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Israel, Iran Take Damage As Missile Strikes Escalate; Manhunt Underway For Suspect In Shooting Of Minnesota Lawmakers; Thousands Turn Out To Oppose "Authoritarian" Policies; Military Parade Honors 250th Anniversary Of U.S. Army. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 15, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:24]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers watching in the United States, and all around the world, I'm Isabel Rosales.

We're following several major stories out of the U.S. A manhunt is underway in Minnesota for a man who authorities say shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses in their homes.

President Donald Trump spent his 79th birthday at a military parade to honor 250 years of the U.S. Army.

And thousands of people marched through major cities across the U.S. as part of a national day of action dubbed the "No Kings" protests.

But first I want to bring in my colleague Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. She is following the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Isabel, thank you. And we begin with a statement from Israel urging Iranians to get out as soon as possible if they live near weapons production facilities in Iran. That warning says they could be risking their lives if they stay.

And it came after Iran took a pounding from Israeli strikes overnight with targets including a major oil depot. The Ministry of Defense also in Tehran. Sources telling CNN the Israeli operation is expected to last for weeks, not days. Israel's Prime Minister made it clear more attacks are coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We have paved a path to Tehran. In the very near future you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli Air Force, our brave pilots above the skies of Tehran. We will strike at every site, every target of the Ayatollah regime. And what they have felt until now is like nothing compared to what they will feel in the coming days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Missile fire went in the opposite direction with at least 10 people killed in Israel overnight, more than 100 others injured. Iran says it used its new maneuverable ballistic missile which can evade Israel's advanced air defenses.

We'll ask CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is live in Bat Yam in Israel, site of one of those missile strikes.

Nic, just describe where you are and what happened.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, not far from Tel Aviv, Becky. Those sirens that went off in the middle of the night around about a little bit before 2 a.m. in the morning. And Iran saying that it's using these maneuverable ballistic missiles.

And I was watching those missiles incoming last night. And one of the missiles I saw tracked across the horizon. It did sort of an odd maneuver, if you will. You can see the red glow at the back of the missile suddenly dart across the horizon. And I can see a big yellow flash coming up from this neighborhood here. And this is it. This is the damage.

What we witnessed last night, those impacts, don't know if it was one of those high-tech new Iranians that the Iranians claim to have maneuverable ballistic missiles. But this one that I was watching, I was watching the intercepts and then watching this particular missile dart across the horizon.

And Neville's just trying to give you some better, closer images of the level of destruction to that civilian apartment building. Neville, maybe you ought to get in there and give you an idea. Just family homes ripped apart. You can see a mattress hanging out of the building there. And, Neville, I don't know if you can pan down the building and go closer to the base of it. You can hear now, and I'm just going quiet for that, you can hear the sound of the drills.

But about 20 minutes ago, 30 minutes ago, over the last hour, we've been seeing the rescue and recovery crews at the base of that building. The drills had gone silent and they were shouting into the building, loud hailers. They were shouting, if you can hear us, give us a sign, give us a signal.

It's over nine hours now since those missiles impacted last night. And that is, it means that this is a real critical moment to try to save anyone else who may be missing. Officials think people are missing. The number of dead, we were told, at this location earlier on this morning was six people dead, 10 killed in Iranian strikes last night, 13 so far killed across the two days of strikes into Israel from Iran, 380 people injured according to Israeli officials so far.

And we were interviewing the police spokesman here this morning, Becky, and he was telling us one of the reasons the Israelis believe that the casualties are low is because people are listening to the guidance to stay close to their shelters and be in shelters when the warning sirens go off. Israel is saying it's counted now 200 incoming Iranian missiles and have counted 22 impact sites, 22 impact sites out of 200. So, 10% of all missiles, one in 10 or more, are getting through. What you see there, that's the result of those that get through.

[05:05:18]

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is in Bat Yam in Israel.

Well, Sanam Vakil is the Director of Middle East and North Africa program at the U.K.'s Chatham House, and she joins us now from London.

And thank you. And we've just been speaking to Nic Robertson, and he has been reporting on the extent of the damage and the concern there on the ground in Israel for what feels like a very, very different period in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

Sanam, I want to start with you, with the very significant and worrying attack by Israel on Iran's energy infrastructure. This is different. This happened overnight. This is what Firas Maksad told me a little earlier. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, EURASIA GROUP: As we saw Israel take a strike at Iranian oil infrastructure, and that's dangerous because of the dynamics that it could put in motion. If there is, in fact, an Iranian response in kind, not against the oil refineries in Haifa, because that already was struck yesterday.

But if we start seeing Iran make good on its threat to go after global energy infrastructure in the GCC, in the Persian Gulf, as, by the way, the Iranian Foreign Minister alluded to in his speech and his address, only within the hour, that is an escalation that can actually draw in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And this is part of what the Iranian FM said in the past hour or so, Salim. In part, he said, quote, "The Israel attack on the petrochemical facility in Iran is a clear act of aggression and a highly dangerous move, dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf." A major strategic miscalculation, "likely,' he said, 'a deliberate attempt by Israel to expand the war beyond Iranian territory."

Look, I'm here in the Gulf region in our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi, watching this, as many are around this region. And the fear is the following. By attacking Iranian energy infrastructure, the argument goes that Israel may be trying to compel Iran to attack regional energy assets, which could in turn force Gulf Arab states and U.S. assets in the region into this conflict and force America to join Israel's fight and hit Iran.

Salim, just how significant a concern is that all at this stage?

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, good morning, Becky, and thank you for having me. I think that is a really key concern. Clearly, this is what the Israelis are trying to do. Goad Iran to make good on its threats, to strike out at neighbors across the Gulf, to hit that critical infrastructure, that energy infrastructure that will have broader impacts on the international economy, lead to spiking oil prices that will alarm the United States.

And, of course, also pressure the relationships that Iran has tried to rebuild with its Gulf neighbors. And the Iranians are very carefully thus far trying to avoid that scenario. It's very early days, but that might be a maneuver that they will be resorting to because they are the weaker party in this conflict. I don't think the Iranians are immediately going to strike those energy facilities. But I think we could get to a point if there are no off ramps that that is where Iran finds itself needing to hit its neighbors in order to bring down tensions.

ANDERSON: And to add just to a layer to what is going on and has happened overnight, of course, the Israelis also targeting the South Pars gas fields, which Iran shares with Qatar. That's the biggest gas field in the world. An official briefed on the matter in region told me, quote, "relevant parties are aware of the Israeli airstrike on Iran's South Pars gas field.

While significant U.S. investments are only on the Qatari side of the world's largest gas field. This escalation is a threat to these investments. Still, the facilities are completely separate with the strike approximately 200 kilometers from the Qatari facilities.

[05:10:12]

This is very reckless behavior that threatens global energy security, considering the Qatari field is a vital energy source for the U.S., Europe and the world. This strike puts the interests of the United States and those of regional allies like Qatar and others at risk. Your response to what I've just read out.

VAKIL: I mean, certainly I think the aim here is to -- from the Israeli side to spread this war, spread it and make it a regional war and, of course, ultimately to bring the United States into this conflict, because for Israel's perspective, that is the only way to get the job done. Israel has made significant damage across Iran from the highest echelons of Iran's military leadership, nuclear scientists, of course, taking out a lot of Iran's military capacity. But, you know, these are early days. What really the Israelis need to do is really damage Iran's deep underground facilities like Fordow. And we know that this is where the United States and its military superiority is needed.

So, in a way, both sides are boxed in for the time being. Iran wants to have this remain contained, the conflict between Israel and Iran. And of course, Iran is limited in how long it can maintain a barrage of missiles hitting Israel.

So, we have to see how this plays out. The more this conflict spreads into the region, the more urgent de-escalation and cool down off ramps are needed. And these are where the back channels among the Gulf states are needed. The Qataris and the Emiratis and the Saudis will be playing very important roles alongside the Turks that have made open calls for de-escalation to find a way to put this conflict in a different territory.

I can't see it ending anytime soon because this is a moment where for Prime Minister Netanyahu, his credibility and legitimacy is at stake here. But for the Iranians, this, of course, feels very existential. So, we're in a heating up of tensions, but ultimately it's the region that is going to have to find this off ramp or find a way to bring down the conflict so that they don't get directed.

ANDERSON: And we're aware of a lot of calls and activity behind the scenes with regard diplomacy around this region of the Gulf region to do exactly what you are talking about, which is de-escalating at this point. That is the policy around this region and has been for some time as it navigates a new Middle East with economic visions, de- escalatory activity, statements, actions is what this is all about as these countries look to move forward. Thank you.

Well, the U.S. is leaving the door open to a diplomatic off ramp, they say they still want to see these talks currently hosted by Oman to be started again. Talks were scheduled, of course, for today. Those were cancelled in the wake of this -- this latest Israeli operation and retaliation by Iran. And Iran not closing the door on those talks, although it is said they're not going to happen again until it finishes its current operation. There is a lot going on. It is complicated and a real concern at this point.

Isabel?

ROSALES: Hey, an important conversation. Thank you, Becky.

We're also following breaking news in Minnesota where a manhunt is underway after a state representative and her husband were shot and killed and a state senator and his wife were also shot but survived.

The governor says it looks like a politically motivated assassination. Authorities have identified the man you see here on your screen as the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter. They believe he may have been disguised as a police officer during the attacks.

SWAT teams and officers from multiple agencies searched the suspect's property but did not find him. Officials say state Senator John Hoffman and his wife were targeted early Saturday morning. They survived the shooting and have undergone surgery.

[05:15:01]

Melissa Hortman was the top Democrat in the Minnesota House. She and her husband were both killed in their home. One of her colleagues spoke to CNN earlier, remembering that lawmaker as a friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SYDNEY JORDAN (D-MN): Sitting next to her, I think about my friend that was -- that was very funny. I think she had a very raw high sense of humor and was a very direct person. She could tell you very -- she would -- was not someone who was going to, you know, candy coat what you needed to do. She was somebody who gave you that direct advice and told you what you needed to hear in that moment.

And so, that guidance and that gentle but firm ideas that she would give people is the kind of leadership that is rare and is so needed. And I it's an unspeakable loss.

ROSALES: Steve Moore, a CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent, spoke to us earlier about the manhunt. And he says that it looks like the gunman planned the attacks thoroughly. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Some people who do these political killings or these -- these -- these other cause motivated killings, they tend to accept the fact that they're going to die in the attempt. This guy did not. This seems to be extremely well planned. Obviously, he knew where everybody lived. He did it at a time when he felt that there wouldn't be patrols around the area. He actually had an overhead, a complete head mask on anticipating cameras.

So, this guy -- this guy planned to live through this and escape. So, I would assume that his escape plan is no less, no less complete. It's been almost 24 hours. If he planned the escape as well as he planned the killing, then he's out there and he could be well away from this area. He could be in Wisconsin. He could be in Iowa. He could be in so many places. He could be in the Dakotas. He could be trying to get out of the country.

And so what the FBI and the police have in their favor is, number one, the FBI has a national network that they can work with on this. Number two, they can -- they have allegedly a manifesto and they tend to lay things out on that. And, you know, it's a very confusing -- it's a very confusing motive because this guy was appointed to a political position by Tim Walz.

So, now he's attacking Democrats. So, you have to try to figure out where he is with a lot of confusing, different messages. I would look on his list and find what the next closest location was. It's very possible that he was going to go until he got stopped. Again, that's speculation. But we saw that he wasn't stopped after the first one and went directly to a nearby one.

So, he may have mapped out the -- the one, two, three, four targets. Once, though, that his list was compromised. I mean, the police got it. He probably diverted completely from the list he left behind. And we don't know what his further plans are. In cases like this that I've worked, people leave their guns behind. He didn't. He has his guns.

So, I think we have some -- some continuing threat here. The good news is that we kind of have an idea of who might be the targets. And we could at least for most of them come up with some kind of plan.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROSALES: Just chilling. Stay with us on CNN Newsroom. We'll be right back.

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[05:22:38]

ROSALES: In many parts of the U.S. Saturday, demonstrators joined anti-Trump, "No Kings" protests. Organizers say they were denouncing what they call President Trump's creeping authoritarianism. Thousands of people attended more than 2,000 demonstrations all over the U.S. Protest leaders say they wanted to present a peaceful contrast to Saturday's military parade in Washington.

And in Los Angeles, police used tear gas and horses to try to clear up protesters. Police say some protesters threw pieces of concrete, fireworks, and bottles at officers. City officials say more than 20,000 people rallied in Los Angeles during the day.

The U.S. Army celebrated its 250th birthday with a huge parade in Washington, D.C. Saturday. A 21-gun salute honored U.S. President Donald Trump, who was also celebrating a birthday Saturday, he's 79. Trump figured prominently in some parts of the celebration and praised the Army during remarks later on in the day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: The Army keeps us free. You make us strong. And tonight, you have made all Americans very proud. They're watching from all over the world, actually. Made them all very proud. Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: CNN's Kristen Holmes has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday, President Donald Trump, delivering apolitical remarks when he celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Army, came over from the White House to stand by as a parade of really hours went by, showing all of the military's hardware. We saw eras of different soldiers in uniform from the Revolutionary War to World War II to modern day. The last thing we saw were robotic dogs and drones. All of that showcasing what the Army was best at or its best gear and what the future really looked like.

Now, there were a lot of questions and really controversy around this parade in general, particularly given that it is falling on Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

[05:25:02]

Now, the White House pushed back on that, saying there was always going to be a celebration for the Army's 250th anniversary. But we were told by officials that this is a much larger scale. President Trump has wanted a military parade of this scale since he was in office back in 2016. In 2017, he went to France. He saw a military parade there. And our reporting has that he told President Macron, president of France, that they were going to top it in the United States.

But during that first term of Donald Trump's, it never really came to fruition. There were generals and aides and staffers, all of whom really pushed back on this idea, saying that it would look too political. But that itself lent credence to the fact that this was an opportunity for Donald Trump, the 250th anniversary of the Army, to actually go through with this parade.

And what we saw, again, was hours of the best of the military come by. And I talked to a number of veterans who emailed me saying that they were honored that Donald Trump was doing this. Again, it's marks. There was a lot of looking and focus on those remarks that he gave, because there were questions as to whether or not he was going to make it political.

We've seen two recent speeches he gave at the graduation in West Point, both at Fort Bragg, where it became political, something that the Army, the military tries to stay out of. They were cheering President Trump at times. They were booing President Joe Biden.

But this was a focus on the Army, as it should have been, the anniversary. And I will mention one part here, because, again, the pushback from the White House saying it just happened to fall on his birthday. There was a mention of Donald Trump's birthday at the very end of his speech. They came up to him, they sang happy birthday to him and presented him with a flag.

But overall, the people we spoke to on the ground, the people who are watching at home, they said that they were in support of this kind of parade to honor the men and women who risked their lives.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Israel has a new warning for Iranians living near some military facilities in the country, following a barrage of Israeli strikes across the country. That warning is just ahead.

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[05:30:28]

ROSALES: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Isabel Rosales in Atlanta.

Let's check up on some of today's top stories. A massive military parade in Washington D.C. celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army. Thousands of troops and dozens of tanks participated in the event on Saturday, which also saluted the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. Thousands of people took part in the "No Kings" protests in thousands

of locations across the U.S. on Saturday. They were demonstrating against what they called President Donald Trump's creeping authoritarianism.

Israel is urging Iranians who live near weapons production facilities to get out as soon as possible for their own safety. The warning came after the two countries exchanged heavy missile fire. Israel hit Iran's Defense Ministry and a major oil depot. And we have just learned that the death toll from Iran's overnight strikes on Israel has reached 13 people. At least 380 others were injured.

Becky.

ANDERSON: And sources are telling CNN that Israeli strikes on Iran are now expected to last weeks, not days. Israel's Prime Minister made it clear his country is not done with the operations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have paved a path to Tehran. In the very near future, you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli Air Force, our brave pilots above the skies of Tehran. We will strike at every site, every target of the Ayatollah regime. And what they have felt until now is like nothing compared to what they will feel in the coming days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Hours ago, Israel released this video, reportedly showing overnight strikes on Iranian missile launchers. An Israeli statement says the targets were surface missiles and other military infrastructure in Western Iran. Tehran says it has a new maneuverable ballistic missile used in some of the overnight attacks on Israel and says the projectile can even evade Israel's advanced air defenses.

Well, emergency crews spent much of the day Saturday searching for victims who may be still buried under the rubble after a missile strike in central Israel. Officials say an Iranian missile plowed into a residential area earlier in the day, killing two people and injuring 19. Clarissa Ward reports from that scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you look behind me, you can see the scale of the destruction of the impact of that missile. Now, according to authorities here, two people were killed, a man and a woman. The Israeli police also put out a photograph earlier that appeared to show a baby being rescued from the rubble. Rescue workers were here all night long trying to get people out. There are a number of injuries. Some of them were people who were trapped inside.

Some of them were people who were wounded by the debris. And if we just pan over here and if you look at the street and the cars in particular, all along this street and many of the houses too, you can see the extent of the damage that the blast, that that impact caused. And, you know, it's worth underscoring, for people who live under Israel's bombs, whether they be in Gaza or Lebanon or Syria, they're used to seeing this kind of devastation.

But for Israelis, they are not used to seeing devastation or damage on this scale in terms of firepower. And there's a lot of anxiety here about what happens next, this continuing escalating conflict. A lot of people have gathered here. If we pan around this way, you can see they're coming to take a look. Because as I said, this is something unusual. This is something unprecedented even. Even further down, you can see people at the sort of cordon area, craning their necks to get a look.

Now, Israel has said that it's slightly changed its -- it's alarm system now, that basically people will get the first alert on their phone. They've got 15 to 30 minutes to try to identify a shelter nearby.

[05:35:00]

Then, they will get another one about 10 minutes out. And then when they hear the sirens, they've got about 90 seconds to take cover. So, fewer people out on the streets, people we've spoken to certainly feeling anxious about further tit for tat between Israel and Iran as this entire region really stands on a knife edge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Darya Dolzikova is a senior research fellow covering proliferation and nuclear policy with the Royal United Services Institute or RUSI. She joins us now from London.

I want to very specifically speak to the targeted strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. It's been what, some 48 or more hours now since those initial attacks Friday morning. What's the detail on -- on the impact? What do we have at this point?

DARYA DOLZIKOVA, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, PROLIFERATION AND NUCLEAR POLICY: So, we're still piecing things together. It's going to take a little bit of time to figure out what the actual damage is. But basically there's a few key facilities that have been targeted. Some of them by all accounts damaged pretty heavily or even destroyed.

So, there's the Natanz enrichment complex, which contains a number of different buildings, but essentially it has two enrichment sites, two enrichment facilities at Natanz complex. There's one above ground, there's one below ground. The one above ground by all accounts has been severely damaged, if not destroyed. Iran's largest enrichment site is the underground facility at Natanz. By all accounts, it's not been severely damaged.

However, again, it's hard to say because it's an underground facility. So, it's hard to say from satellite imagery. Also, there's been an electrical substation at the facility that's been damaged and that might have caused some damage. And there's been a few other sites around Iran that have been attacked, but not damaged severely. ANDERSON: Darya, it is highly unlikely that Israel's attacks and the IAEA censure, for example, last week on Iran will cause Iran to abandon its nuclear program. I mean, if the objective, according to Benjamin Netanyahu of these strikes is to destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure and capability. Without U.S. support, with the sort of bunker bombs that would be needed to access those underground enrichment facilities, is the complete degradation of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and program a realistic objective at this point?

DOLZIKOVA: I mean, when we're talking about destroying or degrading the Iranian nuclear program, whatever way you look at it, it's a matter of degrees at this point. So, the Israelis or whoever can roll back the program to various degrees. However, I don't see how you eliminate the program decisively. As I've mentioned, there are multiple sites across the country. You know, oftentimes you hear comparisons to the attacks on the Osirak facility in Iraq in 1981, or the Al-Kibar facility in Syria in 2007 as examples of successful military counter-proliferation strikes.

We're in a completely different universe here. There are dozens of facilities across the country. The expertise is expansive. I know there's been assassinations of scientists, but, and that will roll back the program. It will damage the ability of, I guess, the enterprise to move forward, but the program doesn't rely just on those people. It's a very expansive program. So, we're talking about a matter of degrees and to what level is Israel happy degrading the program?

And then what does it take? Yeah, in some instances, you'd probably have to have American involvement. That poses all other kinds of risks of escalation. So, at this point, it's a trade-off of how much do you want to roll back versus what risks do you want to take in doing that?

ANDERSON: The U.S. started indirect talks with Iran with a red line that said Iran will not have a nuclear bomb. It then changed its red lines to say it will no longer be able to enrich uranium at all. Of course, in which uranium needed for not just a bomb, but a civil nuclear program as well.

At this point, and in response to a German statement on Israel's strikes on Iran, Mohamed ElBaradei, who's a former IAEA Director General, posted this, quote, "Targeted strikes against nuclear facilities are prohibited under Article 56 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, to which Germany,' he said, 'is a party." It was a response to a German statement, not particularly supportive of these strikes in any way, but not calling -- not calling Israel out on.

[05:40:18]

What did you make -- what do you make of ElBaradei's statement there? And can you just sort of explain a little further about what international law says?

DOLZIKOVA: Sure, so you have to be quite nuanced when looking at the prohibitions on attacks on nuclear facilities. So, yes, there are Geneva -- their prohibitions in the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions that prohibit specifically attacks on nuclear electricity generating facilities if the expectation is that those attacks will cause severe harm to civilians. So, the focus is very much on what is the impact on civilians.

There are no outright prohibitions on attacks that do not pose harm to, or are not expected to pose harm to civilians or other parts of the nuclear fuel cycle that are not electricity generating stations. Having said that, there is still international humanitarian law that requires militaries to take into account things like, yeah, what will be the impact on the civilian population? Is this militarily necessary?

Is the -- are the attacks proportional to the objectives of the attacks and the consequences, the potential consequences of the attack, is there proportionality there? So, there are no explicit prohibitions on these types of attacks, but again, militaries are still required to take into account all of these different considerations.

ANDERSON: Very briefly, I've got 30 seconds left. How close is Iran to building a bomb at this point, to your mind?

DOLZIKOVA: Oh, that's a very difficult one to answer in 30 seconds, but we know that the program is very, very advanced. I sort of look at three different things, the fissile material, the uranium, they have sufficient material to produce nuclear weapons if they wanted to, takes a little bit more enrichment, but they're nearly there.

The actual construction of the warhead, it sounds like they have a lot of what they would require, but it's a little bit unclear as to where they are on that, but I expect from what I've seen from assessments, several months, potentially over a year, and then there's a political decision.

And as far as the U.S. intelligence community, their last assessment was that Iran had not made that decision yet to weaponize, but I'm not sure if that's changed in the last little while.

ANDERSON: Yeah, well, that was certainly true a week or so ago. We heard that very clearly in the States from a Trump administration official.

Darya, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

DOLZIKOVA: Thanks for having me.

ROSALES: A massive parade in Washington -- and a massive parade in Washington D.C. honors the birthday of the U.S. Army and President Donald Trump plays a big role in the day's events, that story, and much more straight ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:46:16] ROSALES: Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. was filled with tanks, soldiers, and a massive display of military might on Saturday as the U.S. Army celebrated its 250th Birthday with a huge parade. Thousands of troops and dozens of tanks and military vehicles participated. Vintage equipment and uniforms highlighted Army history going back to the Revolutionary War.

Saturday was also the birthday of President Donald Trump, and he was a big part of the celebration. He was treated to a 21-gun salute and administered the oath at an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony.

CNN Senior Correspondent, Donie O'Sullivan, was there in D.C. as the parade wound down and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can hear the fireworks still going off here at the end of the military parade in Washington, D.C. And as people are leaving the National Mall where people enjoy the parade and the fireworks, they're being greeted here by anti-Trump and pro-Palestine demonstrators. There have been protests here in D.C. throughout the day, nothing as big as what we saw in other cities across the country, but this just really gives you a sense of what is happening here in D.C. and the atmosphere here.

Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Now, last hour, I spoke with Natasha Lindstaedt about the impact and optics of the military parade in D.C. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Military parades are all about the optics and the optics on this one weren't particularly good, but as has been reported, it costs 45 million to roll tanks in that are that heavy. There's going to be a lot of destruction to the streets in Washington, D.C., and they're going to have to repair that. And in fact, when Republican senators were questioned on the price tag, none of them really wanted to answer or were comfortable answering.

It was only Republican Senator Rand Paul who was willing to openly criticize this. As you mentioned in the backdrop of all these different federal cuts going on to spending that are affecting things like healthcare and access to food stamps, nutrition, and so forth.

So, this -- this doesn't look good. And, you know, normally military parades are supposed to be the show of force that will show your enemies, your external opponents, how strong you are. And instead, I think it made the U.S. look a bit desperate. And military parades are normally supposed to be a time when you unite and when there is some sort of nationalistic fervor. And that's not what's happening here. Instead, the country looks more divided than ever before with 700 Marines deployed, thousands of National Guard members deployed on U.S.-owned citizens.

So, while this may have been supposed to be something to unite us, instead, I think it caused further divisions.

ROSALES: Yeah, and this is the party of small government, but of course we've heard supporters say that this will boost enlistment numbers and that'll be worth it in the end. We'll see about that.

Now, Natasha, there's been intense criticism of the politicizing of the military, whether it's this parade that critics keep hammering happened on Trump's birthday. And there's a use of the National Guard in L.A. during immigration protests, plus the images that we saw just days ago of uniformed soldiers cheering and booing along with the president's political statements over at Fort Bragg. What do you think about this blurring of lines between partisan politics and the military?

LINDSTAEDT: So, this is definitely a dangerous road that we're going down. And this is something that happens more in authoritarian regimes and hybrid regimes. You're not supposed to use your military for law enforcement purposes domestically.

[05:50:00]

You're not supposed to do that in democracies. You're supposed to use civilian law enforcement like the police. And when these lines get blurred or when there's a hybridization of the military and the police, you're going to see human rights be violated.

And this is what we've seen happen typically in military dictatorships, for example, in different parts of Latin America during the Cold War or in other authoritarian regimes around the world that use a preponderance of force against their own citizens and actually are neglecting the uptake -- upkeep of their own militaries to thwart actual threats. So, the trend that we're seeing in the U.S. is one that I find very concerning.

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ANDERSON: Well, Israel says its military targeted Iranian missile launchers and it released a video to prove that their strikes worked. That story is just ahead.

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ANDERSON: Well, here is the very latest in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The death toll from Iranian overnight strikes on Israel has reached 13 people. The Israeli government said at least 380 others were injured.

[05:55:00]

Israel is now urging Iranians who live near weapons production facilities to get out as soon as possible for their own safety. Well, Tehran officials say that since the city has no bomb shelters, it must use tunnels and basements instead. Well, meanwhile, targets across Iran took a pounding overnight as

well. Israel says this footage shows an attack on surface-to-surface missile launchers, a major oil depot, and Iran's Defense Ministry in Tehran also took Israeli fire and the world's largest natural gas field in South Iran was struck as well.

And finally, this hour, an update on our other top stories with Isabel.

ROSALES: Thank you, Becky, I'll take it from here. A massive manhunt is underway in Minnesota for 57-year-old Vance Boelter. He is suspected of shooting two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses. State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot, but survived. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says this was an act of, quote, "targeted political violence."

Also on Saturday, thousands of protesters marched in every single U.S. state. Organizers for the "No Kings" protests say that they were the strongest display of opposition to President Trump in his second term. Those protests came as dozens of U.S. Army tanks and fighting vehicles rolled down the streets of the U.S. Capitol. It was a parade marking the Army's 250th anniversary and coincided with President Trump's 79th birthday.

Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isabel Rosales in Atlanta.

ANDERSON: And I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi for you from our Middle East programming headquarters here. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

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