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Trump Floats Iran Regime Change as Israel Hits Tehran With New Strikes; Lawmakers Frustrated After Trump Executes Iran Strikes Without Congressional Approval; U.S. Assessing Damage to Iran's Nuclear Sites After Strikes. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired June 23, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, President Trump is now floating the idea of regime change in Iran as we wait to see how the country will respond to the strikes on its nuclear facilities and the U.S. moves to assess the extent of the damage it caused.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking this morning, Israel's defense minister says its military struck at the, quote, heart of Tehran, including the Revolutionary Guard headquarters.

And President Trump's decision to launch the strikes raising constitutional questions like where exactly do you get the authority to do this.

Kate is out today. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: Breaking news this morning, as the U.S. is still assessing the impact of its strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, Israel is carrying out new attacks on the country, President Trump for the first time now floating the possibility of regime change in Iran. And the big question, how will Iran respond to all of this?

New this morning, the U.N's nuclear watchdog says the US strikes likely cause very significant damage to Iran's heavily fortified uranium enrichment plant in Fordow. A CNN analysis of satellite images finds the attack at site dug into a mountain, left at least six large craters that you can see circled there likely from the U.S. bunker- buster bombs designed to go deep underground. And dramatic before and after images showing the damage at Isfahan, Iran's largest nuclear research complex, after it was hit by more than a dozen cruise missiles.

But it is unclear whether Iran may have moved any of its uranium stockpiles before those strikes. This morning, the head of Iran's armed forces warned the U.S. that it will never back down. But no public reaction yet from Iran's supreme leader, not even after President Trump posted this, quote, if the current Iranian regime is that able to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change? We're also getting new details about how this secret operation unfolded. Sources telling CNN, the administration announced a two week window for diplomacy last week just to throw the Iranians off.

Alayna Treene is at the White House this morning, and I guess the big question is what happens next? What are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's exactly right, Sara. We know that the president is going to be gathering his national security team in the Oval Office at 1:00 P.M. And, really, that is the question that they are now facing is how do we move forward with this and what exactly happens?

Of course, they're watching closely, we're told for any potential retaliation from Iran. But, really, they're faced with two key questions. One of them is what you brought up, Sara, which is how effective were these strikes? I remember throughout this week when we were reporting on the president moving closer to that decision to go ahead and strike Iranian nuclear facilities. He had been asking his team behind closed doors, can we actually take out these facilities with these, you know, B-2 bunker-buster bombs. They assured him yes. But, of course, that is still the question. We've seen the president reiterate repeatedly now that it was a very successful operation that they were, these sites were obliterated, but we're still trying to assess what actually the damage is.

And then the next question is, how will Iran respond to all of this? And also how do they want to move forward with this? Because we have heard the president now say that he wants diplomacy to really, you know, have the Iranians face this now and respond and move toward peace. But he's also cautioned that they are prepared to launch more strikes on more nuclear targets in Iran if they do not move forward like that.

And I think one key thing here is that post you brought up from the president, because we have been hearing, you know, not just privately, but we've seen now many top Trump administration officials come out publicly on television saying that this is not about regime change. You first heard that from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. She had said that this was all about the nuclear weapon.

And then you saw the three people that the president had flanked him when he made that address to the nation after the strikes on Saturday evening, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State, but also National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, and the head of the Pentagon defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, all of them going out yesterday on the Sunday show saying, this is not about regime change. This is not a war on Iran. It's in a war on their nuclear program.

[07:05:00]

That's how Vance characterized this.

But then just hours later, you know, that line held only for a couple hours and then you saw the president say that, you know, if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change?

So, this is all something that they are currently facing. They're going to be meaning today at 1:00 P.M. Hope we can get more answers for you on all of this. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, the president's message, not matching his cabinet member's message. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. We will be checking back in with you. John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning, those new wider Israeli strikes on Tehran and CNN is getting a firsthand look at the target list, on the target list, the Revolutionary Guard headquarters of the Iranians and a facility holding political prisoners.

Now, CNN's Fred Pleitgen and his team raced to safety as these strikes began there in Tehran. They filed this report after getting the all clear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we've just witnessed a massive airstrike here on the area of sort of Northern Central Tehran. We actually went downstairs into a shelter once we heard planes overhead and then we heard explosions. You can see now the sky over the northwest of Tehran is completely filled with smokes. It seemed to us as though it were several really, really strong impacts that took place.

And if we look over to the left here, you can see the smoke seems to be emanating from that area. That's more towards the west of Iran, the sort of northwest of Tehran of the Iranian capital. This is the first time since we've been here that we've seen a heavy airstrike like this in the fairly central part of the city.

So, we're only going to be able to be up here for not much longer, but this is definitely something that I wouldn't say is unprecedented, but it definitely is something that we haven't seen in the past couple of days coming, of course, exactly after the Trump administration struck those nuclear facilities and the Iranians are vowing revenge for that.

Of course, the Israelis also continuing their air campaign, and right now, as you can see, the skies over Tehran filled with thick black smoke.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: If you want to know what it's like to go through an airstrike, you can hear it right there in Fred Pleitgen's voice. Our thanks to him and his team, and we wish them the best and to be safe.

For more on what we're seeing there, let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson, who is in Tel Aviv this morning. Nick, we just saw what Fred was showing in Tehran. What are the Israelis saying about these strikes and the target? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the Israeli defense minister really echoing what Fred was saying there, using the word unprecedented. The defense minister, Israel Katz, saying Israel is using -- the IDF is using unprecedented force in Tehran, and he listed some of the targets. Evin Prison, this is a prison where the leadership in Iran locks up the most feared by them, political prisoners, the voices and the people that create dissent in Iran end up in Evan Prison, as well as many of the foreigners Americans and others who've been detained in Iran.

The defense minister in Israel also saying that they're targeting the besiege forces. This is a volunteer paramilitary force, part of the much bigger IRGC, Iran's elite military force. And these besiege paramilitaries are the ones that go out on the streets, enforce the regime's -- the Iranian leadership's will, if you like. They're the ones that are feared in these anti-regime protests in Iran because they come out on the streets and beat up the protesters in quite a violent way.

So, what it appears Israel is targeting as some of the most feared regime elements inside of Iran. And this is a shift, it's not a complete change, but it's a shift in what Israel is targeting, continuing to target the Fordow nuclear facility today, continuing to target airfields missile launch sites, missile storage facilities, but branching out now into elements of the Iranian leadership's repressive tools against its population.

And when you see the doors being blown off of Evin jail, which is what appears to have happened, it speaks to that idea, that notion of, perhaps moving towards regime change, certainly giving confidence to those elements on the streets and in the jails of Tehran that would want regime change and enabling them potentially to maneuver for that.

Again, this is early indications and I should just add there as well that Iran has changed up its tactics on Israel as well, that it's launching fewer missiles, but in more drawn out barrages, trying to disrupt life here more, it appears.

BERMAN: Nic Robertson for us in Tel Aviv, you raise a great point. These new targets, the Israelis are striking, would lend themselves to the notion of shaking the stability of the regime in Iran.

[07:10:04]

This bears watching over the next several hours and days.

Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week after President Trump ordered strikes on Iran without their consent. We're learning more this morning about who was briefed on the strikes and when.

And we are keeping a close eye on market futures relatively flat so far this morning, although all of them down. We are watching and waiting to see if Iran closes the critical Strait of Hormuz, which could send oil prices skyrocketing.

And overnight, anger erupting on the streets of Tehran. Our CNN team there in the middle of it, inside Iran, we will bring you the very latest from there. Those stories are ahead.

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[07:15:00]

SIDNER: President Trump's decision to launch strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities has sparked a whirlwind of reactions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, both over the decision itself and how they found out.

The reaction, for the most part, is falling along bipartisan lines. Though this morning, some GOP officials echoed Democrats' concerns that this strike never should have happened without Congressional approval.

CNN Senior Reporter Annie Grayer joining me now with much more on this. What are you hearing from lawmakers?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Sara, factions are emerging on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers ask themselves a key question, which is what role, if any, does Congress have to play going forward? Democrats are leading an effort to pass a war powers resolution, which would require Trump to get Congressional approval for any further military action that he wants to take.

Democratic Senator Tim Kane is leading this effort and he says this vote could come as soon as this week. He expects there to be some Republicans to join him. He's just not sure how many.

Now, one Republican senator to watch is Lisa Murkowski, who had a lengthy post on her views on all this, but the part that I want to read from you is where she says, quote, Congress alone holds the constitutional power to authorize war.

Now, in the House, a Republican, Thomas Massie, is actually leading the war powers effort. Massie and Trump have a long bitter history, and Trump has gone after Massie for leading this effort. So, the question will be, will any other Republicans want to potentially fall out of Trump's good graces by joining him? But Republican leadership is firmly behind Trump here and say that Trump has the authority to act and support the strikes that Trump enacted.

But some Democrats say that the War Powers Act doesn't go far enough. You have progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who suggests that maybe Trump should be impeached for pursuing these actions without Congressional approval. That's going to be something that Democrats are going to have to message around and answer for.

But beyond just what legislative action could happen this week, Sara, both the House and the Senate are expected to get classified briefings, which lawmakers say are going to answer a lot of key remaining questions that they have on Iran. SIDNER: Yes, there's a lot of questions to be asked and answered. Annie Grayer, thank you so much. I really appreciate your reporting this morning.

All right, ahead. What could a potential retaliation from Iran look like? The different possible scenarios, we'll walk you through them next.

And this video captures terrifying moments during a church service as a gunman opened fire outside. How police say a church security guard helped stop a mass shooting. Those stories and more ahead.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. New this morning, we do have some new satellite imagery showing the effects of this U.S. strike on Fordow, the nuclear facility inside Iran from Operation Midnight Hammer. You can see this is the before satellite image of the Fordow nuclear plant. And then after, you can see these craters, three craters here and here. Presumably, those are the impacts of the U.S. bunker-busting bombs.

Now, the key is to assess how much damage was actually done underground. That's ongoing. And as that happens, an incredible amount of awareness now in the possibility of the Iranian counterattack.

With us now, CNN Senior Military Analyst, retired Admiral James Stavridis, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and a partner of the Carlisle Group, an international investment firm. Admiral, great to see you.

When we talk about possible Iranian response, it's important to show the U.S. assets in the region. How many U.S. troops are right nearby Iran, both here and here? What do you think the Iranian options are?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: I think there are three. One is very attractive to the west, which would be that the Iranians could have a sudden epiphany, come to their senses, come to the table, negotiate a solution and rejoin the world of nations. Unlikely. Option two, however, is much more likely, John, and that's where we get into your magic board. They could create a series of kind of calibrated, if you will, face-saving strikes going against U.S. assets. There are about 40,000 troops in the area, dozens of warships out in sea, constant planes flying.

There are also soft targets, American businessmen and women, expats who work in the region. There are embassies, there are consulates we have deep relationships. The Iranians could go after them, but do it in a targeted kind of way that they would hope would not invite a second massive U.S. response.

Option three, John, is the one we ought to worry about, and it's not impossible. Sara was talking about it a moment ago. What if the Iranians decide to close the Strait of Hormuz? They have the capability to do that, at least for a few months, using mines, using sunken warships. You're pointing at the strait now. 20 percent, 25 percent of the world's energy, oil, and gas, flows through that. So, massive disruption, huge hike in oil and gas prices, very dangerous scenario.

[07:25:03]

That's option three that the Iranians decide to go big at this point.

I don't think they will. I worry about it. So far, the markets are taking this in stride.

BERMAN: So far, the markets are taking in stride, which is interesting in and of itself, basically futures pointing flat right now.

You talked about the possibility of targeting the Straits of Hormuz right there, the Strait of Hormuz right there. That would be the closest to Iran. There is also concern about other asymmetric measures they could take, terror attacks there. How seriously would you take that right now?

STAVRIDIS: I would take it very seriously. And as I mentioned, certainly, the obvious targets would be to go after U.S. ambassadors, U.S. generals and admirals who are stationed in the region, but they could also go after soft targets, meaning U.S. citizens who are operating -- frankly, I look at reporters who are inside Iran who could be taken hostage. I wouldn't put that past the Iranians if they decide to go big.

And then something we haven't talked about, John, that would be cyber. The Iranians have very, very strong cyber capabilities. Our military is pretty hardened, well-defended. We could certainly retaliate. They know that, but they could use cyber to go after soft targets, everything from oil field machinery to terminals for ports, ships, aircraft, that would be another form of going big.

I don't think they'll go big, but all of those capabilities are within their grasp.

BERMAN: You know, as a formal naval officer yourself, you know how much the Iranians operate in these water ways here and in some of the chaos they've caused in the past, certainly a possibility going forward.

Admiral James Stavridis, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

And as we were just talking, we did take a look at market futures, market futures largely flat right now, is red but not by much. That's pretty stable. Global investors seem to be taking things in stride so far after the U.S. strikes in Iran.

And, quote, MAGA does not want him, does not know him, and does not respect him, the new message from the president to a fellow Republican, as there is some infighting over the strikes in Iran and it's beginning to heat up, (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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