or former navy to imagine the iranian navy kind of wanting to confront both this coalition force as well as these u.s. navy ships that are there. the u.s. i would imagine, is not going to allow iran to deliver any types of weapons to yemen right now. that's -- that's probably more than what we would call a red line. so i just -- it's hard to imagine the iranian navy wanting to challenge that level of a force that's going to prevent that from happening. so -- >> why is it -- why is that difficult to imagine? i mean why is it tough to, i guess let me take it further, and distrust? right? it's distrust and verify when it comes to iran. >> it totally is. and we've seen palets of first aid and baby formula being delivered. but they don't need warships to do that. the obvious suspicion is some type of arms -- and because of the strategic location of yemen, because of its place there in the straits going into the red sea and out into the arabian gulf the u.s. is just not going to allow some unknown arms delivery to occur in that area particularly with respect t

it is now being escorted by the uss normandy, a navy destroyer as it shadows the suspected iranians weapons shipment. there are total of nine u.s. navy warships and three support ships operating in the area, stretching from the southern red sea to the arabian sea. the state department was defensive when questioned about the alleged iranian weapons shipments. >> there is a well-documented hit of support for the houthi including various state department reports. money, weapons, support for very long time. >> i know there are statements and in support of -- >> there is a lot of evidence do you doubt this evidence? >> reporter: u.s. warships are enforcing a u.n. arms embargo against yemen passed by 14 nations excluding russia last week. and we're just told, that the obama administration is very far from taking a decision as to whether the uss theodore roosevelt, whether they can intercept, whether they can actually board the iranian vessels as they are make their way towards yemen. jenna? jenna: an area of the world to closely watch. jennifer, thank you very much. joining us at the government h

iranians lost their navy over that. d: they would have to be crazy to do it in other words, but guess what, the iranians are crazy? >> well, some, some analysts do believe they're not a logical factor. so, yeah, who knows what they want to do. one thing i can tell you, david, is that the united states navy and the straight leg or the full-time iranian navy, not their islamic republican guard corps navy, but regular iranian navy, in the arabian gulf have had very professional interaction with each other. it is the crazies, irgc with their speedboats that cause all of the problems there. david: captain, we have to run. i have to ask two quick questions, answer them as quickly as possible. put the map back up on the screen if you can, please. that straight of hormuz that is on the southern coast, that is the tip right above oman, right below iran there. >> right. david: do the iranians have the ability to close the strait? that would really cripple oil shipments? and also, the ships that they have sent into yemen, into the

let's start with these ships av having the iranian navy chased away by u.s. navy, and uss theodore roosevelt carrier group, now two iranian destroyers. their intent? what do you make of it? >> it is important to know the strategic intent. that is taking control of red sea, and the gulf, strait of hormuz is one water that iran already claims as its territorial waters, and u.s. said no, these are international waters. the other strait, the babble man deb, they want to control the area they want to control flow of oil and putting a pinch irmovement in saudi arabia. they will have control, that is why iran, with nuclear weapons will be such a threat, do you think we'll challenge the control of the waterways if they use or threaten to use them. lou: iran taking actions toward saudi arabia. as it taxes on targets and yemen yemen. this is more serious than this president anticipated. he looks as if he is caught the tail of events and dragged along by them. this is doubley troubling because russia is an ally of iran. one of its supporters. and now in joint exercises t

and the iranian navy actually took shots the commercial ship and that was later ported safely and alln board were unharmed. and the foreign minister said the incident was overblown by the press. >> i think we shouldn't read too much into it. some people do try to read intoder to torpedoa process that is independent of the problems. >> reporter: the process is the ongoing nuclear talks. and of course again today, he reiterated the regime's position that sanctions needed to be lifted immediately. >> if we have a agreement on the 30th of june within a few days after that we'll have a resolution in the security council under article 41 of chapter seven which will be mandatory for all member states. >> reporter: speaking of the arkansas senator tom cotton. we'll hear more about that in the briefing today that is getting underway. back to you in new york. >> thank you, kevin. we'll return to our story in baltimore, our next guest said it was only a matter of time before city of baltimore erupted. he will give the insider's vow of the combustible mix. and first in major league history. a bas

that is iranian warships heading toward american navy destroyers. earned a convoy of nine iranian ships, including warships is moving closer to the coast of yemen. that's where nine american destroyers and aircraft carriers are waiting. the american ships are deployed to prevent iran from sending weapons to rebels in yemen. jim sciutto has the developing story tonight. jim, what do you know about these iranian warships? >> initially this iranian convoy had been described as cargo ships and there's concern of what's in the cargo. is it weapons for the houthi rebels. we know small warships are in that convoy which raises questions about what its actual function s. it's also moving closer to the yemeni coast. it's near the border of oman and yemen. right now it's just a few miles from u.s. warships. they're keeping a safe distance the pentagon tells us but also within visual range. they can see them through their binoculars a handful of miles. not moving closer right now. it's designed to send the message, we are watching. as the president said yesterda

. >>> breaking news from iran where a ship has been boarded by the iranian navy.zing reports we will have details after the break. so if you have a flat tire dead battery need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7. oh dear, i got a flat tire. hmmm. uh... yeah, can you find a take where it's a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah? yeah i got it right here. someone help me!!! i have a flat tire!!! well it's good... good for me. what do you think? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. photos are great... ...for capturing your world. and now they can transform it with the new angie's list app you can you can get projects done in a snap. take a photo of your project or just tell us what you need done... ...and angie's list will find a top-rated provider to do the job. start your project for free today. >>> a fox news alert. getting to the news from iran. a senior department official telling us iran cruise fired in the persian gulf. it happened off the coast of iran in a ver

the convoy is escorted by warships from the iranian navy and revolutionary guard. in addition the u.s. a coalition of warships from egypt, saudi arabia and united arab emirates have a blockade in effect. a military confrontation between the u.s. and iran could not come at a worse time as the u.s. is prepared to lift sanctions against iran if iran halts its nuclear weapons program. there's also near any miscalculation could lead to deadly consequences. >> test the waters too far. and we can see how these things can spin out of control. >> reporter: officials here suspect or at least hope the iranians are playing a game of cat and mouse, that the suspected arms shipment is merely some kind of test of u.s. resolve or perhaps eve an diversion but nobody's taking any chances. according to one senior defense official, the iranians are watch watchingwatch watching us and we're watching them. >>> six minnesota men charged with trying to go to syria to help isis. two of the men were napped? san diego. all are under the age of 22. none are believed to have ever posed a direc

a response by the iranian navy which the pentagon calls provocative.hey fired warning shots and then boarded a container ship at the marshall islands. the ship is being escorted towards an iranian port by patrol boats. the u.s. has fult authority and responsibility for the security and defense of the marshall islands. the situation is being monitored very closely. it follows another incident last friday where four iranian patrol boats intercepted the u.s. flag container ship in the per initial gulf near the strait of hormuz and says the west is closer than ever to a nuclear deal. there is action on capitol hill. foreign relations chair bob corker and ben carden are handling the nate bill which passed the foreign relations committee 19-0. it would require the president to submit any final nuclear deal before being able to waive or suspend congressional sanctions. the stakes are high. >> this week we're going to debate what i think is the premier national security issue of our time t. >> democrats are anxious amendments could shift the delegate bipartisa

what i expect will happen is the same thing happening for 25 years, the united states navy and iranian navyun battles that culminated with the united states navy shooting down an iranian airbus. at that point they took a serious look how to deconflict operations so we don't stumble into war. the united states and iranian navy have a very bizarre but deep working relationship where we communicate through third parties and let each other know base he canally what we're doing. we don't coordinate activities directly but deconflict so we don't escalate tensions. >> an unsettling story the french arrested a man suspected of planning an attack a 24-year-old algerian national. the cops also responded and followed the blood trail to his car found full of weapons and list of potential targets. what should we make of this? >> well number one we should thank our lucky stars we got lucky and this idiot shot himself before he carried out a terrorist attack. federal law enforcement and mill trillion and protectors have to be right every time. more often than not we're looking for terrorists to make a mis

are we moving into a confrontation with the iranian navy here? >> well everybody here hopes not.know it is always that possibility. up to cheryl of the join chiefs of staff general dempsey. he has called the situation there in the persian gulf area a iran iraq syria, yemen, the most complicated situation he's ever seen. now iran has thrown another wrench into the works here. by sending out what appears to be a shipment of iranian arms headed for yemen to arm those rebels there engaged in a battle with not only the yemeni military, what's left of it. but also they're journal going air strikes from saudi arabia. but here's what drew everybody's attention to this possible shipment. not only do they suspect that there may be arms aboard these couple of freighters but they also send out armed warships from the iranian navy and the revolutionary guard. now, that took the expectations and quite frankly, the anticipation up even higher. and it forced the u.s. to send the aircraft carrier teddy roosevelt and its entire battle group into the north arabian sea just in case there has to be a

tom: lacrosse the iranian navy, a convoy has actually turned around and gone back to iran. reflects well on the iranian government that they want to avoid a conflict with saudi arabia. but what they will do is simply put the arms on planes and back into yemen. in reality, this is what is happening. again, the reality in the middle east is the is sectarianism between iran and saudi arabia and it's very bad because it's destabilizing across the region. john:before the saudi bombing campaign began, the iranians had increased daily flights between sanaa and the -- and tehran from two flights daily before the houthi coup to 28 flights daily. were these weapons shipments? pat: no, i don't think so. the former dictator brought -- brought his segment armed with $500 million worth of good american weapons, to the houthies and they took over the country but they've been stopped in aden. iran doesn't want a confrontation with the united states. the real foolish mistake is saudi arabia trying to -- starting to bomb people and to put a puppet on the throne. john:all sides are at pains to

and iranian navies that led to shots being fired. is this a sign that iran can't be trusted?> it has been shaken for many many years since the fall of the shau. you have a nuclear deal in the works, fighting in iraq and syria. this is a situation where both sides are feeling pretty tense. >> well it sounded like the u.s. and iran was kind of close to a deal and waiting to hammer things out before that june dead line and then you have these situations in international waters wondering if this is ever going to happen this nuclear deal. >> i think generally speaking in diplomacy, there will be an attempt to keep these things on separate tracts and to see if they can get the nuclear deal hammered out separately than the naval situation, but then again, obviously, it's hard to keep those things completely isolated. >> and bernie sandardsers as we mentioned, expected to run and already called a long shot why is he runening? >> i think he will try to push hillary to the left much as you are seeing elizabeth warren do from outside the race. >> and could this potentially help the camp

president we're all watching what's going on with the iranian navy. how do we -- it seems like the old cuban missile crisis where we're trying to send signals back and forth. what signal are you sending as commander in chief to the iranians? >> we've been very straightforward with them. right now, their ships are in international waters. there's a reason why we keep some of our ships in the persian gulf waters. if there are weapons delivered to factions within yemen that could threaten navigation that's a problem. and we're not sending them obscure messages. we send them very direct messages about it. >> let's go now to jim at the pent done with more on the looming military showdown between the u.s. and iran. >> craig the u.s. military brought in their big guns for this one and they're close on the tails of the iranians. the usair craft carrier theodore rows vilt in the north arabian sea stalking is warships, but at a time at a distance. a convery of five friggots and two freighters. the cargo ship res loaded with weapons for iranian-backed rebels lock

the convoy is escorted by war ships from the iranian navy and revolutionary guard. in addition to the u.s., a coalition of war ships from egypt, saudi arabia and united arab emirates have a blockade in place to interdict any armed shipments. a military confrontation between the u.s. and iran could not come at a worse time, as the u.s. is prepared to lift sanctions against iran if iran halts its nuclear weapons program. there's also fear that any miscalculation by military commanders on either side could lead to deadly consequences. >> test the waters too far, shots across the bow end up actually damaging a ship or killing someone, and we can see how these things could spin out of control. >> reporter: officials here suspect or at least hope the iranians are playing a game of cat and mouse, that the suspected arms shipment is only some kind of diversion or a test of u.s. resolve, but nobody's taking any chances. according to one defense official, the iranians are watching us and we're watching them. lester. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thanks. >>> we've seen

aircraft carrier is steaming toward waters off of yemen setting up a potential confrontation with the iranian navy. roosevelt and other ships are prepared to intercept any iranian vessel carrying weapons to the the rebels in yemen. the the saudi led air strikes continued to pound the positions, in the capitol city of sona. >>> it has been five years since one of the worst environmental disasters in this country. the explosion aboard bp deep water horizon in the gulf of mexico. 134 million gallons of water spill in the gulf, 11 people were killed. today the effect is still linger. marine life hasn't recovered yet and tar balls still dot the beaches. >>> critics and environmental groups say lessons of the bp oil disaster were short lived. the number of deep water drilling rigs has increased 37 percent in the five years since the spill that is according to the latest industry statistics. a review by the the associated press found companies are now drilling in deeper water as well which is far more complicated and therefore riskier. >>> u.s. chemical safety board says there are still serious even fata

president we're all watching what's going on with the iranian navy. missile crisis where we're trying to send signals back and forth. what signal are you sending as commander in chief to the iranians? >> we've been very straightforward with them. right now, their ships are in international waters. there's a reason why we keep some of our ships in the persian gulf waters. if there are weapons delivered to factions within yemen that could threaten navigation that's a problem. and we're not sending them obscure messages. we send them very direct messages about it. >> let's go now to jim at the pent done with more on the

does the iranian navy respond to that? there is a lot of poker being played in that part of the world in terms what have the u.s. will do should one of the ships get close. >> and uss roosevelt what does that mean? >> that means firepower, a regional type of presence there from a show of force that can literally do anything. now there is going to be potentially use for that humanitarian effort that is in the back of everybody's mind. >> big aircraft carrier versus some iranian vessels. >> iranian vessels and the united states navy have played this cat and mouse game similar to what russia and the united states do in russia. the iranians have no match for the united states navy in that part of the world but again they'll do what they can to keep the americans off guard. >> thank you. >>> new concerns about a looming deal between russia and iran. moscow is lifting its ban on selling anti-aircraft missiles to tehran. critics that would give tehran a bullet-proof field against possible attacks. this comes as russia and four ot

the convoy is escorted by warships from the iranian navy and revolutionary guard.hips from egypt, saudi arabia and united arab emirates have a block and i had in place to interdict any armed shipments. a military confrontation between the u.s. and iran could not come at a worst time. as the u.s. is prepared to lift sanctions against iran if iran halts its nuclear weapons program. there is also fear that any miscalculation by military commanders on either side could lead to deadly consequences. >> test the waters too far, shots across the bow end up actually damaging a ship or killing someone, and we could see how these things could spin out of control. >> the concern is not only that the u.s. and iranians could bump heads in the gulf of aden with their warships but that if in fact the iranians engage with some of the arab coalition, the egyptians, saudi arabians even united emirates have their warships in that area to put up a block and i had against any armed shipments to yemen, would the u.s. have to come to their aid. so there are all kinds of bad news scenarios

the commander of the iranian navy said we don't let anyone give us warnings or threats.correspondent nick paton walsh is monitoring the latest for us. >> reporter: john as you say, danger of conflict ratio here. this is a substantial amount of fire power in the maritime area. nine ships joined by the "uss theodore roosevelt" which is there partially to assist in the united nations security council resolution against the houthis in yemen. it is not clear what the suspected nine iranian ships in the area which the u.s. are monitoring what they are carrying or where they are bound. there is the dangerous moment if they choose to head to yemen shores and if they have arms do they let them pass or board them. that say far flung proposal but it means this area a gulf area for trade and supplies is now an intense flashpoint. while, of course the u.s. is talking peace about nuclear deal with iran in switzerland, it is keen i think, to show the regional allies a decades long ally. it is behind them in the campaign. the u.s. of course has searched and rescue facilities and targeti

with the maersk tigris would be even more acute if an iranian-armed -- i'm sorry, a nuclear-armed iranian navy were conducting these intercepts. >> they can do a lot of damage without nuclear weapons and they are doing a lot of damage. >> we are expressing concerns about the destabilizing activity of the iranians whether the houthis or the assad regime or offering support for terror activities iranian support for hezbollah and the destabilizing aspect that has. we have concerns with the iranian behavior. but if iran had a nuclear weapon and sorting the assad regime or supporting hezbollah, our concerns about their support for just to take those two entities would be -- would be much more alarmed about that. >> would the administration be willing to impose sanctions on iran for issues beyond the -- additional sanctions on iran for issues beyond the nuclear program? would the administration be open to immosting anxiouses for activity like this in the gulf of hormuz or terror activity in yemen and syria and lebanon. >> as you point on john, the nuclear deal that is under negotiation contemplates

iranian convoy now? >> well shep we just spoke to u.s. navy officials who tell us that the iranian convoy which consists of nine vessels, seven cargo ships and two iranian navy frijts remains under way off the coast of yemen near the border with oman. it's moving slowly at six knots. and the uss theodore roosevelt continues to trail behind and launching aircraft to provided visual convoys. any reports suggesting the iranian convoy has gone to yemen is false. the egyptians in saudi still control the ports there, shep. the u.n. secretary general condemned them today. the saudis are conducting a press conference right now at the embassy in washington. that's where we heard from the saudi ambassador. they plan to continue carrying out strikes and using force against the houthis, shepard. >> aside from the hope strategy what do u.s. officials say they're going to do next? >> at this point, these u.s. warships are trailing the suspected armed shipment. the u.s. has intelligence that iran is delivering rockets and other lethal weapons to the houthis.

about the iranian navy vessels off the coast of yemen. we heard from the general whose spokesperson for the military forces here said the iranian boats can come into international waters off the coast of yemen. they cannot enter yemeni territory waters. a clear message for the iranians there. a clear message from the saudi arabians. the secretary has his message. he says the conflict in yemen should be resolved by talks. we know over 500 people killed so far. over 300 civilians. the iranian president saying the future of yemen should be decided by the yemeni people. that is a clear message for the united states and for the saudi government that iran doesn't want and doesn't accept there is an international interference inside yemen. the yemeni position is iran is destabilizing by backing the houthis. >> nic robertson, not far from the conflict zone. >>> a fourth new york city man pleaded not guilty wednesday. 26-year-old dilkhayot kasimov allegedly raised money to send two codefendented to syria to join isis. he encouraged others to engage

president, we're all watching what is going on with the iranian navy. do we avoid -- it seems like the old cuban missile crisis where we try to send signals back and forth map signal are you sending to iranians? we've been straightforward to them. right now their ships are in international waters. there's a reason why we keep some of our ships in persian gulf region. that is to make sure we maintain freedom of navigation. and what we've said is that if there are weapons delivered to factions within yemen the navigation that's a problem. and we're not sending on secure messages. we send direct messages about it. my hope is generally we can settle down the situation in yemen. that's always been a factious country with at lot of problems. it's very poor, and right now there are a lot of people inside of yemen suffering. what we need to do is bring the parties together and find a political arrangement. it is not solved by having another proxy war fought inside of yemen and, you know, we've indicated to the iranians they need to be part of the solution. >> ho

theodore roosevelt has been shadowing the iranian convoys for the past few days conducting flight operations to keep a visual on the conflict. a spokesman for the u.s. navy at fifth fleet in bahrain tells fox news, quote, we continue to monitor the iranian convoy as well as other maritime traffic in the region. there were mixed messages yesterday about the purpose of repositioning the roosevelt battle group from conducting air operations against isis in iraq and syria from the northern arabian gulf to the coast of yemen. the pentagon said there were nine vessels in the iranian convoy including cargo ships suspected of carrying rockets as well as two iranian navy frigate serving as escort ships all in violation of u.n. security council resolution 2216 banning the transfer of weapons to the houthi rebels. >> i saw a lot of cable kicker's today, ships going there to intercept iranian ships, that is blatantly untrue. this discreet movement of -- a discreet purpose. >> a pentagon official says there is nothing discreet about moving a 100,000 ton nuclear power aircraft carrier. the model of the roosevelt battle group is the big stick, not be discreet. >> we wi

the commander of the regular iranian navy said we don't let anyone give us warnings or threats. our correspondent nick paton walsh has the latest developments for us. >> reporter: john more and more fire power ability assisting the saudi-led coalition around yemen. the latest joining about ten ships already in the region. "uss theodore roosevelt" and the carrier, "uss normandy." there is a practical dimension to this. the u.s. has eyes on about nine ships thought to be carrying weapons. it is unclear the destination. if they will move to the yemeni coast. bear in mind john united nations security council resolution accuseing an arms blockade. it will become a point if the iranian ships move toward yemen that the u.s. is faced if they let them carry on or block them. it may likely not come to that but it does raise the stakes. so many more issues and weaponry in the highly contested volatile gulf with the trade routes around the world. if something did go wrong, it could escalate quickly. this too, while the u.s. is trying to talk peace. nuclear negotiations with iran and trying

this response comes after iranian navy vessels fired warning shots. let's bring in peter barnes.hills with the latest developments on this breaking story. peter. peter: that's right. the straits of hormuz are the top of shipping lane for a lot of the world's oil produced in persian gulf countries. this in response to iran firing on and detaining a cargo ship flagged in the marshall islands, operated by maersk. the maersk tigris. they're detaining the ship over a 10-year-old legal dispute. the us officials say that this is harassment by the iranians as part of a response to the us support of the saudi airstrikes in yemen against rebels that are backed by the iranians. and also you will recall that last friday, iranian patrol boats also surrounded a us cargo ship in the straits. the us sending its navy now at least on a short-term basis to help -- to escort us flagged ships in the straits of hormuz. cheryl. cheryl: thank you for bringing us the latest. peter, thank you very much. >> you bet. cheryl: a hoarders last will and testament found under a mountain of trash. a million dolla

and the area around somalia does experience a lot of piracy and the head of the navy also went further and said the iraniansant to get a quote from the commander of the navy. he said we don't let anybody give us warnings or threats because we are working according to international law and regulations and we work for the security of our country and other countries. the iranians also said the only thing they want to do is supply a humanitarian aid to yemen, and i was actually at one center where aid was being packed to be sent to yemen and the people said they have not been able to send any since the conflict broke out and all of this at odds of what the u.s. has been saying and they said the iranians in the past have supplied the houthi rebels with weapons. in the meantime with the nuclear negotiations those will be set to continue to go forward and at least some here in the iranian establishment say they are cautiously optimistic that a deal does seem to be very much possible chris. >> which is so confusing to understand how there could be optimism on one front when there is so much pest misam in other part

is true that they've been providing military advice and military aid. >> the commander of the i iranian navy. and saudi arabia are to blame, he's been vociferous in the condemnation of the united states even while they want to deal with the u.s. in vienna on these nuclear negotiations. i call it compartmentalization. is this -- there's something weird here though right? >> lots of different compartments because you're right. we have a compartment where you have the nuclear negotiations compartment a conflict over yemen, compartment, conflict in syria, and another compartment where we have deconflickion in iraq. it's enormously complex. but that's just life in the region. >> two senators marco rubio of florida and mark kirk of illinois they're demanding as part of any nuclear deal no nuclear deal yet, see if there will be by the end of june as part of any nuclear deal the iranians have to release that "washington post" reporter jason rezaian and other americans who are held right now in iran. that's got to be a quid pro quo. do you buy that? >> i don't think that's the approach the administra

war ship is monitoring after the iranian navy takes over an allied cargo ship in the persian gulf. the tigris begins to the marshall islands which the u.s. government protects with an agreement. they fired on the ship despite being on international waters. no american is on board but the state department is choosing its words carefully. homer >> it is an act of violence. >> i think it's underway. i am not going to apply an adjective to it right now. we are following the situation very actively. we are gathering more information. i don't have further reaction at this point. >> we have just learning iranian patrol boat threatened an american cargo ship last week. it was allowed to pass eventual lichlt>> officials saying 93 suspected terrorists with ties to isis now under arrest for planning multiple attacks in the middle east nation. the plot involved parking a car bomb outside of the u.s. embassy and targeting residential compounds and security forces. it was closed last month because of security fears like this. >> defense attorneys trying to spare the boston marathon bomber's life

president, we're all watching what's going on with the iranian navy.ld cuban missile crisis where we're trying to send signals back and forth what. signal are you sending as commander in chief to the iranians? >> well, we've been actually very straightforward to them. right now their ships are in international waters. there's a reason why we keep some of our ships in the persian gulf region and that is to make sure that we maintain freedom of navigation, and what we've said to them is that if there are weapons delivered to factions within yemen that could threaten navigation, that's a problem. and we're not sending obscure messages. we send them very direct messages about it. my hope is generally that we can settle down the situation in yemen. that's always been a fractious country with a lot of problems. it's very poor, and right now there are a lot of people inside of yemen suffering. what we need to do is bring all the parties together and find a political arrangement. it is not solved by having another proxy war fought inside of yemen, and, you kno

know we have significant military forces there, up close and personal, keeping an eye on what the iranian navy is up to. one further point i would like to make i don't think there's any doubt that the iranian regime is supplying the houthi rebels with arms and ammunition. may not be supplying that directly but one way or the other it's the iranians supplying the houthis. >> if that's the case and over land and there is an effort to get the ships -- i assume the iranians may say otherwise and might suggest it's humanitarian relief on the way to yemen because that's much needed as well, lieutenant, there are about 10,000 servicemen aboard all those floating assets and that's just the americans. >> sure. >> then all of the international assets as well. that sure doesn't look like shipping. that looks like possible intercept and that is not what the pentagon is saying. they're saying that's a mistake the media has been making. >> i think we have a real cross polienization now with the state and d.o.d. the d.o.d. is starting to talk like the state department and anybody that's been with the d.o.d.

iranian ships. that is blatantly untrue. >> well whatever it was, it worked. the united states navy showed up. the "uss roosevelt" aircraft carrier shadowed that iranian convoy. the nine-ship iranian convoy consisting of seven freighters and two iranian frig ets, did a 180, heading towards home instead of delivering its suspected cargo of rockets, missiles and mines intended for the houthis. it came as saudi arabia announced it was somewhat partially scaling back those air strikes a move observers suspect gave iran a possible excuse to back down and open the way for iranian president hasan rouhani to call for a cease-fire even if some question his sincerity now that his houthi allies have taken over most of yemen. >> we hope everybody comes to their senses and we hope that iran's proposal is realized. it is for an immediate cease-fire. we believe this is a solution that can resolve yemen's predicament. >> there's an opportunity for us to effect a legitimate political transition in yemen. >> turns out that transition may end up helping the houthis and their patrons in tehran. despite the air str

sense where the iranian vessels moved in, where they can get those alleged weapons to the hands of rebels. the standoff is taking place and it is a sizable one. right now about 12 u.s. navy vessels, including a u.s. aircraft carrier, as well as nine suspected iranian ships. among those ships, the freighters carrying the suspected weapons, but also you have iranian navy vessels. in addition to the u.s. presence, there are also members of the coalition that include egypt, saudi arabia uae, so you get a look at how explosive this situation could possibly be. all of this is happening against the backdrop of resumed talks in geneva regarding the iranian nuclear question. those talks have begun today. there's also been some diplomat diplomatic movements, as well with both sides making statements in recent days that are of tremendous interest. the obama administration signaling there could be front loading sanctions if iran come plies with its nuclear commitment and the iranian foreign minister zarif, saying it is time for a wholistic approach to addressing some of these issues in the entire region including yemen, as well as syria, but the situation particularly now that's unf

and this in response to this iranian, the iranian navy firing on and detaining a cargo ship, the maersk tigress, flagged in the marshall islands but flagged by the company maersk. this is 10-year-old legal dispute with maersk. the u.s. officials say iranians, this is harrassment on part of the iranians over u.s. support for saudi-led campaign against the houthi rebels backed by iran and yemen. just recall last friday iranian patrol boats circled a u.s.-flagged cargo ships in the straits. those patrol boats later went away after circling the cargo ship. u.s. responded by sending a destroyer, the uss fair a gut, to the i straits to monitor the situation. now the u.s. is formally announcing it will accompany u.s. cargo ships through the straits in response to the iranian actions. ashley and cheryl. ashley: peter, thank you very much. >> okay. >> as unrest in baltimore continues, more cities across the country joined this solidarity. more than 100 protesters. last night n boston they held a peaceful march. in san diego, hundreds of protesters take to the streets. ashley: let's head to rich

iranians shoot at and seize as cargo ship in the strait of hormuz. the very latest what the u.s. navynd ships like that are doing about it next. >>> ford motor company still waiting for the full effect of the revamped f-150 sales to boost the bottom line. ford cfo on when it will kick into gear. he gives a time limit coming up. the real question that needs to be asked is "what is it that we can do that is impactful?" what the cloud enables is computing to empower cancer researchers. it used to take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome; with the microsoft cloud we can analyze 100 per day. whatever i can do to help compute a cure for cancer, that's what i'd like to do. liz: shots fired in the persian gulf. major developments in the standoff against iran. a u.s. naval destroyer is steaming towards the strait of hormuz where iran shot at and seize ad cargo ship today. the pentagon calling it provocation. what happens next, former u.s. ambassador to the united nations, john bolton. ambassador, this is more than a standoff. iranians fired on a commercial ship. now what? >> they ordere

take a listen to the head of the -- commander of the iranian navy speaking to cnn. >> translator: we don't let anyone give us warnings and threats because we're working to international law and regulations and we work for the security of our country and other countries. >> i think in addition to trying to keep the waters off yemen calm is also with the show of force to reassure gulf allies the u.s. will have their back when it comes to iran and the region. very concerned about this nuclear deal and will give iran a green light for iran to flex its muscle and cause more instability. u.s. is saying don't worry, we're negotiating with iran but we're not taking the eye off the ball in relation to the other behavior including in yemen. >> leaseelise labott reporting live for us this morning. some say the latest tension is a symptom of failed policies. clearly the white house is in a tough position. let's go back to the white house and michelle kosinski. tell us more. >> it's disturbing to see this happening while the u.s. and allies are trying to negotiate this nuclear deal with iran. the

. >> and the iranian navy chief talked about the warnings against his ship. what did he say? >> he said we don't take warnings from other countries. we act in the interest of our countries and our allied countries. but he said those ships were there to keep trade routes open. but of course the suspicion is they're up to other things. we know iran has armed the houthi rebels in yemen. so it's not a pie in the sky possibility. >> let's talk about the timeline of all this. when are the iranian skips scheduled to reach yemen? >> we don't know. it's a decision to be made by iran as well do those ships carry on and you have to read these movements of american ships. a u.s. aircraft carrier there as a visible warning as to whether they let the iranian ships proceed. so this is one of those high-seas, high stakes gambles particularly in light of the sensitive negotiations going on over the nuclear program. >> high stakes indeed. thank you very much. >>> italian authorities have arrested two alleged human traffickers who themselves were survivors of a naval disaster that's already on

carrier force and iranian navy, could this lead to war?nians want to deliver surface-to-air missiles to houthi rebels in yemen which they could blow saudi aircraft out of the sky. will the u.s. use force to prevent iran from delivering those missiles. peter, what do you think? >> i think the administration is in really a tough spot right now and they're not saying exactly what it is they want to do. the military is saying we moved the carrier into the place to give us options. what options are they? they're not saying. the state department says well, they're not there to actively board any iranian ships. on the other hand it is not clear they won't be there to board ships later. that might become their purpose. and so given the talks are ongoing with iran over the nuclear deal, this is a really difficult spot for the administration. they don't want to be in a shooting war but they also have got to do something or feel they do and put up a show of force. david: carrey, it is relatively simple. these are surface-to-air missiles, if they deli

today, it sailed to bandar abbas, the iranian navy's main port.n new york, foreign minister javad zarif insisted iran is not trying to be provocative. >> for us, the persian gulf is our lifeline and nothing is more important for us than freedom of navigation in those waters and we are committed to it and we will respect freedom of navigation. >> woodruff: the ship sails under the flag of the marshall islands. the iranian government said there's a court judgment against the company that chartered the vessel. >> ifill: back in this country, capital punishment was back before the u.s. supreme court. the justices heard arguments on whether a drug used in several botched lethal injections, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. separately, the court upheld state laws that bar elected judges from personally soliciting campaign contributions. 30 states have such laws. >> woodruff: california governor jerry brown today ordered the state's greenhouse gas emissions to be slashed 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. brown called it "the most aggressive benchmark

now with regard to what is happening in the persian gulf, with the iranian navy, firing on these shipsargo ships what are the iranians up there to, senator? >> well, like you say the iranians continue to expand their empire. they can't be trusted they can't be trusted certainly by us. they are continuing to try to expand their influence in the area. we know they're involved in gaza in lebanon, in syria. we know they're on the ground with the troops in iraq. they continue to expand and in yemen as well. that is their goal to become a world power and i think that's a very significant threat to america. bill: well you know, yesterday, tehran government said they were fighting off pirates. who knows what the truth is there. ralph peters last hour told martha this is in direct response to what is happening on behalf of saudi arabia. is that the way this web is now woven? >> well, it does make you wonder sunni versus shia axis that is developing there and what iran is doing in yemen surrounding saudi arabia. they have great concerns, which is one of my concerns as well. i visited saudi arabi

iranians reacting without some military capacity. there have been a series of shall we say, independent flagships from panama, liberia that have been intercepted by the american navyed in iran, that's a whole different story. >> the fact that the negotiations between the united states plus five and iran is scheduled to resume tomorrow. >> indeed. isn't it iranic that as we try to negotiate what is a framework agreement, the iranians are doing everything they can to destabilize the southern arabian peninsula and we argue to ourselves, so to speak, we cannot bring these issues up as part of the nuclear negotiations. that's the straightjacket we've put ourselves in. for me i would tend to want to argue that anything that's happening insofar as iran interfering with u.s. interests, that should be part of the negotiations. >> i mean imagine if tomorrow or the day after there is some confrontation between american ships and iranian ships trying to bring, you know weapons to yemen. i mean is that not discussed? is that not something you mention when you're meeting with them face-to-face? >> well i would hope some i hope that secretary kerry and his negotiators would be d

, if you look at what's happened with the united states in iran i have been there watching the iranian navyt of 20 years. they are very untrustworthy and i think the secretary of state needs to put them on notice and continue to put them on notice. >> captain, last september president obama said that in fighting isis he would use the same anti-terror strategy that he employed in yemen which he then called a model of success. in fact two weeks ago the white house insisted it's still a model of success. i don't know how that can be given that yemen is now a wreck. what does that say about president obama? >> well, i served in the bush administration. i think we had it right with regard to the counter terrorism strategy. we looked at what type of robust capability we needed to basically have a good counter terrorism information informed strategy. unfortunately, we lost our posture in yemen. we don't have the same capabilities we once had. we shifted things off into djibouti and other places in the region so the president needs to look at the capability and capacity to conduct counter terrorism