and saying we didn't even request the extension [4:05] of the ceasefire. What's the response from the president of the United States? [4:09] The response is you guys all see a lot of different messaging coming out of Iran, [4:15] a lot of different rhetoric and language from them. I would caution you to take anything that [4:20] they say at face value. What we've seen is that what they say publicly is much different [4:25] than what they can see to the United States and our negotiating team privately. [4:28] I've said that repeatedly to all of you in the news media and you should take our word. [4:31] There's been some reporting about a possible bailout for Spirit Airlines. Can you update [4:38] us on those talks and why does the administration think it's a good investment to buy into a bankrupt [4:43] airline? Well, I understand the airline is bankrupt because the previous administration blocked [4:49] the merger, which was probably not a wise move. Obviously, this is something the Commerce Department [4:54] and the president are tracking. I don't have any updates or announcements, but the aviation industry [4:59] is very important to this president and this White House. Millions of Americans depend on it. [5:04] We want to see the best possible outcome, but I don't have any announcements. [5:07] Thank you so much, Caroline. So how long is the president willing to wait for the Iranians [5:16] to come to the table? And does he trust the Iranians to come to the table? [5:19] Again, I've now been asked this question a few different times, a few different ways. [5:23] I'm not going to set a deadline. [5:24] All right. That was Caroline Levitt there. She's still speaking at the White House, White House [5:45] press secretary, of course, answering many questions, saying that the president hasn't [5:49] set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian response. He's offering flexibility. That's because he's [5:55] satisfied that the naval blockade is hurting Iran. And he also says the timeline will be commanded by [6:02] him. Asking how long this will go on for, it's still unclear.