Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Israel Targets Iran's Nuclear Sites, Scientists, Military Leaders; Judge Pauses Order Giving California National Guard Control Back To The State. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 13, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:34:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are following major breaking news out of the Middle East this morning. Brand new reporting for you.

Israel's Mossad spy agency now saying that it smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of Friday's strikes that were used to target its defenses from within. Those are remarkable statements there and there is video that we will get to you in just a minute.

Now, Israel is launching unprecedented strikes in Iran's nuclear facilities. You can see some of the aftermath there. And it has managed to kill of the most powerful military leaders in the country, and it is not over.

Also this morning Israel's military just confirming it killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force in a strike, including its commander. Iran vowing to retaliate, responding first by launching drones to Israel territory.

Joining me now are CNN's Fred Pleitgen and Nick Paton Walsh.

Fred, to you first. You've been to Iran several times. Can you give us some sense of what it means for Iran's leadership that three of the most powerful men in the country have been killed, including now Israel saying one of them an Air Force commander.

[07:35:10]

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An Air Force commander. In fact, the commander of the Aerospace Force, Ali Hajizadeh. This is what the Israelis are saying and the Iranians seemingly confirming that as well. And Ali Hajizadeh is very important for Iran's missile program and for Iran's drone program as well.

I got to see some of the inside workings of that a couple of months ago when I was in Iran. And one of the things that people kept saying is that he's basically one of the fathers or was one of the fathers of Iran's drone and missile program.

The Iranians at some point because of the international sanctions decided that for them it was no longer feasible to try and build up an Air Force using regular planes or jetfighters. And so therefore, they went very big on missiles and on drones as well. And Ali Hajizadeh was really one of the people or one of the main people overseeing that -- not only Iran's ballistic missile program and not only Iran's drone program but also Iran's air defenses as well.

You'll recall, Sara, a couple of years ago the Iranians shot down an American drone that was flying over the Persian Gulf. That was also the work of Ali Hajizadeh. So a very important figure as far as the missile program is concerned and as far as the drone program is concerned as well.

But one of the things about the Iranians is that they do have the 'next man up' ideology in the Revolutionary Guard. They are very capable of replenishing their ranks. Nevertheless, if this turns out to be confirmed it would be a severe loss for the Iranians.

And at the same time, you mentioned that some other senior military leaders also confirmed killed as well. Hossein Salami, who was the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps has already been replaced by Iran's supreme leader. Also the chief of Iran's general staff of the armed forces also killed.

So certainly some pretty vicious strikes that were going on in the early morning hours in Tehran. We were in touch with some people who were on the ground in Tehran saying that the ground was shaking from some of these strikes.

The Iranians, Sara, as you've noted, have already vowed that there will be retaliation, have already launched some drones, and say they do still have those capabilities.

At the same time, the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian coming out a couple of minutes ago and urging people to stand behind Iran's leadership. Urging national unity in the face of attacks on Iranian territory that the Iranians say are still ongoing, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much, Fred. Stick with us.

Let's go now to Nick Paton Walsh. Let me ask you this. Iran is vowing to retaliate. It did so with some drones. But what are Iran's real capabilities after Israel, for example, shattered Hezbollah's power, shattered Hamas' capability, and before this had -- you know, Iran had faced bombs from Iran to some of its military infrastructure?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, the list Fred gave you there of senior Iranian military commanders who are now dead and who have been replaced -- the graphic, frankly, wasn't even able to keep up with the reality of what we now know. And so I think you have a morning where Iran's leadership are potentially concerned even about being that regularly in contact.

Clearly, some of the strikes were pinpoint accurate on apartment blocks in upscale parts of Tehran. Pinpoint information being used. And so not only do you have the fact of Iran simply having to assess the damage to its key leadership that may still indeed be ongoing, they need to then assess the safety of meeting.

Clearly, the Air Force Revolutionary Guard meeting that Israel says it hit was a key target for them. It may indeed being that meeting expedited this raid occurring, although obviously it seems to have had timing related to the diplomacy at the weekend as well, some analysts are arguing too.

But there's been a devastating blow on personnel. And, of course, the Mossad infiltration appears to have targeted other elements of Iran's air defenses. I've seen some images -- satellite images of damage to the Natanz nuclear facility which Iran has suggested initially may be superficial. It looks extensive from my amateur assessment of those pictures.

But look, this is a morning frankly where it is clear that an Israeli years' or monthslong planned operation has come into effect. It has, like their devastating and perhaps ruthless brutal operation against Hezbollah, their Iranian proxy enemy to the north being very effective.

And now we have an Iran which prior to this was to some degree hobbled after October airstrikes against their air defenses. Now potentially simply trying to assess what they have left, who they have left to take key decisions.

And then left with this very complex choice now around its nuclear program. That may have been heavily damaged. The brains around it may no longer be alive. And, indeed, if the choice for Iran is now to race towards a nuclear weapon it has to do that under the threat of half the Israeli Air Force potentially still in the skies above it.

[07:40:00]

So a phenomenally complicated and messy morning for Iran and one that may potentially have shattered that notion of Iran being a power across the region. This morning that may have passed into a different era -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Fred Pleitgen, Nick Paton Walsh.

Nick, just quickly here -- you know, you talk about all of the military commanders. Give us some sense of the region because Israel has really hobbled so many of Iran's proxies in the region at this point in time. Does Iran have anyone else to go to to help it in its retaliation?

WALSH: Not really. I mean, the first port of call would be Moscow, but they have their own problem now, which is a three-year-long war against Ukraine -- a much smaller neighbor that they're struggling really to be the prevailing force in. So Moscow don't really have spare capacity to assist Iran here.

The whole idea of a sweeping attack like this against Iran was considered impossible by Israel while Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy, was a force to be reckoned with to Israel's north. Hezbollah isn't there anymore. They were taken out last summer in a devastating weekslong campaign. So that issue is resolved.

Then, potentially, Iraqi militias aligned to the Iranians could target Israeli forces or maybe U.S. bases, but then you run the risk of dragging other powers in against Iran here.

But it's desperately weak. Probably the weakest it's been in decades just this particular morning. So, I mean, I think we're looking at a region where clearly Israel is the dominant military and intelligence power acting at its own will regardless of the impact on American diplomacy and not heeding any warnings by President Trump about this. There may be some who try and suggest this is part of a grander plan. There's no evidence of that now.

But clearly, President -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- this is years or months in the making -- an operation like this preceded by the operation against Hezbollah. It appears at this point to have been significantly effective. It may well have damaged or hampered Iran's ability to respond in a meaningful way at all. We'll see that in the days or weeks ahead. But it likely, too, marks a change in the dynamics in the region where Iran, once a very powerful force there, may this morning seem significantly less so -- Sara.

SIDNER: Yeah. Well, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much for your reporting and also to our Fred Pleitgen -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah. President Trump posting more information on his social media account.

He just wrote, "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a deal. They should have done it. Today is day 61. I told them what to do but they just couldn't get there. Now they have perhaps a second chance."

That statement coming from President Trump this morning.

This as everyone in Washington waking up trying to assess what is happening right now in Iran and in Israel, including members of Congress watching this very closely.

Let's get to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty for the latest on what you are hearing this morning -- Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, John, it's so interesting.

And at least for Democrats on Capitol Hill their initial response that we're hearing from many Democrats is look at the timing here. We are -- they are saying that the Israeli strikes they believe are an attempt to scuttle the Trump administration's diplomacy with Iran, specifically pointing to the previously scheduled meetings between the U.S. and Iran taking place this weekend at the moment.

Now, Sen. Chris Murphy, a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu's own making, and now the region risks spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict. A war between Israel and Iran may be good for Netanyahu's domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States, and the rest of the region."

Other Democrats -- Sen. Jack Reed, a top Democrat on the Senate Armed Service Committee, calling this "a reckless escalation" and for the Trump administration to push for de-escalation here.

Now, many Republicans essentially mirroring what we initially heard from the Trump administration last night, attempting to distance the U.S. from the Israeli strikes.

Senator -- Senate Majority Leader John Thune, in a statement last night, saying, "The United States Senate stands ready to work with President Trump with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas."

And John, he went on to add that Iran should heavily consider the consequences before taking any action against Americans in the region -- John.

BERMAN: Again, I think officials in Washington trying to get a handle on exactly what's happening and what capabilities the Iranians have left.

Sunlen Serfaty in Washington for us this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk much more about what is unfolding before us. Joining us now is CNN global affairs analyst Brett McGurk. He's a former White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. Brett, it's really good to see you this morning.

[07:45:00]

You were on last night just as this was beginning to unfold, even before we knew what targets were hit, who was killed, and how far this wave went. You know more about strategy here and the players here than most anyone.

What is your view on this Israeli attack on Iran this morning?

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: Well, Kate, I'd made three points.

I think the Israelis are calling this "Operation Rising Lion." I would call it "Operation Kitchen Sink." As you have been reporting and as Sara just reported, this is airstrikes, sabotage, Mossad -- an incredibly extensive operation that is still ongoing.

It has eliminated in a single night the entire military command structure of Iran. I just cannot underestimate how significant this is.

The head of Iran's military, Gen. Bagheri; the head of their missile and drone program, Gen. Hajizadeh; the head of their National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani -- former head but really still active in that role; and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami who organizes all the proxy groups across the Middle East -- Hezbollah, Hamas, and others -- through the Quds Force.

So, incredible.

Second point. This shows just total intelligence dominance and penetration by Israel into Iran, and that really limits what Iran can do in response here. The people who would have met this morning to figure out how to respond are all dead.

So -- and there will be no surprise. Israel will know clearly exactly what Iran is going to do. I think they'll be ready for it. There will be a response. But the ability of the Iranians to organize a coordinated response is significantly degraded.

I think those saying this is going to lead to an uncontrollable Middle East war -- I think that's really overheated because Iran has just been significantly degraded here and Israel clearly knows what's coming.

The third point, importantly. Why is this happening? I have to say I lived through this. October 7 and a Hamas attack into Israel changed the strategic equation in the Middle East. Iran made a fateful decision after that to join in the attack against Israel. Lining up Hezbollah, the Houthis, all the proxies in Syria and Iraq to attack Israel and twice launching massive attacks from Iran into Israel. And Israel made clear after October 7 it will no longer ever allow threats to fester.

That's really what this is all about. And what happened in the last 10 days is Iran significantly ramped up its nuclear program. The IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, found just flagrant violations by Iran in meeting its obligations.

And just finally, in Vienna, on Thursday, 19 countries found Iran in violation of its nuclear commitments, the first time that's happened in 20 years.

So the choices Iran made here were just massive miscalculations.

So that's the backdrop and I can't say exactly how this is going to play out but that is basically what led to this extraordinary operation by the Israelis into Iran.

BOLDUAN: You were involved in helping prepare Israel's defense after Iran launched its massive attack in October.

What is the president's national security team doing right now -- President Trump's national security team? He's set to meet in the Situation Room with them at 11:00 a.m. this morning. What's going on behind the scenes?

MCGURK: Yeah, Kate. Well, fortunately, we lived through, in April of last year, a massive attack -- 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles launched from Iran against Israel. That attack was defeated.

In October, Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles against Israel. I was in the Situation Room for that. It takes 13 minutes for a missile to be launched from Iran to Israel. Only a limited window to shoot them down or deflect them. Both -- the defenses in both of those incidents were highly effective.

Our military structure through CENTCOM -- it's all the same people. They know exactly what they're doing. And I'm sure that is all being put in place now.

But I have to say it's going to be very difficult for Iran to organize a response like this. I think they are all probably in bunkers waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So I know -- I'm certain we are getting ready, and we will help defend Israel. I think the president made that clear. That is absolutely right. We are not involved in this direct attack, but we will help defend Israel and those preparations are underway.

And it's fortunate I kind of lived through this. I helped coordinate the defense twice last year. So we very much know how to do this.

BOLDUAN: When it comes to retaliation and as you -- you seem to be describing Brett that response from Iran this time might be very different from what we have seen in the past because of how crippled -- how crippling this attack was and how crippled they have become, and how deeply Israeli intelligence has penetrated into Iran.

[07:50:00]

What we've heard from Iran ahead of this was that Iran will -- vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region in the event of any attack on its nuclear program. The line from the defense minister recently was, "If a conflict is imposed on us, all U.S. bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries."

What do you make of that in the light of today -- of what we're seeing here?

MCGURK: So they have that option and they might try. I think if they do then I think that brings the Americans in in a very significant way and that will make the situation even worse for Iran -- and I think they know that.

You know, something here is significant, Kate. After that October attack I mentioned, Israel did launch some airstrikes into Iran -- unprecedented. They took out all of Iran's strategic air defenses. To this day Iran has not responded to that.

Iran is in a very, very weak position. But listen, they will respond. They will try to muster a significant response. I think their ability to do so is limited but there will be a response. We are not out of this at all. And I think we have to make sure -- if I was in the White House right

now, number one, protection of Americans. What are our facilities, what are our protections, what are our defenses. That is point number one.

Second, helping the Israelis defend themselves against what's coming and also having visibility into what the Israelis are still planning because this is very much ongoing.

BOLDUAN: Brett --

MCGURK: I would say one final point, Kate, just the nuclear program. This does not take out all of Iran's nuclear facilities most likely. Iran still has that card. They could try to push rapidly for a nuclear weapon. I think that would be, again, a strategic miscalculation, but this has some ways to go.

BOLDUAN: Brett McGurk, your perspective is always important. Today, it's essential. Thank you so much -- Sara.

SIDNER: Still ahead we're going to have more, of course, on our breaking news, including Israeli spy agency Mossad releasing video of how it smuggled weapons into Iran.

And a federal court passes a ruling -- pauses, excuse me, a ruling requiring Trump to return control of the California National Guard back to the governor. What this means for the administration's crackdown on anti-ICE protests.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:56:38]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight major legal developments after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration had illegally taken control of the National Guard and deployed them to California's immigration protests.

Judge Charles Breyer wrote that "President Trump's actions were illegal -- both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution." He wrote, "He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the governor of the state of California forthwith."

Now, then a federal appeals court paused that ruling until Tuesday when a hearing is scheduled. President Trump reacted to that early this morning thanking the appeals court for putting this off until at least Tuesday.

With us now is Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst and former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

And Judge Charles Breyer -- yes, brother to Stephen Breyer -- he wrote a pretty scathing ruling against the Trump administration.

What were the highlights to you? ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK (via Webex by Cisco): He did, John. No words were minced in this opinion.

So the most important decision that Judge Breyer made here is that he, as a federal judge, does have the power to review the president's federalization of the National Guard. The administration had argued this is a decision solely for the president. You, the courts, have no role in this. Judge Breyer forcefully disagreed.

And then he proceeded to reject essentially every argument the administration has made. He said this is not a rebellion. He said it's not even close. He said the argument that this is necessary to enforce federal laws also not even close. He actually -- the judge made a point of saying he made a finding that the presence of the National Guard is actually making the situation on the ground worse and inflaming things.

You mentioned the 10th Amendment, John. Under that the judge found that this is a state's power, not a federal power. And so this is a forceful rebuke by the judge of the president's actions.

BERMAN: An expansive rebuke. But then, almost immediately, paused until at least Tuesday.

What does that mean, Elie?

HONIG: Yeah, so then the tables turned very quickly about an hour later last night right before midnight.

So the Court of Appeals -- this is the mid-level between the district court and the Supreme Court -- they are next up. They immediately put a pause on the judge's ruling, meaning the National Guard can remain deployed at least until Tuesday. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals will hear an argument.

I do have to make a slight comment to Donald Trump's comment. The Court of Appeals did not rule that Donald Trump wins. What they did was they paused a very bad ruling for him. So it was good news for Donald Trump that the Court of Appeals made that ruling, but the Court of Appeals has not yet signed off either way on this issue. They've just put in on pause.

BERMAN: And then, very quickly in 30 seconds or less here, Judge Breyer in his ruling also said something interesting about the Marines. His ruling -- everything he wrote was about the Guard, not these 700 Marines who have been sent, I guess, in just the direction of Los Angeles, and that's relatively pertinent here.

HONIG: Yeah. The judge found that for all the smoke about will there be Marines deployed, he's not seen any actual evidence that they have been. He did stress the old notion that there's a strict line of separation between the military and law enforcement. And he sort of warned that either way, National Guard or Marines, they are not to engage in actual law enforcement activity. No arrests, no search and seizures. At most, they can go out there and support and protect federal assets.

BERMAN: Yeah. As far as the Marines go, no mention yet. Just come back to me if and when they do more than they're doing now.