Overview
- An aide cut in at 10:22 a.m. ET telling him “The president wants you right away,” and he returned around 12:02–12:07 p.m.
- Upon returning, he said “the president is in great spirits” and that the “Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule.”
- He described the meeting only as covering “a plethora of things,” and the White House has not offered a public readout.
- He suggested the U.S. Navy, possibly with partners, could escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz once it is “militarily possible,” and said no mines have been detected.
- He put U.S. costs at roughly $11 billion and declined to say there was any price point that would prompt him to press the president to curb spending.