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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Next Round Of Talks With U.S. Expected Monday In Pakistan; Iran Says Strait Of Hormuz Is Open Amid U.S. Blockade Of Its Ports; Trump Says U.S. Blockade Of Ports Will End When Peace Deal Signed; The Atlantic Reports New Details On FBI Director Kash Patel; Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Is Interviewed About Iran Says Strait Of Hormuz Is Open As U.S. Blockades Ports; "Weed 8: Women & Weed" Premieres Sunday 8P ET. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired April 17, 2026 - 20:00   ET

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

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): And when NATO went head-to-head with a Ukrainian drone unit in exercises last year, just 10 Ukrainian drone operators defeated a force of thousands, destroying more than a dozen armored vehicles. That was just an exercise.

You feel like you're playing catch up to some degree?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't say we're playing catch up. I think we're using lessons learned there to drive the directions we go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: That was Jim Sciutto with that incredible report. Thanks so much for joining us. AC360 starts now.

[20:00:42]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: As the President just put it, a lot of good things are happening with Iran. And as Iranian sources tell us, the next round of peace talks now has a date and place, Monday in Pakistan.

Good evening, everyone, Boris Sanchez here in for Anderson. The news tonight is hopeful though it comes with caveats which we will get into shortly. But if you listen to what the President said on arrival into Phoenix tonight, they can be resolved in the days ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: There is reporting today that there's still, Iran says there are significant differences.

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, there could be. Let's see what happens. If there are, we'll have to straighten it out. But I don't think there's too many significant differences.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: The President went from the airport to a Turning Point USA

event, where he called this a great and brilliant day and framed upcoming peace talks as almost a foregone conclusion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we have some good news. I'll tell you about a little. Would anybody like to hear about Iran a little bit? This process should go very quickly, and that most of the points are already negotiated and agreed to. You'll be very happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The day began with Iran's Foreign Minister posting on social media, quoting him now, "In line with a cease fire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire on the coordinated route, as already announced by ports and maritime organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The President replied also on social media, "Thank you." One of more than a dozen posts on the subject from him today. He also said that Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. He told CBS news that Tehran agreed to stop backing proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. And he said, in fact, what you just heard him repeat a version of there in Phoenix that Iran had agreed to everything.

Tonight, he also repeated a claim that he made earlier that Iran would be turning over its enriched uranium, essentially for free.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The USA will get all nuclear dust. You know what the nuclear dust is? That was that white powdery substance created by our B-2 bombers, those great B-2 bombers, late one evening. Seven months ago, no money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form.

And somebody said, how are we going to get the nuclear test? We're going to get it by going in with Iran. We need the biggest excavators you can imagine, but were going to go in together with Iran. We're going to get it and were going to take it back home to the USA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, about those caveats. A senior Iranian official who's familiar with the negotiations is calling the President's claims about concessions, "alternative facts". And the one about the uranium a nonstarter.

Also, about the no money changing hands claim. Two sources tell CNN the administration is considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets as part of the ongoing talks, which would seem to be the kind of thing the President just recently slammed the Obama administration for doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: If I didn't terminate the Barack Hussein Obama Iran Nuclear

Deal, they would have had, don't forget, that was a path to a nuclear weapon. Remember when he filled up a 757 with cash, billions of dollars of cash, and he sent it over to them. Then they gave them tens of billions of dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The actual amount was $400 million and as with the $20 billion, the money is already Iran's in assets that have been frozen in the West, some of it dating back to the 1979 Revolution.

Another caveat, open or not, Iran's navy says that all transit through the Strait of Hormuz still requires its permission through a designated route that it has been charging for. And as the President said several times today, the U.S. blockade will remain in effect until a peace deal is finalized.

That said, even with all that, stock prices soared on today's news, oil prices fell sharply. And talk of what happens when the current truce expires on Wednesday were accompanied by fresh talk about fresh talks, which might not be everything, but certainly is welcome.

Starting us off tonight, CNN's chief White House correspondent and anchor of "The Source" Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, we saw the President touting progress with Iran at his rally tonight. What are your sources telling you from inside the White House?

[20:05:07]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND THE ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Theres a lot of optimism, but also some confusion coming from outside The White House, Boris, given the statements that you just laid out there. So, I think tonight, despite what the President has said, everyone is kind of in wait and see mode to see what actually plays out here over the next few hours and days and weeks, especially when it comes to something that the White House has been working on primarily over the last several days, which is the Strait of Hormuz.

Ever since that blockade went into place a little over a week ago, when the President said they were announcing the ceasefire, but they were going to have this blockade of the Iranian ports. That is obviously what a top Iranian official is disputing tonight when it comes to what the future of that's going to look like, saying if that blockade is still in place, the Strait of Hormuz is not going to be open.

And so obviously, the President has been declaring for weeks. I mean, ever since I was with him weeks ago when we were flying on Air Force One from Florida to Memphis back to Washington, that Iran had agreed to key components of what he wanted to see in order to get a deal with them. And we haven't yet gotten confirmation from Iran that they have agreed to that or seen anything.

And so, that doesn't mean it's not happening. Of course, we know that there were these talks in Islamabad over the last weekend. We're expecting to see them again happening in the coming days, talks at the White House had made clear would be led by the vice President, J.D. Vance. And so, we'll see what comes out of that. But obviously, Boris, looking at this, these are not just simple issues to agree to, whether it's unfreezing Iranian assets that are being held in Qatari bank accounts that they very much have made clear they want to be unfrozen as a result of these negotiations.

But, you know, the President has been describing this enriched uranium as nuclear dust and today he was telling that audience that they would go in the United States and Iran together and that it would be returned to the United States. I mean, all of that is incredibly complicated to say the least. And so, to see how that actually materializes, if it materializes and what it looks like, a lot of that, I think, still remains to be seen, despite the optimism that we are seeing coming from the President tonight.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're going to hear more about this from Nic Robertson, who is in Islamabad in just a moment. But the Iranians are already refuting many of the claims the President has made. Is the White House concerned about that at all?

COLLINS: One thing I've heard from the White House over this is the Iranians say one thing in public, and they say something very different in private. And they were saying, actually, when J.D. Vance was in Islamabad the other weekend, they felt like they were closer to getting a deal and that after, you know, those first ten hours of the 21-hours of talks broke through that, things actually started to pick up more and they had a better understanding.

And so, that is very much what the White House has said when there have been these public contradictions, which there have been many over the last several weeks. But I mean, look at what U.S. allies are doing as well, and allies inside the region. They're kind of also waiting to see what happens here. And you saw those European leaders also today meeting to try to talk about what they could do for the Strait of Hormuz.

And so, I think that there is a lot of caution coming from them as well, not just skeptics in Washington of what the President is saying.

SANCHEZ: And Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. We'll see you at the top of the next hour for "The Source", so look forward to that.

Let's go now to Islamabad, Pakistan, the site of the first and potential second round of negotiations. That's where our Nic Robertson is reporting tonight.

Nic, I understand there's been some pushback in Iran to the foreign minister's announcement today. What can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it seems like the hardliners are taking exception to two things. One, they don't feel that the foreign minister's statement on the Strait of Hormuz was strong enough. They've added some conditions on it, where the commercial ships have to go. No military vessels, and also that they have to get permission from the IRGC and Iran.

We've also heard subsequent to that, the chief negotiator, Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament coming out in the last few minutes with his own set of tweets saying everything, all seven points that President Trump has tweeted about today or put on social media about today are false. He's speaking here about President Trump's claim that Iran has given up enrichment, that Iran is willing to give to the United States its highly enriched uranium, the nuclear dust that President Trump talks about.

He's saying as well, the speaker is saying that the war cannot be won on lies. And he goes on to say, if the United States blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, then Iran will just shut the Strait down again. So, this really seems to represent, you know, the tussle in Iran between the hardliners and the moderates. And it does seem that the negotiators now at the front of this, the foreign minister, the speaker of parliament, are feeling that heat from the hardliners.

I think on the upside, what we've heard from the Pakistani Foreign Minister, who the mediators and all of this, they're saying 80 percent done. That means 20 percent left to go. Sources, I'm talking to are saying that they're hopeful that more progress can be made. And there is were learning from sources that there is expected to be talks here again in Islamabad in the coming days, potentially as early as Monday -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: We know you'll keep an eye on those for us. Nic Robertson in Islamabad, thank you so much.

Joining us now for some perspective, retired Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson, who previously served as Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command. Also with us is Ryan Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait, and former State Department official, Alan Eyre, who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Thank you all for being with us, General Gibson, first to you, what are the challenges to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and what are you watching for to indicate that it's actually returning to normal flow through the strait?

[20:10:44]

LT. GEN. KAREN GIBSON, (RET) U.S. ARMY: Certainly, that's a terrific question. I think, you know, some of the concerns right now would be potentially a tighter, narrower area through which the ships can come because of those Iranian mines. Theres also maybe a demand to not only impose the blockade that we've put on Iran, which is probably part of what's bringing them to the negotiating table and willing to make additional concessions. So, it's important to keep it in place. But there may also be demands to escort vessels through those waters. And such a blocked up -- there's so many ships that are still inside the gulf. It's going to take some time for them to come out.

And I think the last point I would make there, as with all of reopening the Strait's and recommencing commerce there, it's a decision made by commercial business interests in which they weigh potential risk against potential profit. And so, our ability to ensure it's a smooth passage will help boost the confidence that it can, in fact, return to more normal commerce. But it's going to take time.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Ambassador Crocker, thinking of the idea of profit, but from a different angle, Tehran has profited immensely from tolls on the Strait of Hormuz over the last few weeks, since the blockade began, since their blockage of the Strait of Hormuz began. Can you see Tehran giving up control of the strait as part of any peace agreement?

RYAN CROCKER, SERVED AS DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE FOR U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: Well, as you have indicated already and General Gibson certainly confirmed this is going to be a long, complex process. The Strait now is completely open, except it completely isn't. We have our blockade in the Gulf of Oman and the Iranians are still requiring a coordinated passage, i.e. coordinated with them so they maintain a lock on their side. Their aim here, just as we renamed the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America, I think, is to turn the Strait of Hormuz into the Strait of Iran.

And we have to be very diligent on that. This is a long way from being back to normal or being open in any meaningful way.

SANCHEZ: Alan, you heard Nic Robertson's reporting there. Some of the disparities between what we're hearing from the diplomatic side of Tehran's leadership and the hardliners among the IRGC, what do you make of that? And the sort of alternating views of what's happening.

ALAN EYRE, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: To be honest, they're all hardliners. I mean, perhaps there's subtle gradations of opinion, but this is the policy process in Iran, and there are no moderates running Iran right now, okay.

So, personality is certainly a key component here, but the people running Iran are an extension of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Yes. Ghalibaf might be a little more user friendly to the West than the general who runs the IRGC, but they're going to sit across the table from us with a unified position, and we're not going to be able to do cracks and play the moderates off the hardliners.

SANCHEZ: General, part of the process that brought us to this point was the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, specifically, the idea that Hezbollah and the IDF would cease shooting at each other. How robust do you think that ceasefire is? How much leverage do you think Lebanon has over Hezbollah?

GIBSON: So, I think this is probably one of the more problematic aspects of tying that Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire to having the strait's open, because now we have third parties who can entirely scotch it. It's only for now a ten-day ceasefire, and it preserves Israel's right to self-defense understandably. They are authorized to take whatever action they deem necessary to safeguard themselves if they sense a threat coming from Hezbollah.

So, if or when Israel conducts another strike in Lebanon, does that mean that the Strait slams shut again? This is something problematic, I think. And in terms of Lebanon's ability to influence Hezbollah, it is very limited but I would say on the positive side, I think we're seeing indicators that the current administration in Lebanon is less willing to tolerate Hezbollah than its predecessors. And the last thing I'd say regarding Hezbollah and Iran is, you know, Hezbollah, like Israel, is an autonomous actor. They take a lot of lethal weapons from Iran, but not direction.

[20:15:19]

SANCHEZ: Everyone, please stay with us. We have to take a quick break. And up next, we have a closer look at the talks, the sticking points and how they might be overcome.

Plus, later, new details on FBI Director Kash Patel. It appears in "The Atlantic" the headline reads, The FBI director is MIA. The reporter on the byline will join us shortly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:20:06]

SANCHEZ: We're talking tonight about potential breakthroughs on peace with Iran, but also the pushback from certain elements within its leadership to the rest of today's fairly sunny war coverage, including on the Strait of Hormuz. As Ambassador Ryan Crocker put it before the break, it is completely open, except it completely isn't.

Back now, with the Ambassador as well as retired lieutenant General Karen Gibson and former longtime diplomat and Iran expert Alan Eyre.

Ambassador Crocker, with talks now scheduled to resume on Monday, what do you see as the low hanging fruit diplomatically for the U.S. and Iran to gather momentum? And how important is it to start there to try to establish trust?

CROCKER: To the extent there is low hanging fruit, I think it is in the Strait it 'self to effectively get back to the status quo ante February 28th of a completely open strait in which Iran does not interdict shipping or condition it, and in which the United States doesn't either.

That will, I think, provide enough momentum to prolong the ceasefire and be an entree into the really hard stuff that is going to be excruciatingly difficult. And it's going to take a very long time.

SANCHEZ: Alan, earlier this week on this program, you said that for the Trump administration, ambiguity is a feature and a bug, and that will lead to a lasting negotiation. I wonder what specifics you think present the biggest challenges for each side in trying to broker an agreement?

EYRE: Pretty much everything, I don't even think there is low hanging fruit. All the fruit is pretty high up there in the tree. The new nuclear issue, the Strait as, Ambassador Crocker said, tough one, Lebanon. And the problem is you have to do those altogether, because the more you ask of Iran, the more you have to put on this side of the scale to give to Iran. The U.S. mistakenly thinks that all it has to offer Iran is, we will not attack you anymore. That's not the case.

Iran needs for its own people to get something out of this, to include a revenue stream, whether that's sanctions unblocked, whether that's monetizing control of the Strait or some other vehicle, and that's going to be tough, so, you know, Wendy Sherman, the head of the negotiations before in the Obama era, said nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. And we've been hearing all these snippets about the Iranians say they'll do this. The U.S. Will have to do that. It's a Rubik's Cube, and it all has to come together.

SANCHEZ: General Gibson, President Trump has said the Iranians have agreed to everything as we discussed a moment ago. Something that Iran's lead negotiator is pushing back on, regardless of what a potential agreement ends up looking like, one of the key questions is how the U.S. is going to verify that the Iranians are upholding their end of the deal, especially when it comes to that enriched uranium, whether they sort of down blend the quality of it, make it less than weapons grade, or whether it's shipped to the United States or a third country, that's a process in itself. How does the U.S. verify that all of that is according to any deal that's brokered?

GIBSON: I think that's part of the Rubik's Cube that Alan has just alluded to. You know, not only are there issues of sequencing and reciprocity, you know, do we unfreeze some dollars or some Iranian currency so that you can give us some HEU or is it vice-versa?

And then in terms of verification, there will have to be a robust inspection mechanism and some kind of confidence building measures. And I think it will likely have to include a third party that is trusted by both entities in the past, it's been the IAEA. I'm not sure it would be Pakistan necessarily, even though they're moderating these talks. But it would that's a big component of what Alan is referring to, that has to be finalized before the deal is done.

SANCHEZ: Ambassador Crocker, President Trump has said that he'd be willing to travel to Islamabad if a deal is reached there. Would you advise him to do that?

CROCKER: Well, if a deal is reached, that would be a great thing to do. But I think he can make other travel plans for the indefinite future. We're not going to have a deal anytime soon.

SANCHEZ: And, Alan, I wonder, given that it took the U.S. negotiating team something like 20 months to broker the JCPOA, what do you make of the idea that there might be some sort of framework agreement in place that then leads to ironing out all of those details that are seemingly up in the air? What do you see that window potentially looking like?

EYRE: I don't see that window at all. I see the first part of your premise, which is a framework agreement, but I don't think that this administration and the Iranians will be able to successfully complete that with details in months long negotiations.

I don't think this administration wants to get involved in lengthy and detailed negotiations. So, realistically, as I've said previously, I think the best case is two or three pages of general principles. The U.S. declares victory, and then the rest of the world has to figure out how to get back the Strait to what Ambassador Crocker said, the status quo ante, that's going to be a very heavy lift, because Iran now has de facto control.

What it announced today is still the same control. They have moved the traffic lanes into Iranian waters. IRGC is collecting tolls, and that cannot be allowed to remain, I think.

[20:25:39]

SANCHEZ: Wow, General Gibson, I saw you sort of nodding as Alan was describing the idea that there may not necessarily be interest in the U.S. to spend 20 months brokering a new sort of JCPOA or an updated Trump like JCPOA. One of the key sticking points, undoubtedly is going to be Tehran's funding of proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.

Do you think it's critical that the U.S. address that in a meaningful way with any framework or long-term deal?

GIBSON: Yes, and I think it's not just the funding, it's also the provision of lethal weapons, precision guided munitions. You know, the Houthis are quite crafty, but they have not built all the weapons they've been using in caves in Yemen. Much of that know-how and technology has come from Iran. And that needs to stop as well.

SANCHEZ: General Gibson, Ambassador Crocker, Alan Ayre, thank you so much for joining us for this conversation, appreciate you.

CROCKER: Thank you, Boris.

GIBSON: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Of course, ahead tonight, a member of the House Intelligence Committee will be joining us to give his take on today's news and what he makes of what the President may be telegraphing to Iran and the world with his remarks today.

And next, the reporter on the byline of tonight's "Atlantic" magazine piece on FBI Director Kash Patel. It's stunning headline. The FBI Director is MIA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:31:35]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Breaking news tonight on FBI Director Kash Patel, who's already no stranger to controversy, notably over his use of the Bureau's private jet, also his locker room beer chugging with the U.S. hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Now, a new piece in "The Atlantic." The headline reads, "The FBI Director Is MIA."

Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences. We should underscore this reporting is from "The Atlantic." CNN has not corroborated some of the anecdotes and episodes told in the article. We're joined now by "The Atlantic's" Sarah Fitzpatrick, who did the reporting. And Sarah, thank you so much for being with us. Can you just lay out what you've reported about these alleged episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences?

SARAH FITZPATRICK, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Absolutely, Boris. So over the last several months, I've spoken to over two dozen people who expressed grave, grave concern about the FBI director's pattern of behavior. They described someone that was had multiple, multiple incidents of excessive drinking in public places that alarmed them and they felt was a vulnerability, absences that were unexplained, and perhaps most importantly, that his own security detail requested breach equipment because they were so alarmed that they were unable to reach him behind closed doors and that on multiple occasions, they -- the security detail had trouble waking him up because he was seemingly so intoxicated.

Now, this pattern is reflected broadly across the Justice Department. We see it in the fact that Director Patel's briefings and meetings have had to continually be pushed back to later dates, later times in the day or in some cases canceled altogether. We have seen just a real pattern that I think is really important here. This -- these are people who are sounding the alarm. They are worried that this behavior is not just kind of unusual or problematic. They are worried that it's a national security vulnerability because as director of the FBI, Kash Patel is among the most targeted for our foreign adversaries in terms of counterintelligence, in terms of blackmail and just quite frankly, in terms of people that could get close to him and really impact our national security.

The people that I spoke to, you know, that were so emphatic also and why they were of so much concern is because the United States right now is at an unprecedented threat level, especially when it comes to domestic attacks. That is every single official that I spoke to said that this is what kept them up at night, that their number one concern was that there would be some kind of attack on the homeland and that our FBI director would not be in a state to respond. So these are very, very serious accusations that we reported incredibly carefully.

And of course, the director Patel has denied them. He said that they were false and that he plans to file a lawsuit and told me to bring my checkbook to court.

SANCHEZ: Sarah, I wanted to dig into something you just specifically mentioned and read for our viewers a part of your report. You say, "A request for breaching equipment normally used by SWAT and hostage rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors." Is it your understanding that officials used that sort of SWAT equipment to breach a room that Patel was in to wake him up?

[20:35:15]

FITZPATRICK: We know that the request was made. We are, you know, I have to be very careful in order to protect sources and methods.

SANCHEZ: Sure. FITZPATRICK: But I think the most important thing here is there was enough of a concern that this was brought up and transmitted to headquarters and then known at the highest levels of the Justice Department. And we are told also to the White House. So it is a very, very significant request that did not come without major consequences and awareness throughout the national security establishment.

SANCHEZ: You'd previously reported that Patel was expected to be fired after former Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted. Based on what you're hearing, is your understanding that that is still the case?

FITZPATRICK: So people close to the director have said that he himself has expressed that he believes that he is about to be fired or that is imminent. In fact, he -- we recount an incident last week in which he called and told members of his staff and other people that he had been fired, although it turns out that he was mistaken.

So, yes, this is widely, widely discussed, I think, within Washington behind closed doors. In fact, there are senior administration officials who are openly discussing who will be the next FBI director.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Sarah Fitzpatrick, thanks so much for sharing your reporting from "The Atlantic."

FITZPATRICK: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Up next, back to the war in Iran and more on some of the conflicting messages from the president and Iran on the peace process. We're going to speak with a member of the House Intelligence Committee when our CNN Global Coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[20:41:28]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The USA will get all nuclear dust. You know what the nuclear dust is? That was that white powdery substance created by our B-2 bombers, those great B-2 bombers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That again is the President this evening in Phoenix using his terminology for Iran's enriched uranium. He says that Iran has agreed to forfeit all of it. But as we've been reporting, Iranian sources dispute that and other claims by the President. Let's discuss with New Jersey Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for sharing part of your evening with us. Which do you think is --

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): Thanks for having me. SANCHEZ: Of course, which do you think is more likely here, that the President is perhaps getting ahead of where negotiations stand right now, or that when we hear these alternative fact claims from some officials in Iran, that there's dissent within Tehran, or that perhaps these officials in Tehran are saying one thing publicly and another thing privately?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, it's hard to know, of course. But my guess is it's a negotiation. So there are a lot of things on the table and there's a lot of back and forth. And right now, you've got a lot of he said, she said. And the President put something out there that maybe is being suggested. And then the other side, of course, responds because they don't want to upset the negotiation. And both sides are probably doing the same thing.

But the goals need to be clear, you know, the goals are clear here, it seems, or at least the ones emerging about nuclear and ensuring that they don't have the, you know, are able to keep their enriched uranium around. And that's always been something that's been critical for years to diminish their nuclear program and their capabilities.

Where are they going to be on the Straits of Hormuz? We can talk about that in a minute. Making sure that's open and that they're not able to control it and keep a stranglehold on 20 percent of the world's oil, which obviously would be a huge concern. And then you're talking about things like their missile program and their ballistic missile program, their drone program and their capabilities, and of course, their terror program.

It seems like we're past the point of a regime change right now. So those other items seem to be the ones on the table.

SANCHEZ: And speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, it's completely open, according to Iran's foreign minister. But shipping through the Strait remains suppressed. It's essentially been locked down by the IRGC. Are you confident that ships will soon actually be moving through it in the coming days without having to check in with Tehran or even pay a toll?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, that's the question, right? It seems today that the President came out and said it's opened. There were some conflicting reports that came out after that about was it actually open? You know, are they are they tolling? Are they were there a bunch of ships? My understanding is that what came to go through the Straits and then turned around, were they told to turn around, you know, and or they just weren't willing to pay the toll. It's unclear.

But what we know is that the Strait has to be open. Straits have to be open. And, you know, that's part of the negotiation that's going on as we head toward this phase of the ceasefire ends Wednesday. These are a lot of things that need to be worked out by then or will we have another extension? So these are the questions that are on the table. Obviously, today. Also, we saw a ceasefire yesterday, a ceasefire in between Israel and Lebanon.

So that's another development that's happened, a 10-day ceasefire. So it seems like we're making progress and getting there. But, you know, until we're actually there, it's hard to know what we've gotten accomplished.

[20:45:00]

SANCHEZ: I also wonder, Congressman, what your reaction is to hearing this reporting from CNN and others that the administration is considering allowing Iran access to some $20 billion in assets that were previously frozen? Do you think that access to those kinds of funds would actually sway the leadership in Iran to move away from some of its ambitions, not only against some of its neighbors, but with that enriched uranium?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, you just put your finger on it, right? Like, what are we getting for that kind of money? I think they have somewhere between 100 and 120 billion frozen. So if we were at least 20 billion, you want to make sure not only is there we get our hands on the uranium, the uranium, but also that that those dollars aren't going to fund terror programs or to buy more ballistic missiles or more drones. So that will be my question is, are those dollars going to go to fund Hezbollah and Hamas and the Houthis? Are they going to stay and invest back in their country? And what kind of controls do we have on any dollars that come?

So, you know, there's a lot, you know, whenever I hear about these sanctions relief and talk about that or money being moved, which, of course, the President, I believe, denied and said he would not be forking over the releasing those dollars. And but if they do, you got to really watch every penny that goes over and what what's going to happen with it.

SANCHEZ: He said no money would be exchanged with if you hear from it, which, if you hear from White House officials, I guess technically is true because it's Iran's money anyway, but it is a weird game of semantics. Nevertheless, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, thanks so much for your time tonight.

GOTTHEIMER: Exactly. Exactly. And by the way, if you release it, they have it. They -- and if they use it for a way to go after us, our allies, that's not good progress, right? So these are the kind of things these details actually really matter. So let's keep watching. And I appreciate you having me on.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Thanks so much, Congressman.

Let's get some perspective now from Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton and former director of public affairs at the Department of Justice, Xochitl Hinojosa. Thank you both for being with us. Shermichael, should the American people be taking President Trump at his word here regarding concessions that Iran is ready to agree to everything?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's a bit early to understand all of the potential nuances of this as they're still going back and forth on the negotiations. But I think before we reach a final agreement, Boris, if I were advising the President in this particular case, I would have the President address the country. I would lay out what those steps are going to look like over the first six months to the first year. And then you look at a five to 10-year perspective.

So at least the country, even those who may not necessarily agree with every single aspect of said agreement, there's at least an understanding of what the United States, the Iranian regime, maybe even some of our allies in that part of the world are willing to do to bring closure to this, number one. But to make sure, as the congressman stated, that the Iranian regime completely reduces their enriched uranium program.

And I would also, Boris, like to see some steps to make sure that the regime no longer funds terror proxy groups which have been a thorn in the side of their Middle Eastern allies and Western countries for decades now.

SANCHEZ: Xochitl, do you share some of the President's optimism?

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, I agree with Shermichael here. I think that he does have to address the nation. But in order for him to address the nation, he would need to have a plan in the first place and he would need to have an agreement that is going to potentially move forward. And we've been to this movie before with him.

He has said over and over and over that he would get out of this. He didn't want to call it a war, but it is a war as quickly as possible. And we're 47 days in. Boris, I think I want the war to end. I think all of us want the war to end. The American people want the war to end. I think what is confusing and why people are not as optimistic is because we continue to hear from this President lies about this war. He told us previously that they had obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities. That was not the case.

He told us the Strait of Hormuz was previously going to open. That was not the case. We have been on the brink of a negotiation and a deal before. That has not been the case. The foreign minister in Iran doesn't seem to believe that there is a deal that is about to come to fruition immediately. And so it is very hard to trust the President of the United States after all of these lies. And ideally, he would come out and tell us what's happening. But the problem is, I don't think there's a plan.

SANCHEZ: And Shermichael, some of the -- go ahead.

SINGLETON: I was just going to say quickly, I think it's appropriate in this particular moment to level set with the American people about the complexities of these types of deals. They are not easy. They do not happen overnight. You have two interested parties here with very different perspectives on what a resolution actually looks like in the immediate and in the long run. And so to explain that to the country, I think would actually be very beneficial to the President's interests here.

[20:49:59] SANCHEZ: I wonder, Xochitl, what credit President Trump would deserve if he's able to end the war with the U.S. taking control of that nuclear dust, the enriched uranium that is near weapons grade, that's buried underground.

HINOJOSA: I think that if the President can end the war and can deliver on what he has promised to completely obliterate their nuclear capabilities and exactly what you said, I think that he should get some credit. I think the worry here is that we've gotten ourselves into a war that has cost us billions of dollars every single day in American lives and that that Iran is just going to be in the same position in a few years that they were before where they are able to rebuild their nuclear capabilities.

And so I think that is the concern that this war is -- a war that was started by Donald Trump that isn't going to have the result that he intended in the long run. And so, yes, if that does happen, he does deserve credit. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

SANCHEZ: Shermichael, I'm curious to get your thoughts on this Iranian official, senior Iranian official, who sort of took Kellyanne Conway's alternative facts from the first Trump administration and used it sort of a key toad and moved it back toward the Trump administration to suggest that the President wasn't being straightforward on some of his claims. What do you make of that spin?

SINGLETON: I mean, look, the devil is always in the details, right? You have both sides that don't want to appear that they're capitulating to the other. Everyone wants to say, I'm standing firm on my position and the strong Americans aren't going to deter the regime and the United States with our powerful military and economic capabilities and allies are saying we will not capitulate and we're going to make sure that we get a deal that is in the interest of the U.S., the interest of the Middle Eastern partners and Western partners.

So I understand the hyperbole, I guess, here coming from both sides. That is to be expected, I would say, Boris. But at the end of the day, the question is, and Xochitl sort of tapped on this a little bit, touched on this a little bit. Number one, what does long-term victory look like for the United States and the Middle East, number one? But then number two, what details in that plan will absolutely assure that the regime doesn't go backwards but that they're moving forward? If we can resolve those two things, this is absolutely a victory for the President.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Shermichael Singleton, Xochitl Hinojosa, thank you both so much. Appreciate it.

SINGLETON: Good to see you, Boris. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Up next, you're going to hear from women of all ages who are growing, selling and using cannabis, but are there risks tied to their passion for pot? We have a preview of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special report, "Weed 8," when 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:57:18]

SANCHEZ: CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a new edition of his Weed series premiering Sunday night. Here's a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women of all ages, mothers and grandmothers growing, selling, using cannabis. Women searching for a better, healthier, happier life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a soccer mom. Trust me, if we had all had an edible before those games, we would have been great.

GUPTA (voice-over): From menstrual cramps to morning sickness to menopause, women in Oklahoma and all over the United States are turning to cannabis for relief, now more than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women are largely underserved and underrepresented in medicine and for lack of any other option are more than willing to try cannabis and cannabinoid based therapies.

GUPTA (voice-over): In fact, for the first time ever, women are outpacing men in the use of cannabis. These women say they are changing their lives and their health for the better, but in some cases also potentially putting themselves in harm's way. The scientists searching for answers are all research pioneers and perhaps no surprise, many happen to be women as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Sanjay joined Anderson to discuss his reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You've been looking at the pros and cons of marijuana use for years now. How are women using cannabis differently than men?

GUPTA: I think at the most basic level, they're mostly using it as a medicine. So this growth that we're seeing in women is for things like sleep, for pain, for mood disorders. But I got to tell you, the thing that surprised me was that it was mainly women between the ages of 45 and 60. That's where the explosive growth has occurred for women. And I think a lot of it has to do with menopause and perimenopause symptoms.

You know, women haven't had a lot of options. Even until recently, hormone replacement therapy had a black box warning on it. So they weren't taking it or the numbers went way down. So people started looking for alternatives.

COOPER: It's interesting that you showed this in Oklahoma, which is not exactly where you would think this is to go for finding cannabis.

GUPTA: I remember when the producers first started talking about it. I'm like, Oklahoma, the heartland of all places. I think there was a couple of reasons. First of all, it was -- they were one of the last states to legalize medicinal marijuana, 2018. Just about every state has done this now.

But what was interesting is that at one point, and I think even still now, 10 percent of the population, the adult population, had medical marijuana cards. So it went from not being available at all to basically dispensaries and grow fields and all these consumers just exploding.

[21:00:00]

And, you know, a lot of them being women as well. But it's a state of about 4 million people, as you may know, and close to 400,000 people were using it. So we thought was an interesting microcosm for what was happening in the country overall.

COOPER: Yes. Sanjay, thanks very much. Fascinating. Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Again, you can catch "Weed 8: Women & Weed," this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

That's all for us tonight. I'm Boris Sanchez. Have a great weekend. The news continues. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts right now.