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V.P. Vance: No Agreement Reached In U.S.-Iran Talks; Netanyahu Says Campaign Against Iran "Not Yet Over"; Voting Underway In Make-Or- Break Election For Orban; Pope Leo Speaks Out Against The "Madness Of War." Aired 5-6a ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:20]

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

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East Programming Hub here in Abu Dhabi. The time is 1:00 in the afternoon this Sunday. And this is "CNN Newsroom."

A grueling day of negotiations ending without a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran. And Israel and Hezbollah still clashing ahead of a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon and how the conflict in Lebanon is complicating the search for an end to the war between the U.S. and Iran.

ABDELAZIZ: Plus Hungary's Prime Minister faces a high-stakes election today. We're live in Budapest as people head to the polls. That story and more just ahead.

ANDERSON: We are following breaking news out of Pakistan. The U.S. delegation has now 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."

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, they say the Strait of Hormuz will effectively remain closed.

Well, the U.S. vice president had this to say shortly after the talks concluded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R), 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)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Nic Robertson with more now from Islamabad.

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've 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.

ANDERSON: Well, joining me now from Reston, Virginia, is Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy," the JCPOA. Nuclear deal feels like the distant past, doesn't it, a decade on. What's your view of where we are now?

TRITA PARSI, AUTHOR, "LOSING AN ENEMY: OBAMA, IRAN, AND THE TRIUMPH OF DIPLOMACY": Well, clearly, this first round did not work out, and perhaps there won't be any other rounds. I wrote prior to these negotiations that the most likely outcome actually was that there would be a no-deal new status quo, one in which the U.S. nevertheless pulls out of this war, the Iranians continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, there's no agreement.

But a new status quo is reached in which the two sides, the U.S. and Iran, do not go back into war, and then the question is what the Israelis will do.

[05:05:06] And the reason I wrote that is because the two sides are still too far away from each other on some of the core issues. The nuclear is, of course, one of them. That's the only one that J.D. Vance spoke about. But another critical one is the position on Lebanon, in which the Iranians are insisting that the ceasefire has to encompass Israel and Lebanon as well. And so far, it appears that the United States is pushing back quite hard against that because the Israeli position is that they're going to continue to bomb that country regardless of what happens between the United States and Iran.

ANDERSON: Hold that thought. I'm going to come back to that. Let me just put to you what Middle East Correspondent for "The Economist" Gregg Carlstrom notes about these talks. And he says, "On the positive side, this is the highest-level diplomatic engagement between America and Iran since 1979. There is still time for another round." He also points to major constraints, including too many issues to get through in 10 days. And that, of course, would be the end of this current ceasefire, two-week ceasefire.

Significant psychological gap, he says, between the two sides, with each side believing the other is under pressure. How much do you think that perception gap is now shaping the trajectory of these U.S.-Iran talks? And I wonder whether the positives, if you see any in it, suggest that there is still political will on both sides to keep diplomacy alive and not go back into this war. I'm speaking very specifically from the U.S.-Iran perspective, as you see them at this point.

PARSI: No, undoubtedly, there were a lot of positives. I mean, this is the first time you had the vice president speak directly to the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who in effect is a much more important figure than the traditional speaker of the parliament would be, given a lot of the changes that have taken place in the Iranian system.

The fact that the Iranians brought such a large delegation, this is the largest delegation I've ever seen the Iranians bring, far beyond what we saw during the JCPOA talks, including the head of the central bank, which suggests that the Iranians were there thinking at least that there would be serious discussions about sanctions relief.

So, all of that is positive, and it's absolutely true. We're about five or six days into the two-week ceasefire, so there's definitely time for a second, perhaps even a third round. And perhaps there is a psychological element in which neither side actually wanted to have an agreement right away, because it could give the impression that they gave in too quickly to the demands of the other side. They need to give the impression that there were some really, really hard negotiations, not just long negotiations.

So, it remains to be seen as to whether there will be a second round or not, and as your correspondent pointed out, neither the Iranians nor the American side have said that there will not be a second round, that this is the end of the talks period. But having said that, I would say, though, I think the most likely scenario nevertheless is that they don't come to an agreement, but they nevertheless do not go back to war in the same manner that existed before this conflict, before this round of talks.

ANDERSON: That's really interesting.

And I want to get on to Lebanon. Before I do, briefly, there has been reporting about Andy Baker, who is, as I understand it, a Persian- speaking Deputy National Security Adviser, accompanying J.D. Vance when he was in Islamabad, described as an America-first advocate and a key voice in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He was National Adviser -- Security Adviser to J.D. Vance himself.

How significant do you believe Andy Baker or someone with that kind of background and approach is so close to these Iran talks, and what does it suggest, do you think, about any sort of direction of U.S. strategy at this point?

PARSI: Well, I mean, Andy is the Deputy National Security Adviser, so it's not terribly surprising that he would accompany J.D. to these talks. He also used to be J.D.'s National Security Adviser in his earlier position. So, the fact that he's participating in these talks is not necessarily surprising. At the end of the day, this was a higher-level delegation from both sides.

Now, whether the U.S. side brought all of the type of experts needed for this talk is a different story. At the end of the day, if the focus truly was on the nuclear issue -- I'm not entirely sure that that is where the main sticking point was -- that is not, the nuclear issue is not something that the U.S. and Iran can resolve, even with a 21-hour negotiation or 16-hour negotiation, given the technical challenges that that brings about. So, at best, it could have been a framework agreement, and everything else would have been resolved in the technical talks.

ANDERSON: Let's talk about Lebanon and Israel. You wrote that there is a suggestion, quote, "that Vance's surprising focus on the nucleophile as a reason for the deadlock is a pretext to cover up the real problem in the talks, that being Israel's continued bombardment of Lebanon. As we speak, we see smoke rising over the skyline of Beirut.

[05:10:23]

What does this tell us about what is actually driving this deadlock, do you believe? And where do you see any Israel-Lebanon talks going at this point?

PARSI: Well, let me first explain why I think from the Iranian side, the Lebanon angle is very, very difficult for them to show flexibility on. From the Iranian perspective, it is absolutely imperative that they do not come across as abandoning Hezbollah and Lebanon. There already is a perception amongst the Shias in Lebanon that in 2024, Iran abandoned them.

And I think that the leadership in Iran now is adamant about making sure that that perception is not reinforced, but rather reversed. But also, the Iranians recognize that if the Israelis continue to bomb Lebanon, then there is a significant spillover risk, meaning that that war eventually would reach Iran as well. In fact, twice in the last two years, it already has.

And in the second time, we saw how the Iranians escalated horizontally throughout the entire Persian Gulf. Since the Iranian position is to make sure that this war ends, not just a ceasefire, and that it ends in a durable manner, it means that it's necessary from their standpoint to also put out the fire in the Lebanese theater. Otherwise, that fire will reach Iran.

But the most important factor, I think, is that for the Iranians, this is a test to see whether the United States is capable of controlling and reigning in Israel. Because if it isn't, if it's unwilling or unable to do so, it raises critical questions in the Iranian mind about what the value of an agreement with the United States is. Because if Israel can continue that war and also start new wars, and the United States cannot stop that, and the United States cannot stop itself from joining in with those wars, again, what would the value of a deal with the United States be if that is the lack of control that the United States has over Israel?

ANDERSON: Good to get your perspective, Trita. Important thoughts on what is an incredibly important day. Thank you.

Well, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is not done with Iran yet. He made those comments Saturday, as peace talks were underway, of course, 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 in 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)

ANDERSON: Well, Netanyahu also said 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. And of course, as we've just been discussing, Iran insisting that a broader ceasefire must include an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

So, let's get you bang up today on what we understand to be going on, on that front. CNN's Oren Liebermann joining me now from Jerusalem. And in light of the breakdown in these talks in Islamabad, and we've been discussing the significance of those and perhaps the consequence, what do you make of what we are seeing and hearing where you are in Israel and in Lebanon?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly said right at the top of the video message, and you saw that top right there, that the campaign against Iran isn't over yet. He didn't specifically say whether he was for or against the ceasefire negotiations, but he and Israeli officials clearly believed from the very beginning that they would fail, just as they believed that the diplomatic effort between the U.S. and Iran before the war, some 40 days ago, would also fail.

Now, Israel hasn't simply restarted strikes on Iran and attacks on facilities there just because the ceasefire talks fell apart, but that is clearly what Israel is preparing for.

That being said, it's likely President Donald Trump who has the ultimate say there, and Israel knows that, Netanyahu knows that. Still, it was very clear going into these ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, that Israel wasn't done yet. It had a longer target list. It was ready for more days or weeks of war. And that's the position Israel is in right now.

[05:15:06]

We have heard from a few of Israel's ministers that they demand that the highly enriched uranium be removed, and if not, it will be either an agreement or back to war.

So, we have seen some comment, none from Netanyahu since the statement last night, but it's clear that Israel's position is, it's not done yet, it's ready to resume the war as we've seen it before, and that's -- that's its position at this moment as it waits to see what the next steps are from the U.S. as there is still time left officially in this two-week ceasefire.

Now, when it comes to Lebanon, as you point out, Netanyahu said he had authorized the direct talks. That will take place on Tuesday, but it's the same question as we saw with the Iran talks. Are these going to lead anywhere? Netanyahu said he's demanding a complete disarmament of Hezbollah as part of the agreement and something that he sees as a true peace agreement that he said would last for generations.

From where we sit right now, that's very difficult to achieve, so it's possible we're looking at simply a smaller version of what happened in Pakistan, significant direct talks, a noteworthy agreement, but one that ultimately leads nowhere.

Meanwhile, unlike the ceasefire in Iran, we are seeing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon. You pointed out the smoke rising from the suburbs of Beirut, and we are seeing sirens warning of incoming Hezbollah fire in northern Israel today. So, no ceasefire in Lebanon as we await these talks in D.C. in just a couple of days.

ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem. Thank you so much.

Well, a new poll shows that Israel is losing support among Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, six in ten Americans have an unfavorable view of Israel. That is up seven points since last year and nearly 20 points since 2022.

This poll was taken about one month into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Fifty-nine percent of Americans surveyed said 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 rate Israel and Netanyahu negatively.

More from the Middle East coming up. First up, though, 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 the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.

Plus, Russia points a finger at Ukraine for alleged violations of a holiday ceasefire. More on that with Salma is coming up.

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[05:21:33]

ABDELAZIZ: Voting is underway in Hungary in an election that could bring the biggest political change in 16 years. That is how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been in power and during that time he has become the darling of far-right movements worldwide and the Kremlin's closest ally in the E.U. However, Hungary has been accused of backsliding on democracy and press freedoms under his watch.

Mr. Orban is being challenged by opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party has been ahead in opinion polls for over a year. And some political scientists say a loss by Mr. Orban could deal a psychological blow to other far-right movements.

To talk to us more about all of this, our Melissa Bell is in Budapest and she's joining us live now.

Good morning, Melissa. Just start by telling me what the atmosphere is around you. I understand you were visiting a polling station earlier today. What is the mood where you are?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of enthusiasm for this election already. Salma, what we've seen are the turnout numbers double what they were at this same time in the last elections four years ago. So, the reason, of course, as you laid out just a moment ago, is that Viktor Orban has been in power for a long time. He's substantially changed the political system here, moving it to what he describes as a liberal democracy. Others call it sort of competitive autocracy. But that is how much he's changed this country, concentrating power really in a small circle of people around him.

And he is a man who leaves nobody indifferent, either in Hungary or out of Hungary actually. And here in Hungary what you've seen are a lot of the supporters of Peter Magyar who really believe that their time has come, who believe that at last they have the possibility of ousting him from power.

We will not say about 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. tonight what the exit polls suggest, but certainly inside the Magyar camp there is a lot of optimism. They are hoping not simply that their man will win, but that he might even achieve the two thirds majority in Parliament, which would allow him then to change the constitution as Viktor Orban did, except this time, he says, to return Hungary to the rule of law.

And you're quite right to point out as well that this would be a significant change within the European Union too. Viktor Orban has been a thorn in the side of Brussels for almost as long as he's been in power, and that has got increasingly worse, blocking things like help to Ukraine, continuing to take cheap Russian oil and gas by insisting on this carve-out from the Europeans phasing out of it.

He's consistently been as awkward as he could be for Brussels on a number of different pieces of legislation that it's tried to move forward on. And what we've heard over the course of this campaign are more clear allegations about his complicity with Moscow, over the course of the last few years apparently we've been hearing him giving some of the European minutes, inside information from some of those European meetings directly to Moscow. These are some of the allegations against him in this campaign.

He has used the war in neighboring Ukraine very effectively to try and suggest that a change of power would mean a greater involvement for Hungarians in a war that they're very worried about, given how close it is, given the important Hungarian minority living just across the border, and this has been a fairly effective tool.

One of the most surprising things as I landed here in Budapest a few days ago was to see the posters showing the face of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He's really using him to scare the electorate into voting for the safe choice, that is, keeping Hungary as an ally of Moscow.

[05:25:11]

On the other hand, Salma, what you've heard in the -- in the rallies of Peter Magyar is the chant, "Russians out," which was one of the big chants of the Hungarian uprising back in 1956. So, that is an important factor in this election as well, the relative proximity of Budapest to Moscow.

ABDELAZIZ: But you're also speaking about his concentration of power over 16 years and how Prime Minister Orban has been able to silence dissent, to even change election laws, to control the country's media through friends and favors. Can this really be a free and fair election, Melissa?

BELL: We've been speaking to political scientists who say it is free but not fair because of those changes that you describe. Only a few years ago, CPAC is now held here in Budapest each year, a sign of the place that Viktor Orban has in the hearts of MAGA, of the European far right. And at the CPAC rally a few years ago, what he told essentially the Trump administration as it was fighting its re-election was the first thing you have to do is take control of the media, really giving them the sort of playbook for how, first of all, to come back into power and then to keep it once you're there.

Because I think that's one of the things that really is similar between President Trump and Viktor Orban. Both had been in power, both came back to power, and both have sought to change the system to give them more power, Salma. ABDELAZIZ: Melissa Bell there in Budapest, thank you so much for breaking all of that down for us and we'll continue to follow it throughout the day.

The U.S. president and his administration are throwing their weight behind Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but as Harry Enten explains, that's not playing well for Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: When it comes to Trump's ally Viktor Orban, the political winds look like they are blowing in the wrong direction. Of course, Orban, his party, up for re-election this Sunday in Hungary. Not election day here in the States, but election day over in Hungary.

In fact, look at this. J.D. Vance was actually campaigning with Viktor Orban earlier this week. Of course, Trump endorsed Viktor Orban earlier this week as well.

But if you're looking right now at his odds, they don't look too hot to trot. Take a look here at the cash prediction market. Chance Orban is Hungary's prime minister after the 2026 election. You look back on January 1, it was about 50-50 split, 48 percent chance. But down Orban's chances go, down only about 28 percent at this point. And more than that, I will note, Vance's visit earlier this week did not really help of anything. Orban's chances have actually slid, slid a little bit since Vance's visit.

Now, Vance's visit is part of what I would argue is a larger political problem for the Trump administration. That is that the American public believes that the Trump administration has taken its eyes off of the ball, focusing too much on foreign policy and not enough on domestic policies such as the economy, which of course was the reason that Donald Trump was reelected back in 2024. And you can see it quite well here.

Take a look here. The Trump administration is focusing too much on foreign matters. We're talking about three in five Americans, 58 percent. That includes 66 percent of independents. How about this? The inverse, focusing too little, too little on domestic matters, like the economy. You can see it here. 60 percent of Americans believe the Trump administration is focusing too little on domestic matters.

And again, this number includes about 66 percent of independents. Of course, Hungary is not the only foreign policy issue that the Trump administration, perhaps the American public, believe is focusing too much on. But of course, the war in Iran as well, which right now, of course, we're in the middle of a ceasefire of.

And of course, the Iran war is part of a larger foreign policy portfolio. And even though the American public believes that the Trump administration is focusing a lot on it, they don't think that that focus is doing the Trump administration and the American populace at large, any good. What are we talking about? Take a look here. OK, Trump's net approval

rating when it comes to foreign policy. You know, back in January of 2025, not too bad.

Look at this. Two points above water. But again, down, down goes Trump when it comes to foreign policy. Look at this, 27 points underwater. My goodness gracious. This is just not a very good number at all.

And among independents, 42 points underwater. That puts Trump in a position you don't want to be on an issue that is becoming larger and larger in the minds of the American public, given how much the Trump administration they believe is focusing on it.

Again, we'll have to see him wait and see what happens over in Hungary. But at this point, it looks like the Trump administration going over three, at least according to the data that I showed you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:30:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Russia is accusing Ukraine of breaking a ceasefire declared over Orthodox Easter. A state news agency says 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. Russian officials say Ukraine also launched a drone attack in the run-up to the truce. Two people were reportedly killed in the occupied part of the Donetsk region and at least seven others were injured. The ceasefire is in effect until the end of the day, today, Sunday.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Let's get a check of the top stories for you this hour.

The U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance has left Islamabad after failed peace talks with Iran. Vance, who is now the highest-ranking U.S. official to enter negotiations with Tehran in decades, said Iranian negotiators refused to accept U.S. terms for a deal, which he claimed had been, quote, "quite flexible."

Earlier, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry says two or three key issues prevented a deal with the U.S. in Islamabad. The official added, quote, "There should have been no expectation that Washington and Tehran could reach an agreement in a single session."

Meanwhile, Iranian media reporting that Tehran is in, quote, "no hurry to keep talking," according to a source close to the Iranian delegation, quote, "There will be no change in the status of the Strait of Hormuz" without a, quote, "reasonable deal from the United States." [05:35:11]

Well, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and key Iranian negotiator posting his thoughts on social media just moments ago, Mohammad Qalibaf, wrote, quote, "Before the negotiations, I emphasized that we have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side." And he goes on to write, quote, "America has understood our logic and principles, and now it's time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not."

Well, for more on this, Alanoud Hamad Saud Al Thani is a fellow at the Middle East Council and -- on Global Affairs, joining us from Doha, Qatar this morning. It's good to have you. Incredibly important moment to be speaking.

We are seeing a lull in strikes across the Gulf, at least where I am in the UAE as this ceasefire continues. What do you make of the news from Islamabad and the potential impact on the relative calm that we see in this region?

ALANOUD HAMAD SAUD AL THANI, FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Well, first, thank you for having me. So, I don't think a lot of people had very high hopes for the talks in Islamabad. Just from the tone that we were hearing from both sides leading up to these talks, it just didn't seem like there was a high chance that there would be an agreement.

We've also seen this pattern previously, particularly in Lebanon and in Palestine, where these ceasefires or temporary ceasefires were kind of used as a pause to make the other side, specifically Palestine or Lebanon, lose any kind of edge that they had during that time. And so, a lot of people were wondering if that was the case at this moment. And the more time goes on, the more it starts to seem that, yes, it is the case.

It's more of a pause to allow, you know, for any infighting to come to the surface in Iran for any issues that they might have for them to deal with it. And so, it seems that that was really one of the major purposes of this negotiation.

ANDERSON: J.D. Vance specifically said Iran is not prepared to give the U.S. what it needs in terms of confidence about its ability to build a bomb effectively and its long-term sort of ability to do so, whether or not it is currently doing that. And that, he says, is why he left. I just wonder at this point, then, given what you've just said, where does this leave the Gulf?

We know that the Strait of Hormuz is absolutely critical to this region as a point of negotiation at this point. In fact, this region says it's economic terrorism, there will be no negotiation over the freedom of navigation there. Qatar, for example, has said this weekend that maritime navigation will fully resume across the Persian Gulf from Sunday.

That would seem to suggest a growing confidence by Doha that the Strait is navigable, at least for Qatar. Are we seeing the emergence of bilateral negotiations, do you believe, at this point?

SAUD AL THANI: So, it was never clear that there was any bilateral negotiations. In fact, I believe that there was a clear rejection of bilateral negotiations by the latest that we've heard from the official spokesperson for Qatar, I believe. And so, I would go to venture to say that that's not the case.

But what it does seem to be is perhaps there was some level of hope in the region that at least the issue of the Strait of Hormuz would be resolved, particularly because Iran's allies wanted to be resolved. So, China is a major party that is being impacted by the restrictions happening in the Strait of Hormuz.

And so, it appears that there would be a want for this issue at least to be resolved, especially since we heard from CENTCOM yesterday that they're trying to circumvent Iran entirely by demining the area. So, Iran has claimed that they have mined the area near Oman. And so, it seems that they're trying to just cut Iran out of this entirely.

ANDERSON: We are seeing Gulf states assess the damage caused by these reckless and unprovoked attacks by Iran during this past six-week period. We are seeing some restoration of capacity and we are seeing a continuation of major energy operations, even after strikes, including news from Saudi Arabia, the recovery of their east-west pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline's throughput was down 700,000 barrels a day due to attacks.

[05:40:24]

It is now, as we understand it, restored from this communication that our viewers are seeing on the screen now. Is that resilience or a sign that Saudi and others are being forced into sort of permanent risk and mitigation management? I just want to get your view on that.

SAUD AL THANI: Right. So, Iran is a bit complicated in the region in terms of its history. It's not so clear cut as other conflicts has been, in the sense that, yes, Iran is the one who got attacked first in this case. There is no debate about that, and that should never have happened.

However, Iran in and of itself has always made itself a threat to its neighbors. I mean, just in 2024, they bombed Pakistan and got bombed back by Pakistan, without me to mention everything in Syria and in other capitals, as well as the attacks that have been happening in the GCC just recently.

So, everyone in the region already sees Iran as a threat even before this war began. However, the issue is, I believe the GCC is taking a wait-and-see approach, rather than jumping headfirst or diving in headfirst into the thick of the chaos without having any real guarantees of where this conflict may go, because I just don't think that anyone here has the appetite to get stuck in this quagmire with a state that clearly is very difficult to negotiate with and is very difficult to come to any real agreement with even before this war ever started. ANDERSON: Alanoud, it's super having you on this morning. Thank you. The perspective that you have is important. Your analysis is insightful. And we continue to watch as this story develops. Thank you.

Well, Pope Leo has a message for leaders around the world. Still to come, we're going to get you live to Rome for his call for peace and an end to war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:32]

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

But ahead of what we now understand to be the collapse of those talks, CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb joining us now from Rome, Christopher.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I think what we're seeing from Pope Leo is his attempt to use his soft power, his voice basically on the world stage to urge leaders to come together to try and end the wars taking place, particularly in the Middle East. He has been much more outspoken in recent weeks about the war in Iran. He told me just before Easter that he hopes President Trump finds an off ramp to end the conflict.

And on Saturday night, he held this special peace vigil in a packed St. Peter's Basilica. There were people outside in the square following on the big screens too. And he spoke very strongly about the need for leaders to take up their responsibilities to end the war. 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: Well, of course, popes often call for peace and the end to wars, but it's slightly different with this pope because, of course, he's the first American pontiff and he's speaking at a time of a U.S. military operation in Iran.

Leo also on Saturday night referenced Pope John Paul II's opposition to the 2003 war in Iraq, of course, another U.S.-led conflict in the Middle East. Pope Leo really becoming an outspoken voice on the world stage against wars, even though it perhaps hasn't had the concrete impact that he would have liked it to have during those talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan.

Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, good to have you, sir. Thank you.

11:47 there in Rome. It is 1:47 here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Thank you for joining me. Salma, we'll be back with more news after this short break.

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[05:52:03]

ABDELAZIZ: NASA and the rest of the world are welcoming the Artemis II crew back to Earth. The four astronauts received a standing ovation as you can see there 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. Speaking publicly for the first time since their return to Earth, the crew members described the camaraderie they shared on their journey to deep space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are bonded forever. And no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through.

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.

CHRISTINA 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.

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)

ABDELAZIZ: Scientists hope the U.S. and the world are learning even more lessons from Artemis II. Astrophysicist Adam Frank told CNN about his biggest takeaway from the mission.

ADAM FRANK, ASTROPHYSICIST: We are a country that has science denial at the highest levels. And what this showed was the importance of getting the answer right, right? You know, science denial, you know, is all fine and good until you absolutely have to get the answer right.

And whether it was the heat shield or whether it's climate change and the size of your -- the height of your seawall, what this showed was these NASA engineers understood what the problem was, made the adjustments, and they got the answer right. And I think that is a real demonstration of the power of American science when it's unleashed.

ABDELAZIZ: Golf's greatest players continue to be challenged on the legendary greens at the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Now, what looked like Rory McIlroy's clear shot and another green jacket is in jeopardy. CNN World Sports' Don Riddell recaps the wild third round.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: There's no such thing as a sure thing here at the Masters. Just ask Rory McIlroy. In 2011, his four-stroke lead imploded during an excruciating final round that scarred him until he finally won this tournament here in 2025. And then on Saturday, his record-breaking six-stroke advantage completely evaporated.

The defending champion seemingly coasting to another green jacket ended his day in a worse position than he had started, and he's the only player in the top 14 who found himself going backwards. However, he is still tied at the top of the leaderboard on 11 under par, and he'll tee off in the final pairing on Sunday with the American, Cam Young.

[05:55:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY MCILROY, GOLFER: I'd like to think that I'll play a little bit freer and I'll play -- you know, play like I've already got a green jacket, which I do. Sometimes I maybe just have to remind myself of that, but, you know, there's a lot of guys in with a chance tomorrow. You know, I'm still tied for the best score going into tomorrow, so I can't forget that, but I do know I'm going to have to be better if I want to have a chance to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: It was a highly stressful afternoon for McIlroy. All week, he's been wild off the tee, but on Thursday and Friday he managed to turn water into wine, making birdie after birdie to take control of the tournament. But his luck ran out on Saturday. He dropped three strokes around Amen Corner, and although he recovered with a couple of birdies after that, he dropped another stroke on 17. He's got a fight on his hands if he wants to become only the fourth man to win back-to- back Masters.

There's no shortage of challenges to his crown, eight players within four strokes of the lead. Young shot a brilliant 65 on Saturday. He's looking to add the Masters to his Player's Championship from March.

Some of the patrons told me this morning that while they didn't want to see a collapse from McIlroy, they at least hope that Sunday would be competitive. We'll see how it all turns out. But one of their wishes has come true. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ABDELAZIZ: An organization is hoping thousands of people will spend just around $100 for a chance to win a painting worth more than a million. Tickets are now on sale to enter the one Picasso for 100 euros raffle. For 100 euros, that's about $116 U.S. dollars, you get a ticket for the raffle of Picasso's painting Tete de Femme. A total of 120,000 tickets are available. The drawing will be on April 14th, and proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, which supports clinical research on the disease across Europe.

That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. For our viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "Marketplace Asia." Thank you.

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