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Amanpour

Interview with CNN Global Affairs Analyst and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Senior Fellow Karim Sadjadpour. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired April 06, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up.

As President Trump issues another ultimatum, Iran says the consequences of attacks on civilian targets will have destructive effects on the global

economy. We have the latest developments from Washington with Natasha Bertrand. And assess what's happening behind the scenes with regional

expert Karim Sadjadpour. Plus, we bring you President Trump's press conference as it happens live. Also, in this hour, a view of the moon as

we've never seen it before. It's a moment of record-setting cosmic exploration as the astronauts of Artemis II fly further from Earth than any

humans before them.

Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York, sitting in for Christiane Amanpour.

As President Trump sets a Tuesday deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a 45-day ceasefire proposal has been submitted by regional

mediators. But the Iranian regime has rejected the idea of a temporary truce. In a shocking obscenity-laced social media post Sunday, the

president threatens that Tuesday will be the power plant day and bridge day, all wrapped up in one.

Here's how Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): Negotiation in no way involves an ultimatum, a crime or a threat to commit

war crimes. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian nation have a very, very bitter experience of negotiating with America. And we did not

gain these experiences lightly to simply ignore them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Trump today said that he's not worried about war crimes, and Tehran says that it will accept nothing short of a permanent end to the

war. Later this hour, we'll go live to the White House, where the president is expected to hold a news conference on Iran. But, first, as the fighting

continues to inflict damage on critical targets across the Middle East, what might further escalation look like?

CNN National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now from Washington. And, Natasha, we got a preview of what the president is

expected to say in just the last hour or so, and, once again, saying that no bridges, no power plants will be left untouched if Iran does not come to

the table and agree to a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz. As we've noted, Iran has rejected so far, reportedly, this cease-fire plan. So, what do

these strikes actually mean on the ground for Iranians?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, striking power plants, striking desalination plants that are responsible

for desalinating water, that could obviously have a very dramatic impact on Iranian civilians. It could cause widespread blackouts, for example. It

could cut power to hospitals. And that is why there are so many concerns, particularly among the country, among the U.S.'s Gulf allies, about the

possibility that the U.S. could move forward with attacking these targets, which are essentially civilian infrastructure targets.

We've already seen the U.S. carry out at least two strikes on a bridge that was under construction inside Iran that killed about a dozen people. And

the Gulf allies are saying that if the U.S. continues to strike infrastructure inside Iran, then they are likely going to be struck

themselves by the Iranians in a similar fashion.

And so, because they rely so much on these desalination plants for their drinking water, they're urging the United States, we're told, to refrain

from these kinds of attacks, not to mention, of course, the fact that the Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibits these kinds of attacks,

particularly against drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation work, all of which fall into these categories of civilian

infrastructure.

And so, it remains unclear just how the U.S. military, if they are given this order to go after these targets, how they are going to be able to

justify them being dual use or also having a military purpose. And that is likely what the U.S. military is working on right now, we're told, is

essentially, after being given this order, essentially, by President Trump to start looking at the power plants, desalination facilities and other

energy infrastructure sites, how can the U.S. military then justify striking those if they are predominantly for civilian use? It's unclear if

this is actually going to move forward. The president has made these kinds of threats before.

[13:05:00]

But obviously, it is causing a lot of concern on the ground amongst ordinary Iranians who say, look, they welcomed, in some cases, Israeli and

American intervention to get rid of the regime. But when it comes down to targeting civilian infrastructure, obviously, that is a red line for many

of them, especially given all of the uncertainty they're facing right now with internet blackouts and daily bombing runs by the Iranian -- by the

Israelis and the Americans. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it was notable to hear the president say that the Iranian people actually wanted to hear the bombs continue. That's what he has been

told, because he said their silence suggests that the United States is not still trying to free them from the regime. And as we already mentioned, the

president said he doesn't care or isn't worried about war crime allegations if he does, in fact, live up to these threats in targeting infrastructure

in the country. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.

Well, military Middle East expert Karim Sadjadpour argues that as President Trump vacillates, Iran's strategy has stayed consistent, writing, the

defining deliberations of this war aren't between the U.S. and Iran, but Trump himself. Sadjadpour monitors Iran for the Carnegie Endowment for

International Peace, and he joins me now from Washington. Karim, it's always good to see you.

So, given what you have laid out, that the president is basically deliberating with himself, not with the Iranians who remain dug in and

steadfast here, he's issued yet another ultimatum. We have about 24 hours, a little more than 24 hours for that set to expire. So, just walk us

through why this time should look any different.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST AND SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Well, Bianna, the president is

obviously frustrated, and he has a great sense of urgency to resolve this issue, because as long as Iran is controlling the Strait of Hormuz, oil

prices continue to stay high and there's public demand in the United States to end this war.

The challenge is that Iran is in no hurry to open the Strait. They actually want to normalize their control over the Strait as not just any longer an

international waterway, but now an Iranian waterway, like their Panama Canal.

And what Iran has asked for to end the war are a couple of things. Number one, they want reassurances that they won't be attacked again in the

future. And number two, they want reparations. And obviously, neither of those two objectives are achievable, so long as the official slogans of

this regime remain death to America and death to Israel. And so, for them, holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage is in some ways an insurance policy to

try to achieve those objectives.

GOLODRYGA: And you actually pinpoint in your very thoughtful post on X that I encourage everyone to go read as you detail post after post is what

to Iran's thinking and the regime's mentality has been for decades now.

At this point, you say that the top priority is the Strait of Hormuz, not even the nuclear program in Iran. What is the immediate fallout for the

United States if that portion is not resolved quickly in a diplomatic way?

SADJADPOUR: Well, so many countries around the world depend on the Strait of Hormuz, not just for their oil and their gas, but also their fertilizer,

their food. And so, it is inimical to the interests of not just the United States, but dozens and dozens of countries around the world to have

essentially an Iranian militia, the Revolutionary Guards, control their energy security and their food security.

And so, I think that it's incumbent on President Trump to mobilize U.S. partners and countries like China, which are heavily dependent on the

Strait of Hormuz and getting their energy from that key thoroughfare to fight back against Iran and say, this is not an Iranian waterway. This is

not your Panama Canal. This needs to remain open.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Karim, unfortunately, we have to leave it there as the president has just started taking questions and speaking. Let's go over to

the White House.

(CNN U.S. SIMULCAST)

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END