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U.S. and Iranian Delegations Heads Home Without a Peace Deal; Future of Iran War in Question as Peace Talks Break Down; Pope Leo Speaks Out Against the "Madness of War"; Voting Underway in Hungary; Taiwan Opposition Leader Makes Rare Trip to China. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson in our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi where the time is midday. This is CNN Newsroom.

And ahead this hour, U.S. and Iranian delegations heading home without a peace deal. Pope Leo has a stark warning about the war with Iran and a new call for peace.

ABDELAZIZ: And Hungarians are going to the polls in a high-stakes election for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

ANDERSON: Well, we're following breaking news out of Pakistan this hour. The U.S. delegation has left Islamabad after unsuccessful marathon peace talks with Iran. Pakistan, though, vows it will continue to mediate between Washington and Tehran, quote, "in the coming days."

Well, Iranian media reports Tehran is in no hurry to get back to the negotiating table. That's according to a source close to the Iranian delegation. And until the U.S. agrees to what Tehran deems a reasonable deal, the Strait of Hormuz will effectively remain closed.

I want to start with Bijan Hosseini, who has been following developments out of Islamabad, standing by for us this morning in London. Bijan, what happened?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, Becky, well, as you said, a marathon. These talks went over 20 hours. And they were billed as deeply historic, the highest level of talks between leaders from Iran and the U.S. since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. Most notably, these were face-to-face, which we rarely see.

What happened? Iran came out and said that the U.S. demands were excessive and they were overreaching. We also heard from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance with his distrust in the negotiations from the Iranian side. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: 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)

HOSSEINI: We heard from a spokesperson from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that the two sides couldn't agree on two to three key issues. That is those issues, we believe, obviously, around the Strait of Hormuz. That's been a core dispute between the two sides. J.D. Vance also alluding to Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We also know that Iran had asked for sanctions relief and that they had also asked for a regional ceasefire, including Israel and Lebanon. It seemed that the U.S. was unwilling to meet there.

A couple of -- before these talks started, U.S. President Donald Trump came out and said that it really made no difference to him whether these talks were successful or not. He said that the U.S. had already won the war. We kind of heard a similar sentiment from Iran. They definitely felt they had the upper hand. They certainly had a lot more leverage, given their control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has absolutely disrupted global supply chains. And we know that Iran will not open that up until a reasonable solution is met.

So, where does that leave us now? Unfortunately, a lot more questions than answers. We know that Qatar had mentioned they were going to restore full maritime navigation in the Persian Gulf today. We know that the U.S. Navy was working to remove some of those mines in the Strait of Hormuz. And we know that Israel and Lebanon were in talks to hold ceasefire talks next week.

So, now all of that kind of up in the air. This comes after yesterday no reported attacks on Iran and no reported attacks from Iran onto Israel or their Gulf Arab neighbors, which has been a welcomed sign of some sort of peace and stability. But now all of that up in the air, Becky.

ANDERSON: Bijan, good to have you. Thank you. I want to bring in Fawaz Gergez now. He's a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He's also the author of "The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East." Fawaz, what's your assessment of where this leaves us with regard this two-week ceasefire and indeed any opportunity for a deal going forward?

[04:05:00]

FAWAZ GERGEZ, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND AUTHOR, "THE GREAT BETRAYAL": Well, Becky, we are not surprised, are we? No one had expected a diplomatic breakthrough. There are no political miracles anymore. The differences between the United States and Iran are huge on multiple, multiple questions, including new challenges after the American-Israeli war, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, opening the Strait of Hormuz. For your own viewers, for our own viewers, the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the United States took almost two years, two years of hard negotiations between Iran on the one hand and the Obama administration and the great powers.

So, the Trump administration, and this is the first point I want to really lay out. The Trump administration went into the negotiating session with a proposal, take it or leave it. In fact, J.D. Vance, as you just suggested, you cited him. He said, you know, the Iranians have chosen not to accept our terms. Well, look, the Iranian spokesperson for the foreign ministry said after J.D. Vance, he said, we look at diplomacy differently. Diplomacy is a drawn-out process, bargaining process. Even though there are three questions, we are still to have some differences. We basically want to promote Iran's national interest. We have a long way to go.

So, procedurally, both sides could not really basically resolve their differences in 20 hours, you know, as opposed to 20 months. This is where we are. The question is, where do we go from here? And I leave it to you to ask the question.

ANDERSON: OK. Well, I don't have any answers at this point, but I do want to put this to you, Fawaz. Iran expert Hamidreza Azizi, who I know you all know well, writes, quote, "The early dynamics of the talks have already made clear that the central issue," as you have rightly pointed out, Fawaz, he says, "is not procedural. It is substantive. In this case, it is the Strait of Hormuz." He adds that Iran insists it does not intend to return to the prewar status quo in the Strait, has rejected proposals for joint control and frames it as a sovereign authority and not a negotiable arrangement.

I wonder how you interpret that. And does it suggest to you at this point that the Strait of Hormuz is now the real center of gravity in these talks rather than the nuclear file, despite what J.D. Vance said?

GERGEZ: You know, Becky, I want to give our viewers again the context. It seems to me that the Trump administration, led by J.D. Vance, went into the talks with the idea that somehow Iran should accept American conditions, that nothing had changed since the war six weeks ago -- weeks ago, that Iran should really "capitulate," quote/unquote, and accept whatever offered to them. In fact, Iran looks at it differently.

For Iran, as we have seen in the past, you know, 24 hours, the Strait of Hormuz is the most important priority. The Strait of Hormuz is their most potent deterrent weapon. The Iranians insisted during the talks that opening the Strait of Hormuz has to come at the end, after the peace agreement is finalized.

While for Donald Trump, the Strait of Hormuz is a priority. It should be opened now. Why? Because you have a spike in inflation in the United States, 3.3, slowing the world economy. Inflation worldwide, shortages of energy and fertilizers. So, this is now has really emerged as a key philosophical and political and economic difference. And Iran is unwilling to basically compromise on its most important point.

In fact, I would say, Becky, that the Strait of Hormuz for Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is much more important for any kind of a nuclear program it used to have. And the second point, in addition to the Strait of Hormuz, the United States, again, insists almost on zero enrichment.

[04:10:00]

And on Iran shipping, it's 790 -- or 970 pounds of high-grade enriched uranium outside of Iran. For Iran, this is really a non-starter. It's about sovereignty. Sovereignty for Iran is sacred. It has paid blood and treasure. So, again, how does the United States and Iran bridge their divide? On the Strait of Hormuz and on Iran's sovereign rights to enrich uranium, of course, low level as opposed to 60 percent, you know, high-grade enrichment.

ANDERSON: Fawaz, Donald Trump last week described what he suggests is a changed regime, as he sees it, as including effectively people he can do business with. What do you make of that? What does where we stand today, this hour, mean for the Gulf? Of course, where I am exposed to this sort of changed regional sort of security situation and spillover and indeed a country like Lebanon, so fragile at this point.

GERGEZ: Well, I think what we have seen, again, is that Iran has emerged out of the war very emboldened. Iran is now much more confident than it used to be before the war. Again, Iran's foreign minister said, given the martyrdom of our elders, of our colleagues, of our friends, of our people, we are much more determined now to defend the national interest and Iran's geostrategic position in the Middle East. He said it, you know, after the talks ended.

So, it tells you how Iran views itself now. It views itself now as much more powerful than it used to be. Again, back to the Strait of Hormuz. And I think what the Trump administration, President Trump, said, it doesn't matter whether there's an agreement or not, we have won. Well, sorry, President Trump, you have not won. You have created much more turmoil in the region.

Now, the Strait of Hormuz is closed for shipping. The world economy has slowed down. Gulf states feel much more vulnerable. Their security depends now on Iran's will, whether to allow ships to pass by through the Strait of Hormuz. Wars are raging in Lebanon. The Houthis in Iraq have joined the war. There is no, you know, security architecture in the region. A great deal of turmoil and, you know, fears about the future. So, this is really where we are.

And the truth is, at the end of the day, Becky, I think President Trump really has created so much disruption and so much upheaval. Even its most important allies, the U.K. and France and Germany and Italy and the Arab Gulf states, are trying to really basically clean the mess, literally clean the mess, after what President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister have done in the past five weeks. That is, he has broken it. And now, the world, the Gulf state and Europe and the world own what Donald Trump has broken in the past five weeks or so. GERGEZ: Fawaz is in London. It is Sunday. It is just before quarter past 9:00. Fawaz, thank you. As we've been discussing, it is unclear where this is headed at this point.

Pope Leo XIV speaking out against wars and asking world leaders to agree to peace. The Pope's comments were made during a special prayer vigil in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday. His appeal comes after U.S. and Iranian officials, of course, met in Pakistan to discuss ending this six-week conflict.

CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lam joins us now from Rome. This speech made ahead of what is now the breakdown in these talks in Islamabad. I wonder how significant you believe the position is there at the Vatican, coming as it does from a new American pope.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I think it's very significant because Pope Leo has in recent days been much more outspoken on the war taking place in Iran and the Middle East. He has really, you know, upped the rhetoric, if you like, because Leo has been seen as a bit more of a softly spoken, more careful pope. But he has been much more vocal in recent days.

[04:15:00]

He told me just over a week ago that he hoped that President Trump would find an off-ramp to end the conflict in Iran. And on Saturday night, he led this peace vigil in St. Peter's Basilica. It was packed. I was outside amongst hundreds who were following it on big screens. And he spoke very strongly against what he said was the madness of war and also calling for dialogue and mediation. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV (through translator): Of course, the leaders of nations have binding responsibilities to them. We cry out, stop. It is time for peace. Sit at the tables of dialogue and mediation, not at the tables where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Now, Becky, of course, popes of the past have often appealed for peace and for wars to end. But it's different with Leo because, of course, he is the first American pope. And he's speaking out at a time of a U.S. military operation in the Middle East. So, his words do carry additional weight. And I think he is trying to use all the soft power at his disposal, his voice on the world stage, to urge leaders to come together to try and resolve the wars that are taking place.

So, it's obviously sometimes a bit of an uphill battle for him. He's something of a lonely voice. But I think he's going to continue speaking out. And, of course, he embarks on a trip to Africa on Monday, a 10-day trip, where some of these themes are likely to emerge during that time. Becky.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Good to have you, Christopher. Thank you. That off-ramp that the pope speaks of not at all clear at this point today, Sunday at quarter past midday here in Abu Dhabi. More from the Middle East coming up. Thank you, Christopher. Let's hand you back to Selma Abdelaziz in London.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much, Becky. Moscow's closest ally in the European Union is fighting to hold on to power. Still ahead, an electoral challenge that could end the 16-year tenure of a Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Voting is underway in Hungary in an election that could bring the biggest political change in 16 years to that country. That's how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been in power. And during that time, he has become the darling of far-right movements across the world and the Kremlin's closest ally inside the E.U.

However, Hungary has been accused of backsliding on democracy and press freedoms. And Mr. Orban is now facing a challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party has been ahead in opinion polls for over a year. And some political analysts say Mr. Orban's loss could be a psychological blow for other far-right movements.

Now, to break all of this down for us, we're joined from Budapest by Balint Magyar. He is a former Hungarian education minister and he is now a senior research fellow at the Central European University Democracy Institute. Thank you so much, first of all, for joining us today.

BALINT MAGYAR, FORMER HUNGARIAN EDUCATION MINISTER AND SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE: Welcome.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's start by talking about the opposition candidate Peter Magyar, who only about two years ago was actually a member of Viktor Orban's party. How was he able to gain so much traction and win so much grassroots support in a country where there is an iron grip on dissent?

MAGYAR: Because the stake of the election is now in Hungary, not simply whether we can change government, but we should have a regime change. We had a regime change. This would be the third one in the last 35 years, because the first happened in 1890 from a communist dictatorship into a liberal democracy.

Then the second one happened in 2010-2011, executed by Mr. Orban, who transformed Hungary from a liberal democracy into an autocracy and a special form of autocracy, what we call mafia state. The essence of this is that it's nothing less than a privatized form of a parasite state, which means that the political enterprise captured the state as a whole, the economy, the oligarchs and the civic spheres and the media as well.

Now, the question is whether we can get rid of this mafia state. And Peter Magyar just jumped in a kind of vacuum, a power vacuum in Hungary, because the so-called opposition parties of the last 16 years proved to be just a domesticated one and became the parts of this autocratic regime. I would say not real opposition parties. And there was some material causes of this turn towards that huge masses started to support a kind of change in Hungary and moral side as well. In the last four years, the Hungarian economy stagnated, the growth of the GDP was zero, and this was a real challenge.

At the same time, there was a moral scandal, pardoning some pedophile guys related to the government. So, this together created a vacuum in which it became clear that there is a real need for regime change, but there is no real supply for regime change from the side of opposition political parties.

[04:25:00]

ABDELAZIZ: But you are also detailing here how over 16 years of rule, there has been this overtaking of all of the key institutions of not just government, but you mentioned media, the concern with corruption. And critics have said that Prime Minister Viktor Orban has changed election laws to benefit his party. His loyalists are in control of some 80 percent of the media. He's clamped down on dissenting voices, as you said, you've described him as autocratic. Can this election actually be free and fair?

MAGYAR: Yes, what you told everything is true. At the same time, the whole state apparatus was operated as a criminal organization as well. And this is why the Hungarian population was enough already fed up with this situation. I could not say that the election is free in that sense, that when a single political party can change the constitution, the election law whenever he wants, it's not really free. They are manipulated elections.

But we are lucky from that point of view that at the polling stations, when somebody puts his bullet to the ballot boxes, then at the counting of these ballots, they cannot cheat. And this differs from the situation of what we can witness in Belorussia or in Russia, for example. And now, the public opinion shows that that there is a real advantage for Peter Magyar's party, the Tisza party.

And beyond some material promises that we restore the normal working of the health care, education, social care, et cetera., the most important moral promises, the so-called program is the program road to the jail, which means that those who are criminals in this government, including the plan of Orban, who operated the state apparatus as a criminal organization, they can be subject of criminal proceedings.

And this is what gives a real danger in this in these elections, because the Orban plan, there is nowhere to retreat. The regime change would have three pillars. One is restituting the constitutional state. The second, abolishing the state criminal organization, the mafia state. And the third one is abolishing the client status to Putin. Because Orban there is not (INAUDIBLE).

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much. Thank you so much for breaking down what is a hugely consequential election. I know there is so much more to get into, but we have run out of time. Thank you so much, Mr. Balint Magyar for that analysis.

Now, just ahead, we'll bring you the latest in our breaking news coverage of the breakdown in the U.S.-Iran talks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Becky Anderson live for you from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Pakistan says that it will continue to mediate between Iran and the U.S. quote, "in the days to come after what were marathon talks failed to result in a permanent peace deal."

Now, Iran's foreign ministry said earlier two or three key issues prevented Tehran and Washington from striking a deal in Islamabad. Despite reports from Iranian media that Tehran is in no hurry for another round of negotiations, an Iranian official says, quote, "diplomacy never comes to an end."

Well, even before the talks concluded, President Donald Trump has said it made no difference to him if a deal was reached, claiming the U.S. had already achieved a military victory in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Nic Robertson from CNN. Precisely what have they rejected here? Can you can you help us understand it a little bit?

VANCE: Well, I won't go into all the details because I don't want to negotiate in public after we negotiated for 21 hours in private. But 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 United States. And that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations. Again, their nuclear programs, such as it is the enrichment facilities that they've that they had before they've been destroyed.

But the simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon? Not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long-term? We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Qatar's transport ministry says all forms of maritime navigation will fully resume in the Persian Gulf starting today. It is unclear whether there has been any coordination with Iran surrounding that initiative.

Well, despite the ceasefire announcement, easing oil markets in recent days, gas prices in the U.S. remain high. I'm talking about gasoline prices, of course. The national average is hovering around $4.13 per gallon, according to AAA Auto Association. Analysts argue it could take weeks for gas to dip below four dollars. Again, a month for prices to return to pre-war levels, whatever happens at this point.

Well, for more on this, we're joined by the retired Royal Navy Commodore Simon Kelly live from Portsmouth in England. J.D. Vance, not actually speaking to what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz, we know it is incredible leverage for the Iranian side, of course. And we know it is an absolute flashpoint for the global economy and, you know, more than a priority for the U.S. and indeed this Gulf region very specifically to get some movement there. What do you understand to be going on in the Strait right now?

SIMON KELLY, ROYAL NAVY COMMODORE (RET.) AND MARITIME OPERATIONS LEADER AND DEFENSE CONSULTANT, FOZZIE MILLER GROUP: Yes, good. Good morning, Becky. It's been a really interesting 24 hours in the Strait because we've seen a couple of really significant moments, actually. So, I think the timing of one of them was very interesting.

So, as the vice president was sitting down to the start of talks, we saw Central Command. So, the U.S. sending through the USS Frank E. Pierson and the Michael Murphy, two cruiser destroyers through the Straits of Hormuz.

[04:35:00]

They said that was setting the conditions for mine clearance in the Straits. So, those are two incredibly capable sort of high-end war fighting cruiser destroyers. And they were probably there to sort of test to see what was happening, but also to start to build confidence in the International Community that perhaps there aren't any mines laid there. And it sets the ground to then get some shipping through, but also some follow on mine warfare effort.

But at the same time, we also saw the first very large crew carriers pass through the Strait in the other direction. So, three of them all heading off to Asia. And at the same time today, we're then expecting to see if -- you know, a couple of these large vessels moving into the Gulf. So, it's been a really interesting 24 hours from a maritime perspective.

ANDERSON: Is there evidence that those U.S. ships, Navy ships made it through?

KELLY: That's a really interesting question. There was -- I think I saw some early reporting that they hadn't made it through. But everything that I've seen since has indicated that they have done. And in fact, actually, I saw that there had been a sort of a small flash of the AIS system. So, that's a sort of like a GPS beacon, so to speak, to show where one of those ships had been. I wonder whether they did that publicly or could have been spoofing. Not really sure.

But everything at the moment is indicating they did make it in and they made it back again, which is really positive and quite bold. It's a really confident move by the U.S. Navy. ANDERSON: Yes. That's fascinating. So, I guess this begs the question, you know, diplomacy aside, the talks have broken down. And we have no idea whether that means the collapse of this ceasefire that we are currently in. This is a two-week period. And certainly, it is unclear what a what a peace deal or a solution to this is going forward. We await sort of further developments on that.

Meantime, given what you've just said, what does that mean for what comes next at sea, including insurers, businesses and oil prices?

KELLY: I think what comes next is a we'll start to see a flow of traffic. But there's a sort of double-edged sword that the U.S. efforts to get through this sort of the center of the straight there will be about re-establishing this United Nations Convention. Law of the Sea, the transit passage that is so essential, not just for this race or moves, but sort of the global rule-based system.

But what we might say and what we've seen from those initial tankers is that they'll start to go through and they've gone through using the Iranian route to buy a sort of over the north. And that will involve the Iranians sort of checking the details, probably a payment. But nobody's openly declaring that in terms of how much it's likely to be. The problem with that is that will start to establish the Iranian position as being the organization that's able to give you safe passage.

And so, that's a really, really challenging position when what we want to see is for freedom of movement and open. And it may start to constrain who goes through as the Iranians hold the lever on exactly which vessel, which nation, which flag. And a lot of this is about the maritime operators, ships and the captains having a confidence to go through.

ANDERSON: Donald Trump talked last week about the potential for a joint venture in the strait between the U.S. and Iran, knocking back any notion of Iran operating the strait sort of as a toll booth, effectively. And certainly, nobody in this region wants to see that that wouldn't work like Panama or Suez does in that those are both owned by countries, Egypt and Panama, of course, and they can they can charge accordingly.

My understanding when talking to people here in the business have suggested that potentially a joint venture could potentially look like an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to provide safety and security for shippers, a sort of -- you know, some sort of contract that businesses or shippers, insurers would sign up to, which could effectively mean that that was still operating within the bounds of the U.N. So, the convention on the seas, despite the fact that, of course, Iran hasn't signed up to that.

What do you make of that? I'm just interested in what options might look like and how the U.S. might have a role and a financial gain to be had out of the straight.

[04:40:00] KELLY: Yes, it's an interesting concept. How on earth you would negotiate the mechanism between the two sides there, I don't know because I think this is going to be a sticking point anyway. But it would set a worrying precedent. I can see why the pressure of the markets and fuel prices and other commodities will place an onus on the administration to get something done. But you've got to have an end state where potentially maybe that's a starting position. But how you move from that back to full freedom of movement is really difficult.

And again, on Truth Social, the president sort of followed an article about creating some kind of a blockade there as well. None of this is going to help reassure the merchant community that we're going to see a freeing of movement and that which will therefore reassure the markets.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Simon. Always a pleasure. Difficult times. We will be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. President Donald Trump has said China will have big problems if it ships weapons to Iran. Trump's response came after exclusive reporting from CNN found that U.S. intelligence assessment seen by sources indicate China is shipping shoulder fired weapons to Iran. The U.S. and Iran failed to agree on a way to end the war during talks in Pakistan.

Iran has a long established diplomatic and military ties with China. And if China does ship weapons to Iran, it would mark a major escalation in its support for Tehran. Now, meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition leader made a rare visit to China, where she met President Xi Jinping. Our Will Ripley has the latest from Taiwan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A supporter of Taiwan's opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, made an off the cuff outburst during her trip to China and was dragged out by the neck. In a visit as sensitive as this, there's no room for surprises.

[04:45:00]

Things went much smoother at the port of Shanghai. Cheng even quoted a famous poem from World War I. What should be flying in the sky are birds, not missiles. And what should be swimming in the sea are fish, not warships, she said.

A message that must have been music to the ears of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He invited her to visit China, a trip she was trying to secure for months.

Cheng stuck to the script, echoing Beijing's biggest talking points on one of its most sensitive topics, Taiwan. I hope the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flashpoint for conflict, nor a chessboard allowing external interference, she said. Peacemaxing (ph). And poking at the U.S. and Japan, key allies of her political rival, Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

President Lai Ching-te is trying to forge closer ties with the U.S., facing fierce opposition from Cheng's KMT. Her party controls a parliament so deadlocked, so divided, brawls sometimes break out. Right now, they're fighting over President Lai's defense budget to buy billions in U.S.-made weapons, which Cheng's party is blocking.

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): As we invest in this part of the world, that you are also investing and that we're in this together.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan is facing mounting pressure from Washington to increase military spending. And Beijing, which often holds military drills near this island democracy, never ruling out taking it by force if necessary. Taiwan will likely loom over President Trump's Beijing meeting with Xi next month.

As a student in 1988, Cheng gave this fiery speech, calling on Taiwan to build its own country and overthrow the tyranny of the party Xi now leads.

Last year, Xi vowed to make all Taiwanese proudly and confidently identify as Chinese, which is why President Xi is meeting with her and refusing to engage with Taiwan's elected leader, whose independence- leaning party won the past three presidential elections.

RIPLEY: What is China's endgame?

CHEN FANG-YU, ASSOCIATION PROFESSOR, SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY: China's endgame is unification of Taiwan. And for Taiwanese people, it's annexation.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Political science professor Chen Fang-yu worries Taiwan could end up like Tibet or Hong Kong, both promised by Beijing to keep their autonomy, only to end up under strict Chinese control.

FANG-YU: The most important lesson from history is that we can never trust CCP.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Retiree Martha Wu (ph) thinks talking is a good thing. It's great, she says. It fosters peace between Taipei and Beijing and prevents war from happening.

Cheng's controversial visit is dividing Taiwan, months before local elections. Beijing hopes this meeting will shape what comes next.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Still to come, back to the moon, how the Artemis II voyage is helping prepare for future missions to the moon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00] ABDELAZIZ: NASA and the rest of the world are welcoming back the Artemis II crew back to Earth with resounding joy. The four astronauts 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 capped the successful mission.

CNN Space and Science Writer Jackie Wattles spoke with the head of NASA's Artemis programs about her reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACKIE WATTLES, CNN SPACE AND SCIENCE WRITER: I'm here with Lori Glaze, Deputy Associate Administrator of Exploration Systems. Lori, you have really helped guide us through this mission as well. How does it feel to have these astronauts back on the ground after 10 days?

LORI GLAZE, HEAD OF NASA'S ARTEMIS MISSIONS: I can't even describe it. It's so wonderful. We all know, we've watched them. They're such wonderful human beings. You see them, how much they care for each other, how much they care for our teams that have kept them safe through this entire journey. And just to be able to see them, I got to see them a little bit before the event and give them each a hug and tell them how much we appreciate what they've done. I think we all just love them so much.

WATTLES: And I know we were just talking about how they were tending to drive us to tears. It's been a long time since we've had firsthand perspective of a moon mission. Are these reactions what you expected? What surprised you about their responses?

GLAZE: I don't know that I was surprised so much as just touched, really. It was just wonderful how they can articulate the experience and just how wonderful it was, particularly Christina, as she was talking about what it means to be a crew. In fact, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about her words. And when she talked about how we here on earth are all one crew, I was just, it really means a lot. It was just wonderful.

WATTLES: Yes. And the incredible amount of science and the photos that this team delivered back. You were talking last night about how you were planetary scientist early in your career. How does it feel to have science be such a large part of this mission?

GLAZE: It is so wonderful to me that I get to be part of an organization now that is providing the transportation, all of the parts of this mission that keep our crew safe and healthy so that they can collect that science to see all of us working together to achieve amazing things that are not possible without all of us together. And just watching all of that, being a part of it, seeing all of my colleagues now supporting the science that's being supported, just incredible.

WATTLES: Last question for you. I know there's a tight turnaround time for Artemis III. You're looking to go next year. GLAZE: Yes.

[04:55:00]

WATTLES: Can you give us a sense of how the hardware performed? I know everyone's anxious to hear how the heat shield went. What do you know about next steps in terms of data reviews?

GLAZE: So, everything did perform really well. Of course, we got a lot of important data back. I heard someone refer to it as when you move into a new house, there's a lot of things you maybe want to tweak and maybe change a little bit. And this is our new house. And we did learn a lot. And there's things we're going to want to fix and make a little different.

But overall, well, you know, really good performance. The heat shield, we've already started collecting data. We got some images of the heat shield from the divers. We've been inspecting it since we got it into the well deck on the Mirtha. I will continue doing those assessments. Number one, we know that that heat shield kept our crew healthy and safe all the way through reentry and landing. And so, now we'll inspect it and we'll gather the data and we'll let everybody know how it performed when we have that assessment.

WATTLES: Thank you so much, Lori. Really, really happy for you. Thank you so much for joining us and all your work, taking the public along with you on this journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Golf's greatest players continue to be challenged on the legendary greens at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Defending champion Rory McIlroy lost his record-breaking six-stroke advantage on Saturday. Now, what looked like his clear shot at another green jacket is in jeopardy. He's now tied for the lead with Cameron Young and eight other players are within just four strokes of the top of the leaderboard. We'll see what happens later during the final round on Sunday.

That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Becky Anderson and I will be back with more news in just a moment.

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