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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Trump Pushes Back Ceasefire Deadline To Wednesday Evening, DC Time; U.S. Military Board And Seize Iranian-Flagged Ship; Iran Denies Trump's Claim They Agreed To Ship Highly Enriched Uranium To The U.S.; Sources: VP Vance Expected To Leave Tuesday For Talks With Iran In Pakistan; Trump Says His Iran Deal Would Be "Far Better" Than Obama's; Trump Threatens Every Single Power Plant In Iran If There's No Deal; Trump Pushes Back Ceasefire Deadline To Wednesday Evening, D.C. Time; Not Clear Whether Iran Delegation Will Show Up For Talks In Pakistan; 8 Children Killed, 2 Women Wounded In Louisiana Mass Shooting; Artemis II Commander Captures An "Earthset." Aired 8-9p ET

Aired April 20, 2026 - 20:00   ET

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

HUNTER PERRIN, HOT AIR BALLOON LANDED IN BACKYARD: And then they brought in some new propane tanks and, and some straps and two groups of people were holding the balloon down by the -- by each strap as he lifted the balloon like a hundred feet into the air and then they just walked it out to the street and set it back down again.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: It's wonderful to talk to you and as you said, to be talking about something that can just make everybody smile and laugh with a happy ending, beautiful blue sky, all of it. Thank you both so much. Joining us from the great Temecula, California. Thanks, guys.

JENNA PERRIN, HOT AIR BALLOON LANDED IN BACKYARD: Thanks for having us, Erin.

H. PERRIN: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: Thanks guys. And thanks so much to all of you for joining us. AC360 starts now.

[20:00:36]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": And good evening from the Newsroom, topping our CNN Global War coverage tonight, a tenuous ceasefire with a deadline pushed back by the President, planned peace talks on shaky ground in Iran, vowing retaliation for what it calls U.S. armed piracy on the ship.

CENTCOM released this video of what it says is an Iranian flagged cargo vessel attempting to reach Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade. Now, after the ship failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, CENTCOM says the Navy instructed the crew to vacate the engine room of the ship and then fired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Motor vessel Touska, motor vessel Touska. Vacate your engine room, vacate your engine room. We're prepared to subject you to disabling fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: U.S. Marines, then choppered over to the Iranian flag vessel from an amphibious assault ship that, according to CENTCOM, now the propulsion of the Iranian boat had been disabled by those multiple shots from a guided missile destroyer. The Marines eventually rappelled down to the cargo ship, took control of it. Iran called this," a violation of the ceasefire," said the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran "will soon respond to and retaliate against this U.S. armed piracy".

Now, earlier yesterday, President Trump also accused Iran of violating the ceasefire. In a social media post this weekend, an IRGC gunboat fired on an oil tanker, followed by a cargo vessel hit by an unknown projectile. The President's post went on to say, "We're offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it, because if they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran. No more Mr. Nice Guy."

New reporting tonight as well, that the President's public commentary surrounding negotiations has a time been detrimental to the ultimate success. That is, according to some Trump officials who spoke to CNN. One person familiar with the talks said, "The Iranians didn't appreciate POTUS negotiating through a social media and making it appear as if they had signed off on issues they hadn't yet agreed to, and ones that aren't popular with the people back home." They added that the Iranians are particularly concerned about appearing to look weak.

More on that exclusive reporting in a moment from our Kaitlan Collins. All of this against the backdrop of a cease fire that was supposed to expire tomorrow, on Tuesday, April 7th, the President announced a two- week cease fire this morning in a phone interview with Bloomberg. Without a lot of fanfare, he pushed that back a day, saying the cease fire would end Wednesday evening, Washington time.

He also did a phone interview with "The New York Post," and I'm quoting from the article now, "The President on Monday morning confirmed that Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Adviser Jared Kushner have left the U.S. for Islamabad to prepare for the meetings. They're heading over now, Trump said. They'll be there tonight, Islamabad time."

The only thing was the Vice President was not, in fact, en route to Pakistan. Few hours after that article posted, CNN spotted Vance's motorcade pulling up to the White House.

The current plan is for the Vice President to depart Tuesday morning for talks on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with that. The first time the Vice President traveled to Islamabad for peace talks took a total of 18 hours. That does not leave a lot of time for diplomacy before President Trump's new ceasefire deadline of Wednesday evening, Washington time.

The President also told "Bloomberg" in that interview that it's highly unlikely he'd extend the ceasefire if a deal was reached in time. The Iranians so far haven't even committed to Wednesday's talks. And late today, their top negotiator posted on social media saying, "Trump by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table in his own imagination into a table of surrender or to justify renewed war mongering. We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threat".

So, a lot to get to tonight, joining me now, our chief White House correspondent and anchor of "The Source," Kaitlan Collins. So, obviously, a lot of moving parts, especially given the President's various statements on social media. What more do you and the CNN White House team know about exactly where things are headed?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND THE ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Anderson, I mean, the White House has been arguing that the President is playing the long game here. These are negotiating tactics that he's been using. But publicly, when you look at his comments, I mean, much less just on the logistics alone of whether or not the Vice President was going to show up for those talks in Pakistan if they were actually happening.

[20:05:00]

I mean, the comments from the President have really been all over the place. I mean, obviously, we're expecting these talks now to happen. The question is, once they do materialize, once he does leave Washington, if they actually result in anything and what those look like after of course, the 21 hours that he spent in Islamabad previously did not yield the results that the White House was hoping to get.

But also just looking at the President's comments himself, Anderson, I mean, it was just on Friday night when we were on air covering the President's comments with a healthy dose of skepticism for this very reason that the President was sounding optimistic about a deal, that he was telling us as he left the White House last week, that they were close to getting a lot of the points that they wanted to in these negotiations. Publicly, he was saying different things that Iran had agreed to when it came to developing a nuclear weapon, enriching uranium, getting the uranium that's already in Iran. And the President was saying it was going to now be in the hands of the United States.

I mean, those comments alone were quite rosy projections of what the Iranians had agreed to. And what we're hearing now is that the Iranians didn't like what the President was saying publicly, and that those had not been agreed upon points that the President was saying were agreed upon, points of discussion.

And so, all of this is really an open question right now in terms of where this is going and what this is going to look like. And it's up against this deadline this week of the President and what he's going to do about this ceasefire, because he's already saying the deadline is not tomorrow. It's now going to be on Wednesday night in Washington time, as you noted, local time.

And so, the question is, what happens then once the Vice President is sitting down across from these Iranian officials that they've been negotiating with in person in Pakistan? And if it results in the President extending that ceasefire, or if he is going to be facing what he had been threatening Iran with two weeks ago, when he initially declared this ceasefire, which was going after their power plants, going after their energy plants.

And so, all of that is really up for discussion in this moment. And it's not really clear where this is going, despite what we've been hearing that was quite optimistic from The White House. Just about 48 hours ago.

COOPER: Yes. Kaitlan, thanks so much. We'll see you at the top of the hour on "The Source".

Joining me now, retired Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson, who previously served as director of intelligence for U.S. Central Command and former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who led the team that negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

Ambassador Sherman, let me start with you. You heard the reporting from CNN's White House team. Between the level of distrust, the President bragging about a deal, the Iranian pushback of those remarks, how difficult would it be to have a successful round of negotiations at this point?

WENDY SHERMAN, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: Extremely difficult, Anderson. I think we're understanding what's going on. The President is going on CNBC tomorrow morning before the markets open. I'm sure we'll hear the Vice President is on his way. We're going to get a good deal. We have won. We are winning to make sure that tomorrows a better day than today was when in fact everything looked rather bleak.

This is a very, very complicated negotiation, even more so than when we did the 2015 deal, because the President is trying to negotiate on several very tough issues with the additional issue of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war began and now is closed.

This has really, as Sarah Longwell of "The Bulwark" said, almost like superpower suicide, meaning that we have touched every piece of the global economy, every piece of American's day-to-day pocketbook, our alliances, our partnerships, our weapons inventory, the future of our military, our relationship with China. So much is on the table in this negotiation. So, it would be tough for anyone to be able to think you could get any of this done beyond very, very broad top lines in a day's worth of negotiation, not possible.

COOPER: I mean, General Gibson, if that is the case, that this touches on every aspect of everything, essentially it is even more stunning, the lack of planning that went into or coalition building or kind of run up to this just in terms of what we've seen over the weekend, the firing on the ship in the Strait, what do you make of what you've seen?

LT. GEN. KAREN GIBSON (RET.) U.S. ARMY: So, I think I would say there's probably a lot of military planning that went just to your earlier comment. COOPER: And for years, I mean, obviously yes.

GIBSON: In Iran, similarly had been planning to retaliate, you know, as long as we had a plan on the books, they had a plan to respond. So, they were well prepared for this as well, I think. But to your question about the actions against ships this week, it really even though it's playing out in a military dimension, it almost seems to me like economic brinksmanship. And so, the Iranian, you know, hit on a couple of ships demonstrating that they do, in fact, still have their hand on the neck of the global economy via the Strait of Hormuz, that it's still an incredible leverage that they have, and they can exert a lot of economic pain.

And then the U.S., the strike that you showed at the beginning of this hour and taking and seizing the tanker that was bound for Iran, demonstrating that we have the will and the commitment, as well as the capacity to truly enforce the blockade that we're there to perform. It's not just performative deployment of naval assets.

So, I think both actions by Iran and the United States are not surprising.

[20:10:30]

COOPER: Ambassador, the President lashed out again today against the 2015 nuclear deal you played a key role in negotiating. Do you see any sign that the Iranians will agree to something in a deal with the President that they were not willing to negotiate with for your team? I mean, the President has said that they've already agreed to hand over all their enriched uranium, which is, I mean, there's no evidence that that that is the case and they're certainly sentiment from Iran that that is not the case.

SHERMAN: That could make me very happy if, in fact, the President and the negotiators could get a deal that either hand it over all of that enriched uranium or somehow made it inert so that it couldn't be used, couldn't be reused in any capacity, that's a big operation, a possible one, but a big operation. I think it would be good if, in fact, Iran said, as the President has leaked out, that it would suspend enrichment for a number of years, that would be a good thing. But all of these ifs require technical details. Not only what is the itch you're going to do, but how are you going to implement it? And most importantly, how are you going to verify it and monitor it?

And I agree with the General. Our military is exquisite and spectacular. But as she also pointed out, Iran has asymmetric capabilities, including its drones, its missile attacks, its ways to go after our bases in the Gulf region that leave us off kilter in spite of our ability to push back their capacity, which we have most certainly done.

COOPER: General, whatever happens, is it likely there will be a U.S. military presence in the Strait for a long time to come?

GIBSON: I think there probably will be. You know, as Ambassador Sherman has said, it's going to take a long time to work through the technicalities of an agreement. When we reach that, and I should back up and say the purpose of the blockade, while it is, in fact, to deny Iran the vast majority of money, that it gets, most of the revenue comes from things that are transit, the sea. The reason we want to strip them of revenue is to compel them to make greater concessions at the negotiating table.

And so, until those concessions are made, we'll need to sustain that kind of pressure on them. And that's being done through the U.S. military.

So, until we reach some final agreement, I don't see how we can ease the pressure on Iran there in the Gulf.

COOPER: Ambassador, do you still see very different clocks that the Iranians have, and that the U.S. has for this? I mean, does time continue to be on the side of the Iranians in terms of ability to absorb pain and even economic pain, because they don't really care about their people, so -- whose side is time on?

SHERMAN: Yes. They don't care about their people. It is a culture of resistance. They lasted the Iran-Iraq war for eight years, even when they weren't doing very well. President Trump likes to get instantaneous capitulation that will never work with Iran, ever. They can put up with economic catastrophe, which they have, their economy is in shambles.

They can put up with countries around the world not thinking very highly of them. They can deal with any of this because they are this culture of resistance, because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps does have control in Iran. And even though there are some internal debates and divisions, as there are in every government, nonetheless, I think the hardliners are well in control.

This is going to be a tough go, not impossible, but very, very tough. And I hope if Vice President Vance goes, he brings the experts with him that he will need so that he really knows what he's getting. Because when Donald Trump negotiated building a building, if he didn't get the building built, he went on to the next building. This is life and death, war and peace. It's a particularly different matter.

COOPER: Wendy Sherman, thank you, General Gibson as well, thank you.

Up next, President Trump has claimed Iran has agreed to let the us retrieve what he calls their nuclear dust, as I mentioned, that would be their enriched uranium.

Tehran denies that's the case. If a deal is made, what might that actually entail? Some insight from experts who know ahead.

And later the community of Shreveport, Louisiana, grieving tonight after an unthinkable mass shooting, eight children murdered. Investigators say the gunman was the father of most of the kids. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:19:14]

COOPER: Welcome back.

While Iran hasn't committed to participating in any talks yet, they have said clearly that any deal that calls for the removal of their enriched uranium is not a deal they're willing to make. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman saying Iran's enriched uranium is, "sacred to us, like the soil of Iran".

Now, this despite President Trump claiming that Iran had agreed to working jointly to remove their enriched uranium and bring it to the U.S.

I want to bring in right now CNN National Security analyst, Alex Plitsas and senior fellow at the Council of Strategic Risk, Andrew Weber. He's also a former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs and has spent two decades extracting nuclear materials from unstable parts of the world.

So, Andrew, let me start with you. As someone who's been on the ground during the removal of highly enriched uranium, what does an operation like that entail? And especially in this case, what unique challenges exist with Iran's uranium stockpiles?

[20:20:08]

ANDREW WEBER, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS: Well, it's very complex in any situation. I was involved in the removal of a highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan in what called Project Sapphire. But to do this inside Iran in tunnels that we've bombed, we don't know the condition of those tunnels or the canisters containing the highly enriched uranium.

So, with Kazakhstan in a peaceful, cooperative environment, it took a team of experts from the Departments of Defense and Energy almost six weeks to safely package the material, which was mostly in metal form for safe transport to the United States.

COOPER: Six weeks, how much material are we talking about compared to what Iran may have?

WEBER: Well, they had more material. They had 600 kilograms of 90 percent enriched HEU, whereas the Iranians have an estimated 440 plus kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium.

COOPER: Alex, how long would it take Iran to enrich their, I mean, to actually make this weaponable.

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Sure, so provided that they actually had all of the remaining enrichment technology to get from 60 to 90 for that amount is estimated somewhere between one to two weeks, which is the breakout period everybody kept talking about. And unfortunately, that was mischaracterized as how long it would take them to get a weapon. That's how long it would take them to get the fuel. It would still be at least six months to a year afterwards to weaponize that at that point.

COOPER: And Andrew, what physical form is the uranium stored in right now? And like, what kind of containers is it in?

WEBER: Yes, so the 60 percent enriched HEU is in scuba tank-like containers in the form of uranium hexafluoride gas. So, think about like 100-pound scuba tanks about this big.

COOPER: And if Alex, I mean, it's one thing to launch an operation in peacetime in Kazakhstan.

PLITSAS: Sure.

COOPER: If Iran is not cooperating, this is the President said that they would be and Iran says there is no deal. What would it be like to actually defend this position while you are trying to do this? Well, this is an incredibly complex one because out of the 440 estimated kilograms of highly enriched uranium, only about 220 are said to be under Isfahan, which was the main facility that we hit with missiles. We actually weren't able to bomb it and completely destroy it, which is why it still exists.

PLITSAS: Some more of the remaining balance is said to be in a couple other facilities as much as, you know, for two weapons worth may actually be missing, it's unknown in conversations with the IAEA they've had with David Sanger, one of our colleagues, as well as talking to the Israelis. So, you effectively have that at outside Iran's third largest city, about 300 miles inland. The facility is about 15 kilometers outside that city with multiple approaches.

So, you'd have to have some sort of large blocking force to protect the facility. The specialist that he was just talking about would have to then go inside. Condition unknown. Tunnels have obviously been hit. It could be a lengthy operation. Some of this is leaked out to the press, which is why some of these details are available. You could be looking at a sizable operation, which is why at this point, the President was talking originally about maybe leaving it at persistent stare for right now, and is trying to work this out through a negotiated settlement.

COOPER: Andrew, President Trump said he wants the uranium to be flown to the us. Does this make any sense to you, Andrew? I mean, given your experience to do this under in a combat environment with a, you know, in a foreign country and the regime in that country with their military does not want you to take it. How difficult is that?

WEBER: Well, to do it in a non-permissive environment as a special military operation would be extraordinarily risky. It would be next to impossible to do it because the time on target you would need would probably be days or even weeks, and you'd have to defend your personnel inside Iran and that would take most likely thousands of ground troops. We didn't have those issues, that's why a negotiated solution where perhaps the Iranian HEU is moved to a third country, like, for example, the international low enriched uranium fuel bank in Oskemen, Kazakhstan, which is under the IAEA. That would be a perfect spot for this uranium to be moved to, and it would be less let's say, insulting to the Iranian regime for it not, you know, rather than have it come to the United States.

COOPER: It's, I mean, it's kind of mind boggling to comprehend just the difficulty of this.

[20:25:11]

PLITSAS: Yes, I mean, the military obviously would be reluctant to have to do this unless it was absolutely necessary. And, you know, there were, this was a backup option to Midnight Hammer over the summer there. There are a couple of units within the us military. There are some in some of our allied partners who have the ability to run this type of operation. The Israelis did one in Syria, where they sent their Air Force Special Operations Unit into a chemical weapons facility.

They basically said the difference between this would be distance and time, more or less. And that was the backup option, not realizing it was going to be destroyed over the summer, so, incredibly complex, highly risky, as was just mentioned, you'd have to defend against it. And as we've seen, the Iranians still possess drones, they still have the ability to fire. And let's not forget, the downed aviator was not that far outside of Isfahan.

We had several aircraft that went down. The helicopters took fire while they were there. So, there are still ground elements that could that could pose a threat.

COOPER: Alex Plitsas, thanks very much, Andrew Weber, as well.

Up next, more on the second round of peace talks expected this week. Well, still unclear if Iran will even show up after the us military fired on and seized an Iranian ship. We'll talk it over with two veteran diplomats.

And later, stunning new video from the commander of the Artemis II crew. You're looking at the first ever human view of what's known as an Earthset. We'll explain exactly what that means coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(A video of "Earthset" taken by Artemis II crew in space.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you look at that. man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:39]

COOPER: Another look at the moment, the U.S. military boarded and seized that Iranian flag ship on Sunday. The move escalating the situation in the Gulf following this, it's unclear if Iranian officials are going to show up for the second round of peace talks this week. Sources say Vice President Vance and his delegation will fly to Pakistan tomorrow for those talks. Joining me now is Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Kuwait. He's had an incredible career. And former State Department Official Alan Eyre, who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Ambassador, what do you make of where we are at right now in these negotiations and in this ceasefire?

RYAN CROCKER, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ, PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, KUWAIT & LEBANON: Well, in terms of the negotiations, we wait and see whether people convene tomorrow in Islamabad. Very uncertain right now. I think we are on the ceasefire. Its issue is the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's actions is a violation of international maritime law to control an international waterway. And that is a very dangerous present, not just for the Strait of Hormuz, but around the world, whether it's the Malacca Straits in the South China Sea, whether it's the Straits of Tehran, the Bab el-Mandeb, the Suez Canal, the Bosphorus. This cannot stand.

So the blockade was the right thing to do. What I hope the two sides will do is find a way back to the status quo until February 27, when it was an unrestricted international waterway.

COOPER: You think that's sort of the best that can be hoped for from these talks, the status quo?

CROCKER: In the near term, yes. The other issues, support for Iranian- affiliated militias, their nuclear program, goodness knows, if these are resolvable at all, it's going to take a lot of time, a lot of negotiation, a lot of effort. That can't be done in the short term. I think what we should be aiming at now is a short-term return to the status quo before the hostilities begin and then allow time for negotiations to unfold. And it will take a lot of time.

COOPER: Alan, you've previously compared this process to a Rubik's Cube. If these negotiations between the U.S. and Iran do indeed move forward, what do you think both sides would actually be willing to give? And do you agree with the ambassador that basically a status quo on the Strait of Hormuz is the best that can be hoped for in the short term?

ALAN EYRE, DISTINGUISHED DIPLOMATIC FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Well, I always agree with Ambassador Crocker. But I think is -- I think the problem is that that's the lever that Iran is the least willing to give up. So I think they're going to hold on to control of the Strait for as long as possible. And I agree, best-case scenario, they'd give that up early, but why would they? That's their strongest lever.

So I think it's going to be contentious. And, again, there's no one issue. It's all a balance. You've got these scales right here. The more the U.S. wants from Iran, the more they're going to have to put in this scale to balance it out. Iran is not going to walk away agreeing to what the U.S. wants just because the U.S. says, well, we won't bomb you anymore if you give us what we want. That's not going to happen.

COOPER: Ambassador, what should the -- do you agree with that, Ambassador, that essentially it's may not be possible to just get why would Iran -- let me ask you that question, why would Iran give up control of the Strait?

CROCKER: Because that is, again, I think internationally unacceptable what they've done for the reasons I cited. This has global implications. It would make international shipping a very dangerous occupation everywhere. And their effort to turn the Strait of Hormuz into the Strait of Iran simply cannot be allowed to stand.

So if the ceasefire collapses, let it be on this single issue, in which I think the U.S. would have some international support to reopen that waterway. And while Iran clearly sees it as a card, it's a card that can be tossed with this hand and then played again in another hand. They've shown they can do it with a minimal amount of hardware. They can do it again, sadly.

COOPER: Alan, I want to ask you a question I asked Wendy Sherman earlier, which is, are the clocks still completely in balance in terms of Iran's time frame and the Trump administration's time frame?

[20:35:08]

EYRE: Yes, I heard that question, and I totally agree with, again, with this time Ambassador Sherman. Yes, they're totally different. I mean, Iran can accept more short-term pain, and a blockade takes longer to affect the change you want, whereas the Strait of Hormuz has already been closed for 40 days, and every day that it stays closed adds more and more to the pain. So, yes, we do have a two-clocks issue, and it works in favor of Iran.

COOPER: Ambassador, when the President has, you know, set deadlines and then extended them, threatened civilization destruction, threatened several times now the bombing of every bridge in the country, Secretary Hegseth has talked about bombing dual-use infrastructure. At a certain point, does the administration lose credibility just in their public statements when they do that?

CROCKER: I heard a commentator some time ago saying that the President is to be taken seriously but not literally. I do think that should we allow the status quo to prevail in the Gulf, we would be basically setting ourselves up for a huge setback, a strategic defeat at the hands of Iran, and that's why I keep emphasizing the criticality of getting the Strait reopened without conditions and without restrictions to all vessels, regardless of nationality.

We, unfortunately, created that situation by starting this war in the first place, but now we've got to recover at least that much, or we're going to lose a lot more than credibility.

COOPER: Ambassador Crocker, Alan Eyre, thank you very much.

Up next, as tensions continue to rise in and around the Strait of Hormuz, I'll get perspective from former head of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus.

And later, take a look at Earth Setting Behind the Moon. It is the first video ever recorded of what's known as Earthset. It was actually recorded on the phone of the commander, courtesy of the Artemis II crew. More on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:41:30]

COOPER: As we've been discussing, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is expected to expire Wednesday evening Washington time, Vice President Vance expects to depart to Pakistan tomorrow morning for more negotiations. Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry insists there are no plans for talks, quote, "as of now."

I want to go to CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson in Islamabad for more. Nic, what are you hearing from the Iranian side?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, we're hearing tweets very recently from both the President and the Speaker, the main negotiator on the Iranian side, Ghalibaf. And they're both accusing the United States of trying to get a surrender out of the Iranians.

And Ghalibaf as well is saying, look, we're not going to come and negotiate while we're under threat. And I think here he means the Strait of Hormuz being blocked. So there's a lot of chatter from the sort of hardliners in Iran that are indicating, you know, they don't want the talks to happen.

They're talking about the possibility of military options. I think the reality in the Strait of Hormuz over the past more or less 24 hours, it's been pretty quiet. So I think that's a good indicator.

But, you know, these these tweets, of course, they play to a domestic audience. We listen to them. But I think there is still hope, despite what they're saying, that they will come for talks.

COOPER: How concerned are Pakistani mediators about all this uncertainty?

ROBERTSON: Yes, they're really concerned. I mean, really, really concerned. It's like a roller coaster. I mean, that's what I heard from one source earlier today. A lot of diplomacy going on from minister to foreign minister, prime minister to president. You know, the Field Marshal conversations with President Trump as well.

So a lot of hard diplomacy going on and a real hope that the Iranians come through. The test is going to be, of course, if JD Vance is getting on a plane sort of early morning D.C. time. Realistically over here, that gives the Iranians until late tomorrow afternoon, late Tuesday afternoon local time here.

So maybe another 12 hours or so to actually indicate whether or not they're going to come, whether or not it's worth JD Vance getting on a plane. And then I think the hope is if the negotiators, the mediators hope here is if they can get both sides around the table, they really hope that they can get a deal this time.

And they won't try and go for marathon 21-hour talks that they'll try to sort of break it up. Talks are nighttime's rest. So nobody like last time is getting irritable. It makes a deal more reachable, more manageable. That's the aspiration. But it's nothing without the Iranians at the table. And that is a big worry going into tonight here.

COOPER: Nic Robertson, thanks.

Perspective now from Retired U.S. Army General and Former Head of U.S. Central Command David Petraeus, he's also a former CIA Director. General, are you optimistic about this round?

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS (RET.), FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I think the base case is that the Vice President gets on a plane. The Iranians then decide, OK, they probably need to go to Islamabad as well. And that the decision is made on some kind of memorandum of understanding that can enable at least the discussions to continue. And therefore, you extend the current ceasefire a bit further.

Clearly, the pressure on Iran is fairly substantial. You know, not 80 to 90 percent of their economy goes into or out of their ports. That is not happening right now. They do have 35 billion in reserves they can still use. They have 180 or so million barrels of oil floating around out in the Asia-Pacific and so forth.

[20:45:09]

And they're keenly aware of the pressures on the United States as well. And I think the bottom line is that both sides would like to see a resolution to the ongoing conflict. The question is, of course, will they give in on the Strait of Hormuz? And I agree fully with my old diplomatic partner, the greatest any soldier ever had, Ambassador Crocker, who was just on and noted that this cannot stand. This cannot become the Strait of Iran.

And our pressure, our block on this -- the blockade has seemed to be quite effective, including, of course, the boarding of the Chinese ship that reportedly had dual-use chemicals on it. They're very, very substantial quantities and a very professionally carried out operation.

So I think, again, both sides would like to continue the process. I think they'd both like to resolve the issue, especially the United States, of the Strait of Hormuz. It has to go back to what it was, an international body of water through which there is freedom of navigation allowed, and no country can lay claim to it. That's an important issue that has to be resolved.

And, in return, there may be some trade space on the frozen assets of Iran around the world that could be unfrozen in some kind of phased fashion and give them a bit more of a lifeline going forward. And, of course, in the background is always the threat of additional violence from the United States as we then start to address the really thorny issue, which is, of course, the 1,000 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium that is in one or two locations deeply underground in Iran and for which we need to get that out, ideally, perhaps, with the International Atomic Energy Agency overseeing this.

We can trust them on this kind of operation, dilute it, ship it out, whatever it may be, and then talk about whether Iran will have a right to enrich anything at all going down the road. And there's going to have to be backs and forths on that, needless to say, a hugely challenging issue.

COOPER: So, do you agree with General -- with Ambassador Crocker that the status quo, basically a return to the status quo previous to this conflict on the strait, is the most that could be hoped for and maybe the best case, like, realistic scenario for any kind of current negotiations, that the nuclear issue is simply too complex for anything other than some sort of, as you said, memo of understanding?

PETRAEUS: It could be that even the Strait is a bit too complex or too complicated or too thorny for right now. But, again, let's get back to the table, get talking. Of course, you have an issue as well that we see -- saw in evidence over the weekend, where it's not clear that all parts of the Iranian government are on the same song sheet.

The foreign minister said the Strait is open. The Revolutionary Guards Corps said, no, the Strait is closed. You have the Speaker who's the negotiator. And so there's going to be some issues with that as well. Can he actually deliver what it is he agrees to with the United States?

So, again, it would be phenomenal if the Strait was reopened as a result of these upcoming talks. And then with some other quid pro quos in there, that would be fantastic for the global economy, fantastic for the Gulf States, our partners, and, frankly, for Iran as well. But keep in mind, we're going to have to demine it first.

We have to be very confident that any mines that are out there are found and exploded. And we're going to have to ensure that there's no rogue elements in Iran that are going to pepper these ships as they go by and undermine the confidence that is essential. This is not about risk insurance. This is about confidence that they will not lose crew members.

COOPER: Do you, I mean, if there was any -- the President has said that Iran has agreed to, you know, jointly removing its enriched uranium. Iran says that that's not the case. If there was a scenario in which the U.S. was considering attempting to remove it without Iran's permission, do you have any belief that that could be done from a, just militarily and without tremendous loss of life? I mean, how long -- it seems like an operation like that could take a very long period of time in a hostile environment.

PETRAEUS: It would be incredibly complex. Could our U.S. military do it? Sure it could. It can do just about anything. How many casualties would we sustain? Can we sustain a force on the ground? Can we even get a force on the ground with all the earth moving equipment and excavators and expertise and barrels, whatever is required for this? And can you even sustain them logistically, protect them against drones and missiles and ground fire and everything else? That's a very, very tough question. So this would be an enormously complex issue.

[20:50:05]

And, by the way, we're not sure that it's all underneath the rubble of Esfahan or --

COOPER: Right.

PETRAEUS: -- one or two other locations. There's not 100 percent certainty, as we understand it right now, that it is all there. So, again, think of the operation that was required, quote, "just" to rescue one downed aviator and all the hardware we left behind and so forth.

And now think about what it would take. And, by the way, in roughly the same area, think about what it would take to put a force on the ground that has the capability, the expertise and the equipment to do this and how we would be able to protect them. A very, very tall order.

COOPER: General Petraeus, always a pleasure. Thank you.

Coming up next, we have new details on a horrific mass shooting in Louisiana. Authorities say a father killed eight children, nearly all of them his own kids. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:55:04]

COOPER: A growing memorial outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, a home, flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, left to remember eight children shot to death on Sunday. Authorities said the gunman was the father of most of the victims. Isabel Rosales has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TABATHA TAYLOR, SHREVEPORT CITY COUNCILWOMAN, DISTRICT A: This is real, and this is the result when someone snaps. So I'm going to ask the community, along with prayer, with every mental health consultant, counselor that is out here, this family and this community needs you. I need you. Because how do we get through this?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep grief in Shreveport, Louisiana as the details unfold in a horrific domestic attack in this community. It happened in the early morning hours of Sunday.

Just after 6:00 a.m., police received a call that someone had entered a home where nine people lived and shot everyone inside. Minutes later, police received another call reporting a shooting at a nearby house. Authorities say they quickly realized the two incidents were connected.

Police say the shooter then carjacked a vehicle. They chased him into the next parish where officers fatally shot him. CNN obtained video showing police closing in on the gunman after he fled the scene.

In total, police say 31-year-old Shamar Elkins killed eight young children ages 3 to 11. Seven of the kids were his own, the eighth a cousin. He also shot his wife and another adult woman. Both have serious injuries. The shooter's brother-in-law, Troy Brown, says he doesn't know how to make sense of it all.

TROY BROWN, SUSPECT'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: I don't know how to feel. I don't know how to act.

ROSALES (voice-over): He said the shooter, who served in the Louisiana Army National Guard until 2020, was struggling with his mental health and had sought help at the V.A. hospital for something personal. He didn't elaborate.

BROWN: He seek help. He got help. He came home. Everything was good. A couple of weeks ago, a couple of weeks to a month, everything, like, to him was falling apart.

ROSALES (voice-over): An uncle, Lionel Pugh, says it's very hard to cope right now.

LIONEL PUGH, UNCLE OF VICTIMS: It was devastating because, I mean, I got here and all I could see is just, you know, yellow tape, you know, a crime scene.

ROSALES (voice-over): Both Pugh and Brown told CNN that the shooter's wife wanted a divorce. And Brown said that they were due to appear in court today to sign the papers. A neighbor who lives across the street tells CNN he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting.

FREDDIE MONTGOMERY, NEIGHBOR WHO LIVES ACROSS THE STREET: I opened my curtain and looked out the curtain, and it was. It was the Shreveport Police Department. They were making entry into the side door, going into the house.

ROSALES (voice-over): He said he saw the shooter just yesterday.

MONTGOMERY: I waved, just being neighborly, and he actually waved back. And the children were playing in the yard. And so, I just went home, and 12 hours later, this.

ROSALES (voice-over): Brown says the family is struggling but resilient.

BROWN: I'm not OK. I'm not going to be OK for a while. These were eight babies, precious babies. So, no, I'm not OK. And, yes, I am going to seek help for myself as well as my child, my wife, and my sister-in-law. We're all going to go to counsel. Yes, it's going to take a while, but we're going to make it.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: And Isabel Rosales joins us now from outside with that makeshift memorial we see behind you. Isabel, what's -- I mean, how is the community doing at this hour? This is unthinkable.

ROSALES (on-camera): They're in shock. They're stunned. Some are outraged. But there's been an incredible show of support from this strong community here in Shreveport.

Just a block away, a vigil drew over 100 people. The mayor was there. The police chief was there, all of them showing their support. And you can see this growing memorial behind me, community members coming out with teddy bears, with candles, with balloons, giving their hearts to this family that has gone through so much.

Troy Brown, by the way, told me that his son died on this roof trying to get away from that gunfire. His daughter survived by jumping off. She was not injured, but her aunt was shot nine times. She's out of surgery, but she is awake, aware, and they tell me, talking. Anderson?

COOPER: Yes. Isabel Rosales, thanks very much on a really horrific, horrific story.

After a difficult day of news, we leave you tonight with a reminder of the shared home that we all, thankfully, inhabit. Over the weekend, Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis II mission, shared an incredible video that he recorded on his iPhone during their historic mission around the moon through the window of the Orion spacecraft.

Now, you're about to see an Earthset when the Earth sets behind the moon. It's the first time humans ever saw one, and you'll hear the crew's reaction. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you look at that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. Once the shadows behind us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, no way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Yes way. On social media, Commander Wiseman described the moment as one chance in a lifetime. Remarkable. There you see the Earthset.

That's it for us. Kaitlan Collins is taking over now with The Source. See you tomorrow.