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Iran Declares Strait Of Hormuz "Open" But Imposes Conditions; Soon: Trump To Speak At Phoenix Megachurch; 50 Million From Texas To Wisconsin Under Severe Storm Threat Today; Rivers In Michigan & Wisconsin Under Watch For Potential Flooding. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired April 17, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We say that a thousand times in the documentary. But that gives you a little insight into how they conduct these studies.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Really interesting new research. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much for walking us through that.

GUPTA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Be sure to catch Sanjay's special: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports "Weed 8: Women and Weed," this Sunday night at 8 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: An open strait and a renewed effort to end the war. Tehran reopening the waterway is giving new hope to negotiators. President Trump saying a deal with Tehran could be reached in a day or two.

Also, oil prices plunge. An open strait could help tankers move millions of barrels of crude, but how soon will it ease the pain for American consumers that they've been feeling at the pump?

And investors are loving all of this. Stocks are soaring. The closing bell now just an hour away. We're following these major developing stories and many more right here coming in to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Happening now, Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is now completely open for commercial shipping for the duration of the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. But its Navy is imposing several conditions, including that ships must go through an approved point of passage. Meantime, the President telling Axios today he expects there to be a deal to end the war with Iran in the next day or two. He also told CBS in an interview Iran has, quote, "agreed to everything" in the talks, including working jointly to remove enriched uranium from the country and bringing it to the U.S.

I want to go now to CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, the President also saying today the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports will continue until a deal with the war is complete. We are getting bits and pieces as the day goes on. What are you tracking there from Tel Aviv?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Jessica, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is obviously a significant milestone. It has been a central point of this conflict between the United States and Iran over the course of the last month and a half, not only because of the impact that it has had on global trade and oil prices, gas prices back in the United States, but the reopening of the Strait is also a really important signal as it relates to the process that the -- the U.S. and Iran are engaging in right now, the diplomatic process to ultimately reach a final conclusion to this war.

And it comes as President Trump is signaling that there is real momentum behind these negotiations with Iran, indicating that a potential deal could be a -- a matter of days away here. But it doesn't come without some uncertainty here. We still don't know all of the details of how open this Strait of Hormuz still is. There are some indications already that Iran is going to require permission in order for ships to transit through the Strait, that civilian -- civilian vessels will be allowed to pass only through Iran's designated route here.

And then, there's the broader question about whether or not the Strait could shut down again, because President Trump has indicated that this naval blockade is going to remain in effect, blocking any ships leaving Iranian ports or going to them. And even though the President says that Iran is going to, quote, never close the Strait of Hormuz again, saying that's a commitment that he's secured from Iran, a different message is being given on Iranian state TV, where Iranian officials are indicating that if the blockade isn't lifted, then they could shut the Strait of Hormuz once again.

So, all of this could obviously be resolved if there is an ultimate diplomatic deal here between the United States and Iran, but it does point to just how fragile things are. And, of course, we are also still monitoring this ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which so far appears to be holding. That ceasefire agreement was obviously critical to securing the diplomatic progress that we are seeing between the United States and Iran, to securing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And that is, of course, why President Trump seems to have pressed the Israeli prime minister so directly and so forcefully to enter into this 10-day ceasefire in order for the broader diplomacy to continue to take shape. Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Jeremy Diamond, live in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for that reporting. Let's go to Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's get some perspective on markets from Patrick De Haan. He's the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Patrick, thank you so much for being with us.

Do you think we will soon see an increase in ships going through the Strait, or is there simply still too much uncertainty right now?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Well, Boris, I -- I still think there's a lack of some confidence now. We're starting to see a little bit more activity as some ships get in position here in the Strait of Hormuz. But I think the next couple of days is going to be very critical. Iran is now saying that we don't have much of a -- an agreement or that the Strait is not necessarily fully reopened. Just a lot of back and forth here. And the real evidence is going to be how many ships start traveling through the Strait and to what degree.

[15:05:00]

For now, we're getting some good signs that we are starting to see movement. Whether or not that continues through the weekend is really going to be up in the year. Iran continuing to talk with the U.S. For now, though, the market's fairly optimistic that something will improve here in the days ahead, and the risk calculus is reflecting that front month contract for WTI plummeting percent today.

So, there's certainly a lot of optimism. But the real truth is going to be over the next 40 to 72 hours as we watch the Strait and we watch our ships maneuver through or remain anchored.

SANCHEZ: Supply remains a concern especially in significant sectors like jet fuel in Europe. By some estimates it could run out within six weeks. Do you think that this announcement on the Strait changes the -- the belief that some airlines may have to start rationing out jet fuel?

DE HAAN: Well, I think there's still going to be a lot of pressure. I mean just because the Strait is reopened doesn't suddenly alleviate the complete jet fuel situation. I mean, refineries still in the Middle East that provide fuel in areas like Europe may still have some delays before they can really resume operation.

So, I think we're going to come down to the wire for some of these airports. You may start to see high level management cancellation of domestic flights in favor of those long-haul flights that bring tourists and dollars into areas. But I do think it may start showing signs of improvement here over the next four to six weeks.

It certainly will not be overnight. There's a lot that still has to happen in perfect order and that's without risk of talks going awry between the U.S. and Iran.

SANCHEZ: No doubt. And on that note how soon do you expect oil production across the Gulf to ramp back up to pre-war levels. It's believed that that is also going to take some time.

DE HAAN: Yes absolutely. That's probably going to take at least several weeks for these tankers to get into position to empty out their tankers to get through to the Strait of Hormuz before we can really kind of developed, you know, a new balance and get these things back online.

So, there's going to be a cadence that develops the frequency of ships moving through the Strait is very really vital to -- to seeing if oil production can be sustained at elevated levels. And absolutely it will take a few weeks to get everything back online to get refineries resupplied with enough stable supplies of oil where these refineries aren't going online and having to go back offline. So, it's all about stability in the flow of oil through the Strait.

For now, though, a little bit of good news. The national average here in the U.S. likely to fall back below the four-dollar gallon mark over the weekend and consumers may see more relief contingent on what develops here over the weekend between the U.S. and Iran.

SANCHEZ: Patrick De Haan, thanks so much for sharing your expertise. \

DE HAAN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Still to come President Trump being challenged after he picks a fight with the Pope. He's now set to speak at a megachurch in Arizona.

And tornadoes and floods threatening parts of the U.S. already reeling from severe weather. Our weather team is tracking the outbreak.

And later, he was appointed to the position last month. He's leaving next month. What we know about the shakeup surrounding Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.

That much more coming your way on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:12:34]

DEAN: Any moment now President Trump is set to depart Las Vegas to deliver a speech in Phoenix and that event will take place at a megachurch. It's happening as the administration continues to mix religion with politics using faith to justify its war with Iran. Joining us now Katie McGrady, CNN Vatican Analyst and host of the Katie McGrady show on Sirius XM's "The Catholic Channel." That channel is operated by the Archdiocese of New York.

Katie thank you so much for being here with us. This is a theme we are continuing to see as the Trump administration takes and uses this religious tone toward the war in Iran. At the same time, you have these A.I. generated images that we've seen the President share. What's your take on what we're seeing?

KATIE MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: I think it's interesting that the Pope was told to stay in his lane when it comes to what he talks about. You have to stay in the lane of theology and morality. But yet somehow the U.S. government is allowed to reference theology and morality to justify dropping bombs and going to war.

And I think just pointing out that cognitive dissonance is important because what the church would say is that war is always regrettable. Sometimes it's justified. That would be the just war theory. And to the credit of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops they've been teaching a lot about that this week across their social media, trying to clarify this is what has to be met in order for a nation to go to war.

But what's interesting in all of this is we've changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. We've got this warrior ethos and then God's going to guide our bullets and he's going to direct the bombs. And the Holy Father stands kind of at the crossroads of all of this and says I'm not talking politics. I'm trying to be a prophet of peace.

And that is ruffling feathers. It's challenging the perception. What I make of it is that when you try to mix the language of the Lord with this warrior ethos we're going to go on the attack. That is not only wrong but it is justifying potential evil and is in fact forcing a lot of people to kind of confront what's more important, my faith or my politics. A lot of people have been reckoning with that this whole week.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And I think that's it, right there what you just said is reckoning with their faith and their politics. Obviously, Trump and MAGA had really -- part of that coalition is evangelical Christians and Catholics.

[15:15:00]

I mean, there's a whole group of people who consider themselves quite religious. It's very important to them who also support the President and his agenda. And this has made it I think, complicated for a lot of those people this week. Yes, complicated. It's forced a lot of people, I think, to confront what have I bought into, what do I actually hold as most important?

And -- and I think it should be stated from the minute the tweet was sent on Sunday evening, along with the blasphemous AI image, which was then taken down, and this other image that was posted of the President being held by Jesus, right, I think in all of that, it's become more and more evident to me, at least as I've read and as I've talked to people, as I've come here on -- on CNN, the Pope and the President are not actually as far apart in their desire for peace. But one wants to seek peace through diplomacy, and one wants to seek peace through aggression.

And -- and rather than trading barbs, which for the record, the Pope is not trading barbs. The Pope is on a trip to Africa and is preaching peace regardless of what the President says about him. The Holy Father is not at odds with the President in terms of wanting peace in the Middle East. He wants it to be considered an unarmed and disarming peace. And how do we achieve that? The Pope is not a pacifist. The Pope is a prophet of peace.

And so perhaps these two men could come together at some point and have a conversation, and maybe it would show the entire world, especially those who feel quite afflicted by this, we all desire a world where bombs don't have to drop, where civilians are not targeted, where civilizations are not wiped off the map. When those threats are made by a leader of the free world, the Pope has to speak up. And as people see that play out, I think it forces a lot of us to confront, are we only dictated by the politics of the moment, or do we consider eternity? And the Pope is always going to challenge us to consider eternity. DEAN: We also saw the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, frame this

conflict in the Middle East in these religious terms. He compared the American press covering the Iran -- the Iran War to Pharisees who plotted against Jesus. What did you think about that?

MCGRADY: I think he needs to reread the gospels. That's my first challenge to Secretary Hegseth. That was kind of a ridiculous clarification or classification he was trying to make. Asking questions about a conflict that hasn't really been clearly defined to try to understand what's the goal here is not pharisetical (ph), it's journalistic. And -- and to then try to frame what we're doing is of God. When God is a God of peace, Jesus Christ came to have us lay down our arms. Jesus Christ didn't come to wage war. Jesus Christ literally died on a cross and then resurrected from the dead.

It was just a very strange, almost kind of a sit down, shut up, let us do what we're going to do attitude from the secretary that I thought was a -- a weird use of the gospel. And I -- I would challenge him to go reread the gospel where Jesus Christ literally gives himself over to his enemies. That's not to say we as a country need to give ourselves over to Iran or to allow them to get nuclear weapons, but to frame every challenging individual who's asking questions about your war as the Pharisees and as the enemy, maybe that warrior ethos needs to be touched by the peace of Jesus Christ a bit more.

DEAN: All right, Katie McGrady, good to have you. Thank you.

MCGRADY: Thank you.

DEAN: And still ahead, areas of the country already dealing with tornadoes and floods now have to prepare for more severe weather. The timeline of what's coming. That's next.

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[15:23:18]

SANCHEZ: Parts of the central U.S. are underwater right now after dangerous floods, tornadoes and hail hit several states this week. The most severe storms, though, are still on the way. More than 50 million people from Texas to the Great Lakes could see fierce thunderstorms capable of spinning up EF3 or stronger tornadoes.

Right now, evacuations are underway in parts of the Great Lakes region. Rivers in Wisconsin and Michigan are at significant flood levels, and officials in Michigan are also monitoring several dams that are under stress from these high waters. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking all of this, and he joins us now.

So, Derek, where is the storm right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, things are really wrapping up -- ratcheting up, I should say, Boris. And the storms that are going to be firing through the course of this evening are potentially tornadic, in fact, confirmed tornadic, because we do have tornadoes on the ground as we speak. And we're going to get to the risks today, so there's a lot to break down.

This area across the upper Midwest, from Minneapolis to Chicago to Des Moines, this is an area where we have our greatest risk of tornadoes. Further to the south, this risk, this is a level four of five, that shading of red, that is basically for large to giant-size hail, three inch in diameter or larger, and winds in excess of 80 to 90 miles per hour. So that's hurricane force that has, obviously, the potential to do some serious damage.

This is the culprit. It's a cold front that's going to mark the change in our weather pattern over the eastern half of the country, but it's also helping fire up these thunderstorms. And what we're noticing now on the northern part of this watch that we have basically stretching over 900 miles, there are individual supercell thunderstorms that are starting to develop, just as we anticipated.

[15:25:06]

This is a look at the current severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado-warned storms. The shade of purple, those are tornado warnings. The shade of orange, those are thunderstorm warnings. So, all of them have their own associated risk. But we're going to focus in on southeastern portions of Minnesota, specifically near Rochester. Do you see how this box right here is illuminating, almost flashing from pink or purple to white? Well, that is because this is an observed tornado, and we have footage of said tornado just from moments ago coming from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

This is one of their cameras, and you can clearly see the funnel right in the center portion of your screen connecting from not only the base of the clouds, all the way down to the surface of the Earth. That is an official tornado. It is on the ground. It is marching eastward. It's impacting the Olmstead County region. Again, this is southeastern Minnesota, Marion, Pleasant Grove, Stewartville region. You need to be in your safe location with an observed tornado on the ground. This storm has the potential to create serious damage.

Remember, this is an area that the Storm Prediction Center has highlighted EF3 or greater tornadoes, and they are certainly starting to pop off now. Look at the warnings just to the south of Dubuque -- Dubuque -- excuse me, into southwestern Iowa. This is an area that is going to have the potential for large hail as well.

So, when we're talking about baseball to softball-sized hail falling from the sky, that is -- has the potential here for major damage with these systems moving through. All right. We'll send it back to you, Boris, but lots to talk about and keep track of tonight.

SANCHEZ: Yes, plenty to keep an eye on. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

So, President Trump says he thinks a deal to end the war with Iran will be reached in the next day or two. We're going to talk about where talks between the two nations stand when we come back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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