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Vance: No Deal Reached, U.S. Gave Iran "Final & Best Offer"; Israeli PM: Campaign In Iran Not Over; Artemis II Astronauts Speak. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 12, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:25]
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York.
A lot to get to in the next half hour.
A U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance leaving Pakistan without reaching a deal with the war in Iran. We'll tell you what Iran's regime just said about those talks.
And Israel's prime minister saying that his country's campaign in Iran is not done, as a new poll shows that the Israeli government is losing support among some Americans.
And after splashing down from historic lunar mission, we hear from the Artemis II astronauts.
ANNOUNCER: Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.
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SANDOVAL: All right. Right now, we're following breaking news out of Pakistan. The U.S. delegation has left Islamabad and now headed back to Washington after unsuccessful marathon peace talks with Iran. Just moments ago, Iran's state media citing a source close to the negotiating team, saying currently there is, quote, "no plan for the next round of negotiations". And this is all now leading to uncertainty for millions of people in the Middle East, as well as the fate of the global economy.
Vice President J.D. Vance giving this update on those talks before his 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: He said those terms include a, quote, "affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon," and Iranian media reporting that until the U.S. agrees to a reasonable deal, there will be no change in the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN's Nic Robertson begins our coverage from 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: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley live from Taipei, Taiwan.
Will, it's good to see you again.
The big question, what next?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we were talking yesterday, Polo, about the CNN reporting that sources in Washington speaking to our Washington bureau, believe that China might be preparing a shipment of weapons to send to Iran this two week ceasefire, potentially giving Iran time to regroup, and grow its stockpiles, particularly of these MANPADS, the man portable air defense systems that one person can operate.
And with a heat-seeking missile, total cost of a few hundred thousand dollars, they can aim it at a low flying aircraft, like a helicopter or a fighter jet, and shoot the thing down, as we believe we saw, according to President Trump, with that American F-15.
[01:05:10]
So, clearly, Iran is in no hurry to find a quick resolution to this. They feel like they have all the leverage they now control and are even reportedly charging tolls for tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Although only a handful of tankers have gotten through, two of them at least Chinese.
So, what this means at this point, no deal, it doesn't mean the talks are dead, but it means that the cease fire that is still in place for another week or so, just over a week, is incredibly fragile, and you have a lot of key sticking points where there is a tremendous amount of sunshine between the United States and Iran, things like Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, war reparations, that Tehran is demanding, Lebanon. And then, of course, the most crucial issue here in Asia, Polo, the Strait of Hormuz.
And until the strait fully reopens, Asia will literally be living on the edge. You're talking about countries across Asia with a supply of energy and oil that's used not just for, you know, electricity, but also for cooking, transportation, and these national supplies were already running tight. There were already long queues in a lot of countries, could run out in a matter of weeks.
And they're trying to regroup. The U.S. is now going to be exporting more energy to this part of the world, but setting up those supply chains takes a lot of time. So, there is a very immediate potential energy and economic crisis, the likes of which we haven't fully realized how, how horribly impactful that could be yet.
And so, you heard Vice President J.D. Vance say that it's not good for Iran, that these talks fell apart. But it is very devastating news for a lot of other stakeholders, particularly here in Asia, where about 80 percent of the oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz is bound for nations with capitals that are waiting with bated breath to see this thing resolved, from Beijing to Tokyo to right here in Taipei and New Delhi.
This disruption is going to be hitting energy prices even harder than it already is. Not to mention shipping. It's going to be causing inflation. It's going to be cutting down on growth.
So, it's a big problem well beyond the Middle East. If this thing drags on and Iran is sitting in a seat where they know that and they feel like they can get more than what the vice president of the U.S. offered, even though he did say, Polo, was his best and final offer. We'll see.
SANDOVAL: Yeah. Well, and just to underscore your previous point of time really being on Iran's side, it was Iranian state media that just said a short while ago, Iran is in no hurry.
Will Ripley in Taipei, thank you.
Benjamin Radd joining me from Los Angeles. He's a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Berkeley Center.
It's great to have you with us. Thank you so much for joining us.
BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Thank you for having me.
SANDOVAL: So, you were following those talks through the night, and now we have that announcement from the vice president. You have the U.S. saying that it's -- it left behind its, quote, "final and best offer". But you also have Iran saying that not only time is on their side as we just as we just heard, but that we should expect no further negotiations from them.
So, I'll pose the same question to you. What do you think happens next?
RADD: So, it's this was to be expected. You had the two delegations coming with their maximalist positions. You have high level talks for the first time since 1979, really. And, you know, coming in the wake of a war, very destructive war that ran for six weeks, followed by a previous one from last summer, understandable that they're going to come in with their demands high and neither looking to compromise until they feel that the other has demonstrated that they have less leverage.
In other words, for Iran, they've come in thinking they have this key position over the United States with regard to the control over the Strait of Hormuz and for the United States, they believe that they can sustain the attacks that have devastated Iran's infrastructure and really decimated much of its national security and military. But until I guess either one or one decides that they're going to compromise and take a step forward, the question is, if we wait out these next the remainder of this two week ceasefire, which country, which group suffers more?
Is it going to be President Trump politically keeping the sort of uncertainty of the war going and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, or will it be Iran which still faces tremendous domestic pressure?
SANDOVAL: Yeah, I mean, the I thought it was interesting that the vice president did not mention the Strait of Hormuz during those relatively short remarks before leaving Islamabad. But I think it really does give us a sense that the nuclear stockpile remains a sticking point, as it's been really since February, before some of the first shots were fired.
So, what did you make of the vice president saying that Iran is currently not committed to seeking -- to announcing that it would not build a nuclear weapon?
RADD: Well, from Iran's position, they'll maintain that that's what the Iran deal of 2015 was.
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The JCPOA was a pledge on their part to not build a weapon. And they are also members of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. They're signatories, meaning that they have committed to not acquiring the technology for a weapon or developing one of their own. The issue remains Iran's enrichment to breakout levels, basically to a threshold beyond what the NPT. The treaty allows, and close to nuclear bomb territory.
So, from Iran's position, it has the absolute right as a sovereign nation to enrich uranium. And the United States is maintaining that Iran has forfeit the trust and the right under the NPT to enrich uranium.
So there in lies the impasse. Can Iran be trusted to operate within IAEA limits and safeguards? The United States believes that Iran has essentially forfeited that, given its past actions at deceiving international inspectors, and Iran feels it does not need to give that up, especially now that it has the Strait of Hormuz as a leverage point.
SANDOVAL: And because these diplomatic talks happen behind closed doors, we don't really know for sure. But do you expect that Iran and the U.S. did manage to find some sort of common ground on other sticking points, perhaps the Strait of Hormuz?
RADD: So, yeah, yeah, there were sources in Persian social media, Iranian social media that, reporters that had accompanied the Iranian delegation, they were reporting that there was some breakthrough, at least on the Strait of Hormuz angle, meaning that there was possibly a situation where the United States would either release funds that have been frozen in foreign banks, banks that are that are concerned about allowing Iran to access its own funds because of secondary sanctions.
United States has imposed, the United States would agree to release those funds and unfreeze and not impose sanctions on those banks in return for Iran complying with a multinational force that could basically police the strait and make sure that ships could go through, and that there would be no fighting between any sides. I'm waiting to see if that's something that's verified, but it's possible that there was some cooperation and some mutual agreement on that area, but nothing that either side was willing to announce publicly or to make a formal statement about.
SANDOVAL: Yeah. And I think that that's the main takeaway. The reality is we don't really know at this point, despite a lot of -- a lot of various reports out there. And ultimately, the vice president saying its bad news to Iran, more than for the U.S. It'll be interesting to see what the vice president meant by that, when and if we do get more information from the White House.
Benjamin Radd, really appreciate your time and your analysis, as always. Thank you.
So, Israel threatening Iran as U.S. negotiators held peace talks in Pakistan will tell you what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a 13-minute speech.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he is not done with Iran yet, despite the current ceasefire. He made those comments on Saturday as peace talks were still underway between the U.S. and Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The campaign is not over yet, but we can clearly state that we have historic achievements. I want to remind where we were. Iran tried to strangle us, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah and Lebanon, Assad regime in Syria, the militia in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, Iran itself. They wanted to strangle us and we strangled them. They threatened us with destruction, and now they are fighting to survive. We affected them and we have more to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Netanyahu also said that he has approved direct talks with Lebanon next week as Israel ramps up attacks on Hezbollah targets. The Iranian backed militant group has also continued firing at Israel, launching a barrage of drones and rockets. On Saturday, Iran is insisting that a broader ceasefire must include an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
CNN's Oren Liebermann reporting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign against Iran is not yet over, a statement he made even as the U.S. and Iran were engaged in the first day of ceasefire talks in Pakistan aimed at finding an end to the war. Netanyahu, in a 13-minute televised statement in Hebrew, listed what he said were Israel's major accomplishments during the war, including killing of Iran's top leadership and destroying much of its ballistic missile infrastructure. Its nuclear infrastructure and its military assets.
He also said Iran continued to hold highly enriched uranium, and that would have to be dealt with either by an agreement or by other means. He said he and President Donald Trump are in lockstep on this. He said these have been major accomplishments that only could have been achieved in the joint military effort. Now, it's noteworthy that he's saying this because a series of polls
last week in Israel found that a majority of Israelis believe the U.S. and Israel had not won the war against Iran. So, it's noteworthy here that you see Netanyahu coming out trying to list the accomplishments of the war so far and saying the campaign isn't over yet.
Netanyahu also addressed Lebanon. He said he had authorized direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, and he put two conditions on this. First, he said the talks in any agreement must include the disarmament of Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, and that it must be a true peace agreement, one that he said would last for generations.
Now, what happens in Lebanon is important for Iran, and that's because Iran has said the ceasefire must include the cessation of hostilities and the cessation of the war in Lebanon. But the U.S. and Israel see that differently. Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah and targeting Iran's proxy there. The Israeli military said they have struck more than 200 targets in Lebanon between Friday and Saturday.
So, you see Israel continuing the war there, even as the U.S. and Iran are engaged in ceasefire talks and the U.S. will host direct talks between Israel and Lebanon next week.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: And there's a new poll that's showing that Israel may be losing support among Americans. That's according to the Pew Research Center. According to them, six in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view of Israel, and that's up seven points since last year and nearly 20 points since 2022. This poll you're looking at was taken about one month into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, 59 percent of Americans surveyed said that they have little or no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs.
And the majority of younger Americans on both sides of the aisle now rating Israel and Netanyahu negatively.
For more now, let's bring in Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and also fellow with the Century Foundation. She joins me from Tel Aviv.
Dahlia, thank you so much for joining us.
DAHLIA SCHEINDLIN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you for having me.
SANDOVAL: I'm wondering if you could just tell us what your research just shows you when it comes to public sentiment, especially in the United States. I mean, when you consider the events of the last several years alone, you have Israel's war in Gaza. You have increasing settler violence, you have Israel's operations in Southern Lebanon, and then, of course, Iran.
Just how is that all being factored into some of the polling that we're seeing?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, we've seen that attitudes towards Israel. I think, first and foremost have been declining in terms of favorability in the U.S. for a number of years. We saw that decline began really showing up in surveys from about 2020 onwards. But I think it was probably the result of a buildup of changing attitudes towards Israel in the previous decade.
Now, what we've seen also is very, very deep and widening partisan divide. And of course, what you pointed out is that there's a very significant age divide. And I think that the most interesting thing about the current Pew study is the finding that even among Republican supporters, people under 50 showed 57 percent who felt negative about Israel.
That trend is really new because it means that of those two major divisions, the bipartisan divide and the age divide, that really what we're looking at is a younger generation who primarily see Israel as a country that is always embroiled in wars, but also, I think in the longer term, Israel being the stronger party in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, which predates, of course, the current war by a great deal.
And we saw the real change actually in, you know, in Gallup and Pew surveys going back really to mid-2024, when we saw the crossover of more Americans who feel negative about Israel than those who feel positive. So, I think that, you know, at the broad level, that's how they are seeing. That's all they really know of Israel. And now, of course, they see Israel most recently as the country that is, you know, very much a part of America's decision to go into this war that people are still not really clear on why America is fighting it. So that's definitely playing into the change that we've seen in the Pew survey in very recent studies.
SANDOVAL: Dahlia, I'm also wondering if I can get your thoughts on the more immediate impacts to what we saw play out just a couple of hours ago when U.S. president, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance really shared with the world that they were unable to reach an agreement. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, how does he see that? Does he see that as a essentially a victory, a go ahead to continue with Israeli government's campaign?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, I think Prime Minister Netanyahu, of course, has to wait until America has completely gone through the round of attempts to reach a negotiation, to reach an agreement. During these two weeks, he can't really restart the war with Iran. Of course, over the next over the course of the ceasefire, because President Donald Trump is calling the shots, really, in terms of Israels policy with Iran at this moment, he cannot break that.
However, of course, there's the ongoing situation with Lebanon, which is very complicated. Netanyahu, of course, did not want it to be included in the ceasefire. And there has -- the escalation there is still going on, even though talks are supposed to begin in the coming week between Israel and the Lebanese government. And that was very much also under the pressure of President Trump. So, there is a little bit of, um, I would say, I don't know if I
should call it tangent, but certainly Netanyahu and Israel in general, the Israeli government has been very skeptical of any kind of agreement with Iran. And they would have preferred to continue that the war to -- continue with the war. I think that they are skeptical that there will be a deal. And, you know, very much preparing the public for the possibility that the war might start again.
SANDOVAL: I think it says a lot that, you know, the vice president said that the nuclear material was the key sticking point, or at least the only key sticking point that he mentioned. And yet that's also we have heard from the Israeli government that that was perhaps priority number one when it comes to factors in ending the war.
Just finally, I wonder if I can get your thoughts. You look at all of these numbers, the crunch, you go through them. I mean, who is the Israeli prime minister essentially talking to? Is it the more right- wing factions of the government, especially if he sees widespread lack of support among people in Israel?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, it's a very interesting question because there are elections coming up later this year. And of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu definitely wants to win them, as he always wants to win elections and traditionally has gone for as big a base as possible.
But, you know, the interesting thing about Israeli public opinion is that it's really been very stuck. He has hit a ceiling. He has roughly about 40 percent of the Israeli public who will support him on pretty much anything.
But he cannot seem to break out of that. And this war gave him absolutely no boost in terms of his coalition's strength in the surveys.
[21:25:05]
He is not doing any better as a result of the war. It's really something I haven't seen before.
And so, of course, he would like to convince the Israeli public that the war has been an incredible success. But what we saw in surveys, which you correctly pointed out, is that actually only about a third of Israelis believe that Israel and the U.S. won this war. Forty percent don't know who won, and the majority, just over 50 percent, were against the ceasefire.
And plus, you mentioned the goals, the idea that the Iranian the enriched uranium is the main goal may be true, but Netanyahu and Trump had a number of goals, three or four goals, at least, depending on how you count. And the Israeli public is well aware that those goals have those goals have not been achieved.
So as much as Prime Minister Netanyahu would like to be speaking to the general public, I have to say that I think that his -- his speech last night sounded a little bit desperate because he's been trying to convince them that the war was a success. But the polls are showing that the majority are really confused and not sure what that even means.
SANDOVAL: A global leader describing an ongoing conflict as a success. That sounds strangely familiar.
Dahlia Scheindlin, thank you so much for your time and your analysis, as always. Appreciate it.
SCHEINDLIN: Thank you for having me.
SANDOVAL: We continue with our breaking news coverage of the breakdown in the U.S.-Iran talks.
Up next, Pakistan's attempt to broker peace between the two sides. It has failed to reach an agreement. What that could mean for Islamabad? Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANDOVAL: Welcome back.
You're watching CNN. We want to get you back to our top story now, the breakdown of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian media reporting that there is no hurry to get back to the negotiating table. And that's according to a source close to the Iranian delegation. And until the U.S. agrees to what Tehran deems as a reasonable deal, the strait of promotes that critical waterway will remain closed.
CNN's Nic Robertson asked the U.S. vice president what ultimately led to the deadlock, shortly after the talks concluded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations.
SANDOVAL: And as these high stakes talks were happening, President Trump was attending a martial arts championship in Miami, and some reporters actually caught a glimpse of him just moments after his vice president said that he was headed home pretty much empty handed.
CNN's Julia Benbrook with the details from Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While United States negotiators, including Vice President J.D. Vance special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, were in Islamabad for these talks with the Iranians, President Donald Trump was here in Florida at a social gathering at the UFC fights surrounded by family. We also know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there. And according to reporters in the room around that same time that Vance came out and announced that an agreement had not been met, Rubio was seen leaning over to whisper something to Trump there during those fights. We don't know for sure if that was the topic of discussion, but it does seem likely.
Now as Trump traveled out here, he did take some questions from reporters at the White House, and he said he was getting updates on these hours long talks as they were taking place. But that from his viewpoint, it didn't really matter how the talks went because he believes that the United States has already won this conflict militarily.
Take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We win, no matter what. We've defeated their military. They have no navy, 158 ships are underwater under sea. All of their minesweepers and all of their -- they call them mine droppers. Can you imagine a country has 28 mine droppers? Do you think that's nice?
With all of that being said, they're all defeated. By the way, they're all at the bottom of the sea. Now, with all of that, they have no navy. They have no radar. They have no air force.
Their leaders are all dead with -- Khamenei is gone. For many years, he ruled. He's gone.
With all of that, let's see what happens. But from my standpoint, I don't care.
BENBROOK: Now, those comments came before the official announcement that there had not been an agreement, and Vance outlined that there were certain things that the Iranians were not able to commit to that were red lines for the Trump administration, specifically when it comes to nuclear weapons. I want to read for you part of his remarks. He said, quote, the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.
Now, that echoes some comments that we heard from Trump several weeks ago now when he was speaking to a group of Republican lawmakers here in Florida, he said, we've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. I pressed him on what he meant by that, what would be enough? What was his baseline for ending this conflict?
And that's when he said that they needed to be able to look at negotiators. He referenced Witkoff, who was in the room at the time, but that they needed to be able to look at those negotiators and confirm that they were not going to pursue a nuclear weapon. Vance is saying they did not get that commitment.
Traveling with the president in Florida, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: Pakistan says that it will continue to mediate between Iran and the U.S. in the coming days. Vice President J.D. Vance thanking the Pakistani government for their tireless work to, as he put it, to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran. But one of the unanswered questions still is what does the breakdown
of the talks mean for the country that was acting as 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.
[01:35:05]
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?
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.
[01:40:00]
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: Pope Leo XIV speaking out against wars and asking world
leaders to agree to peace. The pope's comments that were made during a special prayer vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica on Saturday. His appeal coming after U.S. and Iranian officials met in Pakistan to discuss ending the six-week conflict, unsuccessfully, and his appeal to world leaders.
Pope Leo made a direct request for dialogue and mediation
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): May the madness of war cease and earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still know how to create, safeguard and love life. Hear us, Lord of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Moscow's closest ally in the European Union fighting to hold on to power. Still ahead, an electoral challenge that could end the 16-year tenure of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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[01:45:04]
SANDOVAL: Russia accusing Ukraine of breaking a ceasefire declared over Orthodox Easter. A state news agency says that a Ukrainian drone hit a gas station in western Russia, injuring three people, including a one-year-old child. Another civilian was also wounded in a separate attack in the occupied part of Ukraine's Kherson region. The Russian officials say that Ukraine also launched a drone attack in the run up to this truce. Two people were reportedly killed in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, and at least seven others were injured. The ceasefire, in effect until the end of the day on Sunday.
Voting underway in Hungary in an election that could bring the biggest political change in 16 years. In fact, that's how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been in power. And during that time, he became the darling of the far right movements around the world. And 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. And some political scientists say that Mr. Orban's loss could be a crushing psychological blow to other far right movements.
In the past hour, I spoke about the election with CNN contributor Jill Dougherty, and she said that the outcome of the vote could have ramifications far beyond just Hungary
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: 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 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, stagnating, 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: Still ahead, around the moon and back, the Artemis II crew telling the world what they learned from their historic mission in deep space.
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[01:53:17]
SANDOVAL: We are all still in awe at what these four astronauts were able to accomplish. The Artemis II crews returned to earth. It has been as joyful as it's been historic. 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 ten-day journey around the moon. The Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. It capped a successful mission, speaking publicly for the first time since their return to earth, the crew members described the camaraderie that they shared during their journey into deep space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: Victor, Christina and Jeremy, 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.
Before you launch, it feels like it's the greatest dream on Earth. And when you're out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It's a special thing to be a human, and it's a special thing to be on Planet Earth.
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: I'm afraid to start even trying. 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 undisturbingly in the universe.
I may have not learned -- I know I haven't learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me -- but there's one new thing I know, and that is Planet Earth, you are a crew.
[01:55:05]
JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: What you saw was a group of people who loved contributing, having meaningful contribution, and extracting joy out of that. 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: Golf's greatest players continue to be challenged on the legendary greens at the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Defending champion Rory McIlroy losing his record breaking six stroke advantage on Saturday. And now what looks like his clear shot at another green jacket is in jeopardy. He's now tied for the lead with Cameron Young, the eight -- and eight other players that are within just four strokes of the top of the leadership board. We'll see what happens later during the final round that's scheduled for Sunday.
And an organization is helping thousands of people will want to spend around $100 for a chance to win a painting worth more than $1 million. Seems like a pretty good investment. Tickets, they are now for sale to enter the one Picasso for 100 euros, raffle for about 100 euros, or $116 American dollars, you can get a ticket for the raffle of Picasso's painting Tete de Femme.
A total of 120,000 tickets are available. The drawing is scheduled for April 14th. Proceeds go to the Alzheimer's research foundation, which supports clinical research on the disease across Europe. So that's the potential for some big fundraising for that great cause.
Really appreciate you watching. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Ben Hunte continues CNN's live coverage of the failed attempt at a truce in the Middle East for the next hour.
