'Combat ineffective': Leavitt says Iranian Navy is 'COMPLETELY WIPED OUT'

And we begin this Sunday morning with the war on Iran escalating. Just as Secretary of War Pete Hexath warned on Friday, the amount of firepower above Iran is about to surge dramatically. On this day nine of Operation Epic Fury, even as Iran's leadership has already been wiped out and its military capabilities degraded following US and Israeli strikes, President Trump says there will be no deal with Iran without unconditional complete surrender. Even as Iran continues to lash out at neighboring Gulf countries and maritime traffic through the straight of Hormuz grinds nearly to a halt, pushing the price of oil higher. The Trump administration has enacted a 20 billion reinsurance program for oil tankers and other ships to get traffic moving once again through this vital waterway where 20% of the world's oil is transported every day. Crude oil closed above $90 a barrel on Friday. It is up 27% just in the last two one week as China feels the impact. It buys the bulk of Iran's oil. Some 90% China buys from Iran. Now political strategists are worrying whether the war and its impact will collide with the president's efforts to re inflation just before the midterm elections where the economy and affordability is most important to voters. Joining me now in this Sunday Morning Futures exclusive is the White House press secretary Caroline Levit. Caroline, it's great to have you this morning. Thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having me, Maria. Great to see you. And of course, as the impact of this war is affecting American citizens and consumers through the increase in the price of oil, the president needs to walk a balance here. What is the president expecting to do to reign in those prices right now where we are watching and waiting for those midterm elections in November? Well, the president is watching everything both abroad through the demolition of the rogue Iranian regime through EP operation epic fury and of course here at home and President Trump can walk and chew gum at the same time. You saw him this past week at the White House hosting a rateayer prote protection pledge roundt with big tech companies, AI companies to talk about how they are picking up the cost of electricity bills bill uh bills across the country and American communities to drive down costs. The president uh inherited the worst affordability crisis in our nation's history from Joe Biden. And look at the progress he has made in the course of the past year. Now, with respect to what's happening with gas prices right now, this is a short-term disruption for the long-term gain of taking out the rogue Iranian terrorist regime and finally ending their restriction of the free flow of energy in the Middle East and in the Strait of Hermoose. And even with this short-term period throughout Operation Epic Fury, the president and his energy team are on the ball. They've announced political risk insurance for cargo vessels and oil ships that are going to be moving through the straight. They've announced that the US Navy, if and when necessary, will escort those tankers to ensure that oil can move. The president is also tapping into our newfound market in Venezuela where again there were a lot of panicins about that military operation and look at the success. We are working in a cooperative manner with the interim authorities to bring that oil into the market as expeditiously as possible. And so again, this is a short-term disruption. We're seeing a a slight increase in oil and gas prices, but ultimately taking out the rogue Iranian regime is going to be a good thing for the oil indust industry and those prices are going to come back down just like they have over the course of the past year because of President Trump's American energy dominance agenda. Yeah, I know that this was a major priority for the president right off the bat coming up with that reinsurance plan uh in terms of ensuring that you can get traffic moving at a regular pace once again in the straight of Hormuz. But oil executives are telling me that more security is needed. So we want to understand specifically when we might see a letup here. It feels like the Iranians are threatening the US saying, "Yeah, come to the straight. We welcome you to actually ramp up the fight. Well, the Iranians are making a lot of threats with their words, but if you look at their actions with their with respect to their military, uh they're not as strong or powerful as they were nine days ago. That is for sure. We have completely uh wiped out their navy. Their navy is now deemed combat ineffective. Um their retalatory strikes with ballistic missiles has decreased 90%. And as their attacks are decreasing, the power and prowess of the US military is increasing. And so we are going to continue to completely obliterate the rogue Iranian regime and ensure that they can never possess a nuclear weapon, that their ballistic missiles can no longer threaten US personnel and our assets in the region. And the mere fact that Iran is now pointing the the capabilities at their Gulf partners in the region who have tried to remain neutral and at peace with them for many years. They're targeting civilians. It just underscores the point that this operation was necessary not just to protect the American people and our assets and troops and bases in the region, but also to ensure a truly safe and prosperous Middle East for the rest of the world. And President Trump is the first president in nearly five decades to actually have the courage to do this and he should be commended for it. >> Yeah. And and the president had an interesting exchange on Air Force One over the weekend. Caroline, I want to get your take about this idea of troops on the ground. Mothers out there are worried that we're going to have a draft, that they're going to see their sons get in and and daughters get involved in this. What do you want to say about the president's plans for troops on the ground? As we know, it's been largely an air campaign up until now. >> It has been and it will continue to be. And President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table. I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly, but the president as commander-in-chief wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. Uh it's not part of the current plan right now, but the president again wisely keeps his options on the table. But as commander-in-chief, there's no greater priority or responsibility to this president than of course protecting the American people and protecting our troops and our bases in the Middle East, which Iran has been threatening for 47 years. They have killed and maimed thousands of American soldiers. And President Trump was not going to allow Iran to to attack our bases and our troops and our men and women in the Middle East first. And that's why he took this historic action by launching Operation Epic Fury. >> Yeah. I mean, the president is also trying to protect elections. So, in the middle of all of this, he is talking about the SAVE Act, Caroline. And I want to put up this tweet that the president put out uh yesterday. Uh over the weekend, he's been talking about the SAVE Act. And in this tweet, not only does he reiterate the point that you have to have ID to vote, all voters must show voter ID, all voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote, no mailin ballots except for illness, disability, military, or travels. But he also adds to this two more items. No men in women's sports. No transgender mutilation surgery for children. Caroline, you've got to explain this to us because already the president is getting push back from Democrats. They say this is dead on arrival. Why would the president want to muddy up this issue and add transgenderism and no men and women sports right now when the issue of all voters getting proof of citizenship has already been accepted by some uh Democrats like John Betterman. There should be no push back to any of the common sense proposals in the Save America Act. Let's talk about what is in this bill and what President Trump is pushing for here. mandatory voter ID in the United States of America. 90% of our country, Democrats and Republicans, support this common sense solution to secure American elections. The only people in this country who don't support that are radical left Democrats on Capitol Hill. That's number one. Number two, uh requiring US citizenship to register to vote. Another common sense measure that absolutely must be done to secure our elections and the future of our country. And with these other two ideas with no men in women's sports and with ending transgender surgeries for minor children, these are common sense proposals and policies that again are backed by the vast majority of our country. If you look at the public polling from Americans on both sides of the aisle, most Americans don't want young children to be going through gender mutilation surgeries. Most Americans don't want men competing in women's sports. These are losing uh these are winning issues for the American people. They are losing battles for politicians on Capitol Hill. And that's why all members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats need to pass the Save America Act as soon as possible. Real quick, Caroline, before you go, the president has removed Christy Gnome from the Department of Homeland Security and put in hopefully uh Mark Wayne Mullen. Will he get confirmed? The governor there in Oklahoma has to name someone on a temporary basis. We're wondering when that confirmation hearing will happen on Mark Wayne Mullen. >> Yes, we are totally confident Senator Mullen will be confirmed and we're going to work with the Senate to make sure that happens as quickly as possible. And Democrats on Capitol Hill need to fund the Department of Homeland Security. It is absolutely crucial that we get our FEMA workers paid, our TSA agents paid. President Trump has been calling on them to do this for weeks, and it's ridiculous that they're shutting down this department for blatantly political reasons. All right, Caroline, great to talk with you this morning. We so appreciate you addressing all of these issues with us this morning. White House Secretary Caroline Levit. Thank you, Caroline. Be sure to like and subscribe for all the Fox News latest on YouTube and catch full shows streaming now on Fox One.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt joins 'Sunday Morning Futures' to discuss the economic impact of Operation Epic Fury, how it could affect midterm elections as affordability remains a top priority for voters and more. Don’t just watch Fox News—be part of it. Become a Fox News Patriot today. https://youtube.com/foxnews/join Subscribe to Fox News: https://bit.ly/2vBUvAS Watch more Fox News Video: http://video.foxnews.com Watch Fox News Channel Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ Download the Fox News app: https://foxnews.onelink.me/xLDS/cd5yhg3o FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most-watched television news channel for 18 consecutive years. According to a 2020 Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index report, FOX News is the top brand in the country for morning and evening news coverage. A 2019 Suffolk University poll named FOX News as the most trusted source for television news or commentary, while a 2019 Brand Keys Emotion Engagement Analysis survey found that FOX News was the most trusted cable news brand. A 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey also found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News was the top-cited outlet. Owned by FOX Corporation, FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre. Watch full episodes of your favorite shows The Five: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/the-five Special Report with Bret Baier: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/special-report Jesse Watters Primetime: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/jesse-watters-primetime Hannity: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/hannity The Ingraham Angle: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/ingraham-angle Gutfeld!: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/gutfeld Fox News @ Night: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/fox-news-night Follow Fox News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoxNews/ Follow Fox News on X: https://x.com/foxnews Follow Fox News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxnews/