Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Netanyahu: Israel has Agreed to Ceasefire with Iran; Trump: "Ceasefire is Now in Effect, Please Don't Violate It". Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 24, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson live from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi where the time is 12 p.m. It is 11.30 in Tehran, 11 a.m. in Tel Aviv on Wednesday the 24th of June.

And we are following breaking news here in the Middle East. Israel's Prime Minister says that he has agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire with Iran. We heard earlier from Iranian state media that the truce was already in effect but a lot of details still unclear at this point.

Before the ceasefire, an Iranian missile hit a residential building in Beer Sheva killing at least five people. Israel says Iran launched six waves of strikes well into the daylight hours of today.

Video posted on social media shows the moment of impact.

Well Israeli firefighters rescued at least three people from the debris there. More than a dozen people were treated for light to moderate injuries. Iranian media also reporting deadly strikes from Israel just before the ceasefire. Explosions lit up the skies of Tehran and at least nine people there killed in missile strikes on residential buildings in northwestern Iran.

News of this ceasefire is certainly welcome news for many residents of Tehran. The latest video we have from the capital shows quiet streets with just a few cars and motorcycles driving there as you can see through a roundabout.

Let's kick off then with CNN's Nada Bashir in London, Brian Todd standing by in Washington. Nada, first to you and as we pointed out a lot of details are unclear at this point. What do we know?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, there is a lot of questions around the exact terms of this ceasefire agreement. We have in the last few hours received a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office acknowledging that the Israeli government has agreed to this ceasefire. They have said that the Israeli military has been successful in the words of the Prime Minister's office in eliminating what they have described as an imminent and existential threat, a dual threat they say both in terms of the Iranian nuclear threat perceived by the Israeli government and also the threat of ballistic missiles.

But in that statement the Prime Minister's office has been clear that there would be a firm response if Iran breaks the terms of that ceasefire. And what we have just been learning in the last few moments according to an Israeli military official is that they believe they have intercepted two missiles coming from Iran. Now again we are still waiting for more details around this.

We know that warning sirens have been sounded in parts of northern Israel. Again this Israeli military official saying that those missiles were intercepted. It's unclear at this stage what this will mean for the fragile ceasefire that has come into effect or was expected to come into effect as of 12 a.m. eastern time.

We heard earlier in the day from the Iranian foreign minister saying that Iran had continued in its military attacks on Israel up until the very last moment. And we certainly saw the impact of those attacks in Israel. As you mentioned we saw a devastating blast in Beer Sheva in southern Israel killing at least four people, several more wounded according to emergency services in Israel. We've seen the devastating impact.

And of course this has followed strikes on both sides overnight. In Iran we've been hearing from officials there at least nine people said to have been killed in parts of northwestern Iran following Israeli strikes on four residential blocks there.

[04:05:00]

So clearly overnight we have seen a continuation of those strikes. Iran continuing up until the last moment as stated by the foreign minister himself. They have said that they would uphold the terms of the ceasefire agreement as brokered by the United States and of course Qatar. Qatar's prime minister mediating directly with Iran.

So long as there were no further attacks by Israel on Iran past 4 a.m. local time. Now of course we are well past that. And of course the news now of potentially a further Iranian strike on Israel or attempted strike on Israel is raising questions as to the durability of the ceasefire agreement, what this means and of course what the reaction will be this morning from the Israeli government and the military -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you Nada. Thank you for that. Let's get you then to Brian Todd in Washington. And what is the latest from the White House -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, as we get word from Nada of those two possible Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, we do get the indication from here in this capital and in other capitals of just how critical the coming hours are going to be in determining whether this ceasefire does indeed hold. These hours are so critical that President Trump has taken it upon himself to make his own appeal to both sides to hold up their end of the deal.

The president posting just a short time ago on Truth Social this, quote, The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it with an exclamation point. Then signing off Donald J. Trump, President of the United States.

He's making his own appeal to both the Israelis and the Iranians to hold up their end of the deal. And as we of course learn of those possible missiles coming from Iran, this is indeed a very very fragile moment and a very critical upcoming few hours ahead.

This comes though as we do see a battle over the messaging over just who is going to get credit for this ceasefire. On late Monday evening Donald Trump posted this.

He said the Israelis and the Iranians came to him. Quote, Israel and Iran came to me almost simultaneously and said peace. I knew the time was now. The world and the Middle East are the real winners. Both nations will see tremendous love, peace and prosperity in their futures.

That is Donald Trump's version of this.

But the Iranian state media of course has a very different version. They're saying that basically President Trump came to them begging. Here's a quote from an anchor on Iranian state media.

Quote, In a begging like manner of urging, Trump requested the initiation of a ceasefire in the imposed Zionist enemy war against our country.

So while the White House and Tehran are battling over the messaging over actually who brokered this ceasefire and who came to who, CNN has new reporting on just how we got here. Our colleagues Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Alayna Treene, Jeff Zeleny and Zachary Cohen are reporting that President Trump and his national security and diplomatic teams worked furiously behind the scenes to try to broker the ceasefire.

And they did this in those critical hours right after Iran launched a missile strike against that U.S. base in Qatar. That was on Monday. Our reporting is that in those hours right after that Iranian missile strike, President Trump and his team were working furiously behind the scenes with the Iranians and the Israelis to try to broker a ceasefire. Trump himself, according to our sources, communicated directly with Benjamin Netanyahu. Also the president communicated directly with the Emir of Qatar, Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

So President Trump communicating with those two critical world leaders in this juncture.

At that same time according to our sources, according to a senior White House official, Vice President J.D. Vance along with Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, those three were communicating with the Iranian side both indirectly and in direct channels to try to broker this deal. So that was just a furious and just a very diligent effort by President Trump and his team to broker the ceasefire. Now the coming hours are going to be critical, Becky, to see whether this holds.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Brian. Thank you.

All right, we are joined now by Mina Al-Oraibi. She's editor in chief of The National, the newspaper of repute here in Abu Dhabi, which has an international presence. It's good to have you, Mina, and always good to have you. I just want our viewers to be bang up to date on what we know at this point. We just got a statement from the IDF which says that Israeli military intercepted two missiles launched from Iran, according to the IDF.

And that is after Nada has just been reporting that there have been missiles incoming since this ceasefire apparently went into place some hours ago.

We are also expecting a press conference from the prime minister of Qatar alongside the Lebanese prime minister today.

[04:10:00]

But we should expect that that will certainly provide some information on what happened next. Let's just a step back for a moment. Twelve hours ago, Iran launched a series of short, medium term ballistic missiles on a U.S. base in Qatar. Twelve hours later, the wider story is that we have a ceasefire in place. It seems, albeit extremely fragile, a good first step, I think you and I would agree. What are the dangers here?

MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: Like you said, we are told there's a ceasefire in place. However, we're also hearing that missiles are being launched from Iran. And also there seems to be a staggered ceasefire where Donald Trump has given Israel an extra 12 hours to do what they want to do and then it should be fully in place.

It's a fragile ceasefire at best. And of course, it's nowhere near a peace deal or nowhere near the end of this regional war, frankly, that started now some 12 days ago with the Iranian attacks on the -- sorry, with the Israeli attacks on the Iranian nuclear program that then suddenly seemed to be morphing into the possibility of regime change. We've had the Americans come in.

So it's an incredibly escalatory environment that suddenly seems to be on pause because of this announcement of potential ceasefire. Now, the concern is, of course, the Iranians are incredibly weak and they have shown that they can still launch missiles. The decision to go for Al Udeid base, the largest American base in the region, and also Qatar, that traditionally has been an ally, was quite surprising.

I, for one, was expecting that they would attack American bases in Iraq and Syria because that would be politically less costly for the Iranians. Having said that, we've seen the reaction from the Gulf countries where, of course, they've condemned an attack on Qatar, but it has been very limited because what the Qataris said yesterday in a very important press conference we heard from Majid al-Ansari, the spokesperson for the Qataris, saying that we want peace, we want to find a way to work with the Iranians, and it's seen as an attack on the base. Of course, only one missile actually landed in the base. The rest were thankfully intercepted in midair.

So militarily, very little impact. Politically, an impact that is quite bold in saying that the Iranians are willing to go quite far to try to secure, not only this regime, but secure their country in the way that they think is best.

What happens from here really is going to be set by whether the ceasefire can actually become a foundation to walk back from this all- out war.

ANDERSON: We've seen a statement -- I think we can bring up on the screen -- just in the last couple of hours from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which also, of course, hosts US assets. This is a statement that was released after a call between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Emir of Qatar.

Can we bring that up on the screen? Do we have that?

HRH the Crown Price affirmed the Kingdom's full support for the State of Qatar and condemned the blatant aggression launched by Iran against Qatar, stressing that it cannot be justified.

And we have heard that around this region, which was heightened, had a heightened sense of alert as to what might happen next. But there is also a keen understanding that this started with Israeli aggression, as you rightly point out, 12 days ago against Iran. So I think it would be fair to say that there is still a sense of anxiety around this region, that this may not be over.

Let's talk about who's making decisions, because those decision makers are going to be really important in the next few hours and days. We know who's making decisions in Israel. It's Benjamin Netanyahu and his small team around him. Who's making decisions in Iran at this point?

AL-ORAIBI: Everything that we hear from our sources is that it still all goes back to the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, more than ever. But we also know that he is in a secure location. Very few people have access to him. The Iranians have stopped using digital forms of communication because we've seen that the Israelis are able to use that as a way of assassinations. And so the decision making process in Iran is unclear. We still know that the ultimate decision maker is the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

The question is, how are decisions being made and communicated? And what do they know and how quickly are they able to actually communicate these decisions? So that's hugely important.

I would also say that what has been startling is actually seeing the very immediate communication from President Trump to the world through Truth Social.

[04:15:00] But also that there has been incredible work behind the scenes of all the sides, including, of course, the Gulf countries, and to avoid a miscalculation. The concern is how decisions are being made in Iran, because they have miscalculated a number of times throughout this.

And it seems perhaps now is a little different, but at least in the first few days of the Iranian attacks and of the Israeli attacks on Iran and the American attacks, that they weren't realizing how much the rules of engagement had changed. And the similar miscalculation happened from Hezbollah previously when we saw the war in Lebanon. And so how much are they able to adjust and be agile to meet the changing needs on the ground of what's going to happen politically?

ANDERSON: There's one final question that I know that you are so well equipped to answer. What's happened to the proxy forces around the region? Have you been surprised at all that there has been little to no involvement, no communication or messaging?

Because we are seeing a battle of narratives out there, by the way, at the moment. I mean, that's absolutely clear. And I guess the second question briefly is, what should we expect now?

The Americans, you could argue, and even Donald Trump's harshest critics would be, you know, it's tough not to argue that this has been a big win to a degree for the U.S. president. And he has talked about this providing or he wants to provide an opportunity for a diplomatic off-ramp and for a conclusion to U.S.-Iran talks, which have such a big and wide ranging impact, not just on those two countries, but on the region and the wider world.

AL-ORAIBI: So in terms of proxies, of course, the proxies are nowhere where they used to be a couple of years ago. When many of us used to say your biggest problem with Iran is its ability to reach so far into the region and pose threats to Arab countries directly, but also the wider world.

What you've seen in the last 12 days is they are now thinking about survival. Hezbollah is hugely shrunk from what it used to be. Hamas is able to inflict minimal damage on the Israelis. But of course, Gaza is continuing to suffer terribly and we mustn't forget that in the middle of it.

And then you've got the Iraqi militia forces and you've got the Houthis. The Houthis and the Iraqi militia forces are probably the most intact from those proxies. And yet they've been very quiet because they realize, one, it's a survival and two, not to antagonize.

You would imagine that the Iranian message to these proxies is we need your survival. And the problem is, if this round ends in a way that they can still be intact, they will be able to use asymmetrical warfare and they're able to create further destabilization, which, of course, we've seen come to the edge with the Israelis.

As you were saying, one of the biggest issues to contend with is the U.S. president's role. But frankly, any U.S. president was always going to be the ultimate arbitrator here. And in large part because the U.S. is able to use all its leverage, not only in Israel, but frankly, in the region. People look to Washington for solutions, even when sometimes problems are coming from Washington itself.

ANDERSON: Yes, but particularly with this president, which in this region, you know, most countries have, you know, not just good ties, it seems quite personal ties with this U.S. president.

AL-ORAIBI: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: In the same vein, I think it's been really interesting talking sources around this region. You know, despite their influence, their increased influence with President Donald Trump, and we saw him on the whirlwind tour here just six weeks ago. You know, cutting deals and building partnerships around this region, talking to the fact that this region, you know, shouldn't be interfered with, as it were. But ultimately, they have to a degree felt like bystanders somewhat in this past 12 days or so.

Look, there's no love lost for this regime around this region, certainly not for this regime's behavior when it comes to its nuclear program and indeed its ballistic missiles capability and stockpile. And indeed, it's a relationship with its proxies around the region. But I think regime collapse or change, change, be that violent change, could be a disaster for this region.

AL-ORAIBI: I mean to your point about the influence of this region, one message that Donald Trump heard directly when he was here is that you need peace for prosperity, for these deals to actually bear fruit long term. You need peace. You need stability.

And in some ways, he was encouraged to restart the Iran talks, having heard from the leaders here that actually we want to convince the Iranians of the virtue of peace and of a path out of nefarious actions, proxies and so forth. And actually, let's look towards a peaceful future. That was a message not only when Donald Trump was here, but that has been the message the last 12, 14 days of trying to convince all sides.

We know that here in the UAE and other Gulf countries, there were talks with everybody saying you need to walk off the edge because we got to the edge. You know, we're talking about nuclear warfare in the most serious way we've ever considered.

[04:20:00]

We're talking about missiles in the skies of several countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar last night, Iran.

ANDERSON: You noted to me that you were in the sky last night coming back in from London and you could see Qatar airspace here. You know, you were being told on the plane that Qatar airspace was -- I mean, we've normalized a time when there are missiles flying around. People are in the air and airspace is closed for a limited period of time. Flights are redirected and we sort of carry on. This is not normal.

AL-ORAIBI: This is not normal and it's not what this region wants -- ANDERSON: Yes.

AL-ORAIBI: -- or actually is aspiring to.

ANDERSON: And what Gargash, who's the special advisor, of course, to the president of the UAE here, did note to me the other day that the language of escalation is really sort of overshadowing the language of prosperity, the language of peace. And he was really worried about that. 72, 96 hours ago, it was late last week when they talked about it.

To your point, peace, prosperity does not come from perpetual conflict. This has been a mantra here in this region for some time. Navigating a new Middle East, looking beyond conflict, de-conflicting this region.

I want to just stop you for one moment. I do want to bring up some images just from Qatar in Doha. I promised you that there is very likely to be a press conference being held. It was scheduled during which we will hear from the prime minister of Qatar. It's just being set up. This is just them setting things up. He will be alongside the prime minister of Lebanon. That may or may not have been a one assumes a scheduled meeting.

But we do expect to hear from the prime minister, who is also the foreign minister, of course, of Qatar about what happened last night. Their mediation, very important mediation in pulling off this ceasefire and what he believes should happen next. And that is coming up. So don't expect it necessarily to be in the next couple of minutes because these things can take some time. I've got experience of this, but I did want you to see that room is getting set up and stay with us, because I think that's going to be a really, really important press conference. As we get the perspective from a key player in all of this. I mean, sorry, I interrupted you.

AL-ORAIBI: Not at all. And having actually the Lebanese prime minister is also just to remind people that Lebanon and Qatar are not bordering neighbors, but Arab countries are in this together.

ANDERSON: Yes.

AL-ORAIBI: And we saw immediately yesterday not only how the Gulf countries made statements but were putting in calls to the Qataris and voicing their support, but also the wider Arab countries, be it Egypt, be it Qatar, be it Lebanon, be it Palestine. They're all interlinked. And so I think it will be quite important to hear of the two speaking together on this.

The element that you were talking about, the airspace last night and literally being in the air as Qatar airspace closes, but also the fact that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries for years have been saying we need to convince the Iranians to come on to the side of not only de-escalation, but peace and building trust --

ANDERSON: Peace and prosperity. AL-ORAIBI: -- because at the end, there's absolutely no trust between the sides. And they reached out. I mean, that's why you now have ties between these countries. You had one of the most senior officials visit Saudi Arabia --

ANDERSON: Let me stop you because I'm now seeing what I think is. And I think I'm I think this is the prime minister, the foreign minister just walking into the room. Am I right in saying that?

Can we bring these images up if that is the case? I may be I may be a little early. Sorry, go on.

AL-ORAIBI: That's OK. Yes, we know what it's like with these conferences. They suddenly start and they'll immediately start talking.

And so we think that importance of how can Iran now feel that it's in a place where its interests lie more in de-escalating than escalating? And that will be tested. But also the same question is applied to Benjamin Netanyahu.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you stay with me. I want to take a very short break. I would not be surprised if we hear some comment on Gaza and the importance of a two state solution and progress to that point from the prime minister of Qatar.

Remember, the Qataris have been trying to mediate a ceasefire, another ceasefire and hostage release for Gaza. So, again, stand by, because that sits, of course, still maybe in the shadows, but that still sits at a sweet point in all of what is going on around this region.

Taking a very short break. Back after this.

[04:25:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Let's get you back to our breaking news. It's just before 12:30 p.m. here and our Middle East programming hub in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier, Israel's government says it has agreed to a ceasefire with Iran. Iranian media also reporting that a ceasefire has begun. And U.S. President Donald Trump urging both sides, quote, Please do not violate it, exclamation mark.

But there is little detail available about the terms of the ceasefire so far. And in the past couple of hours before that ceasefire went into effect, we saw strikes from both sides. An Iranian missile made a direct hit on a residential building in the southern city of Beer Sheva. At least five people killed there and several others wounded.

An Iranian state media reporting that at least nine people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in northwest Iran.

Joining me now from Glendale, California, is retired Major General Mark MacCarley. It's good to have you, sir.

First, what do you make of the missile shot towards Beer Sheva this morning around the time that the ceasefire was announced? This is a dangerous situation, of course, at this point and very fragile.

MAJ. GEN. MARK MACCARLEY, (U.S. ARMY (RET.): Absolutely. That's an appropriate term, fragile. It's one thing to announce triumphantly that we have a ceasefire.