British ambassador on White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and reopening Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Sir Christian Turner, the British Ambassador to the United States, spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday following a shooting outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was taking place.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were whisked off the stage by Secret Service agents as the sound of gunfire sent dinner attendees ducking under tables.

The suspect is in custody. He has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance California, multiple sources told CBS News.

He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives, and is believed to have acted alone, police said.

According to Brennan, Ambassador Turner had received a lot of " security training for unstable countries" where he has been posted as a professional diplomat over the course of his career, prompting her to ask if he ever imagined he would have to put them to use, to which the ambassador said:

"The training I've had in some of those places I've been actually kicks in last night, you basically do what you're told and let the professional security folk do what they do. And I think it was one of my big takeaways last night. I think it was a...I'm with the people who say it was a success story. The Secret Service absolutely did what they needed to, not only that, but seeing actually all the journalists in the room and their training kicking in in a weekend that is all about the freedom of the press. I'm full of admiration for the way people responded last night."

Brennan followed up by asking if it was safe for King Charles and Queen Camilla to speak to Congress and visit the White House in light of the shooting, and Turner said:

"We respond to that professional advice. I'm currently planning to be welcoming their Majesties tomorrow. But of course, our team has been in touch way through the night, and we'll be through the day to see whether the events of last night have any change in our operational planning. And I'm very confident that their Majesties will have the very best security throughout the visit."

During the interview, Brennan and Turner talked about the U.K. convening with other European countries to try and figure out what to do with the Strait of Hormuz after the war is over.

This led Brennan to ask Turner, who is said to know the Iran file quite well and was previously a negotiator, what his assessment on who's running Iran right now and whether the world sees an end to the conflict anytime soon, and Turner said:

"So, it's difficult in in Tehran, there are clearly some divisions. You pointed to that initial disagreement before the war, but since then, actually, the U.K. has been doing a lot. We were using our bases for defensive strikes. We've flown something like 2000 sorties with aircraft in the Middle East shooting down drones and missiles to protect our allies every night, in very close coordination with the US. And, of course, our intelligence base, we don't talk about it much, but it's the absolute foundation of of so much that is that is going on. We share the same intent, the same policy as the U.S. We want to constrain this regime and its threat. We want the straits open again...once the straits are open, to ensure that the navigation we need has got the assurance of a whole package of boats, of drones, of intelligence to be able to make sure that shipping goes through. Because that's what American citizens need. That's what British citizens need. The people of Asia need. The global economy is suffering, and we want to see that resolved."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Turner, click here.