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IDF Says it Struck Key Military Targets in Tehran Area; World Leaders Weigh in on Israel-Iran Conflict; Israel and Iran Trade Strikes as conflict enters sixth day; New Details About Suspect in Lawmaker Shootings. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 18, 2025 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where we are following breaking news. Israel says it has hit a centrifuge production facility and missile manufacturing sites in the Tehran area overnight. More than 50 air force jets carried out strikes on military sites, according to the IDF. Well, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says Iran has launched more than 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel since Friday. Sources tell CNN. President Donald Trump is considering U.S. Military strikes on Iranian nuclear targets with encouragement from some hardline U.S. Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Iran with a nuclear weapon is the threat not only to Israel, but to us. And four presidents have promised to make sure that Iran never had a nuclear weapon. I think it will be Donald Trump who delivers on that promise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, leaders around the world are weighing in on the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. Turkey's president calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the quote, "greatest threat to security in the Middle East." Mr. Erdogan also warning the conflict could spread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): Israel, which attacks Iran with the unlimited support of the West, destroys Gaza and bullies every country in the region is actually unaware of what it is doing. Perhaps it will realize its mistake in the future, but we fear that by then it will be too late. It should not be forgotten that no country in this ancient geography is limited to its own borders and administration.

Israel is risking its own existence and the future of its society step by step with every oppression it commits, every blood, it sheds every crime against humanity it commits well.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON: Well, meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday he believes that the, quote, "biggest error today is to seek a regime change in Iran through military means, because that would lead to chaos," he said. And in his first comments on the Israel-Iran conflict, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping said his country is deeply concerned. Adding, military conflict is not a way to solve problems, and the escalation of regional tensions is not in the common interests solve the International Community.

Well, as this conflict has quickly intensified, much of the focus is now on the fate of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has warned that Iran will show no mercy in this battle, as he describes it. But whether he can follow through on that promise and whether the Iranian people will stand with him remain open questions, as CNN's Melissa Bell Reports.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For over 35 years, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei has ruled with an iron grip, delivering a blunt message to the west.

AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER (through translator): We in no way are willing to start an all-out war with the United States. But if it so happens, we will inevitably put up a very strong defense.

BELL (voice-over): Five days into an all-out conflict with Israel, the question now is how firm Ayatollah Khamenei's grip remains. Regional proxies like Hezbollah and Bashar al-Assad Syrian regime are on the sidelines leaving Iran to fight back alone.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: It's led by an 85-year-old supreme leader who doesn't really have the physical or cognitive acumen to be fighting this very high- tech war. So, you know, this is, as other guests have said, probably the most vulnerable the Iranian regime has been in many, many years.

BELL (voice-over): It was the 1989 death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran's Islamic Revolution that brought Khamenei to power. Since then, he's brutally suppressed internal descent. First, in 2009, when the grieve movement protested, what it claimed were rigged election results.

KHAMENEI (through translator): If they don't stop this, then the consequences and the rioting, everything, they will be held accountable for all this.

BELL (voice-over): Then again, in 2022, the death in police custody of a young Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, sparked months of nationwide protests met once again with violent repression.

[04:35:00]

Israeli attacks have now eliminated several key regime figures, targeting not only nuclear facilities, but also Iran State broadcaster. Israel's prime minister even addressed what he believes would happen if Khamenei himself were targeted.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict.

BELL (voice-over): For now, an American opposition appears to be holding back Israel's plan to strike Khamenei directly, but the supreme leader has vowed to fight on.

KHAMENEI (through translator): We must give a strong response. God willing, we will respond with strength and we will show them no mercy.

BELL (voice-over): The question now, whether Iranians themselves will stand with the leader they've so often opposed.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, joining me now as Fawaz Gerges. He's a professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. He's author of "The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East." We couldn't have a better guess at this point.

Fawaz, let's just start with the following. Donald Trump calling for Iran's unconditional surrender in a social post overnight. Iran's supreme leader saying, the battle begins. There does not seem to be any diplomatic play here. Your sense?

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "THE GREAT BETRAYAL" AND PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Good morning, Becky. No, I don't see any kind of light at the end of this horrible war tunnel. In fact, President Trump's call on Iran to unconditionally surrender. It's basically a testament to the fact that he is no longer interested in diplomacy. He made it very clear that he said he's not interested in diplomacy because he thinks that Israel is gaining the upper hand. He thinks that we, he used the term we, the United State, controls the skies over Iran.

And as we know about Donald Trump, he loves to be with the winner. He loves winners and strong man. And Netanyahu impresses him a great deal. My fear is the following, that Donald Trump is leaning and arching to take the United State into war against Iran.

And Iran is now pressed between a rock. The rock of surrender, humiliation, and probably the destruction of the regime if they surrender, and the harder place to fight to the end. I have no doubts in my mind that Iranian leaders will never ever surrender. They will fight, even though the cost to Iran will most likely be catastrophic because of the power imbalance and asymmetry between Iran on the one hand and Israel and the United States, and its westerns supporters on the other hand,

ANDERSON: Fawaz, we've talked a lot about rhetoric that is indicating regime change would not be a bad thing in Israel's eyes. Now, I want to put this to you. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, has spoken about using him, he is outside of the country, of course, to transition to credible democracy. He says, and I quote, "do not fear the day after the fall of the Islamic Republic. Iran will not descend into civil war or instability." He says, we have a plan for Iran's future and it's flourishing. We are prepared for the first a hundred days after the fall for the transitional period and for the establishment of a national and democratic government by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people.

To underscore he is outside of Iran. There are many inside who've paid the price of descent and are being very vocal in their criticism of Pahlavi, a man who they say is aligned with Israel, who does have supporters. He does have supporters outside and within Iran, but he has many, many detractors. Point being here, what do you make of his statement and what does a potential day after look like to avoid outright civil war, which is clearly a risk should the regime be either taken out or fall at this point?

GERGES: Becky, with all humility, you and us are ahead of ourselves. First of all, your question implies that somehow Iran is on the tip of losing its institutions and its regime. You're implying that this man who has been calling for the past few years, this is not the first time, delusional.

[04:40:00]

He has no power base inside Iran. There is no alternative opposition inside Iran, and there is no alternative opposition outside Iran. Let me just contextualize the question, if you allow me, Becky, a bit. There is considerable opposition inside Iran to the clerics in Tehran, considerable, millions of Iranians, especially young men and women, had protested because of the state's intrusion into their daily lives.

Millions of Iranians have not been allowed to have a free life, to breathe. They wanted to breathe. But there is a huge difference, Becky, between opposition, domestic opposition to the regime, and basically Iranians listening to Benjamin Netanyahu called to instigate a civil war.

Iran, as you know, more than I do, is a civilizational state. Iranians are very nationalistic. Like all people, they -- when their country is attacked, when their sovereignty is attacked, they will rally around the flags. In fact, many Iranians now, and we have many reports, are basically are upset because their government did not build an nuclear weapon. In fact, many Iranians say, we have the natural right to build in nuclear weapons, even though Europe -- the CNN yesterday, as you know, the CNN reported that the assessment by U.S. intelligence found that Iran was not actively trying to build a nuclear weapon and Iran was years away from having the ability to do so.

So, please, let's not just listen to Netanyahu and things somehow tomorrow, the day after, and a new regime will come. Think about it, Becky, you and I, we talked about. Think about Iraq. Is this really an Iraq moment? When the neoconservatives, including Benjamin Netanyahu said, once Saddam Hussein falls, Iraq will be a domino effect. Iraq will be a democracy. Iran would collapse, and Syria and so on. Think of what happened in Iraq. Iran is a much bigger and a greater country.

And the damage where you are in the Gulf, if the United States join the war, and we shall see, and I hope I am wrong, this will have catastrophic consequences on the political economy of energy. Iran is planning to mine the Strait of Hormuz. So, it's not just a simple question like regime change and who's going to replace the clerics in Tehran, it's up to the Iranian themselves to really basically take on the clerics in Tehran.

ANDERSON: Yes. And your perspective extremely important, your analysis and insight, you know, extremely valuable at this point. And I hear what you're saying. Jordan's air defense coming into play, and let's talk about this kind of, you know, heightened regional concern. I'm here in our Middle East head -- programming headquarters in Abu Dhabi. I'm well aware, through talking to my sources around the region, that there is real heightened concern. We have this video from not long ago from Jordan. They say their airspace will not be used as a battlefield. They are obviously not happy about this.

I just wonder what you are hearing from regional players and what's being done behind the scenes to stop this? I know that there is a significant amount of a sort of diplomatic action behind the scenes. What are you hearing at this point?

GERGES: Well, I'm hearing there's a great deal of anxiety, a great deal of concern. I was really surprised yesterday when the United -- when the Emirates and Egypt warned against reckless decisions, which means the idea of regime change in Iran, the Jordanians -- the Jordanian king just said yesterday, Iran -- Israel's war on Iran could have catastrophic consequences on the entire region. And even Saudi Arabia and Qatar, they had been trying to impress on President Trump they need to de-escalate because they're terrified on the consequences, the political economy consequences, in particular if this war escalates. In particular, if Iran decides to mine the Strait of Hormuz. In particular, if Iran decides to attack American bases in, you know, Qatar and Kuwait and Bahrain and other places, so throughout the region.

And you cited President, you know, Erdogan, what he said. So, the reality is throughout the region, even though they don't like the clerics, they're terrified that what Israel has started could really be a time bomb that basically implodes stability further and the political economy of energy as well.

[04:45:00]

ANDERSON: Yes. At a time when this entire region has been looking to de-escalate, has been looking to a future of economic integration and de-risking the region. We are just going to have a look at the oil prices now. Fawaz, thank you for your insight this morning, your perspective.

Let's bring these oil prices up, to Fawaz's point. And I've been watching these oil prices all morning. And they are moving higher and continue to do so. Now, over 4 percent up on WTI Crude Oil and on Brent, more than 4 percent up as well. There is, you know, clear concern over what could happen next, not least in the Strait of Hormuz. And that worrying the markets, worrying investors and will be a worry to this region and the wider world.

For the time being, that's it from the region on what is our breaking news. Polo Sandoval is in New York with your other news. Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Becky, thank you. Back to you and our top story at the top of the hour. But first, let's bring viewers up to speed on other headlines that are making news around the world, including in the United States. We're learning more about the suspect accused of targeting Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota. More on that after the break.

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SANDOVAL: And welcome back. We want to get you some new and some chilling details that have emerged about the planning and preparation, as well as the man accused of a deadly shooting in Minnesota, which left one state lawmaker and her husband dead, as well as the state senator and his wife wounded.

Now, even so, days later, a motive for the shooting still remains unclear. More now from CNN's Whitney Wild reporting from Minneapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANCE BOELTER, CHARGED WITH FEDERAL MURDER: Hello, my name is Vance Boelter.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Accused killer Vance Boelter's life in his own words from an introduction video posted online from a typical Midwestern American life.

BOELTER: I have a wife and five kids, and we have two pets, German Shepherds. I've been in the food industry about 30 years.

WILD (voice-over): To preaching Christian sermons and working on development projects in Africa.

BOELTER: We're doing farming and fishing projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WILD (voice-over): To working for two funeral homes.

BOELTER: I worked full-time for Wolf Funeral Home, which is an intake location for about at six funeral homes. And then, I also worked for another funeral home called Metro First Call.

WILD (voice-over): Boelter was a volunteer on the State's Workforce Development Board for more than a decade, but his life took a strange turn in recent years, according to people who knew him and spoke to CNN.

In 2021, Boelter said in the video he quit his food industry job and jetted off to the Democratic Republic of Congo on what he described as a mission to end world hunger. While in Africa, he regularly preached sermons, some with anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

BOELTER: They don't know how their sexual orientation, they're confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.

WILD (voice-over): Many of his projects failed to get off the ground, according to a longtime acquaintance. And in 2023, Boelter started working at two funeral homes in Minneapolis, even collecting bodies at crime scenes, he said.

BOELTER: One contract is the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office. So, we'll removals, which we're working with a lot of police officers and death investigators.

WILD (voice-over): Boelter went back and forth between his family's home in Green Isle and his work in Minneapolis, where he shared a bungalow with four other men. One of his roommates telling CNN he couldn't keep up with the big fancy $400,000 house in Green Isle, three Shiloh Shepherds, all the kids, all the bills.

Boelter was arrested in a field near his rural Green Isle, Minnesota home Sunday night after a massive manhunt. Boelter is charged with murder, attempted murder, and other crimes after going to the homes of four Democratic Minnesota public officials early Saturday, disguised as a police officer, according to a federal indictment. He's accused of killing State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, an injuring State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And flights to Indonesia's Resort Island of Bali, they are facing delays, even some cancellations just because of eruptions from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. So far, reports of no casualties, but officials have raised the Volcano Alert System to its highest level. Lewotobi Laki Laki has been rumbling off and on for months now, even killing at least 10 people back in November.

All right. Let's talk some ice hockey now. The Florida Panthers, they have captured the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. The Panthers clenching the win Tuesday night in a 5 to 1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Back-to-back crowns have both come at the expense of the Oilers. Panthers star, Sam Reinhart, you see there, many slides after his scores. He's now the first player to do that in a Stanley Cup final game since 1957 with three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup final, Florida has officially achieved dynasty status.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. CNN's Breaking News coverage of the conflict in the Middle East continues with Audie Cornish and Becky Anderson right after short break.

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