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U.S., E.U. Lift Actions on Iran; Journalist Describes Torture in Iranian Prison; Programs Educating Migrants on Treatment of Women; Nations Mourn 28 Killed in Terror Siege; Taiwan Elects First Female President; Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired January 17, 2016 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Approval from the IAEA. U.S. and European sanctions on Iran are lifted as part of the nuclear deal on the same day that five U.S. prisoners in Iran are told they can finally go home.

And in Jakarta, more arrests stemming from Thursday's deadly terror attack at a Starbucks coffee.

It's all ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you for joining us. We're live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

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ALLEN: And we begin with Iran and the thaw in relations with the United States. The U.S. and the European Union have lifted economic sanctions against Iran. The move comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency announced Tehran has complied so far with the deal to restrict its nuclear program.

The Iranian president lauded what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As far as JCPOA is concerned, all the parties are happy with the exception of designists and the warmongers and those who are causing disunity amongst Islamic omah (ph) and also the American hardliners and extremists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: And with the removal of the sanctions and the approval of Iran staying away from its nuclear goals, almost simultaneously with that Iran released five American prisoners.

Four of them were exchanged for seven Iranians held in the U.S. A fifth American, a journalist, was freed as part of a separate deal.

From all of this, let's turn to Fred Pleitgen. He joins us now from Landstuhl, Germany, where the freed Americans will be landing for a medical checkup. Hello, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Natalie. And of course this is the main U.S. military hospital outside of America, the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. We do expect at least four of those Americans, including "The Washington Post" reporter, Jason Rezaian, at some point today, to be traveling to here.

Now it's unclear how long all of that is going to take. The most recent information that we've been getting is that apparently a plane that was supposed to take them out of Iran has not taken off yet. It's unclear what the holdup is at this point in time.

Once they would take off from Tehran, if they were to fly directly here to this area, it would take them about five hours, maybe 4.5 hours. It's unclear whether or not there might be some sort of landing in between.

And then they would, indeed, be brought here to the Landstuhl Medical Center to get medical checkups, to possibly get treatment because, remember, some of them have been in custody for a very long amount of time.

Jason Rezaian, about one and a half years; Amir Hekmati for over four years. He was in Iran custody, unclear how good the medical care that they would have gotten there would have been.

Now that fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, he is the only one who, at this point in time apparently, has already left Iran. And remember, his case was separate to the four others, to Jason Rezaian, Emir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and then a fourth man called Nosratollah Khosravi. That was a separate deal. The Iranians let him go and he's apparently already boarded a flight to leave Iran.

So it's unclear when they will be arriving here. But at this point in time, it looks like all of this could happen very soon, that they could be on that flight to finally come to freedom and their first station would almost certainly be here at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center -- Natalie.

ALLEN: And their families have been reacting with quotes and interviews in the U.S. And I'm sure they can't wait to see them. Of course they can't.

Well, let's talk about how this release, correlated with this announcement from the IAEA, Fred, and give us a little more details about what it means with these sanctions being just taken back from Iran.

PLEITGEN: Yes, it certainly means a lot. One of the things that's interesting is that Secretary of State Kerry said that certainly the release of these four Americans and then, on the other side, of course, the clemency for those seven Iranians was something that really happened on the sidelines of the nuclear negotiations, something that was facilitated. I've been hearing that as well from being in Iran over the past couple

of months. There were a lot of Iranians in the military, who were telling me, listen, at the very least what this process has done is that it's forced the U.S. and Iran to sit down and talk about tough issues together.

And the fact that they were able to do that has opened channels of communication and certainly the release of these four Americans was one of those side effects of those channels of communication. Those 10 U.S. sailors that were recently released also, of course, were possible because these channels were there.

Now the Iranians hope for very quick sanctions relief, Natalie. They hope that some $30-50 billion --

[03:05:00]

PLEITGEN: -- in assets that are frozen overseas will be unfrozen. They hope to be able to get back on the international oil markets as fast as possible, want to pump some 500,000 additional barrels per day into the international oil market.

Of course, with the oil price being what it is, there are some who fear that that could make the oil price even lower.

But the most important thing for Iranian businesses, many tell us, is the fact that Iran is going to be able to do financial transactions internationally, electronic banking, banking overseas. That's something they haven't been able to do.

If you were a business man wanting to do business in Iran, up until now, you had to come there with a sack full of money. That's going to change and that's going to make it a lot easier for companies to invest -- Natalie.

ALLEN: All right, absolutely. All right. We'll wait and talk with you again when you get word that the freed Americans have arrived there in Landstuhl. Fred Pleitgen for us live, thank you.

One American presumed to still be in Iran is not among those coming home. Robert Levenson, a former FBI agent and a CIA contractor, vanished after visiting Iran in 2007. Iranian officials have denied any knowledge of his location.

Levenson's family released a statement, saying, "We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levenson has been left behind. We are devastated."

Earlier CNN spoke with Roxana Saberi, a journalist held in Iran in 2009. She says every prisoner's experience is different and some may have been tortured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANA SABERI, JOURNALIST, FORMER IRANIAN PRISONER: Most often when prisoners are put into jail in Iran, for the first several days, you undergo intense interrogation. You'll be put in solitary confinement most of the time. And that could last weeks or months; for some people, it has lasted years.

Some people experience physical torture. I did not. I was under a lot of psychological pressure or something that's been called white torture which doesn't leave a mark on your body but it can devastate your mind and your conscience. That's a combination of being put in isolation and being told that you committed crimes you didn't commit and being pressured to confess to those things.

So they're very good at trying to rob you of your dignity. And that can be difficult. I hope that these men who are going to be freed, that their path ahead, they'll be able to sort through some of these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: But Israel says it's keeping close watch on Tehran as U.S. and Iranian officials praise each other over the milestone in this nuclear deal.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran still has ambitions to acquire a nuclear weapon and he adds Israel will report any violation of the nuclear agreement.

You could probably count on that happening.

For more on the Israeli reaction, CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us live from Jerusalem.

Hi, there, Oren.

What else are we hearing from Benjamin Netanyahu?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Natalie.

Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's to the implementation date, of the lifting of sanctions, was much more measured than his criticism has been since nearly the beginning, where he has blasted this deal.

Instead of blasting it this time, he says it's now incumbent upon the international community, the powers in the IAEA, to make sure that Iran sticks to the deal, that they don't violate the agreements or the conditions of this deal and that they don't try to get nuclear weapons outside or in secret.

He says they are still trying to attain nuclear weapons and to develop nuclear weapons. And he warns about that. He also says in a short statement released last night after the announcement that Iran has met its conditions, that Israel will still maintain its security and do what is necessary to defend itself.

That could be a reference to a statement he and other Israeli politicians have made in the past, which is that all options are on the table for Israel at this point. So, again, a measured response to this and his responses have

essentially scaled back from the all-out criticism of the deal ever since the deal itself was signed. Now it seems Prime Minister Netanyahu more focusing on the future, perhaps even the relations between Israel and the U.S. following this deal.

ALLEN: Yes. It's very interesting because he certainly was irate leading up to this, that the U.S. and the E.U. were considering this with Iran.

What about other politicians there in Israel, Oren?

Many of them have been harsh with the criticism of it from the start.

Are they changing their stance now?

LIEBERMANN: Not at all. Many of the other politicians we've heard from or have spoken with have blasted the deal, essentially have picked up where Prime Minister Netanyahu left off.

Israeli politician Yair Lapid said Iran is still trying to destabilize the region, still trying, he says, to spread its global network of terror. We saw a similar statement from Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon.

So there, the criticism hasn't let up at all, blasting Iran and warning of what Iran or what they say Iran intends to do with the lifting of sanctions and with the money that will now be heading towards the Iranian government -- Natalie.

ALLEN: All right. Oren Liebermann, live for us there in Jerusalem, thank you.

Well, let's remind all of you that it has taken years of diplomacy to reach this point. Between 2006 and --

[03:10:00]

ALLEN: -- 2010, the U.N. Security Council passed six different resolutions targeting Iran's nuclear program.

In 2013, the P5+1 countries, the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, reached an interim deal calling on the country to limit its nuclear activities in return for lighter sanctions while a long- term agreement was negotiated.

Talks were extended until April of last year, when a framework agreement was finally reached.

And then in July, the U.S. and Iran agreed to the nuclear deal during a final meeting in Vienna.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, with more migrants arriving every day in Europe, officials are trying to prepare refugees for jarring cultural differences, especially when it comes to the treatment of women. We'll have more on that coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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ALLEN: The International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 24,000 migrants have arrived in Europe since the start of this year -- 24,000. That only counts those arriving by sea, of course a dangerous route that has claimed thousands of lives. These refugees could have suffered the same fate after being shipwrecked off the coast of Greece but all 48 of them were rescued by emergency responders.

They just keep coming.

And "The New York Times" reports that there are programs now in Europe helping migrants adjust, adapt to their new Western homes and the new culture. Norway has an education program that places particular emphasis on educating male migrants about the perception and treatment of women.

Many of the men coming from societies which segregate men and women and, of course, women must cover up in public in those societies.

Andreas Capjon is a education leader with the group Hero Norge and he joins me now via Skype to talk about these programs.

Andreas, thanks for joining us. I want to talk first about how you're going about this. Western women, of course, can dress as they like. do what they want, quite different from these strict cultures that restrict women.

How does your education program help people, especially men, adjust from these countries?

ANDREAS CAPJON, HERO NORGE: Well, first of all, we call the program together for security and we work in those groups in addressing both the raised awareness about sexual norms and codes in Norway but also we invite the silent seekers themselves to take active part in securing their own local communities and, thus, their own good reputation.

ALLEN: Well, the reason behind your --

[03:15:00]

ALLEN: -- education program, for the most part, though, is for them to understand the rights of women in Western culture, right, and to prevent possible sexual violence or other violence.

What kinds of things do you talk about in these sessions and what's their response?

CAPJON: Well, their dialogue groups, we start off with the participants' own experiences, for example, when it comes to relations with Norwegian women out in town, for example.

So it could be how to -- how to -- how to understand the new dress codes that they see, how to understand that they see couples kissing in the street; maybe they have even kissed in the streets themselves with a Norwegian girl.

What does that mean?

Is that an invitation to sex or not?

So we have discussions around that in the group. And then we have also prepared, you know, more of a teaching on that. Well, that a Norwegian girl does not invite to sex necessarily just by kissing in the street. And then from there on we get into the Norwegian law on the topic.

ALLEN: Right. And you also talk about the fact that religion doesn't set the laws in Norway and that's something different.

CAPJON: That is so. We do.

ALLEN: And some people, though, are criticizing this education program.

Why is that?

CAPJON: Well, it is a difficult topic to raise, because if you are saying that you address this with the group of asylum seekers, you might also say that they are potential perpetrators and that is a criticism we meet.

Well, for us, we actually do not see them as potential perpetrators but we approach them as potential resources with whom we can stand together for security.

And we invite them to take care of their good reputation, because they are all aware of that and they want to keep a good reputation. So we say, OK, take part in securing your local communities here. Stop situations when you see them from escalating into something that may be perceived as sexual harassment.

ALLEN: Well, as we said, 24,000 migrants and refugees have already arrived by boat this year alone. So -- and they're coming to a brand new world, so thank you for talking about your program again. Andreas Capjon with Hero Norge in Norway, thank you.

Well, there are growing fears that a key Western ally in the fight against Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups has now become the latest battleground for militants. That ally: Burkina Faso, a peaceful country in Africa.

It's now mourning the deaths of 28 people killed when gunmen opened fire at a hotel and a cafe in the capital Friday. The victims were mainly Western, from 18 countries, and include an American charity worker and a 9-year-old Ukrainian girl.

CNN's Robyn Kriel has more on how the attack unfolded and why this hotel in particular was targeted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The upmarket Splendid Hotel and Cafe Cappuccino were the scenes of the hostage scene that lasted more than 12 hours in downtown Ouagadougou Friday night. Islamic extremist gunmen stormed the venues, killing people from at least 18 different countries.

Burkina Faso's special forces launched a counterassault late Friday night to rescue the hostages. They killed four attackers, in which Burkina Faso government officials say two were women.

Troops rescued around 126 hostages. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for the attack. It's the same group responsible for a similar attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, in November, where 22 people were killed by gunmen.

Security specialists say the Islamic militant group based in Mali would take advantage of Burkina Faso's porous borders and its good relations with Western nations, such as France and the U.S., to stage deadly attacks like this, targeting foreigners and expanding their military activities -- Robyn Kriel, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Indonesian police have arrested 12 people in connection with Thursday's deadly attack in Central Jakarta. Three people were killed when a suicide bomber and multiple gunmen launched an attack in front of a Starbucks coffee shop.

According to Indonesia's police chief, one of the 12 suspects received a money transfer from the alleged organizer back in Syria and that organizer is named Bahrun Naim. Investigators believe that the money was to finance Thursday's attack.

Tsai Ing-wen: you'll be hearing more about that name.

[03:20:00]

ALLEN: She has become Taiwan's first female president. We'll talk about what her victory means for relations with China -- next.

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ALLEN: A new political era is about to begin in Taiwan. Voters elected their first female president. Tsai Ing-wen heads up the Democratic Progressive Party, a stark contrast to the nationalist party that preceded her. Despite that, she says she'll keep the peace with China. Kristie Lu Stout is in Taipei for us.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stella Han (ph) works in Shanghai as a consultant but she flew back to Taiwan just to cast her ballot for change.

STELLA HAN (PH), TAIWAN RESIDENT: I was already working in Shanghai for six years. But I think the election is important to Taiwan and I want -- still want to be -- to feel connected to Taiwan.

STOUT (voice-over): She is one of scores of Taiwan citizens who have returned home for the vote, many pinning their hopes on this woman.

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STOUT (voice-over): A landslide victory for Tsai Ing-wen of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party or DPP, she's known as Dr. Tsai, after completing a Ph.D. at the London school of economics.

Dr. Tsai is staring down an array of challenges: a stagnating economy and an uphill battle to find a way to work with China while asserting Taiwan's own identity. Many voters were angered by this viral video, a Taiwan pop star forced to bow and apologize after waving the Taiwan flag at a recent performance.

HUNG-WEI LEE, DPP SUPPORTER: Because this election is very important for Taiwanese land, we choose -- we want to come close to China or we want to be a Taiwanese.

STOUT: And what do you want?

LEE: I want to be a Taiwanese. That's the reason why I voted DPP, for the president.

STOUT: So as the next president of Taiwan, what do you plan to do to assert Taiwan's identity on the world stage?

TSAI ING-WEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF TAIWAN (through translator): This incident serves as a reminder to me, that the most important thing for Taiwan is the unity and the strength of the country. Only through strength can we gain more respect and protect our people and our democratic way of life.

STOUT (voice-over): Taiwan First sentiment has fueled a rising youth movement. The Third Force Party's had a strong showing at the parliamentary polls. They are led by, among others, Huang Kuo-chang, an activist who stormed and occupied the parliament building in 2014, and death metal rocker Freddie Lin.

Colorful candidates in a boisterous election that is in sharp contrast to the one-party state next door.

STOUT: Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and it's a young one, too. This year, 2016, marks 20 years since Taiwan elected its first president.

STOUT (voice-over): After casting her vote, Stella Han (ph) flies back to Shanghai on Sunday. She says it was --

[03:25:00]

STOUT (voice-over): -- well worth the trip -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Well, Derek is here to talk about a tropical cyclone that is in the South Pacific but it doesn't show signs of weakening.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It does not show signs of weakening. In fact, it's going to strengthen very quickly over the next 24 to 48 hours. Fortunately, not a very populated part of the world. But nonetheless, it is still impacting places like the Cook Islands into French Polynesia, perhaps the American Samoa as well, areas that are very popular with tourists.

ALLEN: Yes, beautiful.

VAN DAM: Beautiful part of the world as well.

This is the seventh tropical storm of the season which typically lasts from November to March. Here it is. Welcome Tropical Cyclone Victor. This is a satellite loop of the storm. We'll zoom in a little closer. You can see Pago Pago, that is the capital of American Samoa. And you can start to see the well-defined eye that's forming within the center of the storm, just east of Fiji and to the north and east of the Tonga region.

This storm is set to progress and intensify as we go forward over the next 24 hours. It could become equivalent to a category 4 Atlantic hurricane with winds in excess of 200 kilometers per hour quite easily. So we'll monitor that very closely. Fortunately, again, not in a very populated part of the world.

(WEATHER REPORT)

VAN DAM: The Colima volcano in Southwestern Mexico has erupted once again. It's erupted about 30 times since the 16th century.

But nonetheless, still a beautiful spectacle to be seen. Take a look at some of this footage coming out of that area; that's, of course, a time lapse of the video, Natalie. This is a stratovolcano. It's characterized by that tall conical shape and quite a sight. Fortunately, it doesn't pose any harm to the individuals there.

ALLEN: Look at that. There it goes. My goodness. Beautiful.

All right. Well, we want to end here with a little sea turtle success story. More than 100 sea turtles in the U.S. have released back into the wild. They were nursed back to health after suffering from hypothermia, brought on by a drastic drop in water temperature where they were found.

After spending some time in rehab, the turtles were released. They're going to go down that chute.

Oh, that's so cute -- into warmer water, there goes another one. Oh, the kids are getting to do it, too, off the coast of North Carolina. And let's see if we can see one more. VAN DAM: I've seen sea turtles make the walk from the beach into the

ocean. It is one of the most spectacular things.

ALLEN: Love it. Yes, me, too.

Thanks for watching. Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT" is next.