Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Israel-Iran Conflict Continues; Suspect in MN Lawmaker Shootings Caught; World Leaders will Meet at G7 Summit; Israel: At Least Five Killed In Latest Iranian Strike; Israel Targets Iranian Oil Infrastructure; Suspect In Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings Caught; Air India Crash: Families Grieve, Hope To Find Remains Of Loved Ones. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 16, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. It's good to have you here.

We are following breaking news in Israel this hour where at least five people have been killed and dozens injured in the latest round of missile strikes launched by Iran. Israel's National Emergency Service says multiple locations were hit on Monday morning. Strikes were heard around the Tel Aviv area along with warning sirens. Central Israel's power grid was also damaged in the latest of the back and forth strikes over the weekend.

Here is what we know. Iran state-affiliated news agency confirmed an Israeli strike in Tehran on Sunday resulted in the deaths of two high- ranking officials, the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and his deputy general.

At least 224 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since Friday, according to Iran's Ministry of Health. Israeli officials say at least 19 people have been killed there since Iran's retaliation began.

The IDF says it targeted multiple weapons production sites in Iran on Sunday, including a site that produces navigation and missile systems, one that makes fuel for various types of missiles and another that produces missile engines.

Israel's military chief of staff says strikes will only get more intense from here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. EYAL ZAMIR, CHIF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): We will continue to intensify our operations and, in doing so, strengthen our security for years to come. Defending our home front is a critical component of this campaign. As I told you from the beginning, there will be difficult moments. We are in the midst of a challenge, unlike those we have faced in the past. We knew there would be a price, and it underscores why we act now before it became too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Iran's president says their response will escalate and threaten more innocent lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): Israel knows no boundaries. They intrude wherever they want with permission from America. We are by no means seeking to expand the war. But naturally, as our army, our powerful IRGC, and our dear people have shown, appropriate responses have been given so far. The more they try to escalate naturally, the responses will become tougher and more severe. More innocent people may lose their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Jeremy Diamond was at the scene of one missile strike in Tel Aviv and filed this report just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: I'm at the site of an Iranian ballistic missile attack in central Tel Aviv. This ballistic missile struck this area in the early hours of this morning, severely damaging three residential buildings right behind me.

As you can see in this whole street, it is littered with debris as rescue crews move in and out, still trying to assess the damage, to find anybody who might be trapped under the rubble, and also to get people out of their apartments. There are also folks who have arrived here to try and get back inside to get some of their belongings and to make sure that their loved ones are okay.

This is one of four ballistic missile attack sites in central Tel Aviv alone. In addition, there was a ballistic missile attack in northern Israel, in Haifa as well. More than 70 people were injured in these attacks, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's National Rescue Services.

And, of course, we are seeing that these attacks are continuing to escalate, and concern is rising here in Israel about the number of casualties and how many more may come.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's dig deeper. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me from Abu Dhabi. Paula, things are moving so quickly across the region. What is the latest that you're seeing now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, just as Jeremy was describing the aftermath of some of those strikes hitting in Tel Aviv, we know there was a similar scene in central Israel and also along the coast, further north, in in Haifa.

Now, Haifa, for example, in that city, we have seen images of fires burning, as we understand, that one of the strikes hit near to an oil refinery in that area. And in central Israel, we know from officials that at least five have been killed as residential buildings were hit there as well.

Now, we've heard from Tehran, Iranian officials warning Israel and Israeli residents to move away from any military installations if they are in the vicinity of them.

[02:05:02]

Now, this comes just hours after Israel gave a very similar warning. They warned Iranian residents to move away from any weapons production facilities as they were in danger there because those facilities would be targeted.

Now, we have seen continual airstrikes from the Israeli side against facilities in Iran. According to the military, they say they've been targeting surface to surface missiles, military targets, and also the foreign ministry building.

Now, we are hearing from Tehran that the vast majority of those that have been killed have been civilians. We do know, though, that many of the top leadership of the military have also been targeted and killed in Tehran.

Now, residents in Tehran, obviously without the -- the same air raid sirens or -- or the shelter facilities that -- that Israelis have, have been trying to flee the city. We've seen significant lines at gas stations. We've seen gridlock on the roads as many residents are trying to -- to head north towards the Caspian Sea, which -- which is a more rural and isolated area, to try and get away from these airstrikes.

But from the -- the official point of view, we are, as you said, Ben, hearing this -- this bellicose rhetoric from both sides. We're hearing from the Israeli chief of staff saying that this will intensify, this operation. And then from the Iranian side, saying that they will respond in kind. Ben?

HUNTE: And there was supposed to be a sixth round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, but now they're off. So, what more can you tell us about that?

HANCOCKS: That's right. That was supposed to happen on Sunday in -- in Muscat, in Oman. That clearly is not happening at this point. So, there's, from the Iranian side, saying that it's simply impossible to discuss with the United States about a potential nuclear program deal while Israel is targeting that nuclear program. Israel says that was the reason that it started this -- this this latest round of -- of airstrikes against those targets, because they believe that there was an existential threat against the country.

So, at this point, there doesn't appear to be any diplomacy on the horizon despite the fact that leaders around the world are pushing for a peace deal. They're -- they're calling for a ceasefire from both sides, but that's falling on deaf ears at this point.

We did hear from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, over the weekend. He said that he believes there is a good chance of a deal, and also added -- quote -- "sometimes, they have to fight it out."

It it's quite similar rhetoric that we've -- we've heard from the U.S. president when it comes to -- to Russia and Ukraine as well, the fact that the two sides potentially need to fight it out for a while, and then he believes that there may be a -- a peace deal in the offing.

Now, there is no evidence, at least publicly, to support that optimism from the U.S. president at this point but, certainly, those talks between the U.S. and Iran are very much off, talks that both sides were quite positive about when they first started a number of months ago.

But just a week ago, before these latest airstrikes happened from Israel, even President Trump was saying he was far less optimistic. Ben?

HUNTE: Yes. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much for now. Speak to you again soon.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for a peace deal between Israel and Iran, and says calls are underway, working toward that goal. This comes amid claims from a U.S. official that the president rejected a plan from Israel to kill Iran's supreme leader over the weekend, something that Israel has denied.

Well, speaking to reporters on Sunday, the president said sometimes, fighting is necessary. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it is time for a deal, and we'll see what happens. But sometimes, they have to fight it out. But we're going to see what happens. I think there's a good chance there'll be a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Joining me now to discuss this is Vali Nasr, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a former U.S. State Department advisor. Thank you so much for being with me. Let's get into this.

President Trump says calls are underway to push for peace between Israel and Iran. But how realistic is that given the level of destruction and mistrust that existed on both sides? VALI NASR, PROFESSOR AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, FORMER ADVISOR AT U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: I think neither side is right now ready to stop the fighting because they have not achieved their aims. Israel started this gambit with the aim of destroying Iran's nuclear program, which it hasn't achieved yet.

[02:10:00]

And also, to weaken the Iranian state and eliminate its military threat to Israel, and that hasn't happened either. And on the Iranian side, they're not ready to stop because at this point in time, it would look like that they are accepting defeat.

So, both of them need to -- want to draw a lot more blood or they have to suffer significantly before they are ready for talks.

HUNTE: We are now hearing reports that Trump rejected a plan to assassinate Iran's supreme leader. And if that is true, how might that shape perceptions of America's role as a potential mediator in this current crisis?

NASR: I don't think it's very credible, and Israel has denied it. But I think the president is saying these sorts of things in order to signal to Iran that it really didn't have anything to do with the Israeli attack.

And he's an honest broker. And, in fact, he has done something to mitigate the level of Israeli offensive against Iran, preventing the killing of the supreme leader. He's trying to create political space for the United States to play a positive role or to be able to salvage nuclear talks from this conflict.

And, you know, early on, he -- he sorts of leaned into the Israeli conflict. He claimed that he knew about it, that Israel was going to do bad things to Iran, and if Iran didn't come back to the table, that, you know, he -- he had to expect much worse. And the Iranians interpreted that -- that Trump had greenlighted the attack. And I think now, the president is trying to back away from that position and try to play the good cop here.

HUNTE: From your perspective, does Iran even believe that Trump is an honest broker here or is he seen more as someone aligning fully with Israeli interests?

NASR: I mean, it's one of two things. Either that he double crossed Iran. In other words, while he was negotiating with Iran and before the diplomatic process had collapsed, he gave a green light to Israel or didn't prevent Israel from disrupting the talks, of ending the talks, which means that they can trust them right now as to what his objectives are, or that President Trump and the United States is quite helpless. In other words, Israel on its own decided that it was time to end the diplomatic process and start a war to destroy Iran's nuclear program.

Neither of those two interpretations give confidence to Iran that the U.S. is an honest broker at this point in time. HUNTE: What do you think it would take to actually get both sides to the table at this point? I mean, are there any real incentives left that could pull them back from the brink?

NASR: I think Iran has an incentive because it really cannot afford the devastation that it's suffering and it cannot afford the calamity that is coming to its economy. That's the reason why they engaged in nuclear talks in the first place. The question is timing. They can't do it now without showing that they have resilience and they are not going to be defeated by Israel through this war.

Israel, on the other hand, has basically made destruction of Iran's nuclear program as its goal, and it hasn't achieved that.

I think the president is now calculating that both of them have to fight longer and realize that they're not going to get where they want with fighting, and that would then open them to accepting a ceasefire proposal from President Trump.

HUNTE: Okay. We're going to leave it there. Vali Nasr, thank you so much for joining me for now. I appreciate it.

NASR: Thank you.

HUNTE: Now to breaking news in Minnesota where the 57-year-old suspect in the killing of a state lawmaker has been caught, Vance Boelter, who has now been charged of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder. That's according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune. He's a suspect in two separate shootings targeting Minnesota State lawmakers in their homes.

Melissa Hortman and her husband were both killed early on Saturday morning. She was the top Democrat in the Minnesota House. And officials say State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot, but they survived the attack and are recovering.

Governor Tim Walz was one of the speakers who gave an update at a news conference earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter. That's 48 hours that law enforcement involved in a complex and dangerous manhunt, spent Father's Day away from their families to deliver justice for Melissa and Mark Hortman and their children who spent this Father's Day alone.

To the law enforcement who stand here and the hundreds who were involved in this, the state of Minnesota owes you a deep breath of gratitude. Thank you. You ran towards the danger, and you served the state of Minnesota.

[02:15:02]

This is a great example of coordination and collaboration. Multiple agencies, federal, state and local, coordinating together in a way to protect the public and close this hunt around. Multiple agencies were there, as FBI laid hands on it, and Minnesota State Patrol put the handcuffs on.

One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were. She had a hand in so many things that happened. The building that we stand in, she helped usher through, so that we could respond from the state emergency operations center with the professionalism and giving the tools necessary to law enforcement to do their job.

To Melissa and Mark's family, I cannot fathom your pain and the grief that you're going through. We'll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did, and you can rest assured that we will put every ounce of effort that the state of Minnesota has to make sure that justice is served and the individual responsible for this serves the time for the unspeakable act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Whitney Wild has more on how authorities zeroed-in on the suspected gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: This is a remarkable moment in Minnesota. There were dozens of law enforcement agencies who were engaged in bringing Vance Boelter in to custody. What we know is that law enforcement says there were 20 SWAT teams alone who -- who worked on, bringing him into custody, and it was the Minnesota State Police who finally put the handcuffs on Vance Boelter.

This night unfolded rapidly once they were able to figure out where he was. And so, let me take you back to the beginning of the day, Sunday, when law enforcement had identified a vehicle in Sibley County, Minnesota. This is an area that is very rural. It is 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

And law enforcement had spent much of the day Sunday combing that area, combing through that car. They were able to bring into custody pretty critical pieces of evidence. And so, it was in that area, by that car, that they knew that he was, you know, somewhere in the area.

And that was based on a tip from the public. And so, once these tips started pouring in, law enforcement says that there were at least 400 tips that came in, law enforcement is able to narrow in on where he was and then, in effect, used all of their -- their tactical units.

They used an -- an air wing element from the Minnesota State Police, infrared technology, you know, other law enforcement technology to find out exactly where he was, then bring those law enforcement officers as close to him as possible, and basically surround him and then able through -- and then they were able to threw, you know, really tactful, impactful negotiation, bring him into custody without incident. He is facing multiple charges. Law enforcement here listed a few. I mean, obviously, he's facing murder charges for Representative Melissa Hortman, the attempted murder charges for the shootings of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. So, those are just a few of the charges.

It is highly likely that he may see more. There may be federal charges in the future as well. They're working with their federal partners to figure out what federal charge, if any, would be applicable here.

But the most important thing here in Minnesota is that through the work and the cooperation of a long list of law enforcement agencies, they were able to bring Vance Boelter into custody without injuring himself, without injuring an officer, and without injuring any member of the public.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Blaine, Minnesota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Okay. Still to come tonight, Donald Trump is in Canada for the G7 Summit where leaders are expected to address the growing crisis between Israel and Iran. More on that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. The Israel-Iran conflict is expected to be the top issue at this week's G7 Summit in Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump has just arrived there. And CNN's Kevin Liptak has the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The G7 this week here in Canada will be the first international summit of President Trump's second term, and it will be a good window into how he plans to use these international gatherings to address some of the world's stickiest issues.

The biggest of which is this conflict between Israel and Iran. That will really be the overhang. I think a lot of the world leaders who are gathering here want to hear out and suss out President Trump on exactly how he sees that conflict going. Of course, he says that he thinks there is still room for diplomacy, but there are a lot of questions about how exactly that would proceed.

And, in fact, earlier Sunday, President Trump said that he thought the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, might be able to mediate this conflict, but already, at least one other G7 leader, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said that he doesn't think that that's a workable option. So, already you see some differences emerging even before the summit begins. You know, discord and acrimony really colored these kinds of summits during President Trump's first term in office.

And I'm thinking specifically back to the last time Canada hosted a G7 back in 2018. Kind of the enduring image of that summit was of President Trump sort of glowering with his arms crossed and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, sort of leaning over him as they tried to hash out this joint statement that President Trump later tore up as he left the summit site.

The host of this week's gathering do want to avoid that open level of acrimony. And to that end, they don't plan on releasing a joint communique. They'll release some shorter individual statements instead. And instead of sort of these large, lengthy group meetings that sort of go on and on, they're planning more one on one time for the president to meet some of his counterparts.

Of course, Ukraine will be a big topic at the G7 just as it has been for the last three years. President Trump has made clear his differences with some of the European leaders, particularly when it comes to applying new sanctions on Moscow.

[02:25:01]

Of course, trade talks are the other big topic that have caused divisions between President Trump and his counterparts. And we are approaching that July 9th deadline that the president has set to negotiate all of these new trade deals in order to avoid some of the harsh new tariffs.

And there are leaders here that are in active conversations with the president about trade, whether it's Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, or Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who is an invited guest of this year's G7.

Now, whether President Trump is actually able to make progress on those trade deals or whether this will continue to be a point of contention, I think, remains to be seen but, certainly, it is a very stacked agenda for President Trump and his counterparts as they gather here in Canada for the G7.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, near the G7 site in Alberta, Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's dig deeper. Benjamin Radd is a political scientist and a senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and he's joining me now from L.A. Thank you so much for being with me. Let's dig straight into this.

The Israel-Iran conflict is clearly overshadowing this year's G7. But how much influence does the group actually have to stop things from spiraling further out of control? BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, SENIOR FELLOW AT UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Well, a good core of the group were those that were responsible for helping to negotiate the original run deal, the JCPOA, and they're able to help probably come back and find terms that would be amenable to both sides or to all sides here, whether it's making security guarantees for Israel or security guarantees for Iran for that matter or coming up with a creative solution that would allow Iran to maintain a minimum level of enrichment by remaining in compliance with its NPT obligations.

HUNTE: Let's talk about Trump. How is he likely to be received by other world leaders, especially given the political baggage and unpredictability that he brings into all of these summits?

RADD: Yeah. That's a fantastic question, and it's going to remain to be seen. I mean, at this point, it's a matter of, can they stay on Trump's good side? You know, playing up to him, praising him, validating him, basically doing what they can to present themselves not as an enemy of United States economic growth and development but as allies, as partners, and that where the U.S. succeeds, they also can succeed. In other words, mutually benefits all countries.

That's going to be on the trade and tariff front, and I think that's something that has to be overcome. And, you know, it's such that Trump has to see these international agreements, these international summits, and international cooperation as a whole, as something that does benefit the United States. And that's -- it's going to take some sweet talking, I think, and some, again, playing up to his vanities to -- to really get that across.

HUNTE: Beyond the wars, there's also Trump's trade agenda. Let's talk about trade agenda. His tariffs are hitting a lot of these countries so hard. Are we expecting leaders to push back privately or potentially try to win Trump over in some juicy one-on-one meetings?

RADD: Well, I think the one-on-one is where you're going to see a lot of the effective negotiation take place. And we got to keep in mind that domestic issues are taking place here. I mean, where I live in Los Angeles, it has been ground-zero for the unrest having to do with Trump's immigration policies or -- excuse me, migrant deportation policies.

All of this tied to the fact that there's entire industries and sectors in the U.S. that depend on immigrants and migrant labor, and the tariffs, and the cost of goods and the cost of manufacturing. All of these plays into the complexities that have been brought up as a result of these decisions.

So, again, he -- Trump comes into this with domestic issues of his own and -- and finding a deal, finding room to alleviate both the constraints he has here, the pressures on him. But also, the international concerns, I think, would be a benefit.

So, a skilled diplomat or a skilled leader from these other nations would find a way to really play into that one-on-one. HUNTE: I've got a bit of a cheeky question. Can you just talk me through what the G7 actually does in 2025? Because with rising powers from outside of that group are forums like it even still relevant or are they just a product of a past era?

RADD: So, you -- you partly answered that question, I think, with -- with the question itself. I think its primary goal is to prove its relevancy, that it still matters that summits like this, that international cooperation with these industrial and economic leaders can still deliver results, that they still have meaning and purpose.

And I think when we see the discord, the disarray, the disunity that has been plaguing the international community for the last six months, I think it only underscores how important these things can be, that when they work, they work very well to sort of unite the fabric of these different countries and provide stability for all of them to prosper, and when they don't, when there's fragmentation, when there's disunity, then we see basically every sphere having its own set of issues.

[02:30:02]

So its relevancy is proven, I think, in the dysfunction that we live in today. But it's going to take some convincing to get Trump to see that.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: And there is a lot of dysfunction today, my goodness.

Benjamin Radd, for now thank you so much for joining me. We appreciate it. Speak to you again soon.

RADD: Thank you.

HUNTE: Next, our coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran continues. After the break, a new barrage of missiles hit Israel after Israeli strikes killed more top Iranian officials.

All of the latest just ahead. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

A day of death and destruction in Tel Aviv and Tehran due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Five people were killed in Israel, according to emergency workers, after a barrage of missiles fell in multiple sites around Tel Aviv on overnight. Residential areas were among the locations hit, and a total of 19 people have been killed since the strikes began. Explosions and fire were seen, and a CNN correspondent saw one residential building that partially collapsed.

It comes after Israel carried out a series of strikes on Iran on Sunday. Israel says it struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force, a special intelligence unit inside Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Earlier, Iran's state affiliated news agency confirmed that the

intelligence chief of the guard and his deputy were killed. At least 224 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since Friday, according to Iranian authorities.

An Iranian missile that evaded Israeli defenses killed four women of the same family in Tamra, Israel.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from the site of the airstrike.

[02:35:03]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Four members of the Khatib family were killed in this strike on their family home. A mother, two of her daughters, the youngest just 13, and a relative who was visiting. You can see the scale of the destruction as a result of the impact of that missile hitting, and it really extends down the block. And in many ways, this strike, it really gets to not just the tragedy of this conflict, but also the complexity.

This town, Tamra, is a Palestinian Israeli town. And there was social media video online last night, verified by CNN, that showed people from a neighboring town actually cheering as they saw those missiles coming down onto Tamra. They could be heard rejoicing, "May your village burn."

And it's important to mention as well that we've also seen videos on social media of Palestinians cheering as missiles rained down near the city of Tel Aviv. We spoke to a priest, Father Khoury, who told us that he believes innocent people are losing their lives because of the actions of bad leaders.

FATHER SIMON KHOURY, TAMRA PRIEST: We want all of them to sit on the same table and to sit like brother, sons of Abraham, and to say its enough because violence causes violence and blood because blood. It's easy to know how to start wars, but only Gd knows how it's going to finish.

WARD: Shortly after we finished talking to Father Khoury, the sirens went off again and we were ushered into a shelter in the house across from the Khatib family home, and the woman who lives in that house, who witnessed and lived through what happened last night, visibly shaken, crying, trembling, deeply fearful for her life. The all-clear has been given. People are getting back to the work of cleaning up, and it's going to be a big job.

Clarissa Ward, CNN. Tamra, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict is affecting global energy prices. Oil prices started rising when the fighting began, and CNN's Becky Anderson has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the past 24 hours, Israel has targeted Iranian energy infrastructure. Among those strikes, Israel hit Iran's Esha Karam oil depot and a fuel tank. That was Saturday. And according to state media, it also targeted the world's largest gas field, South Pars, which Iran, of course, shares with Qatar.

An official briefed on the matter told me, quote, relevant parties are aware of the Israeli strike 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. 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.

Well, Israel's targeting of those sites is a worrying escalation, as it could widen this war not just in the Gulf Region.

Take a listen to what Firas Maksad, the managing director for the Middle East Eurasia Group, told me.

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, infrastructure in the GCC, in the Persian Gulf as, by the way, the Iranian foreign minister alluded to in his in his speech in his address only within the hour, that is an escalation that can actually draw in the United States.

ANDERSON: The Iranian foreign minister said in part, quote, the Israeli attack on the petrochemical facility is a clear act of aggression and a highly dangerous move, he said dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf, a major strategic miscalculation. Likely, he said, a deliberate attempt to expand the war beyond Iranian territory.

[02:40:04]

Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Okay, an update now on the breaking news in Minnesota. Police have arrested the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. One lawmaker and her husband were killed. Another lawmaker and his wife survived.

"The Minneapolis Star Tribune" reports that Vance Boelter is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Police say Boelter was caught in the largest manhunt in the state's history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. JEREMY GEIGER, MINNESOTA STATE PATROL: The Minnesota state patrol, along with countless other partners, were responsible for this arrest. The collaborative effort I cannot stress enough how outstanding that was, helped ensure the suspects arrest did not result in the injury of any law enforcement that was down there and in the area. We had special response teams on the scene near 200 streets in Sibley County. Several partner law enforcement swat teams positioned to form a perimeter at that point in time. The state patrol also provided the air support that was talked about earlier today.

The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest at that point in time, there was no use of force by any member of law enforcement that was out there, and the suspect was taken into custody without any use of force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's dig deeper into this. Steve Moore is a CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent. He's joining us now from L.A.

Let's get straight into this. Thank you so much for being with me.

We saw the press conference just over an hour ago. We learned that the suspect was taken into custody within 43 hours of the incident. And officials called this the largest manhunt in the state's history, with hundreds of detectives solely working on this case.

What were some of your big takeaways from the press conference we saw?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: -- ways were that he had planned the crime so well, but he hadn't planned his escape hardly at all. I mean, he had a second car that he could take away, but he didn't do anything imaginative. He didn't do anything tricky. And I believe that they had a line on him, at least as far as people he was talking to early on.

I'm kind of surprised at his lack of preparation for evasion.

HUNTE: Wow. Well, let's talk a bit about that. What made this suspect so difficult to find?

MOORE: Well, what happens, Ben, is you've got this huge area. I mean, he -- the attack happened in one area, but logically, once you haven't found him for 6 to 12 hours, you have to assume that he's gone into a much larger perimeter, which could include parts of Wisconsin, parts of Iowa, things like that.

And so, what was crucial is finding the car. And that was good police work. They found the car, and then you can again dial in to a focus in on a much smaller area, which means you can bring immense resources into that small area. It's really not even useful to try to search an entire state with the equipment you have. But I believe they had aircraft. I believe they had all sorts of

electronic aids working with them once they found the vehicle.

HUNTE: And we would just see it on the screen. The photo of the moment that the suspect was arrested. Can you just talk us through what your first thoughts were when you saw that picture, and what's going to happen to him next?

MOORE: Oh, it's -- it brings back memories. What apparently happened is he was at least sighted by -- I'm suspecting he was sighted by airplanes using flare equipment. And the FBI SWAT was brought in. If you saw, they were wearing night vision goggles. They probably used a lot of technology to locate him.

Then they called him out. That was the crawling part. Crawl to us. Don't walk to us. And what comes now is kind of tricky because it's whether you're going to prosecute him for murder under Minnesota law, or you're going to prosecute him, possibly for terrorism under federal law. And the issue there is that Minnesota does not have a death penalty, but federal terrorism does.

HUNTE: Wow. And while the suspect for this incident is now in custody, he did create a so-called kill list of other people who he could have targeted. So, what happens to them now? Are those people now out of some sort of danger?

MOORE: You know, I believe they are. You know, I know that that it's easy for me to say they're the ones whose name were on the list, and I -- and I certainly can't imagine what that was like for them.

But I think they've got him.

[02:45:00]

I think the police and the law and FBI are going to go through and determine and assure themselves that there is no there are no accomplices, that this was a lone wolf attack. And -- but I will tell you this, I think this was a serious you know, obviously it was serious, but I think everybody on the list was potential because he didn't have people in New York or Los Angeles or things like that, where people who don't like progressives or leftists would have targeted. He had a functional list that was within driving distance, basically of his house.

HUNTE: Okay. Steve Moore, we're going to be speaking to, I'm sure, a lot more in the next few hours. For now, appreciate it. Thank you for being with us.

MOORE: Thank you.

HUNTE: Grieving families in India and London hope to lay family members and friends to rest very soon. Just ahead, an update on the search for remains after last week's deadly Air Andia crash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Many families in India and London are grieving after the Air India fatal crash last week. The plane lost altitude soon after takeoff, crashing into a fireball as it hit the ground. And now families still searching for loved ones are giving DNA samples to recover the deceased.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voice-over): A somber procession through a neighborhood in India. The community takes turns carrying a casket to a crematorium. One of the victims of the Air India plane crash was one of their own last rites that some families in India can't perform yet, as they wait for the bodies of their loved ones to be identified by DNA or dental records. Some families are holding vigils during the grueling wait.

The plane crash killed 241 people on board and dozens of others on the ground, devastating families across India and the U.K. like this mother in Ahmedabad who struggled to convey her son's last words before leaving for his flight.

RAVINA CHRISTIAN, MOTHER OF VICTIM: He told me to stay well. He told me not to worry about anything. He told me to inform him of whatever medical expenses I might incur, and that he would send me money and that he would soon come back to take me with him.

HUNTE: In London. A vigil was held at a Hindu temple, which has ties to 20 people killed in the crash. One woman said she still couldn't believe her son's childhood friend was gone.

JYOTSNA SHUKLA, FAMILY FRIEND OF VICTIM: I feel very bad because he's so young. I can't say anything. Because it's very, very bad.

HUNTE: Back in India, the hospital in Ahmedabad is releasing some of the victims bodies back to the families, allowing more families to say goodbye. Something just a few days ago would be an unthinkable scenario.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (on camera): Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6, will be led by a woman for the first time. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday that Blaise Metreweli will take over this fall. She currently leads the services technology and innovations team, a position immortalized as Q in the James Bond movies. In 2017, it was revealed that the services real life Q is a woman, but not Metreweli. She was not named at the time.

At the U.S. open, a storybook finish for J.J. Spaun, whose stunning comeback delivered him the championship. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:55:036]

HUNTE: A state of emergency in parts of the U.S. state of West Virginia, following heavy rains that triggered deadly flash flooding. At least five people have died, according to the governor's office. Emergency officials say at least four others are still missing. Rescue operations are underway in two counties. Up to four inches of rain fell over just 30 minutes on Saturday night.

J.J. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open thanks to a back nine for the ages. This 64-foot putt for a birdie on a sopping wet 18th green clinched his victory. Take a look at this shot. There we go. It's happening. Ooh! Bam!

It came after he played a chaotic final round and disastrous front nine on one of golf's most challenging courses. This is the American golfer's first major title.

Okay, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me this hour. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after this quick break.

Don't go anywhere. See you.