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Trump Lashes Out at Israel and Iran as He Heads to NATO Summit; Interview with Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL): Is the Ceasefire in Place and Holding?; Trump on Israel and Iran, Both Violated Ceasefire. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 24, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: -- lashing out at both Israel and Iran with the ceasefire deal he just announced on very shaky ground. This is all happening as the president is on his way right now to Europe for the NATO summit.

What will the president say? What is the conversation going to be with America's closest allies as new polls show that Americans don't trust his handling of this unfolding Middle East crisis?

Sara is out today. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we do have breaking news, a lot of it. President Trump is angry, accusing both Israel and Iran of violating the ceasefire deal he just announced hours before.

He dropped a bomb of his own, of the F variety, when speaking to reporters just a short time ago. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't like plenty of things I saw yesterday. I didn't like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They didn't have to unload.

And I didn't like the fact that the retaliation was very strong. But in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot. And now I hear Israel just went out because they felt it was violated by one rocket that didn't land anywhere.

That's not what we want, I'll tell you. And I'm telling you, I'm not happy about that, Israel, either. I don't like the fact that Israel went out this morning at all. And I'm going to see if I can stop it.

We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing. Do you understand that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You absolutely heard what you think you heard there. Now, soon after the president said the ceasefire was in effect, Israel accused Iran of breaking it and vowed to respond with force. Iran is denying those allegations.

What we do know is that both sides launched deadly strikes before the agreement took effect. The moment of impact from Iranian missiles on a strike in southern Israel, that's just ahead of the ceasefire. At least five people were killed, multiple rescued after a residential building took a direct hit. That is according to Israel's emergency services.

While in Iran, before the ceasefire, authorities say at least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in the northwest part of that country. And it all follows this wild 48 hours in the Middle East that saw the United States carry out strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran retaliated with a missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar. No American casualties there. That seems so long ago, though, now, compared to where we are this morning.

We have Alayna Treene at the White House, Jeremy Diamond in southern Israel. Let's start with Alayna Treene. I understand you've got some news for us just in.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, that's right, John. I was told by a White House official that the president called up Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after speaking with us, other reporters and I, on the South Lawn, where he made those comments about how frustrated he was with both Israel and Iran. And essentially this source told me that the president was, quote, exceptionally firm and direct with the prime minister about what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire.

They added that the prime minister, quote, understood the severity of the situation and the concerns President Trump expressed.

Now, we did see, you mentioned this, John, but the president shortly after talking to reporters where he said that both countries, both Israel and Iran, don't know what the F they're doing and said that he was very angry with how Israel was responding to what he called a single rocket coming from Iran following the ceasefire.

We saw the president post a warning on Truth Social to Israel where he said, do not drop those bombs. If you do, it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home now.

And then just moments after that warning that he had posted on social media, I was told that, of course, as I said, the president spoke with the Israeli prime minister about this.

And then he posted this, John. He said, quote, Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home while doing a friendly, quote, plane wave to Iran. Nobody will be hurt. The ceasefire is in effect.

So we are, of course, I mean, all of this happening in just about an hour really unfolding here in front of us.

And I will say when the president first came out to speak with us, it was clear that he wasn't entirely sure if the ceasefire was going to hold. He essentially said he hoped it would. But now it does seem after calling and getting on the phone with the prime minister of Israel that he has worked out some sort of agreement for them to not retaliate. And he argues now that the ceasefire is still in effect -- John.

BERMAN: It seems like a minute by minute thing that we're going through right now. Alayna Treene at the White House. Thank you.

Let's get to Jeremy Diamond in Israel. And Jeremy, we see you in front of this building that's just had its front sheared off.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, John. This was the direct hit that took place early this morning in the final hours before that ceasefire went into effect. And you can see behind me this building took a direct hit partially collapsing. And I'm going to step out of the frame here so you can just get a closer look at the power of this ballistic missile, you know, one of the final missiles that made impact in Israel before this ceasefire went into effect.

We are told that four people were killed as a result of this strike. They were actually in one of the top floors there inside the safe rooms, according to the Israeli military. But because of the fact that it took a direct hit onto that safe room, we are told that four people who were inside those safe rooms were indeed killed.

Other individuals, though, who were in other safe rooms further on floors that were further down, they did somehow survive the destructive power of this ballistic missile.

But dozens of people were nonetheless injured. Some of them are being treated at Soroka Hospital here in Beer Sheva not far away. And this is, of course, you know, the tragedy of the way that these ceasefire agreements tend to work in the Middle East is that you have an announcement of a ceasefire and then there is a period of time before that ceasefire actually goes into effect when you see both sides really, you know, using up as much firepower as they can.

We saw, of course, those very heavy Israeli strikes in the final hours before the ceasefire agreement went into effect, which President Trump was talking about, saying that he felt it was unnecessary. And there was, of course, as well, a barrage of more than 20 Iranian ballistic missiles that were fired towards Israel, one of which made impact right behind me.

BERMAN: Extraordinary images. Jeremy Diamond, for us in southern Israel, obviously keep us posted as this situation continues to develop really before our eyes -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And joining us right now is Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez from Florida. He sits on both the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees. Congressman, thank you very much for coming in.

This really is unfolding minute by minute here, with one of the big questions today being, is the ceasefire in place and holding? At this hour, what do you think?

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Well, I think that if it's true what the president said, that the Israelis are going to come back, those warplanes are going to come back after a friendly, you know, wave-by, then there is an opportunity for the ceasefire to hold. Iran is in the, you know, in the underdog position here. They're the weaker of the two parties, and so it's not in Iran's best interest to violate the ceasefire.

But if Iran does violate the ceasefire, I expect that Israel will, you know, return that and act accordingly. And so it all depends on Iran now, now that the Israelis have been asked and really kind of forced by the president to hold up their end of the bargain.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and let us see, truly. Another big question surrounding all of this from the U.S. strike on those nuclear facilities is how much damage did the U.S. strike do? The president and vice president continue to say the nuclear program, Iran's nuclear program, has been obliterated.

There is more skepticism, though, of that that I've heard from Capitol Hill. I want to play for you what Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): We still have not gotten, you know, any damage assessments. We have a classified briefing in the Senate tomorrow afternoon where hopefully we'll get some questions answered.

So if that's the case, if their nuclear program is still basically intact and now they know that, you know, the only way the regime survives is by speeding towards that weapon, in the medium to long range, this might get worse for the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Do you see that as a possibility?

GIMENEZ: No, the only thing I think is a possibility, I think that they have been set back years, if not more than that, decades maybe, in their nuclear program. The problem is the regime itself. And so this regime hasn't changed its mind, still wants the destruction of Israel.

So are we going to see this problem, you know, pop up again four, five, ten years from now? You now, to me, it's the regime that's really the big problem. And I know everybody is hesitant about regime change, but if you really want peace in the Middle East, if you want really a peaceful Iran that's part of the international community, then you need a new regime.

Easier said than done, but that's my fear, that somehow we're going to see this problem again. And actually an Iran that's going to be even stronger, they're probably going to turn to China, ask for their advanced defensive systems, and it'll be tougher for us to hit them the next time. So that's my fear that I have right now.

BOLDUAN: I've heard you say in the past you're calling for regime change in Iran. I want to play for you what the Vice President, J.D. Vance, said just yesterday evening, seeming to clarify the regime change comments floated earlier by President Trump. Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I think what the President's also said is that the Iranian people want to make a decision about regime change. That's between the Iranian people and the regime.

[08:10:00]

Well, I think what the President is saying very clearly, Brett, is if the Iranian people want to do something about their own leadership, that's up to the Iranian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Is that different from your view? Do you -- would you like to see U.S. involvement to bring about regime change in Iran that you think needs to happen?

GIMENEZ: I think that we need to do more to bring about the regime change somehow. Make sure that the Iranian people get to communicate with each other. Right now Iran's government shuts down the Internet.

The Iranian people -- the resistance inside Iran is shut down because they can't communicate with each other. They don't know what's going on. They have to believe the propaganda that the regime tells them.

And so, look, I'm going to give you two examples of really regime change that actually worked. Japan and Germany in World War II. Yes, the people, you know, we went about and had regime change. And it was better for the world that both of those regimes went down.

Iran is a threat. It's a threat to Israel. It's a threat to the United States and a threat to the international community. And it's no secret, they've been saying for 40 years they want death to Israel and death to America.

I believe them. I believe they really want to kill us. And so the only way that I think we're going to bring about lasting peace is with regime change. This was a good start. A regime that wants to kill us that doesn't have nuclear weapons, well, that's good. That's a good start. But in the end, we need to see what we can do about helping the Iranian people bring about the regime change that will actually bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

BOLDUAN: But as you know, there are also more recent examples of U.S. involvement in regime change that have not ended nearly as --

GIMENEZ: Well, I agree.

BOLDUAN: -- decisively and well as you've been describing. On that, do you think --

GIMENEZ: Oh look, I agree with you. Yes, I agree with you, but you can't just say, well, it didn't work in Iraq, therefore never, ever.

You know, look, again, you're talking about Iran, a country that wants to have nuclear weapons. And if we keep this regime in place, they will continue to pursue that. And they will be stronger because they have allies in Russia and China that will try to protect them.

And then it may be more difficult for us to wipe out their nuclear facilities in the future. And so, you know, again, you know, I think we may be kicking this can down the road four or five years. I support 100 percent what the president has done. All right, I do. But, you know, looking at the future, you know, maybe, maybe we're going to be facing a stronger Iran, you know, four or five years from now.

Why do they want a ceasefire? Well, because they're weak. They're getting their behinds kicked right now, and they want some breathing room. And that's what these regimes always do. When they find themselves down, they want to negotiate, give me some room, and now I'll come back. I'll go back to the gym, get stronger, and then we'll go at it again when I think I can beat you.

BOLDUAN: One question remains, how strong is Iran right now in terms of, do you think Iran moved enriched uranium ahead of these strikes, meaning that they still have potentially hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium today?

GIMENEZ: Well, look, I'm not an expert on everything that you need in order to develop a nuclear weapon. I believe that if you keep this regime in place, they will continue to pursue a nuclear weapon. And they may not -- they may say they're not going to, but they'll do everything in their power to pursue a nuclear weapon because that's their ace in the hole.

I mean, once they're their nuclear power, you know, things change for them. And so, you know, hopefully the president, if there is no regime change, has these inspection procedures that are so onerous that they can't possibly create a nuclear weapon. But, again, that's easier said than done.

BOLDUAN: Congressman, thank you for your time. I really appreciate it. Let's see how the next -- GIMENEZ: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: -- minute and hour develops with all of this. Really appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: I mean, some really interesting comments from now two Republican members of Congress, Kate, where they're saying they support what the president's done, they think it's been successful, but they acknowledge that much more still needs to be done.

We continue to follow the breaking news this morning. We just learned that President Trump has spoken to the Israeli prime minister, leaning on him not to continue military action over Iran since this ceasefire.

Much more. Stay with us. Our special coverage continues after this.

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BERMAN: All right, this morning, President Trump says the ceasefire is in place between Iran and Israel. He spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him not to conduct retaliatory strikes on Iran after Iran, he says, violated the ceasefire with a strike on Israel. The question now becomes, what's left behind in the wake of this 12 days?

Just a few minutes ago, I spoke to Republican Scott Perry, a fierce supporter of President Trump. And listen to how he laid out the reality of what Iran still has.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: But they still do have enriched uranium you think that is not for civilian purposes.

REP. SCOTT PERRY (R-PA): I suspect that it's hard to say, but I wouldn't -- we'll put it this way. I wouldn't be surprised if some of it still exists.

BERMAN: And they are still a terrorist regime in your mind.

PERRY: They absolutely are. They have never changed since the day the Ayatollah took over. And they threaten their neighbors, not only in the region, but around the world. That has been their history. That's who they are.

[08:20:00]

BERMAN: So after these 12 days, there is still a terrorist regime in power with enriched uranium?

PERRY: That is absolutely true. I would -- I would -- I would, yes, I think that's a correct characterization.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BERMAN (on camera): All right, with us now, columnist and geopolitics analyst Bobby Ghosh. And with us from the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger.

I want to talk about where things are, aside from whether or not this fragile ceasefire will hold for the time being. But David, it's time to assess what has changed. And to hear Congressman Scott Perry say you have a terrorist regime with enriched uranium after 12 days, it sort of does beg the question of what next?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It certainly does, John. And you know, I think he's got most of a point.

Look, what did we know going into the war?

We knew that international inspectors had seen the stockpile on June 10th of 60 percent enriched uranium. That is just shy of bomb grade. And it was at that Isfahan plant that was struck by the Tomahawk missiles on Sunday morning Iran time.

So there are only two places that can be. Under the rubble in Isfahan, or if you believe the International Atomic Energy Agency, they think that it was probably spirited out of that place, out of that storage, and put elsewhere before the bombing took place.

Now, does that mean that Iran is in a position right now to build a weapon? Probably not. It needs further enrichment. They would need to do a lot of things to it to turn it into a warhead. And many of those facilities were targeted by the Israelis.

But they certainly may have the makings of a bomb. And I think the next few days and weeks are going to be pretty critical to see if the administration can get their hands on that.

BERMAN: And Bobby Ghosh, what are you looking for in terms of the Iranian regime? What questions do you have about its future?

BOBBY GHOSH, COLUMNIST AND GEOPOLITICS ANALYST: Well, the regime has been greatly weakened. Its prestige has been deeply, deeply damaged within the country and among what remains of its allies. So I expect the regime now to take steps to try and restore that prestige, to restore, to secure itself.

If it is unable to take on its external enemies right now, the usual response in situations like this is to take on its internal enemies. So there will be, I expect, a night of the long knives within Tehran. All kinds of opponents, real opponents as well as imagined opponents, will come under a lot of pressure.

I'm reminded of the time when in Iran, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, when Ayatollah Khomeini, he used the term, he drank the poison chalice and accepted a ceasefire with Iraq. This was immediately followed by thousands upon thousands of Iranian opponents being killed, being disappeared, being jailed as the regime moved to consolidate its own position. That's what tends to happen in these situations. And that's what I expect to see play out in Iran over the next weeks and months.

BERMAN: David Sanger let's talk about the now. What are you watching for in these next minutes and hours in terms of this ceasefire?

SANGER: Well, the president is, you know, on his way here now. He obviously came out of the White House pretty hot about the Israelis. And we know that he talked to Prime Minister Netanyahu almost as soon as Air Force One took off.

And then he put out a True Social post in which he said that the ceasefire is on. By the time he lands here, we should know whether that is true. And let's face it, if he lands here and he has both taken out Fordow and Natanz -- there's still this mystery that we were discussing before about the fuel -- and he has gotten a ceasefire, he will land here, you know, in a very different position.

He thought he was just coming to argue with them about Ukraine, where the president seems to have very few sympathies for the Ukrainians. But instead, he would have a lot to celebrate about ending this conflict, at least for now.

But the fact of the matter is, you know, this is just going to start what Bobby was describing. And one of the things to watch for is whether the Iranian people, who have been sort of in a nationalistic mode, opposing, of course, the Israeli strikes, now turn their anger on their own leadership.

BERMAN: And Bobby Ghosh, what about Israel going forward? I had one, you know, retired military leader its -- describe Israel as a hegemonic power now in the region.

[08:25:00]

GHOSH: Well, they have no real rivals in the region that can threaten Israel at this moment. Hezbollah, which was the closest enemy, has been severely diminished. Hamas has been brought to its knees in Gaza.

And their patron and the only Middle Eastern power that could pose a threat to Israel is greatly damaged. Again, the answer, as David said at the start, will depend on how much of those nuclear facilities have survived. That will play out on the next few days as Israelis begin to do their accounting for what they have achieved in this campaign against Iran.

If the conclusion is that Iran remains a threat, then the questions will be asked whether this entire campaign was worthwhile, and then Bibi Netanyahu will face those questions from his opponents at home. Unlike Khamenei, he cannot pull off a night of the long nights in Israel. So he will come under far greater scrutiny if it turns out that at the end of all of this, the Iranian threat remains.

But at the moment, he is triumphant. The thing that he has tried to achieve for 30 years has finally come good. He has launched a war against Iran, and he has brought the United States along in that war. So he's feeling pretty good about himself about now. BERMAN: I have to say, great changes, as in huge changes before our eyes, but also great questions as well. Bobby Ghosh, David Sanger, thanks so much to both of you.

We are getting some breaking news.

We're just getting word that President Trump is speaking to reporters at this moment on Air Force One. We're getting some readouts as to what he's saying. Much more on that just ahead.

And this dangerous heat wave, when will it peak? By the end of today, several records could fall.

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