[Sciutto:] The U.S. claims it has images of Iranian commercial vessels carrying missiles. CNN has not reviewed the intelligence itself which has led to this assessment. This as the President continues to try to ease tensions with Iran, reportedly informing his acting Defense Secretary, Patrick Shanahan, he does not want to go to war. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins me now with the details. And it seems, Barbara, that the key question was there here was, okay, there were missiles on these Iranian small boats in the Gulf. The question is the reading of that intelligence, were those in response to the U.S. force buildup or were they an indication that Iran planned to carry out its own offensive attack? So what do we know?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, a number of U.S. officials we have spoken to over the last ten days to two weeks that all of this has been going on say it was actually getting that intelligence, those images that they say they have, of missiles on boats that led to their alarm. Once they saw that, they became very concerned that this put Iranian missiles in position within range of being able to fire upon U.S. bases in the Middle East and put U.S. troops at risk. We haven't heard much from Iran about this specific event, missiles on boats. But, you know, this is the kind of thing that becomes very worrisome because Iran would then be showing both a capability and a potential intention. A lot of skeptics, Jim. Congress is being briefed more and more over the next several days. They want to see the intelligence firsthand. And it really gets to this very point. Was this really just routine business by the Iranian militias and forces or was this something out of the ordinary? Did it indicate a potential intent to attack U.S. troops in the region?
[Sciutto:] Well, one of the odd things is it seems the President's in the skeptical camp too, at least about how to react to it. Barbara Starr, always good to have you there at the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister on a visit to Japan said there was, quote, no possibility for negotiations with the U.S. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, is in Tehran. And the reason this is important, Fred, is because part of this maximum pressure campaign from the U.S. and by the Trump administration is intended to force Iran to renegotiate the existing nuclear deal that the U.S. pulled out of, but it sounds like Iran is calling that bluff and say, no, we're not going to renegotiate.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] I think you have it absolutely right, Jim. I think they're absolutely calling the White House's bluff. And I think that the folks here in Iran, the leadership here Iran, they really feel as though the Trump administration blinked on all of this, obviously sending an aircraft carrier, sending B-52 Bombers into the region. And now with President Trump is saying he wants to create some sort of or insinuate that he wants to create some sort of backchannel. I think the Iranians feel like they have the upper hand at the moment. It's quite an interesting atmosphere here in Tehran, because we were thinking after this week of tensions with the aircraft carrier being sent over, that you would have really fiery Friday prayers here in Tehran, really fiery Anti-American Friday prayers, but it really didn't happen. So what we're seeing is the Iranians not trying to inflame the situation, but at the same time, really remaining steadfast. As you've said, they don't want any negotiations, they're saying, until there's some sort of sanctions relief, until European companies and other companies can do business here again without having to face American backlash. They keep saying they want America to go back into the nuclear agreement. But I don't think that even the leadership in Iran thinks that with the current administration, if that's something that's going to be a possibility. At the same time, you also do have tough talks coming from Iranian generals. In fact, overnight, there was one general who came out and said, if there is an escalation, if shots are fired, that Iran would deliver a crushing blow, as he said, to American interests in the Middle East. So that bellicose rhetoric is still there. As far as those missiles are concerned, I haven't heard much in the way of reaction from the Iranians. But one interesting nugget that we did pick up, Iran's Ambassador to the U.N., he came out and he said, look, we're not preparing for any sort of conflict, but we want to be prepared if there is a conflict. So that might have something to do with that as well, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Well, always good to have you on the ground covering this only way CNN can. Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, thanks very much. Authorities in California say a malfunction caused an F-16 fighter jet to crash into a warehouse. The plane crashed just off the runway at March Air Force Base in Southern California, that's the warehouse there, this on Thursday. The pilot was on a training mission. The pilot ejected moments before impact, granted, he's safe. Five people on the ground were injured. The pilot was taken to the hospital to be checked out but has only minor injuries. Well, democrats may be looking at a subpoena now for Michael Flynn. Why they may want the former National Security Adviser to testify under oath before Congress.