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Vance: No Deal Reached With Iran, "Bad News" For Tehran; Polls Opening This Hour In Make-Or-Break Election For Hungary's Orban; Artemis II Crew Describes Joy Of Their Mission & Camaraderie. Aired 12-12:30a ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:26]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval, joining you live from New York.

We have a lot to get to, including make or break talks that failed in Pakistan. After nearly 24 hours of negotiations, the U.S. and Iran and their first direct attempt to reach a deal with no success. And that's leaving the fate of the global economy uncertain.

One of the president's biggest European allies is fighting to stay in office. What Hungary's election could say about U.S. influence in the region.

And mission accomplished. The Artemis II astronauts are back on Earth after a historic trip. How are their findings all going to help create a future for life on the moon?

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval

SANDOVAL: All right. Let's get straight to breaking news out of Pakistan. The U.S. delegation has left Islamabad and now headed back to Washington. This after unsuccessful marathon peace talks with Iran.

Vice President J.D. Vance giving this update on the talks shortly before the delegation's departure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran, much more than it's bad news for the United States of America.

So, we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on, and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on. And we've made that as clear as we possibly could. And they have chosen not to accept our terms.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: Well, the vice president said that those terms include a, quote, affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon. Iranian media blaming Washington's, quote, overreach and ambitions for the breakdown in talks. And now the peace talks have broken down. The future of the U.S. and Israels war with Iran remains in question.

CNN's Nic Robertson was there and pressed the vice president for more information in Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So, this is where we just heard from the vice president. No deal on the talks with Iran over 16 hours, an absolute marathon session through the night here in the center of Islamabad. It is dawn now.

When the talks began on Saturday, it was late afternoon and we quite literally witnessed the sun go down and then the sun come up again. And what the vice president has said is that Iran, he doesn't believe, is giving that fundamental core agreement about its nuclear aspirations. He didn't say what happens next. He didn't talk about a specific end to the ceasefire. He didn't say if it's a return to war.

But what he said the United States has done is given Iran its final and best offer. The ball, it appears, is in Iran's court to come up with answers now that it hasn't been able to through this marathon session of talks.

The vice president also saying that through the night he continually kept President Trump briefed and updated. He said that he'd come into these talks positive. But fundamentally, the vice president coming in looking, he hoped, to get a relatively quick solution.

The Iranians with a much larger delegation and a much different negotiating style coming into these talks with perhaps the aspiration, as they have done in the past, of talking, drilling down, getting what they wanted. Fundamentally, also, the Iranians believe that they still hold cards, that they can still control the Strait of Hormuz, and to them that is something that is leverage, real leverage, they believe, and that it could get more than they were offered here in Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Nic Robertson and his team for following those talks throughout the entire night.

Let's get some more reporting now and head over to CNN's Will Ripley, joining me live from Taipei.

Will, it's good to see you. I know you were following those talks closely -- closely as well. At this point, do we know just how long Iran may have to respond to what J.D. referred as the U.S.'s final and best offer?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He didn't say that specifically, but we know that they had agreed to this two week ceasefire, which would end depending on which part of the world they're in, April 21st and 22nd. So just over a week from now.

So, let's assume that the ceasefire holds until then, which is very much an open question right now, Polo. Obviously, no deal does not mean that these talks are dead, but it is clear that this ceasefire at this stage is incredibly fragile.

The key sticking points you've already laid out, Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, war reparations is what Iran wants. As well as this crucial issue of Lebanon. And here in Asia, the biggest and most important, of course, is the reopening and the stabilization of the Strait of Hormuz.

And until that happens, Asia is going to be incredibly tense because this is the -- this is the biggest consumer of the world that's moving through the world's biggest oil checkpoint. About 80 percent of the oil passing through the strait is bound for Asia. So obviously, these talks matter, as everybody around the world knows. They matter far beyond the Middle East, from Beijing to Tokyo to here in Taipei to New Delhi.

Disruption in Hormuz basically hits things like energy prices, shipping inflation, growth and shipping is really going to be the first real test of this ceasefire. When will it start moving normally again? That's the big question. So far, as we've been able to monitor a few tankers that have passed, mainly Chinese. Japan's prime minister, she has been pressing Tehran on the security of the Strait of Hormuz because Tokyo relies on about 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East passing through the strait.

Asia is adapting right now. U.S. energy exports to Asia are surging, but it takes a long time to get those supply chains going, and that would not alleviate the crisis. If this conflict does continue beyond a matter of several weeks, most countries in this region have a plan getting them through maybe the month of April into early May. But after that, it's going to be real touch and go right as we enter into the hot summer months when people are turning on the air conditioning and relying on the energy to work.

So, it could be a huge mess. Not to mention, of course, transportation and all of the other things that you rely on for energy in this part of the region and part of the world. Polo.

So, Pakistan, the one country that really is emerging from this as a -- as a winner, even though these talks have not produced a result, to be able to stand on the global stage as the host of this, it's certainly a big diplomatic win for Pakistan. But a lot of other countries around the world that were hoping for a quick resolution to this are feeling like they're potentially on the losing side, Polo.

SANDOVAL: That's CNN's Will Ripley with the live report.

Let's stay on that topic that Will raises the issue about Pakistan. Vice President Vance thanking that country's government for their tireless work to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran. But one of the unanswered questions now is what does the breakdown of the talks mean for that country? That's really been a key mediator in this conflict.

Joining us now is Moeed Yusuf. He's a former national security advisor to the former Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan. He's also a senior fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School.

Moeed, thank you so much for joining us.

MOEED YUSUF, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER: It's a pleasure

SANDOVAL: Right off the top, before we get to just Pakistan's role in all of this, I'm wondering if I could just get your immediate reaction to what we heard hours ago from the us vice president that despite hours of these negotiations, that unfortunately, no deal has been reached between the U.S. and Iran. What do you make of that?

YUSUF: Yeah, it's heartbreaking news, frankly. I think, you know, there were three sides here and it was pretty clear in the way they approached this. The delegations that were there, the role that Pakistan played, that all of them were there to make a deal. Um, and unfortunately, they walked away, clearly not having one. I think this is terrible news for those who thought this war was over and done with, and we could find a way to move forward with some kind of regional stability.

I think if you saw President Vance's body language, he was deflated. He was frustrated. And I can tell you that on the Pakistani side, there's genuine heartbreak because they tried very, very hard to get this through. I'm told that the delta was just simply too wide, and they left the room unclear whether there's going to be any response from the Iranians after that.

And what comes next? We don't know. But it doesn't look good, unfortunately.

SANDOVAL: These make or break talks. I mean, these were hosted by the Pakistani government in Islamabad. One of the things that perhaps we haven't focused a whole lot on is just the people in Pakistan and how they were seeing and viewing and following these talks.

I want you to hear just a brief interview with a Pakistani doctor who speaks English, telling my colleagues basically what these talks mean for the Pakistani people. And then we'll discuss.

YUSUF: I definitely do feel proud because our country has been on the low, particularly in the eyes of lots of other countries in the West. So, I'm glad that we're doing -- we're stepping up, were doing something really important and helpful and crucial that's going to affect almost the entire world I think.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. Hassan Abbasi (ph) there touches on an important point and that is his hope that this would perhaps address various perceptions, especially in the eyes of some western countries, according to him. So I'm curious, in your view, how much did Pakistan stand to gain regardless of the outcome, by simply hosting these crucial talks on their turf?

[00:10:04]

YUSUF: Yeah, frankly. I don't know how much Pakistan was going to gain at the end of the day, but it's quite clear that Pakistan had become the center of the world for these past few days, uh, and for Pakistan, this wasn't really about making something out of this as much as it was about ensuring that the war didn't restart. You know, there's also definitely self-interest. Pakistan is a country that's directly affected because of the energy, because of a long border with Iran. It has deep sectarian ties. It has a defense pact with Saudi Arabia, doesn't want to get pulled into the conflict actively.

For multiple reasons, Pakistan wanted this to work out, but really, the way it's come about doing this, uh, we had a unique position. I think this time as Pakistan, um, nobody else could speak to the us, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China, at the same time. And so yes, there was a real high in Pakistan, a lot of praise coming Pakistan's way, but a lot of responsibility on Pakistan's shoulders today as well, which unfortunately, as we know now, has not panned out as they had hoped.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, I know, I mean, during last summer's bombardment of Iranian targets, I mean, I would have been shocked if you would have told me that these two nations would be under the same roof, in 2026. So that alone in most eyes could be seen as at least some progress despite the negative outcome thus far. Do you think that the Pakistani government will continue to see itself as a -- as a moderator in this war?

YUSUF: I think so. I think, look, Pakistan started off being a go between. It was essentially passing on messages from the U.S. to Iran and back. But today it was very clear that Pakistan was an active mediator. The Pakistani army chief was in the room. Pakistan actually made proposals to extend the talks when they seem to be faltering.

And I think Pakistan's not going to give up. Pakistan is going to try and, you know, push, I think, Iran further, perhaps talk to President Trump. My own sense is Pakistan is going to make a beeline to China as well to try and bring China back in to see if there can be more flexibility brought in on the Iranian side.

But at the end of the day, Polo, I think the problem is that on the fundamental issues, Vice President Vance only mentioned nuclear, but I think on nuclear, on the strait and on the issue of Lebanon on all three, there is some gap that still needs to be filled.

Now, let me also say that despite this breakdown, we're still in a far better position than we were before these negotiations took place. If we hadn't gotten to the ceasefire, things would have been far worse. Technically, the ceasefire still holds for another week. Now, we don't know whether that will be the case or not. I think President Trump will make that decision once he talks to or meets president -- Vice President Vance.

But, I do think Pakistan's going to try. I do think other countries are going to still try and see if something can be worked out. But then there are countries like Israel who have been very clear that they were not interested in this. They were hoping this didn't work out.

And my own sense is that they're going to use this opportunity to go back into Lebanon. You know, sooner rather than later. So, a lot of issues here still to be worked out. Obviously, I don't see much possibility that Iran would accept the framework that the U.S. delegation has left with them, because if they had to, they were empowered to and they could have done it on the spot.

So, unfortunately, were looking at a, at a fairly dicey situation, but I don't think Pakistan's about to give up. I don't think other countries would give up. The stakes are just too high and the danger of this spiraling out of control again, is very, very real if we don't get something out of this within the framework of the ceasefire.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. A dicey situation, as you point out, but also a prolonged one with no definite end.

I have a few seconds left with you, Moeed. I'm curious. And forgive me, I meant to say as a moderator that it sees itself as a moderator, not mediator. So, in addition, for the -- of the Pakistani government scene itself play that role with this conflict now showing no end in sight when it comes to Iran's potential military capabilities for the surrounding regions, how does Pakistan see the conflict and how concerned is it that it could become, also, even if it's inadvertently wrapped up in this war?

YUSUF: I'm sure terribly concerned. Look, I mean, that's why, as I said, Pakistan's tried very hard to get this war to end. Just today, there is news that Pakistan has sent some military equipment and jets to Saudi Arabia, I think in a in a show of solidarity.

But the last thing Pakistan wants is for this conflict to prolong and for Pakistan to get sucked in. Because remember, it's going to be a disaster for the world to lose. The only mediator we have available.

There's no other country that can do what Pakistan has done in this moment. And so, for Pakistan's sake, for the world's sake, I think let's hope we don't go there. And we have Pakistan still trying to patch whatever that gap is between Iran and the U.S.

SANDOVAL: It was a crucial 21 hours of negotiation, all playing out in Islamabad.

Moeed Yusuf, your experience as a former national security advisor crucial right now in getting a better understanding of the situation. Thank you so much for your time and your perspective.

YUSUF: It's been a pleasure.

SANDOVAL: Moscow's closest ally in the European Union is fighting to hold on to power. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, an electoral challenge that could end the 16-year tenure of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: It's about 6:20 a.m. in Budapest, and polls are opening in Hungary this hour for an election that could actually bring the biggest political change in 16 years. That's how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been in power. During that time, he became the darling of far right movements around the world and also the Kremlin's closest ally in the E.U.

However, Hungary has been accused of backsliding on democracy and press freedoms. Mr. Orban, now facing a challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party has been ahead in opinion polls for over a year now.

[00:20:05]

And some political scientists say that Mr. Orban's loss could be a crushing psychological blow to other far right, far right movements, particularly in the region.

For more on this, we're joined by CNN contributor Jill Dougherty. She's also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Jill, it's always great to see you. Thank you for joining us.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks, Polo.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if you can bring our viewers up to speed around the world, especially those watching in the E.U., those here in the United States. Why should they be watching this election so closely?

DOUGHERTY: You know, when you think of it, it seems kind of not, you know, logical. It's a small country. Population of Hungary is just 10 million, roughly even less. But it is significant in so many different ways because Viktor Orban, as you mentioned, has been in power for 16 years. And he's kind of like the avatar of very conservative and sometimes even far right groups throughout Europe.

And you could say in the United States as well, you know, you have the support of President Trump and J.D. Vance, the vice president, who just visited a couple of days ago. You had Marco Rubio there. And then on the other side, which is really a very different, you have Vladimir Putin, who obviously supports Orban as well.

So, it's a -- it's a fascinating and very important election. The results could have, you know, ramifications all over -- you'd have to say at least Europe and the West in general.

SANDOVAL: We mentioned a little bit about what could potentially have influence on this election here in terms of the issues that are on people's minds. Just -- can Viktor, I should ask, what is Viktor Orban up against? We know that there's been quite a bit of dissatisfaction among the constituents with really the systems that he's built up.

DOUGHERTY: Yeah. You have to say that this is really, bread and butter type of, uh, election. If you were to talk to people. I was in Hungary about three weeks ago. And if you talk to people, really their economic issues are the most important. The economy began to grow during the beginning of Orban's administration 16 years ago, but it has since and especially recently, stagnated, so that you have high inflation, problems, especially with social services like health care, et cetera, allegations of major corruption and just this feeling that the country is really stagnating.

So that's the reality of what people are thinking. But this election, at least from Orban's viewpoint, is really about values. And he's making it, I'd say, kind of an emotional, values laden election. You know, the E.U. is trying to impinge on the sovereignty of Hungary. We are being forced to do things that we don't want to do, et cetera.

And especially the issue of war. If you -- I can tell you, walking around Hungary, walking around the capital of Hungary, Budapest, there are posters put up by government allied companies and organizations that you would swear that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president, the president of Ukraine, is running for election in Hungary because he is kind of, you know, the person who's criticized very strongly by the Hungarian leadership for supposedly trying to pull Hungary into the war in Ukraine.

SANDOVAL: That's a fascinating observation and actually sets up my last question, Jill, in terms of what's on voters' minds.

You mentioned those bread-and-butter issues and those issues that really affect Hungary and in their day-to-day life. Overall, though, do they think much about Viktor Orban's close ties to the Kremlin or to Moscow? And also close ties to President Trump?

DOUGHERTY: I think they do about the Kremlin. In fact, at some of the protest rallies, there have been cries about, you know, Russians go home. And that has a lot of resonance in Hungarian history when it was under the thumb of the Soviet Union. But when you get to the United States, at least the people that I spoke to, and a lot of political observers would say that the United States really doesn't have that much influence.

Now, President Trump has said just in the past few days, we will support the government of Hungary. You know, we were there to support them if they need it economically. Not very clear what that means, but I don't think that that has a lot of resonance.

[00:25:00]

This is really more a domestic and bread and butter type of election. But you have to say, even if those polls show that Peter Magyar is leading sometimes 10, 13, 15 percent, the electoral system is definitely pushed and structured to support the ruling party, and that is Viktor Orban. So even though the polls are there, it's very unclear how this will end up.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. As you were speaking, we were seeing some of those pictures of Vice President J.D. Vance meeting with Viktor Orban just four days before this election, four or five days. We know you'll be watching it closely. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much for your perspective, as always, appreciate you.

DOUGHERTY: All right.

SANDOVAL: When NASA and the rest of the world, they are welcoming the Artemis II crew back to earth with resounding joy. The four astronauts, they received a standing ovation when they arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday. They also reunited with their families after their 10-day journey around the moon.

The Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. It capped the successful mission. It was almost a bull's eye precision that we saw.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the return to Earth, the crew members described the camaraderie that they felt deep in space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are -- we are bonded forever, and no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through. And it was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life.

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again.

CHRISTOPHER KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: What struck me wasn't necessarily just earth. It was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging on in the universe.

JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: When you look up here, you're not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And we appreciate them taking us with them.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval. "WORLD SPORT" is next, and I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM.

(WORLD SPORT)