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U.S.-Iran Talks Delayed After Israel-Hezbollah Clashes Strain Truce; Analysis Shows One Billion Plus Barrels of Oil Went Missing During Iran War; Cuban Lawmakers Approve Sweeping Economic Reforms Amid U.S. Pressure; NY Mayor Joins Push to Ban Horse-drawn Carriages After Teen Killed; Team USA Takes on Australia in Second World Cup Clash; 10 Million People Along Gulf Coast Under Flood Watches. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:33]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Returning to our Breaking News, sources say that Israel and Hezbollah are agreeing to renew a ceasefire after new fighting today threatened to derail U.S. talks to end the war with Iran. Vice President Vance was supposed to go to Switzerland today for negotiations. Now, that is not happening.

The White House citing unresolved logistics surrounding the next phase of the process. A short time ago, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Tehran is working with mediators to re-organize those talks. Just two days ago, President Trump signed the memorandum between the U.S. and Iran that set up the framework for a deal.

Let's get some perspective now from retired Army Major General, James "Spider" Marks. General, thanks so much for being with us. So the 60- day clock has started, but these technical talks obviously have not gone as initially planned. How fragile is this framework for negotiations?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, Boris, I would suggest that they start the clock and just guaranty themselves that there will be another 60-day period or something else. It's what the Iranians have routinely done. And I see much of this is wrapped in what I would describe as diplomatic fratricide.

Look, the center of gravity here is the U.S. relationship and what the MOU looks like going forward in terms of an agreement with the government in Tehran. That's it. Israel's efforts against Hezbollah have a very long tail to them. They've been in place for a while. They will be there for a while. And I think right now, it's the obligation of the government in Israel to stop with the self-inflicted diplomatic wounds.

Stop what you're doing right now. Try to work with the Lebanese government, certainly separated from Hezbollah. See if there's an outside-in kind of an effort diplomatically to work it. But still, Israel has always maintained an incredibly high level of professionalism in their military. They are going to protect their sovereignty. They've put up with this for a thousand years, and it's not going away anytime soon.

So assume a little bit of patience moving forward, so the deal between the United States and Iran can get done.

SANCHEZ: What do you see as the timetable, though, for Iran to rebuild military capacity to where it was before the war? Could they accomplish significant gains in the next 60 days and then even more if there's an extension?

MARKS: Probably not. I mean, I look at this as a very disorganized, dismantled architecture framework within Tehran in terms of its military capabilities. But they still retain the capacity, number one, to resist. So their number one strategic objective has always been, let's just survive this thing, live to fight another day, and they've been able to demonstrate that.

But their ability to do significant damage has been really limited. The dilutive military capacity to reach over the horizon and cause damage doesn't exist. They have the ability, as I've indicated, they can strike kind of when they want. They've got some missiles that they can use.

They've got drones certainly they can use. They've demonstrated ability with their, what I would call, the small Boston Whaler-type ships to do damage if they wanted to back in the Straits of Hormuz. So there is a capacity, but it's very episodic.

It's going to be very limited, but that requires a high level of vigilance and intelligence collection and the ability to continue to react against that. That's why I wouldn't anticipate a U.S. drawdown in military presence anytime soon.

SANCHEZ: In other words, there is the ability for the U.S. and Israel to be patient, as you're describing. I do wonder, as you're hearing from the administration, President Trump saying that he has to keep Benjamin Netanyahu sane and Vice President Vance sort of scolding Israel for attacking the U.S. based on the terms of this MOU. Do you see Iran doing something similar with Hezbollah?

Because part of the reason that this ceasefire initially ended was because Hezbollah, according to the IDF, killed four Israeli soldiers.

MARKS: Yeah, there's a triangulation here, right? What's going on in Tehran in terms of the relationship with the U.S., what's happening between Jerusalem and Hezbollah in their efforts, and then Tehran and Hezbollah, so they can turn that on.

[13:35:00]

Tehran can turn on Hezbollah pretty quickly with some direct, I would say, mission statements. Hezbollah certainly doesn't need the authority from Tehran, but they certainly will listen to Tehran if Tehran says you got to back off. I think what we're seeing is a period that is not -- I think Hezbollah is probably going to stop what it's doing right now.

There's going to be an interregnum. They're going to see what the Israelis do. Can a ceasefire hold? And both sides within the framework of the ceasefire will do their best, I think, to try to keep the tabs on this thing so it doesn't get out of control.

However, we've seen it before where Hezbollah will certainly overreact, be very provocative, and then the Israelis certainly will not hold back and be necessarily, I would say, patient and maybe not as deliberate as they should be in a response.

SANCHEZ: General James "Spider" Marks, always appreciate the expertise. Thanks for joining us.

MARKS: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Omar?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Well, so far we have not seen a big spike in oil prices on the news that U.S.-Iran talks have been delayed, and today, though, we have a new number measuring the impact of the war, which triggered, by the way, the worst disruption in oil supply ever.

Analytics firm, Kepler estimates over a billion barrels of oil have gone missing since the conflict began nearly four months ago. I want to bring in CNN Business Senior Reporter, David Goldman, who is here with the details. So, David, I mean, where did the oil go and what's expected to happen now that the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be open, is getting there, and even though we haven't quite seen it maybe in a consistent manner just yet?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, it's a great question because this is a ton of oil, Omar. 1.15 billion barrels just gone. That is supply that we'll never get, and that is all the supply that just went missing during the Iran War. How big of a deal is this? Well, President Trump talked about it the other day.

He said in about four weeks, you want to see bedlam, right? This is what happens if we run out of oil, which is what we're on the path to doing because of that huge supply loss. I mean, if you look at the SPR, this is our emergency oil. Globally, we're at the lowest since 1990, and here in the United States, the lowest levels of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, that's the emergency oil, since 1983, that puts us in a really precarious point because, you know, what if there's a hurricane or what if this war resumes again?

That's not a level that you want. But also the commercial inventories are very, very low, and Cushing, Oklahoma, that's where the pipelines of America go through. It has a capacity of 75 million barrels of oil. It's at 20 today, and that is at its operational low, which is basically like if you hit the spigot on a coffee urn and nothing comes out, so you got to kind of tip it toward you. That's my nightmare, by the way.

That's what's going on in Cushing, Oklahoma, right now, which means that we either need to raise the price of oil to prevent drawing down further or you need to stop exporting so much oil. So, what happens when the Strait reopens? We're all very happy that it's reopened, but that's not going to solve this problem right away.

Look, you got to get these tankers out of the Strait, and then all of these mines need to be eliminated. You need to get the tankers back into the Strait, and then you need to start pumping oil and getting it to its destination. That takes a long time. Those oil tankers go slow, about as fast as you ride a bicycle.

And so how long will it take to refill this? How long will it take to solve this problem? Well, if there's an oversupply of five million barrels, which is what the International Energy Agency says there will be once production starts, well, 230 days to get back the 1.15 billion barrels of oil, Omar. It is going to be a big, big jump to get back to where we were before.

JIMENEZ: And to your point in those factors, it's going to take a while for these companies to also trust that the Strait of Hormuz is safe enough for them to pass through consistently. So, David Goldman, I know you'll be tracking every step of the way. Good to see you.

All right, coming up for us, Team USA about to take on Australia in their second World Cup game. Can they win again? We're going to be live outside the stadium in Seattle with a preview.

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[13:44:26]

SANCHEZ: In a stunning break from decades of state control, the government of Cuba says it's opening large parts of its economy to private enterprise. Lawmakers unanimously approved the sweeping free market reforms as Cuba struggles with the deepening economic crisis made worse by President Trump's sanctions and oil blockade. CNN Havana Bureau Chief, Patrick Oppmann filed this report.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Cuban officials announced some of the most significant proposals to open up the tightly controlled economy in decades here on Thursday as this island faces down increased threats from the Trump administration.

[13:45:00]

The proposals include allowing foreign chains to open up restaurants here across the island, both foreign and local Cuban companies would have the ability to do that for the first time. That they could have more than 100 employees if you were a local Cuban company, something up until now has not been permitted. And that foreign companies could directly contract their own employees rather than having to hire them through the Cuban government.

So for years, there has been a total inaction here on the part of the government and unwillingness to announce any significant reforms, and as the Trump administration continues to apply pressure to Cuba to open up economically and politically, there has been, as of the last several days and weeks, a new willingness to try and open up the economy within a certain space.

Still, the government says they are, of course, going to continue to be socialist, that the Cuban Revolution will continue on. And as well, there are some real hurdles to some of these measures. U.S. companies for the most part are prohibited from investing in Cuba because of the U.S. embargo and new secondary sanctions announced by the Trump administration are causing foreign companies to leave this island in droves. We've seen foreign hotel companies taking down their names from hotels that they'd managed for the Cuban government.

So it remains to be seen whether or not these proposals will lead to new investment, but it certainly shows that the Cuban government is feeling the pressure of these sanctions will be enough for Miami XL's who have called on the government here to leave power for a wholesale regime change. Definitely not, but perhaps the Trump administration could see this openness as a first step into reaching an eventual deal with the Cuban government. That would take military action off the table.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

JIMENEZ: All right, let's get to just some of the other headlines for watching this hour. New York City's mayor is joining a push to ban horse-drawn carriage rides after a deadly accident in Central Park this week. An 18-year-old visiting from India died trying to save his mother when their horse suddenly took off after the driver got out to take family pictures. He's believed to be the first person killed in a horse carriage accident since they were introduced in the park more than 150 years ago.

The Central Park Conservancy says it's the eighth horse related incident there in just 13 months and the carriage's owner says the driver has been suspended and that the horse will be retired from the business.

And then you got to see this. A deputy in Washington State saves a toddler from a hot car, witnesses called to report the boys sitting in the backseat in 92-degree weather.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Jesus. Hey, buddy. Can you hear me? There's glass. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come here. Let's get you in my car where it's cool.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Officer working quickly there. Police say the child had been left alone in the car for about 16 minutes in that heat. His parents were found later inside a grocery store and they've both been charged with reckless endangerment.

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JIMENEZ: And then scientists believe a giant oak tree linked to the legend of Robin Hood has died after it failed to produce any new leaves this spring. The 1,200-year-old tree in Sherwood Forest was rumored to be Robin Hood's hideout spot. According to a conservation group, millions of tourists compressed the soil around the tree, making it just difficult for rain to reach its roots. They say that combined with several hot dry summers led to the tree's decline.

SANCHEZ: Just about one hour from now, team USA will take the pitch in Seattle for their second World Cup game, this time going up against Australia. The American side leading Group D after their 4-1 dismantling of Paraguay. The big question today though, what is the status of U.S. star Christian Pulisic? Will he play?

CNN's Andy Scholes is here. Andy, what's the latest?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: Well Boris, unfortunately, we got some sad news. Christian Pulisic is not going to be available today. Head Coach, Mauricio Pochettino said he was not able to recover from that left calf injury soon enough in order to get on the pitch for today's game against Australia. So the U.S. is going to have to go at it without him after that incredible opening match win against Paraguay 4-1. The U.S. can make some history today since they went to three group-stage games at the World Cup. U.S. has never won the first two. So they're trying to do that.

[13:50:00]

And if they're able to win here against Australia today, they can win the group if Turkey loses or has a draw in their game later on today. But as you can see the atmosphere out here, it is just electric, all of the fans ready for today's game. I've seen more inflatable kangaroos today that I've seen my entire life. The U.S. outfits are also incredible.

SCHOLES: Sir, how excited are you for this game today against Australia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super excited. If Pulisic can't play, coach, you can call me, I'll jump in right now.

(LAUGH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It won't be the same, but I'm happy to be here. First time on World Cup, U.S., can't ask for more, man.

SCHOLES: How long have you been planning on coming to this game here today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two years.

SCHOLES: Two years? Can I ask you how much you spend on your ticket?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't ask that.

(LAUGH)

SCHOLES: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) saving, but it's OK. (Inaudible).

SCHOLES: So all right, have a good time. Enjoy the game. Enjoy the game guys, but this atmosphere -- How excited are you for the game?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So excited.

SCHOLES: After that 4-1 win, what's the ceiling now for this team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no ceiling, (inaudible). USA. USA.

SCHOLES: So you see there, Boris, you know, before the tournament, Coach Pochettino, he said, you know, why not us? Most people are like, oh, it's USA soccer, likely not going to happen for him at the World Cup, right? Not going to be able to win it all. But after the 4-1 win, the fans here, they could not be more excited. They're all saying why not us?

I mean there's fans I've talked to think that we could go all the way. So, you know, the atmosphere is electric. The Australian fans were great when they entered the stadium. The USA fans on another level. And this has like been a Super Bowl here, you know, the get-in ticket price more than $1,800 bucks. So like I said, it is like a Super Bowl, Seattle (inaudible), the good luck for Team USA. They are 6-0 all time in this field. We'll see if they keep that streak here going today.

SANCHEZ: We hope to make it 7-0, especially if Uncle Sam -- if you could get Uncle Sam to start in place of Pulisic. Andy Scholes live for us in Seattle, love the energy out there. Thank you so much.

So parts of the Gulf Coast right now are underwater after potentially record-breaking rainfall forced evacuations and rescues. Sadly that threat is far from over. We've got your forecast in just moments.

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[13:57:04]

JIMENEZ: Parts of the Gulf Coast that are already flooded are about to get soaked again. Right now, more than 10 million people in the region are under flood watches. More than two feet of rain has fallen in Louisiana this week alone and all that water has left vehicles stuck, homes flooded, and led to emergency rescues as well.

I want to bring in CNN's Derek Van Dam who's tracking all this. So, Derek, which areas should be on high alert this weekend? I mean, the images behind you just already devastating.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Look, the atmosphere, Omar, is just primed and ready to produce heavy rainfall. It already has done so. Anywhere across the Gulf Coast states, that's where you need to be on high alert this weekend, especially into the overnight hours and into tomorrow.

We also have a severe weather threat across the central parts of the country. I'll show you that in just a moment. This is what it looked like earlier this morning in Dallas. This is even associated with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur that's now moving off the coastline. So, this just shows you how humid, how moist the environment is, and it's producing heavy rainfall in a very short period of time.

We know Dallas has a lot of pavements, a very densely populated city. So, when you get that amount of rainfall, it overcomes the drainage system and, of course, the water has nowhere to go but up and we flood the city streets. That's what happened earlier this morning. We've got a bit of a break now, but look what's happening or forming to the south and west of Dallas.

Looks like we could get another slug of rain later today. This is all part of the moisture kind of wringing itself out of the atmosphere. We've got Gulf influence, so very humid air coming in from the south and cooler air, drier air, I should say, coming in from the north. When they meet up, they have nowhere to go, they start to converge and we get the showers and thunderstorms blossoming through the course of the afternoon, anywhere from Savannah westward into some of the hardest hit areas that we've been covering for the past several days, specifically into Louisiana, into sections of southern Mississippi, southern Alabama.

That's where we have a level 3 of 4 excessive rainfall outlook. That means that's our greatest probability of flash flooding today. But as you can see from the video I showed you at the beginning of the segment, extending far outside of that highest risk zone is Dallas and that's where we have our flooding at the moment. So here's a look at the forecast radar going forward, you can see the showers and thunderstorms continuing into the overnight hour.

How much additional rain? Well, some locations have already picked up over half a foot. There's even some unconfirmed reports of over 20 inches in Louisiana. That's incredible amounts of rainfall. And another six inches of rain on top of that means adding more misery to the flooding scenario on the ground. So this is Arthur. That's what's moving out to sea.

This is what we're watching for the potential of severe storms tomorrow afternoon. This, we have an enhanced risk across the Central Plains. Wind gusts, over-hurricane force, gusts, Omar, large hail, even the potential of tornadoes. We're going to keep an eye to the sky from North Platte into Colby as well as Wichita.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, keep an eye out this weekend, folks. Some serious weather heading your way in some parts of the country. Derek Van Dam, really appreciate it, as always.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.