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Trump, Iran Declare Victory After Striking Ceasefire Deal; Trump Agrees to Suspend Strikes on Iran for Two Weeks; Iran Will Open Strait of Hormuz During Ceasefire; Pakistani PM Invites U.S., Iran to April 10 Islamabad Talks; Vance Stumps for Hungary's Orban; Lebanon Health Ministry Says Eight Killed in Israeli Drone Strike; Photos From Artemis II Crew Show Rare Views of the Moon; Artemis II's Orion Capsule Leaves Lunar Sphere of Influence. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 08, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:36]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, an 11th hour reprieve, President Trump announces a two week cease fire in the war with Iran just hours before the deadline for his threat to wipe them out. If it holds, what will Iran's terms mean for the Middle East? We'll hear from an expert.

And do you need a new side gig? Why people are getting paid to record themselves doing chores around the house?

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Brian Abel.

ABEL: It is 9:30 a.m. in Tehran, where, just hours ago, word of a temporary cease fire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran prompted celebrations.

Huge pro regime crowds welcoming the news of a pause in the fighting. President Trump announced the agreement on social media before his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, and that vital waterway is really key to all of this. Iran says its military will coordinate passage through the Strait. President Trump says the U.S. will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait. Pakistan helped mediate the agreement, and the Prime Minister has invited the U.S. and Iran to Islamabad for direct talks on Friday, April 10th.

U.S. officials say Vice President J.D. Vance will likely be involved too. The White House reports Israel has also agreed to the cease fire, although a source says Israeli officials have concerns. They are conflicting claims on whether the pause in fighting also applies to Israel's fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Let's bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook live this hour in Washington. And Julia, what are you hearing about possible next steps, and what has the White House said about negotiations? JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian, as you pointed out, Pakistan's Prime Minister has invited delegations from the United States and Iran to Islamabad for talks on Friday, and officials have told CNN that they are preparing for the potential of talks, and that that would likely include Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump's son in law Jared Kushner and Vice President J.D. Vance.

But taking a step back here President Donald Trump just less than two hours before his deadline, he announced that he had agreed to a proposal from Pakistan for this two week cease fire, and that was as his threat loomed to target Iranian bridges and infrastructure.

And his post -- in his post announcing this, he said that he had received a 10 point plan from Iran. He called it a workable basis on which to negotiate. He also claimed, in that that the United States had already achieved and exceeded its military objectives.

Now, part of his post is there on the screen. Now, I wanted to highlight this is he really is putting out a positive view of what these next steps will look like, making it clear that the administration is looking for an off ramp.

He said, "Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America as president, and also representing the countries of the Middle East, it is an honor to have this long term problem close to a resolution."

Now, a real key part of this is the Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway where 20 percent of the world's oil typically passes through. And Trump made it clear that that was important to agree to this two week Cease fire.

Iran's foreign minister has said that its military will be coordinating the passage of vessels through the Strait during the cease fire. Trump, in his recent post that came just after midnight, Eastern said that the United States will be playing a role there. I have reached out to the White House for clarification on that.

But Trump's rhetoric has been shifting. I mean, he started Tuesday just with this very stark post saying a whole civilization could be destroyed, and now he is saying that this could be the golden age for the Middle East.

[02:05:12]

So, as his rhetoric has changed and his timelines have changed. I mean, we have seen him move this deadline from 48 hours pausing it for five. Five days, extending it 10 Monday to Tuesday, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any updates. And then, of course, that possibility of next step negotiations in Pakistan.

ABEL: Yes, the goalpost certainly continued to move to where we are right now. Julia Benbrook for us in Washington, D.C. Julia, thank you.

Let's cross over now to CNN's Paul Hancocks live for us in Abu Dhabi, to help us digest all of these developments a bit further, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian, we know that many here in the region would have woken up with a huge sense of relief this Wednesday morning, as when they went to bed Tuesday night, things were not looking positive.

But what we are seeing from Iran, first of all, when it comes to reaction, is a couple of differing reactions. The Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying that they have agreed that they will have this cease fire if attacks against Iran are halted, also saying that the military is going to coordinate the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

And when it comes to this 10 point proposal, he said that there -- Washington had accepted the general framework of that proposal.

Now when it comes to the National Security Council, the statement from them was far more fiery. It was claiming victory. And I want to play you some of what state T.V. was announcing. It gives you some of the details in that 10 point proposal that Iran believes that Washington has agreed to. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Iran has achieved a great victory and forced America to accept its 10 point plan. America is committed to non-aggression, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of enrichment, lifting of all sanctions, termination of all resolutions of the Security Council and Board of Governors, payment of compensation to Iran, withdrawal of American forces from the region, and secession of war on all fronts, including against the Islamic resistance of Lebanon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, of course, there is an element of propaganda in that it has to be taken through that prison, but also it shows that the two sides are far apart on certain issues. There are some claims within that statement that Washington is very unlikely to agree with.

But this is the state of play at this point. This is now where the dialog in Pakistan takes over. The Pakistan prime minister saying April 10th is when he has invited the delegations from both sides to come and start talking about this.

Now, we did see some protests on the street in Tehran, pre-dawn gatherings celebrating this declaration. We did also see within this footage we're showing you, though, there were some American and Israeli flags burned, there were photos being held up of the Supreme Leader, so clearly a pro regime element out on the streets.

And they were sounding skeptical about whether this was going to -- whether it was going to last, and the lack of trust between Iran and the U.S.

Now, when it comes to Israel, we are hearing from Israeli sources, there is much skepticism there as well, and confusion as to whether this includes Lebanon, Pakistan says it does, Israel says it doesn't, and President Trump did not mention it, Brian.

ABEL: We will see if everybody gets on the same page here in the next 24 hours. Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you.

Let's bring in Jasmine El-Gamal. She is the founder and CEO of Averos Strategies, a former Middle East advisor at the Pentagon, and also the host of The View from Here podcast. So, Jasmine, thank you very much for sharing your time with us.

So, clearly, there's been a step back from the brink here with this two week Cease fire, as we've also learned from Israel Gaza, Cease fires can be incredibly fragile. So, what do you see happening next, and what do you see needing to happen in this two-week period?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FOUNDER AND CEO, AVEROS STRATEGIES: Thank you so much for having me. Good morning. You're absolutely right, as we've seen not just in Gaza, but Lebanon as well, over the last year plus that cease fires are indeed fragile, and that if the core issues between the two parties, or in this case, the three parties, the U.S., Israel and Iran, are not addressed, then this is just a temporary pause.

But for what it's worth, it is a welcome step, obviously, you know, one has to talk about the people of Iran, first and foremost, who had been sitting, you know, in intense fear after President Trump's message yesterday talking about eradicating an entire civilization. You can imagine how relieved they are to know that there will be a pause, a respite while people in the negotiating teams have conversations about the future.

[02:10:22]

And also the markets, the markets are reacting positively to this as well. So, we know that there will be this two-week Cease fire. We don't know if it's going to include Lebanon effectively or not, the Cease fire announcement says that Lebanon is included, but from the Israeli side, they're saying that they won't stop attacking Lebanon. So, that's already a point of contention there.

The two parties, as Paula said, will be meeting on Friday in Pakistan. Of course, a huge debt is owed to Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Oman, all those mediating countries that have really gone above and beyond in their diplomatic efforts in the last several weeks, trying to get us to this point.

ABEL: So many in the region working towards peace. I do want to talk strategy for a moment. We have Iran claiming victory, saying it forced the U.S. into this 10 point plan, seemingly pointing to the Strait of Hormuz as a leverage point. Then we have the White House on the flip side of that, also deeming the cease fire as a victory. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying military success created maximum leverage. So, which is it, and why? Who has the strategic advantage here? EL-GAMAL: Well, I mean, a couple of things. First of all, of course, both sides have to be able to declare victory. I mean, that's the only way this would have worked. Any cease fire negotiation has to allow all parties to have some sort of a face saving way that they can say they're coming out of this on top. So, that's to be expected.

And the way that the message from the Pakistani Prime Minister was phrased was, you know, a request to the brotherly nation of Iran, to the United States, to all parties, to turn down the temperature, and that was an off ramp that we had been waiting for for weeks. And so, that's a welcome development, even if it means that both sides will declare victory.

In terms of strategic gains, one looks at Iran right now and has to look at not just military positioning, but also strategic and diplomatic positioning as well. Militarily, of course, they've been further weakened, even than they had been over the last two years. Their proxies have been weakened. We know that over the last couple of years as well, they weren't really able to truly shift the dial in this last war in the last 30 days, which says something, but strategically and diplomatically, Iran was able to hold the Strait of Hormuz, which, as you know, has affected global markets and households everywhere from China to Texas.

And so, that's something that they're going to hold on to in these negotiations over the next two weeks, to say, listen, we've done it before. We can do it again, and that's going to be one of the main topics of contention, of negotiation. How do you prevent a case like this from happening again, where Iran has control even charging tolls for passing ships, that's going to be one of the most difficult issues to negotiate, and Iran will be sure to extract some kind of concession over letting go of that total control.

ABEL: Jasmine, quickly. We don't have much time left, but we have not seen the full proposals, either the 10 or the 15 point plans from Iran and the U.S., but we do have an idea of Iran's points right through documents, points that include demands like maintaining control of the Strait, in other words, control over 20 percent of the world's oil, also withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from bases throughout the Middle East region, war reparations and the lifting of sanctions.

This is the proposal President Trump says is a workable basis for negotiation. From your expertise, what outcomes do you see possible here?

EL-GAMAL: Well, these are really maximalist demands, and Iran knows that, and that's what you go into a negotiation with. You go into a negotiation with maximalist demands, and they work downwards from there, exactly.

So, that's what we'll see, is how much the two sides will actually be able to come together to some sort of compromise. Both sides will not get everything that they want. The question is, with the help of all those mediators we mentioned earlier, will they be able to come to a workable solution that each side can take back to their domestic audiences and say we won. ABEL: Jasmine El-Gamal, really appreciate your insight. Thank you.

[02:15:01]

EL-GAMAL: Thanks for having me.

ABEL: A pointed message from Pakistan, pause the fighting and give diplomacy a chance. We will go live to Islamabad for the latest on the cease fire negotiations.

Plus, an update on how global markets are responding to the two week cease fire announcement, stay with CNN.

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ABEL: Pakistan is getting ready to host allegations from Iran and the U.S. later this week, with hopes of hammering out a lasting truce. Prime Minister Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif wrote that both parties, "Displayed remarkable wisdom and understanding in agreeing to the two- week Cease fire," which he says is in effect everywhere, including Lebanon.

But Israel disagrees. CNN's Sophia Saifi is live in Islamabad for us. And Sophie, fill us in on the details here as far as we know it about these talks.

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Brian, these talks have been a long time coming. There's been a frenzy of diplomacy that's been ongoing here in Pakistan ever since this conflict actually started.

[02:20:00]

I mean, we've had talks last week in which the foreign ministers of Egypt, the Saudis, the Turks, they were all in Pakistan having meetings, and the leader, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, went to China and released a five point statement from there.

But what really started speeding up was late last night, around 12:30 we started getting messages here, journalists in Islamabad, that there is something about to be released.

There was a tweet that came out by Pakistan's Prime Minister urging the President of the United States, President Trump, to extend his deadline by two more weeks, urging the Iranians to reopen the Straits of Hormuz. Then we had immediately after that, the tweet by President Trump, where he led with the names of Pakistan's powerful army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, as well as Pakistan's Prime Minister. And then right after that came that tweet that you were just referring to in which Pakistan's Prime Minister said that there is an immediate Cease fire.

And he's also called for talks, as these are being called the Islamabad talks, in coming up this Friday, that's day after tomorrow. Here in Pakistan, there's been a lot of anticipation, there's been a lot of celebration. And this is being seen as a diplomatic victory and game changer for Pakistan's presence in this region. We have to understand that Pakistan has a long land border with Iran. Pakistan also has the second largest Shia population in the world, which has strong cultural ties with the Iranians. Pakistan has also historically been a negotiator, a diplomatic in between, a bridge for the Americans in the past, we saw that in the 1960s when Pakistan worked as an intermediary between the Nixon administration and the Chinese. That's being referred to quite a bit here in Pakistan. It's being seen as a historical changing of the way Pakistan is perceived it's reinforcing Pakistan's relationship with the United States.

Just a couple of years ago, Pakistan's Prime Ministers used to wait for just a phone call back from the President of the United States. That's changing. We're being told by a Pakistani source, as well as sources within the United States, that there's a possibility that Vice President J.D. Vance could be here on Friday. That would be the first time since 2009 but yes, celebration and joy here in Pakistan.

ABEL: Yes, certainly a change for the country and its relationship with the U.S. Sophia Saifi, appreciate you. Sophia Saifi in Islamabad for us.

President Trump's Cease fire announcement is also making waves in the markets. Global oil prices plummeted following the news, with both Brent and U.S. crude sinking as low as $95.00 a barrel earlier, but physical Brent crude remains high, reportedly hitting a new price record at $144 a barrel.

Asia Pacific markets rebounded and U.S. stocks surge in after hours trading with gains across the Dow, the NASDAQ and the S&P 500.

So, joining me now with the latest market development is CNN's Eleni Giokos live from Dubai, and it seems Eleni that the markets had grown somewhat numb to the ebbs and flows of this conflict. But this moment could be different.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And look, we were listening to President Trump's apocalyptic messaging, you know, a few hours before that deadline came into effect.

And then, obviously we had no idea what we were going to see this morning when we woke up. So obviously, very good news to see two weeks Cease fire are coming into effect, and it really does pertain to what happens in the Strait of Hormuz.

Fascinatingly, you've got Brent crude prices, WTI prices plunging dramatically. It's incredible to see these drops, but it is also not surprising, because markets have been waiting for some kind of good news. You know, in terms of what will happen with oil supply. Brent crude is down almost 15 percent, WTI, the U.S. benchmark, is down 16 percent you've got Asian markets doing phenomenally well this morning. U.S. Futures also pointing to a positive day.

Now, what we're still waiting to see, and I think it's very important, is what happens in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran posting this on X, saying, for a period of two weeks, safe passage to the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's armed forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.

And the key words there, it's coordination with Iran's armed forces. Iran, according to the Foreign Minister Araghchi, saying that still has the leverage over the Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway that controls around 20 percent of the world's oil supply.

So, Iran, still having de facto control over the Straits is obviously not going to go down well with President Trump. In the meantime, President Trump posting this on social media, where he says the United States of America will be helping with traffic build up in the Strait of Hormuz, there will be lots of positive action, and big money will be made.

Now, there's a lot of talk about this toll fee that Iran has been charging up to $2 million to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. There's also news on Iranian state media that Iran and Oman are potentially working on a mechanism for safe passage through the Straits and also charging a toll fee.

[02:25:16]

Now this is an international waterway. No one should be controlling this waterway according to maritime law. Will we go back to the status quo before the war started. That remains to be seen, but a lot of economists say that's going to take months to work out. So now we've got a two week period where hopefully some kind of negotiation will happen.

And this is a picture, an image of the Strait of Hormuz. You still have, you know, thousands of ships that are trapped in the Straits on the Persian Gulf side, no real movement. Now we're talking about seven hours after the cease fire was announced, nothing has happened yet, and experts are saying that they're still waiting to hear security guarantees to pass through the Straits and also to hear from wartime insurers in terms of the safety, in terms of passing through that critical choke point.

In the meantime, the effects of the fuel crisis being felt all around the world, and to unwind that is going to take some time.

When we say Brent crude is down around 15 percent today, it is still up around 30 percent to what we had before the war started. So, we wait to see how things work out.

ABEL: We will wait and see. And you can just imagine for those boats that are stuck there in this Strait, those ships, the captains, the unease that they must be feeling while this is all hashed out, and even if they do get a green light, the hesitation that they must feel, we will see what happens moving forward.

Eleni Giokos for us in Dubai. Eleni, thank you.

The war has disrupted the flow of energy around the globe, and it has also exposed vulnerabilities in jet fuel security. Here's what the head of the International Air Transport Association said on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIE WALSH, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: There is a lot of data around the use of jet fuel and crude I think one of the things that struck me is that although we have strategic reserves of crude, we don't appear to have any strategic reserves of jet fuel.

I think this data will help to encourage governments, or I'd like to think it will help to encourage governments to have greater energy security around critical issues like the availability of jet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And Europe is among the most vulnerable, with 25 to 30 percent of its jet fuel demand originating from the Persian Gulf.

But such alternative suppliers, such as India and China are also facing issues as 84 percent of the crude passing through the Strait of Hormuz heads to Asian markets. This limits global availability of oil needed for jet fuel refining.

We have more of our breaking news coverage after the break, just ahead what we are hearing from the White House ahead of possible in person peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. You're watching CNN.

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[02:31:16]

ABEL: President Trump has declared total and complete victory after striking a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran. But Tehran is boasting its own great victory and says it forced the U.S. to accept its 10- point plan. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more from the White House on the 11th hour deal.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was right before that deadline that President Trump announced that he had accepted a ceasefire proposal from Pakistan, who of course has been an intermediary between the United States and Iran. This is a two-week ceasefire that also includes Iran agreeing to re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. I'm going to read you part of what his statement said. This is a lengthy Truth Social post.

He said, this will be a double-sided ceasefire. The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives and are very far along with a definitive agreement concerning long- term peace with Iran and peace in the Middle East. We received a 10- point proposal from Iran and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.

The reason why this is so key is that we have absolutely no idea what was in this 10-point proposal. A reminder that the United States presented Iran with a 15-point proposal. At that time, we heard from Iranian officials who said that it was unrealistic, that there was no way that they could meet some of the points on that proposal.

Now, Iran has come back with their version of a 10-point plan. We've asked the White House for any sort of details on that plan. As of now, they say that it is just a point to start off from. Karoline Leavitt, the Press Secretary, reiterating the president's words that this is how they are going to negotiate using this plan.

Now, we are told that there are conversations and the White House is making preparations for possible in-person meetings. We've been told that these meetings would happen two weeks ago. Then, of course, that got bumped with all the back-and-forth negotiations. It is expected that Vice President J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner will all participate in these talks.

However, we do not have any finalized details on that. Right now, what we do know though, is that President Trump evaded that deadline. He stopped right before the bombing of the civilian infrastructure and agreed to a two-week ceasefire put on the table by Pakistan.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

ABEL: And joining me now is Malcolm Davis. He's a Senior Analyst on Defense Strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Malcolm, thank you for being with us.

After what we've seen in the last 24 hours, but really actually since the start of this conflict, how can the U.S. have negotiating teeth moving forward with President Trump seemingly being the president who cried wolf time and time again, moving deadlines, moving the goalposts? How does Iran, how do other countries at this point take what the U.S. says at face value?

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST ON DEFENSE STRATEGY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Look, it does create a real dilemma because President Trump has continued to sort of declare deadlines and continue to push those deadlines back. So, I think it really does make it more difficult for the Americans to negotiate, sit down and negotiate with the Iranians and have credibility in the eyes of the other side.

And you know, in any negotiation, to borrow a phrase from President Trump, you have to have the cards. And at the moment, I'm not seeing the Americans holding many cards in their hands. The fact that the Iranians have actually provided a 10-point plan to base the negotiations on that includes Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, that includes Iran continues its nuclear enrichment activities, that would see the Americans forced to lift all sanctions and U.N. resolutions and withdraw from the region.

[02:35:00]

These are all extreme demands. And unless the Americans are prepared to walk away from the negotiations and go back to war, it really puts the Americans in a corner in terms of how they proceed with those negotiations. ABEL: Before this ceasefire, let's try to get an idea, a sense of the landscape of the conflict. We've heard U.S. leaders on multiple occasions proclaim military dominance in it. Air superiority uncontested, the defense secretary said. Their navy at the bottom of the sea. But then we see the F-15 shot down this week, and A-10 also. And we see the chokehold of the Strait.

How is it that Iran is capable of these actions if those statements by the United States are true?

DAVIS: Look, I think you have to differentiate between the tactical level of warfare and military operations and even the operational level versus the strategic level of warfare. The tactical level, which is effectively the use of combat assets like fighter aircraft and ships and so forth, clearly the Americans have the advantage there. They don't have dominance, for example.

They don't have air dominance. And the very fact that the U.S. lost an F-15E and they lost an A-10 and other air assets were attacked clearly indicates that. But at the tactical level, the U.S. does have a significant military advantage. At the strategic level, however, which is the use of military power to achieve policy ends, the U.S. has failed from what I can see in this conflict.

They haven't brought Iran to accept the fact that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. They haven't seen Iran give up its control of the Strait of Hormuz and free up the passage of shipping in that vital waterway. So, whilst they've succeeded largely at the tactical level, they haven't succeeded at the strategic level. And it's the strategic level that really matters.

ABEL: And thinking of the planning that goes into military action, Malcolm, gaming out short and long term, was the trickle-down effect of the Strait calculated based on what you've seen? And does this ceasefire now legitimize Iran's control of that waterway?

DAVIS: Well, firstly, I'm sure the U.S. military advisers in the Pentagon would have been telling the Trump administration that one of the first things the Iranians would have done would have been to close the Strait of Hormuz. It sounds like the Trump administration didn't listen to those advisers because the very fact that the Iranians did that and then caught the Trump administration by surprise, I think is indicative of that.

In terms of your second question, nothing legitimizes Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz. OK? It is an international waterway. It should allow free passage of shipping right through the Strait to ensure the flow of resources, including energy resources, to markets.

The very fact now that the Iranians are claiming the right to control that waterway, to basically charge a toll on any shipping that goes through that waterway, and implicitly in that, to be able to shut down the Strait of Hormuz at their time of their determination again in the future, should be unacceptable to the Americans.

Because what it does is it means that the international economy and the energy system is once again on a knife edge. Basically, it functions at the good graces of the government in Iran. That should be completely unacceptable to the Americans.

ABEL: All right. Malcolm Davis, appreciate your insights and expertise. Thank you for joining us.

DAVIS: Thank you.

ABEL: U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance is in Hungary at this hour, stumping for Hungary's embattled far-right Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. So why the show of support now? I'll discuss with my next guest after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:02]

ABEL: We have new reporting from Lebanon now, where the health ministry says eight people have been killed and 22 injured in a drone strike. It is unclear if the U.S.-Iran ceasefire covers the fighting between Israel and the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's office says it does not. Israel's military has issued new evacuation orders for residents of the coastal city of Tyre. The IDF says it is targeting Hezbollah forces in that area.

The Trump administration is preparing for potential in-person negotiations with Iran. And U.S. officials say Vice President, J.D. Vance is expected to attend. Vance is currently visiting Hungary and sources say a stop could be added to his trip if the timing was right. The U.S. vice president is expected to speak in the coming hours in Budapest as he throws his support behind Hungary's far-right Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, whose grip on power is facing its biggest test in years.

Vance encouraged Hungarians to ignore pressure from Europe and "outside forces" even as he stumps for Orban.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I see the way they look down at, they scoff at European and American peoples who want job security and control of migration. And most of all, I see that those who hate Europe the most, who hate its borders, its energy independence, the people who hate its Christian heritage, they hate one man above all others and his name is Viktor Orban. And if they hate him, it means he is on your side.

(APPLAUSE)

(CROWD CHEERING)

VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We can thank President Donald Trump. He was the one who put an end to the power of the global elite ruling in the name of ideologies and announced the era of strong nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Now, at a rally on Tuesday, Vance called Donald Trump on the phone so the U.S. president could reiterate his support for Hungary's leader. Let's bring in now Zoya Sheftalovich, Chief E.U. Correspondent for POLITICO and Host of POLITICO's "Brussels Playbook" podcast. Zoya joins us live from Brussels, Belgium. Zoya, thank you. It's great to have you with us.

First, I want to ask, what is it about Viktor Orban and his 16-year rule of Hungary that has President Trump wanting to tip the scales in his favor in the first place?

ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH, CHIEF E.U. CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Certainly, Viktor Orban is one of Trump's top backers in the E.U. He has been supportive of the MAGA movement. He has stumped for Trump himself. So the feeling is mutual.

Orban, he is a right-wing populist politician. He backs the same sorts of principles that Trump does. So he's all about traditional family values. He professes himself a Christian, so they align on their values. They're both anti-immigration and have policies in place that aim to crack down on immigration.

[02:45:00]

And Orban is also taking this role of kind of the E.U.'s least strong Ukraine backer. He tends to be seen as the strongest Putin supporter within the E.U. So there are a lot of similarities and there's a lot on which Trump and Orban agree.

ABEL: And help us understand, if you can, Zoya, why it is that Orban now faces such a difficult political battle this time around?

SHEFTALOVICH: He's been in power for a long time. As you said earlier, he's been in power for 16 years. And this is probably the closest he has come to a very difficult election. So the polling shows that he's roughly 10 points behind going into this Sunday ballot. His opponent is Peter Magyar, who is the centre-right politician. He's currently a member of European Parliament.

So there's definitely a sense that Orban has some catching up to do. That said, the electoral system in Hungary is built in such a way as to really favor the incumbent, to favor Orban. And we've done some reporting showing the ways in which that has happened. So there's been gerrymandering, redistricting. There's all sorts of stuff that Orban has done to secure his grip on power, but he is concerned considering that 10 point gap in the polls.

ABEL: And what would be the consequences for the U.S.-Hungary relationship if Orban loses this?

SHEFTALOVICH: So, J.D. Vance did say during this speech yesterday that he gave at this rally that he was going to work with whoever is in power in Hungary. And the party Tisza, that is the opposing party to Orban's Fidesz, as well as its leader, Peter Magyar, they both welcomed that and said, look, great, we'll work with Trump too.

So I think there's probably going to be still a fairly close relationship, particularly because Magyar is not that far removed from Orban in most of his policy positions. He is also a centre-right politician. He also is not permissive when it comes to migration. He also supports traditional family values on the campaign trail. So I think there's actually a fair bit of overlap between their positions as well.

ABEL: You know, the timing is interesting. Trump says Vance will play a role in negotiations with Iran. Yet the vice president went to Hungary to stump for Orban, and he actually called up President Trump while on the podium. Let's take a look at that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: Mr. President, you are on with about 5,000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orban.

(LAUGH)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I can't believe that, because I love Hungary and I love that Viktor. I'll tell you, he's a fantastic man. We've had a tremendous relationship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: So does Vance's visit, does Trump's words of flattery hold any weight in this election?

SHEFTALOVICH: I think the Trump support is baked into the Orban campaign. He is known as Trump's favorite candidate. So I think those who would be swung by that are pretty much already aware of the fact that Trump has a preference and it is Orban. We've had some interesting polling come out, and the polling has said that the only way that Orban would get a Trump bump is if Trump actually showed up in Hungary himself, which doesn't look particularly likely.

But I guess that phone call on stage was kind of a nod in that direction and the closest that Orban was going to get to the real deal.

ABEL: All right, Zoya Sheftalovich, appreciate your time. Thank you.

SHEFTALOVICH: Thank you very much.

ABEL: Looking for a side job? We'll show you how people are getting paid to help teach robots how to clean. Those details just ahead.

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ABEL: This right here is my new wallpaper on my computer, true story. NASA has released some of the 10,000 photographs taken by the crew of Artemis II during their trip around the moon. These incredible images, this one right here shows an Earth set -- what appears to be the Earth setting behind the surface of the moon. Now the crew is on its way back home.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on their return trip.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a crew that is on its way back to Earth. The Artemis II crew and the Orion capsule have left the lunar sphere of influence. Now, they're being pulled back to Earth by the Earth's gravity and they're preparing over the next couple of days for re-entry, which is obviously the most critical, the most dangerous part of this mission that is left for them to conclude.

The capsule will be entering the Earth's atmosphere through extreme conditions, temperatures of more than 5,000 degrees, going at intense speeds. Obviously, this is a very intense moment for this capsule and for this crew and for this mission overall. And preparations are well underway to bring that crew back home.

The Navy ship that will be out, off the coast of San Diego, bringing these astronauts back to land departed out into the waters today, preparing for all of the people and teams that are necessary to get that capsule and those astronauts out of the water and brought back to be checked out in San Diego before they return here to Johnson Space Center. So very critical moments in the days ahead.

And the crew is continuing to do other tests and configurations inside the capsule. And then they will spend the day before the return here to Earth reconfiguring that capsule so that all of the seats are prepared once again, so that they can be ready for that reentry, which is expected to happen Friday evening, 8 p.m. Eastern time, 5 p.m. Pacific time, daylight hours. So we should have spectacular views of this Artemis II team returning back to Earth.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.

ABEL: And what a moment that splashdown will be too. Now, the Artemis II crew enjoying a delicious earthly treat on their journey, as you can see here, a jar of Nutella floating around the cabin, one of my favorites.

[02:55:00]

It was spotted right before the crew set the record for the longest distance humans have traveled from Earth, and it quickly went viral.

Now if you don't like cleaning, you are in luck. Companies are paying people to record themselves doing household chores to help train humanoid robots to take over the task. CNN's Stephanie Yang demonstrates how it works.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE YANG, CNN SENIOR ASIA BUSINESS EDITOR & REPORTER: Looking for a side gig? You've seen humanoid robots do backflips, cartwheels, and kung fu. Now their next big mission is cleaning, but first they'll have to learn how, using videos of humans doing it first. That's created a new kind of gig economy, where people are paid by the hour to record themselves doing odd jobs around the house.

All around the world, thousands of workers are strapping cameras to their heads before starting on a list of basic tasks like cutting fruit, cleaning countertops, and watering plants. Then the footage is marked up so that robots can translate the visual cues into physical responses. This type of human data is turning into a multi-billion dollar industry, since companies say it's going to take billions of hours of training before robots can be deployed into people's homes.

Analysts say that the data from these videos isn't as effective as having humans guide robots through the tasks themselves, but it's a lot cheaper and faster to collect. As A.I. advances, developers are combining human and virtual training methods, all in the name of building the world's most advanced Android.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Certainly intriguing. Thank you for watching. I'm Brian Abel. "CNN Newsroom" continues after a short break.

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