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Defense Secretary, Joint Chiefs Chairman Give Update on Iran War; Interview with Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY): Defense Secretary Saying the Ceasefire Holds. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired May 05, 2026 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, since the two sides began trading new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. American allies in the region are also facing new attacks in the UAE, a fire burning at a major port after an Iranian drone strike there. President Trump is warning the Iranians will be, quote, blown off the face of the earth if they target U.S. ships. But after the latest escalation, he has declined to say whether the ceasefire actually remains in effect.
Also, this morning, new CNN reporting on how much actual damage U.S. and Israeli strikes caused to Iran's nuclear supply chain. The U.S. has said it decimated Iran's nuclear capabilities, but our investigation finds that while much of the production process took a significant hit, the most important parts, the stores of highly enriched uranium, may not have been touched at all.
We have live team coverage this morning as we wait for that Pentagon briefing. Our Nic Robertson is in Islamabad, Pakistan.
But let's start with Alayna Treene. She is at the White House. What are we expecting from the Pentagon this morning?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there are three main questions, Sara, and I think you laid them out very well in that opening there about what at least reporters and the public are hoping to hear. One is, of course, what is the state of this current ceasefire? We heard the president really dodge a series of questions and interviews yesterday on this, not willing to say whether or not the fire that we saw exchanged both in the Strait of Hormuz, but also with Iran hitting key allies, specifically the United Arab Emirates, whether that amounts to a break in this ceasefire.
So we'll see whether or not they're ready to answer that question more definitively. We did hear yesterday from Admiral Bradley Cooper, the head of U.S. CENTCOM, really not willing to give a clear answer on that. So I think there's going to be a lot of questions on that, of course.
There's also going to be questions about what that means about the state of the war. We heard Hegseth, you know, Secretary Hegseth, essentially say last week, we've heard the similar kind of line from the president, that essentially the war is essentially not ongoing because of the ceasefire that is in place. But that has raised a lot of questions about whether or not Congress needs to get involved at this point, because after 60 days, which we have passed, that is when Congress, you know, the White House has to really go to Congress for any sort of declaration of war.
Again, we've heard from Hegseth and the president that that's not really the right timeline because they are in a ceasefire. But if the ceasefire is broken, well, that adds some complicating factors to this. So that'll be another big question, I think, at that briefing.
And then also to that investigation you just pointed to, the idea of how much has the U.S. military action and the operations in Iran really depleted their nuclear capabilities. I think a lot of, you know, a lot of uncertainty around that. That's likely going to be posed to Hegseth and others at this briefing that kicks off any moment now.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. Alayna, stick with us as we keep an eye on the Pentagon briefing room right there, waiting to see the Defense Secretary and the joint chiefs chairman walk in. Nic, to you in Pakistan now, what's the latest you're hearing from there?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think from here, the perspective is that the ceasefire holds, that the Strait of Hormuz has been relatively calm today, despite the spike in violence yesterday. Of course, great concern that it could go off the rails. But at the moment it's holding.
I can say from here that even today that behind the scenes --
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's listen to the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, as you know, President Trump has directed U.S. Central Command to restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz under the umbrella of Project Freedom. To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope, and temporary in duration, with one mission, protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression.
American forces won't need to enter Iranian waters or airspace. It's not necessary. We're not looking for a fight, but Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway.
Iran is the clear aggressor, harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately, and weaponizing a critical choke point for its own financial benefit, at least trying to. For too long, Iran has been harassing ships, shooting at civilian tankers from all nations, and trying to impose a tolling system. Iran's plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable.
[08:05:00]
That ends with Project Freedom. Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have
already safely transited the Strait, showing the lane is clear. We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the Strait. They do not. So American ships led the way, commercial and military, shouldering the initial risk from the front, as Americans always do.
And right now, hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit. CENTCOM, along with partner nations, is in active communication with hundreds of ships, shipping companies, and insurers. All of these ships from all around the world want to get out of the Iranian trap that they have been stuck inside.
As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white, and blue dome over the Strait. American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft, providing 24-7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels, except Iran's, of course. Which is why our ironclad blockade remains in full effect as well. In fact, six ships tried to run the blockade out of Iranian ports as Project Freedom commenced, and they were all turned around.
This is more than strategy. It's also humanitarian. By breaking Iran's illegal stranglehold, we're protecting the lives and livelihoods of sailors from dozens of countries, securing global energy routes, and preventing shortages that hit the world's poorest people the hardest.
Once again, America is using its strength to lift up others. Iran is trying to subjugate the world. To what remains of Iran's forces, if you attack American troops or innocent commercial shipping, you will face overwhelming and devastating American firepower.
The President has been very clear about this. We prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft, and this mission without hesitation.
To Iran, let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran to tax, toll, or control.
To our partners, allies, and the rest of the world, this is a temporary mission for us. As I've said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We're stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up. At the appropriate time and soon, we will hand responsibility back to you.
To the incredible Americans executing this mission right now, simply thank you. Your courage, your readiness, your unmatched professionalism, and precision are why the world can breathe easier today and every day. You are and always will be the greatest fighting force in human history, unmatched always.
Project Freedom is underway, commerce will be flowing, and America is once again leading with strength, clarity, and purpose for the benefit of the entire world. Our will is unshakable. God bless our troops, and God bless the mighty United States Navy as well.
Mr. Chairman, over to you.
GEN. DAN CAINE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here. On Sunday, at the direction of the President, CENTCOM initiated Project Freedom with the objective of facilitating the safe passage of international commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Over the past seven weeks, Iran has repeatedly threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the Strait in order to effectively cut off commercial traffic and damage the global economy. By obstructing one of the world's most critical maritime checkpoints, a vital transit route for approximately one-fifth of the global oil consumption, Iran is weaponizing the global supply chain. This action disregards established navigational rights and the law of the sea, and the regime led by the IRGC is effectively attempting to hold the entire global economy hostage.
Let me give you an update of the last few days of activities, and if you take a look at the map here, as the Secretary said, the United States has established Project Freedom to open up the Strait of Hormuz. This graphic highlights the kinetic engagements that the Iranians have attempted to make or have taken against the region. The green dots and blue dots show the groupings of commercial cargo and tanker vessels, and the United States has established a significant presence over the Strait here in order to open up the free flow of commerce, noting the blockade still continues along the eastern flank.
[08:10:00]
The map shows the examples and samples of Iranian attacks against commercial vessels in the Strait as well as the Gulf of Oman and up in the Arabian Gulf. Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they've attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point. You can also see the group of tankers and cargo vessels in the U.S. blockade line, as I mentioned.
As a result of Iran's indiscriminate attacks across the region, there are currently 22,500 mariners embarked on more than 1,550 commercial vessels trapped in the Arabian Gulf, unable to transit.
In addition to shipping, Iran has continued to deliberately attack its neighbors. Just yesterday, Iran attacked Oman once and the UAE three times, including an attack on Fujairah oil terminal, which was successfully defeated. They also launched cruise missiles, drones, small boats at U.S. forces defending commercial shipping in the Straits, and United States Navy MH-60 helicopters and Army AH-64 Apache helicopters successfully defeated those threats. Thus far, today is quieter.
Let me describe this defensive operation just a few clicks down for you. As the Secretary said, Project Freedom is designed to protect commercial shipping and help restore the flow of commerce through the Strait and sustain freedom of navigation. CENTCOM has established an enhanced security area on the southern side of the Strait that is now protected by U.S. land, naval, and air assets to help defeat further Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.
I'd like to share a little bit more about U.S. capabilities, but for operational security purposes, I'm not going to get into specific details out there. On the surface, guided missile destroyers and other warships are detecting and defeating Iranian threats. This includes fast boats and one-way attack drones.
In the air, more than 100 fighters, attack aircraft, and other manned and unmanned aircraft synchronized by the 82nd Airborne Division are in the air 24 hours a day providing defensive overwatch for the enhanced security area and its approaches that I discussed. These forces are comprised of over 15,000 American service members and have established localized air and sea control to protect against Iranian threats. Commercial vessels that transit through the area will see, hear, and frankly feel U.S. combat power around them on the sea, in the skies, and on the radio.
And as of this morning, as was mentioned prior, two U.S. flag merchant vessels have transited, and we anticipate more to transit over the coming days.
Further up the Gulf, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command continues to work to identify and mitigate any threats. Beyond Project Freedom, CENTCOM and the rest of the Joint Force remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so.
No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve. And the President has said, as the Secretary has, that now is the time for those with equity stake in the Strait to come assist. Before I turn it back to the Secretary, I want to take a moment to highlight part of our Joint Force today.
And today I want to talk about the paratroopers of the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. When the President or the Secretary need immediate, scalable, and lethal combat power in CENTCOM or elsewhere, the All-American Division answers the call. The 82nd is the core of our nation's immediate response force and ready to deploy within hours of notice.
These paratroopers are capable of accomplishing any mission in any environment, constantly training, constantly ready to jump from Air Force aircraft into ground combat and seize key terrain if ordered to do so, just like their predecessors did in Sicily and Normandy in World War II, or to secure or enable the follow-on forces to flow into theater, as they did in Grenada or Panama. They can do the range of missions, from counterinsurgency to counterterrorism operations to power projection, as they have many times over the course of the history of this great division. They can do all these things because they're incredibly well-trained, well-equipped, and well-led, but also because of the indomitable spirit of the All-American paratrooper.
[08:15:00]
Every single one of them volunteered for this role, volunteered to go to airborne training and volunteered to serve, but this division is now more than just a formation that we use for forcible entries. For example, just today, they are out there coordinating, integrating, and synchronizing land, air, space, sea, and cyber forces using joint all- domain command and control.
They use next-generation tactical networks that are AI-enabled to augment intelligence and operations, and they seamlessly synchronize all of these effects and are doing so in support of Project Freedom as we speak. The relentless focus on technical innovation allows the commanders out there in the field to see, sense, and understand the opportunities that are in front of them, along with the associated risks, and make smart decisions out on the objective. With incredible courage, tenacity, and grit, they are going all the way every day, and whenever the nation calls on them, they are there to answer the call. We are grateful for their service and their leadership.
Lastly, before I close, as I often do, I want to remember some of our fallen. Today we remember Sergeant William Rivers, Specialist Breonna Moffett, and Specialist Kennedy Sanders of the 718th Engineering Company U.S. Army Reserves out of Fort Benning, Georgia. They were tragically killed on January 28, 2024, when attacked by an Iranian- backed proxy force at Tower 22 in Jordan. We continue to carry on their memories.
We remember their names. We remember their families. And the Secretary and I are deeply grateful for all of our deployed forces who are out there doing our nation's work. And sir, with that, I'll kick it back over to you.
HEGSETH: We'll take a few questions. Go ahead.
ALEXANDRA INGERSOLL, ONE AMERICA NEWS: Thank you. Alexandra Ingersoll, One America News. Do you assess, Mr. Secretary, do you assess what's left of this small boat fleet to be a significant threat or a nuisance to be managed?
And then secondly, what is your message to critics who say that the U.S. doesn't have a strategy in this mission?
BERMAN: Well, any threat needs to be taken seriously. And just like those six attack boats that the Chairman mentioned were taken seriously and dealt with before there were any real threat to the American military vessels that they were approaching. And small craft like that are all that Iran has left.
Their ability to get close with a destroyer of the capabilities that we have is limited, but we're going to take it very seriously and kinetically, quickly. We're not going to allow a threat to gather. And I can tell you, even from just this morning, the strategy remains laser focused.
In fact, what I think you see from Project Freedom is that we're not allowing ourselves to get distracted. This is a separate and distinct effort, temporary in nature, that we plan to hand over the world. The world has expressed a desire to be a part of this, as is often the case, or maybe almost always the case. American leadership is required, so the President was willing to undertake this, send commercial ships through, send destroyers in, provide this red, white, and blue bubble of protection, and encourage the world to step up. Because ultimately, this waterway is, as I said, far more crucial to the rest of the world, and they need to have the ability to defend it. So I think this is a reflection of a laser focused strategy, actually -- right here.
DAVID ZERE, REAL AMERICA'S VOICE: Good morning, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman. David Zere, Real America's Voice. I wanted to ask you, of any of the fast boats that have been either sunk or identified, are there any armaments larger than, say, small AK-47 type stuff, or any anti-ship cruise missiles identified?
And my second question is, if there's a divide between the IRGC and Tehran, is there a way to get Tehran to agree to let us go after the IRGC that is doing these attacks without violating the ceasefire?
HEGSETH: Well, right now, anything coming at our crafts, regardless of what's on it, has to be defended against, and that's the case. I don't know what the exact armaments that were on those fast boats.
CAINE: Small arms, nothing significant on the fast boats.
HEGSETH: Rifles or small machine guns. There were some small coastal cruise missiles shot down as well. So there's been, I think there's some frothiness in the beginning aspects of this that were dealt with very directly by our destroyers.
And we're communicating both overtly and quietly to the Iranians to allow this defensive operation to happen on behalf of the world. There are some actions the IRGC takes sometimes that are outside the bounds of what maybe Iranian negotiators would like. That's their job to rein that in, and ultimately create a condition for a deal, right?
[08:20:00]
That's not something I talked about in these remarks, but that's happening in real time. Iran has an ability to make that deal. But what we're demonstrating with Project Freedom is they don't control the Strait. We know Iran is embarrassed by the fact that our blockade is holding, and we can run ships through, and we're going to help the world run ships through.
And if they hold it at issue, the whole world knows who's doing it. It's not us. We're willing to open it up. It's Iran. And that creates a dilemma for them. And we hope they make a deal.
Yes.
MARY MARGARET, THE DAILY WIRE: Thank you, sir. My first question's for General Kane, Mary Margaret with The Daily Wire. You said that the attacks by Iran so far are below the threshold of restarting major combat operations. What is that threshold?
And then for Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait? And can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we've heard about?
CAINE: I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right?
The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade. What I'll say is it's low harassing fire right now. It feels like Iran is grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank. To your question, David, their command and control structure remains very fractured, and I think they're struggling to maintain control down echelon at the edge.
But we're still -- it's still pretty low-level kinetics at this point in time.
HEGSETH: And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't, ultimately. Any follow-on effort, if there are mines identified, would be something that some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake. But right now we know we have a lane of safe passage.
BERMAN: All right, we've been watching this briefing from the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs did confirm that Iran has attacked U.S. troops shooting missiles and drones repeatedly over the last 24 hours ten times, he said. But he also said it did not meet the threshold to resume combat operations, the implication being there that the ceasefire is still in place.
Also, the Defense Secretary and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs both indicated that Project Freedom, which is this effort to somehow guide vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, is separate than the actual military action, the conflict with Iran. We'll discuss, I think, a little bit later why perhaps they separated the two so much, but that seemed to be a point of emphasis there.
So this morning, from what we can tell, the United States considers the ceasefire in place, the effort to get ships out of the Strait of Hormuz still very much ongoing, although the only update they gave us is that the two that passed through yesterday were so far the only two that have gone through.
Usually 100 ships or more go through the Strait every day. Much more on the breaking news. We'll be right back.
[08:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right, the breaking news from the Pentagon briefing. You're watching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking right there. The Defense Secretary just said the ceasefire holds.
He's talking about this ceasefire that's been in place for several weeks between the United States and Iran. And this is despite the fact that the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Caine, confirmed that Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times, seized two container ships, attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times. And some of this has happened within just the last 24 hours, including an attack on a port in the United Arab Emirates.
But the Joint Chiefs Chair, Dan Caine -- you're looking at him right there -- says this does not meet the threshold to restart major combat operations. Here's more of what the Defense Secretary said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white, and blue dome over the Strait. American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft, providing 24-7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels, except Iran's, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Again, the news from the news conference is Pete Hegseth the Defense Secretary, saying the ceasefire holds. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs saying, though, there has been firing back and forth in the Strait. And also the Defense Secretary making this distinction, that the effort to guide vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, which they're calling Project Freedom, is a distinct operation, a distinct operation from the rest of the conflict with Iran.
With us now is Congressman Pat Ryan, a Democrat from New York. He is on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.
So the news just moments ago, the Defense Secretary saying the ceasefire holds, despite the rundown of actual military exchanges that we got from the Joint Chiefs. How do you assess that? Why do you think that is?
Why do you think they want this ceasefire to continue, despite what is clearly some back and forth?
REP. PAT RYAN (D-NY), HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Well, I think we all want this war to end. The problem is we're now more than 60 days in, and the administration, because they haven't had a strategy from the beginning, remains stuck. Every American is paying the price, as gas prices are quickly skyrocketing to almost $5, certainly in my district and most of the country.
And you see, thankfully, Chairman Caine being honest and straightforward, and here's the facts, which is the reality that the situation continues to escalate, unfortunately. And then you see Hegseth continuing to mislead and lie to the American people and try to spin this as something other than what it is. And that is a serious problem, and it's unacceptable.
BERMAN: Does it sound like a ceasefire, with the things that the chair laid out there, what the Iranians have done and attacked, and we've seen the UAE port on fire overnight?
[08:30:00] RYAN: No, the situation continues to escalate. And again, this is not -- we are all rooting for this to end, but we have to be honest with what's happening and realistic with what's happening on the ground. Strikes into another ally of ours, UAE, yesterday, hitting their oil infrastructure, major oil infrastructure, in attempt to bring in another ally of ours, South Korea, happened yesterday.
And then of course, direct attacks on U.S. forces, as Chairman Caine mentioned. That does not feel like de-escalation to me. Unfortunately, it's escalation.
And the inability or unwillingness of Hegseth and Trump to acknowledge the reality is a real problem, because how are we going to solve this if we're not straightforward about what's happening?
BERMAN: So the Defense Secretary went to great ends to separate what he is calling Project Freedom. That's the effort to guide ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, to separate that from what he's calling Operation Epic Fury. That's the Strait on Conflict with Iran.
And he said that Project Freedom is defensive in nature and temporary. Why do you think he's making these distinctions here?
RYAN: Well, they're trying to get around the Constitution, frankly, which is very clear that a war, which we are certainly in, requires the consent of the people through the Congress. And last week, they put up a total BS argument, some twisted legal logic that we're calling a pause, almost like it's a video game or something. And somehow the clock stops on this war, which is just not what the law calls for.
And now they're trying to get really cute here, almost, and say, well, this is something different. The reality for our troops on the ground is this is all part of a war that the president started over two months ago. And the reality for the American people at the pump, at the grocery store, and everywhere else, as costs are skyrocketing, is that this is all part of this same war.
And we've seen, unfortunately, the level of angst and concern among public polling. The American people see what's happening, and unfortunately, they are not supportive of this.
BERMAN: So this is an effort, as you see it, to say that this fighting isn't part of this larger fighting, and it may not count then towards the total of 60 days. And of course, this gets to something that you are introducing in Congress. You want to block funding for anything, I believe, going on near Iran, unless and until Congress authorizes this operation?
RYAN: Yes, yes. Several colleagues and I, all veterans, introduced legislation today to say if you're going to continue this war further, you need authorization to do it, which, again, is what the Constitution calls for and what the wisdom of our founders and framers called for, that the decision to go to war shouldn't just be made by one singular person. It should be made by the people. So the legislation says no additional funding for this war and puts pressure on the administration to be honest with what's happening and to really try bring this to a swift conclusion, rather than what this feels like, which is, well, we need another week. We need another week. Well, maybe two more weeks.
We're now more than 10 weeks in. The president continues to be hanging out at the golf course in Mar-a-Lago and ignoring the reality on the ground.
BERMAN: So if the argument that the Defense Secretary is making is that the exchanges we've seen over the last 24 hours with Project Freedom aren't part of the other operation, do you buy that? Do you that these exchanges of fire don't count as war, don't count toward the 60 days?
RYAN: No, of course not. Any objective observer would say this war was initiated, you know, February 28th. The things that flow from it, which certainly is -- I mean, the Strait was wide open before this.
Now we're stuck in a situation where, as we all know, the Strait is closed. We're blockading a blockade, which makes very little sense, and essentially both sides are paying the price here. And this is the president flailing to try to get us out of this.
And again, the people who pay the price are our troops and the American people. So I don't buy this.
BERMAN: All right, Congressman Pat Ryan from New York, we appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for helping us understand what we just heard at that news conference. Appreciate it.
[08:30:00]
