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Trump Threatens to Block Strait of Hormuz; Swalwell Ends Bid for Governor; Orban Concedes Election Defeat; Netanyahu Enters Southern Lebanon to Assess Seized Territory; Trump Plans To Blockade Hormuz After No Deal With Iran; Oil Prices Rise After Trump Announces Hormuz Blockade; Rory McIlroy Secures Second Consecutive Championship Title. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," the U.S. is just hours away from closing off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump's threat coming as worries grow that already steep oil prices will skyrocket. A Democratic congressman ends his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. And crowds celebrate into the early morning hours as Hungary says goodbye to the era of Viktor Orban.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church."

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin in the Middle East where U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade on all traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command says it will begin enforcing the blockade in the coming hours. Markets have already reacted to the news with oil prices surpassing $100 a barrel. The future of the Strait Hormuz and the war is still unclear after US-Iran talks ended with no deal. But President Trump says the temporary ceasefire is still valid. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's holding well. Their military is destroyed. Their whole navy is underwater, you know that. One hundred and fifty-eight ships are gone. Their navy is gone. Most of their mine droppers are gone. I think they're very desperate. We had a meeting that lasted 21 hours. We understand the situation better than anybody. And Iran is in very bad shape. And just so you understand, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the speaker of Iran's parliament posted this warning about the blockade, and I'm quoting: "Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade,' soon you'll be nostalgic for $4-$5 gas."

Well, CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now live from Islamabad where the US-Iran talks took place. Good to see you, Nic. So, what more are you learning about the collapse of those marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran and, of course, this impending U.S. maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the president of Iran has praised the delegation team that came here, that included the foreign minister, to attend the talks. The foreign minister has accused the U.S. side, Iran's foreign minister has accused the U.S. side of moving the goalposts at the last minute. He said that the deal could have been done and this was, you know, putting the blame on the United States. We heard yesterday from the head of the Iranian delegation saying that they put forward 169 different proposals to try to get these talks through the Iranian side, felt that they were very close.

CHURCH: All right, it looks like we have lost Nic Robertson. We will try to reestablish that connection a little later. But let's move on for now. Oil prices are on the rise again as global markets brace for the potential U.S. blockade on maritime traffic near the Strait of Hormuz. Both U.S. crude and Brent crude, the global benchmark, remain high after climbing back above $100 a barrel on Sunday. You Brent there at 101.74 and WTI Crude Oil at 104. So, later this hour, we will go live to Dubai to see how the stock markets are reacting to the ongoing trade disruptions.

But want to move on to another story we're covering. Democratic U.S. House Representative Eric Swalwell has withdrawn from the California governor's race as he faces numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.

[02:04:59]

Now, lawmakers, including many Democrats, are urging him to resign from Congress or face expulsion. Now, this comes days after CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle published separate reports in which women accused him of sexual misconduct, including rape in one case. Since then, Swalwell's staffers have quit and prominent Democratic supporters have demanded he drop out of the race.

Swalwell denies the allegations in his announcement on X. He apologized for -- quote -- "mistakes in judgment I've made in my past." He also denied the allegations, saying, "I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made -- but that's my fight, not a campaign's."

Before his announcement, several lawmakers were asked whether Swalwell should end his gubernatorial campaign. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): I absolutely do. This is -- as you know, I've been very vocal on behalf of survivors of the Epstein scandal. And I think that what we are seeing now is an emergence of women across the country who have been dismissed, told to shut up, told to move on, who have been abused by men in powerful positions. This is not a partisan issue. This cuts across party line and it is depravity of the way that women have been treated.

REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): We need to be crystal clear on this. The accusations are absolutely heinous. And his admissions betraying his family are deplorable. So, Eric Swalwell needs to resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Let's go now to my colleague, Elex Michaelson, anchor of "The Story Is," and he joins me live from Los Angeles. Good to see you, Elex. So, what more are you learning about all this?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, the big question now, Rosemary, is, is he going to resign from Congress? You know, if he doesn't, he is likely to face an investigation of the House Ethics Committee, which would have subpoena power to look at his past. That's all stuff that could then be used in a courtroom. If he resigns, that ethics committee investigation automatically stops. So, that is one area. The other question is, is he going to be expelled by his colleagues?

Now, in terms of this race itself, I mean, it was extraordinary on Friday to see, in the course of like an hour, almost every single member of Congress that had endorsed him, including many of his best friends, all leave the campaign. All of the top unions that had endorsed him all leave the campaign. And this weekend, you know, his staffers all saying, you got to leave.

So, in politics, you need money, organization, and message. And in the course of like two hours, he lost all three.

CHURCH: Yes. It moved very quickly, didn't it? So, Elex, how damaging will all this be for the Democrats and what will likely happen to Swalwell in the end?

MICHAELSON: Well, in the end, I mean, Swalwell got to be concerned about potentially going to prison. You know, there could be criminal cases going ahead of him. It's hard to imagine what's next for his political career.

But in terms of who's going to lead the most populous state in the union, the race for California governor, the race that was already very close is now completely wide open. Part of the reason why there are so many Democrats in this race is that many of them had told me privately that they expected that this was going to happen. They heard these rumors about Eric Swalwell, so they wanted to stay in the race. So, now, all these guys are going to get a second look.

You think about Eric Swalwell was polling between 10 and 15 percent. There was also like 20 to 30 percent undecided. That's a lot of people up for grabs with just a few weeks to go before there is voting. CNN is going to be hosting a debate on May 5th. Myself and Kaitlan Collins will be moderating it, a chance for all these people to go in front of an international audience. But the stakes are very high, and the voting is about to begin. And remember, that primary on June 5th could be determinative of who the governor is, if it's a Democrat versus Republican. There's twice as many Democrats in the state. So, if that Democrat is able to pull it out against a Republican, that Democrat is very, very, very likely to be the next governor.

CHURCH: It's going to be interesting to see where this goes. Elex Michaelson in Los Angeles live there, thank you so much for bringing us up-to-date on that story. Appreciate it.

MICHAELSON: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, record voter turnout in Hungary has ended Viktor Orban's 16-year grip on power. We will go live to Budapest next where massive crowds gathered to celebrate relief. The change is coming. We'll take a look.

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CHURCH: Hungarians are celebrating after a stunning election that ousted Prime Minister Viktor Urban. Voters are sending a clear signal that they want to see a shift away from his far-right politics. A record number of Hungarians came out to vote with thousands pouring onto the streets of Budapest to celebrate Peter Magyar's victory.

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CHURCH: The opposition leader said he received 3.3 million votes, the highest number any Hungarian party has ever seen. He told supporters that together, they liberated Hungary from the Orban regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER MAGYAR, TISZA PARTY LEADER (through translator): We did it. Tisza and Hungary won this election. Not in a small way, but in a big way. A very big way. Together, we replaced the Orban regime. Together, we liberated Hungary, we took back our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Orban, a key ally to both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, has conceded defeat after 16 years in power. He congratulated Magyar, calling the result painful but clear. CNN's Melissa Bell has the latest from the capital city of Budapest.

[02:14:58] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is so much enthusiasm on the streets of Budapest tonight. People can barely believe that Peter Magyar has not only won the election, but that his party, Tisza, have achieved that two-thirds majority, supermajority that will allow him, as he promised on the campaign trail, to return Hungary to the rule of law.

It is for the youngest amongst the crowds tonight, that it is perhaps the most moving for many of them. They have never known anything but Viktor Orban's rule for as long as they can remember. And again, a certain sense of disbelief that this has been achieved. Someone has spoken to us tonight of the fact that this feels revolutionary. It feels like they're living through a revolution, not an election result.

Petro Magyar himself has thanked them and spoken of the fact that he believes that it is for Hungary, that not a small majority, but a very large majority has spoken tonight, has voted over the course of the day, 3.3 million Hungarians voted for his party, and they will now, he said, be able to put Hungary back on track.

We've also had people tonight coming up to us and apologizing for the last 16 years and the role that Hungary has played on the world stage and in the European Union.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Budapest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And European leaders are welcoming Orban's defeat, hoping a new Hungarian government will bring a more pro-European attitude. E.U. Chief Ursula von der Leyen said on social media -- quote -- "Hungary has chosen Europe." She says these election results make the union stronger. The Estonian prime minister said -- quote -- "Hungarians have made a historic choice for a free and strong Hungary in a united Europe, rejecting forces that ignore their interests. And Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, congratulated Magyar on his resounding victory, saying it is important when a constructive approach prevails. Ukraine had a lot to lose in the election given Orban's longstanding opposition to helping Kyiv against Russian aggression.

Joining me now from Budapest is Isaac Stanley-Becker, a staff writer at "The Atlantic." Appreciate you joining us.

ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, President Trump's ally, Viktor Orban, conceded defeat in Hungary's election after 16 years in power. How significant is his loss despite Orban's efforts to consolidate power and wealth, rewriting the Constitution, of course, taking over the courts and the media?

STANLEY-BECKER: It's monumental. I think that it was accurately described just now as something akin to a revolution. That's certainly how it felt on the streets of Budapest last night and in the early morning when people were celebrating, dancing, crying, singing, kissing spontaneously. People feel as if they've liberated themselves from this regime. And that is the language that we heard last night from Peter Magyar, that they've taken their country back.

And the consequences go far beyond Hungary. As you've said, the consequences for the E.U., for support for Ukraine, and also reaching over the Atlantic to the United States where the most senior figures in the American government worked very, very hard to keep Viktor Orban in power. But ultimately, he had the support from Moscow and from Washington, but not his own people.

CHURCH: Yes. I want to talk to that point specifically because U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, he went to Hungary, he campaigned for the prime minister. Did that actually end up hurting Orban?

STANLEY-BECKER: I think there are some speculation about that. There isn't convincing statistical evidence in terms of people who maybe changed their mind as a result of it and ended up deserting Orban's party.

I think, certainly, some of the Western officials I spoke to in Budapest as well as some members of the opposition, leaders of the opposition, felt as though it may have had unintended consequences because, you know, as you know, the major part of the prime minister's message, his campaign message was this is, you know, Hungary for Hungarians, this is a national movement, we are resistant to foreign powers. And then he's welcoming in the vice president of the United States and seeming to make his campaign about kind of U.S. power and U.S. strength and the alliance with the United States.

So, I certainly think it muddled that message. And if anything, it was just also a distraction on that day when Viktor Orban was in the capital, which is an opposition stronghold. His opponent was out in the countryside trying to peel away votes from him. So, it certainly did not pull him over the fence by. And I think there may be a case and maybe there will be polling that comes out that shows that it, in fact, harmed him.

CHURCH: Right. And what does Peter Magyar bring to the table in the end? And let's look a little deeper. You mentioned that his win, you know, what it will mean for the rest of Europe, of course, and particularly for Ukraine and its efforts to fight against Russia's aggression?

[02:20:00]

STANLEY-BECKER: Right. I think a lot of attention will turn now to what does Peter Magyar actually stand for. On the campaign trail, he really emphasized economic issues, cost of living issues for Hungarians. I kind of described his politics, if I would summarize it, as conservatism without corruption. This is not someone who's going to depart in significant ways from Orban's anti-immigrant agenda. I think he'll be fairly middle of the road on Ukraine. But he wants to write Hungary's relationship with Brussels and reorient its posture away from Russia. So, I think there will be cooperative but somewhat delicate discussions and negotiations with Brussels. Leaders of the E.U. want to have this loan to Ukraine. The government here will desperately want to unlock these E.U. funds that have been frozen. So, I think there will be an effort to embark on a more pragmatic, pro-western, pro-E.U., but somewhat more middle-of- the-road approach on some of these issues.

CHURCH: So, where do you see the next chapter for Hungary? Where do you see that going?

STANLEY-BECKER: Well, I think it will -- it's not going to be an easy path, but I think that the two-thirds majority that the Tisza Party seems to have -- will command in the parliament will help enormously. I think there was fear that if there had been a closer result and they had not had that super majority, it would have just been extremely difficult to undo aspects of the state and the system that Orban had put into place, you know, constitutional court judges, media regulations, other kinds of policies, and that this all would have just, you know, lingered.

There's, of course, a case study, an example here from Poland after the far-right party, you know, lost its majority in parliament. So, the two-thirds legislative majority will certainly make this easier for Magyar, but not easy because Orban has had 16 years to remake the system in his own image. And as he said in his concession speech, which was a concession, still, he's not going anywhere. So, he will continue to, you know, fight Magyar's agenda from the opposition now.

CHURCH: Isaac Stanley-Becker, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis. Appreciate it.

STANLEY-BECKER: Thanks a lot.

CHURCH: Of course. Global fuel prices are still sky high despite last week's Iran ceasefire announcement. Still to come, a look at the economic fallout after President Trump threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Plus, the White House spelt out its red lines on Iran's nuclear program during the talks in Islamabad. We will discuss with an expert about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. That's next.

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CHURCH: Israel unleashed a fresh wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the weekend. It comes just days before the two countries are set for direct talks in Washington to try to end the fighting. On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister made a rare visit to southern Lebanon to survey territory seized by the IDF. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the first time since the start of the war with Iran some 40 days ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crossed the northern Israeli border and visited troops in southern Lebanon, in territories seized by Israel over the course of the past number of weeks here. He went with his defense minister, Israel Katz, as well as the Israeli military chief of staff. Netanyahu, in visiting troops, talked about what he called the significant accomplishments not only against Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also against Iran.

The timing here is significant. This rare visit into Lebanon, crossing the border into seized territory there, comes just two days before Israel and Lebanon are set to have direct talks in Washington, D.C. to see if it's possible to end the war and the hostilities and come to a ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu, who said he directly approved these direct talks with Lebanon, has said any agreement has to have two elements. At least one is the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, and a second is what he called a real peace agreement that would last for generations. Both of those are incredibly difficult to achieve.

And, in fact, the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues. Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, and Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. That complicates these negotiations, of course. Lebanon has said they will not negotiate under fire, and Israel has not indicated that it's willing to stop the hostilities and stop the attacks on Lebanon in exchange for these negotiations. So, it's unclear if these will succeed. Noteworthy, though, they are for direct talks here.

It is also worth noting that the defense minister, Israel Katz, on his visit to Lebanon with Netanyahu said that the southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, is evacuated and will remain evacuated as Israel expands its grip on territory there, until there is security for the residents of northern Israel, suggesting, as of right now, this is very open-ended.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: On Sunday, Pope Leo called for peace and safety in Lebanon, in addition to speaking out against the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, BISHOP OF ROME, SOVEREIGN OF THE VATICAN CITY STATE (through translator): I am also closer than ever to the beloved Lebanese people during these days of sorrow, fear, and invincible hope in God. The principle of humanity inscribed in the conscious of every person and recognized in international law entails a moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war. I appeal to the parties involved in the conflict to ceasefire and urgently seek a peaceful resolution. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the Pope for his ongoing condemnation of the war. First, he posted on social media that Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. Then he continued to slam the leader of the world's Roman Catholics to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't like it. I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person. And he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime. He's a man that doesn't think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world. I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier this month, the pontiff called Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilization unacceptable. Pope Leo begins this week with a 10-day trip to four African nations.

[02:30:00]

He is expected to arrive in Algeria in the coming hours.

Well, more on our top story this hour, President Donald Trump's blockade on all traffic, entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to take effect in the coming hours. This after peace talks with Tehran ended without a deal over the weekend.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live from Islamabad, where the U.S.-Iran talks took place.

Good to see you again, Nic. So what more are you learning about the collapse of those marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran? And of course, this impending U.S. maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. On that blockade, first, what we understand from Lloyd's Insurance is that there is no maritime traffic moving through it at all. The United States air command has set -- military commanders said that they are going to follow through what President Trump has warned about.

And in the coming hours, blockade all Iranian or all traffic coming in and out of the Strait of Hormuz along the Iranian ports, both inside the Arabian Gulf, the Persian Gulf and outside in the Gulf of Oman. So there's that. That's going to come into effect, which has already appears to have an effect on on the shipping there, and likely the knock on effect on oil prices on those talks at the weekend.

We've heard from two of the lead negotiators on the Iranian side, the foreign minister in Iran, who's accusing the United States of taking a maximalist position and shifting the goalposts. We've heard from the head of that delegation, the Iranian delegation, the speaker of the parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, saying that Iran had put forward 169 different points to try to sort of get the talks going, that there was a sense that there were they were close to an understanding.

But it -- but it broke down and he said, its really up to the United States to have trust in Iran's position.

Now, I was at the press conference after the talks when Vice President J.D. Vance broke the news that they had not come to an agreement at the talks. I asked him why that was to explain it, and he said the core issue was the issue of Iran's aspirations to have a nuclear weapon. And he said he didn't get the sort of long term commitments that that is completely, something that Iran wont try to reach for. Further details from his office subsequently and said that what the United States wanted was access to enrich -- the enriched uranium, that there is access to centrifuges, access to sites, and to have those long term commitments to, to, to, to not enrich uranium.

So, quite a long list from the U.S. side. And I think here in Pakistan, from the interlocutors, there was a real feeling of shock and surprise at the last minute that it didn't work. And going into the talks, there was a hope that if the talks were approached by both sides as sort of a longer term project to go over a couple of days and not 24 hours, a short effort, which was what the U.S. side appeared to come into this with the Iranian side sending, a big delegation appeared to be intent on sort of going into what they're more used to, their style of very long negotiations here, cutting short after 21 hours of talks, really it some people believe that that was why there was no agreement. If it had gone longer, they were close.

But again, the Iranian foreign minister blaming the U.S. side for, quote/unquote, "moving" the goalposts.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Nic Robertson joining us live there from Islamabad with that analysis and report.

Well, high fuel prices are, of course, the top concern for many Americans after U.S.-Iran talks did not end in a deal.

On Sunday, President Trump was asked about how long those prices are expected to last. And here's what he told Fox News

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: So do you believe the price of oil and gas will be lower before the midterm elections?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be it could be the same or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same. I think this won't be that much longer. They're wiped out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But a new CBS poll shows that rising gas prices are already hitting Americans in the wallet. More than half of those polled say gas prices are causing financial hardship. And while right now it may be just an inconvenience to others, further increases could change their opinion. Well, gas prices continue to climb in the U.S., with the national

average for a gallon of regular now around $4.12. That's according to the AAA auto association. Some experts fear those prices won't be coming down any time soon after President Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz sent crude oil prices soaring back above $100 a barrel on Sunday.

So, let's check back in on how the Brent crude and WTI futures are faring. Now you see crude and WTI futures are faring. Now you see their Brent at $101.73 and WTI at $103.64. Well, for more on how markets are reacting to the ongoing trade disruptions, were joined by CNN's Eleni Giokos, who's live from Dubai.

Good to see you, Eleni. So how are global markets looking right now?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, yeah. Not positively. I mean, you saw that Brent and WTI both up around 7 percent on the back of the news that President Trump has announced this naval blockade for any vessels going into the straits and any vessels coming out. So this is important move by the United States. They're trying to figure out a way to remove Iran's leverage of control over the Strait of Hormuz.

So we're going to be talking about the little trickle of traffic that we have seen in the straits over the past few weeks, basically coming to a standstill. President Trump also saying, I have instructed our navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.

So we're also talking about interdicting any vessels, any shippers that have paid the toll, that have coordinate directly with the IRGC, which is a designated terrorist organization, potentially having legal ramifications that they could face. CENTCOM also clarifying in terms of how they're going to implement this blockade, Rosemary. And I think this is really important because they have a caveat here.

And they're basically talking about that its going to not block any vessels that are not moving through from Iranian ports and Iranian territorial waters. They say the blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Now, this potentially opens up a window of opportunity for shippers that are moving from other ports.

The other questions that were asking, President Trump was saying that it's going to be with assistance from international partners. Is it going to be Gulf nations? Are we going to see NATO assistance?

The other big question that is coming to the fore, how is he run going to respond to this? Could we see a maritime conflict emerging here? Another front emerging. Remember, the ceasefire is very tentative. President Trump says it is holding up at this point in time. Could this break the ceasefire that we're in right now?

Of course, Iran is doubling down and saying that this naval blockade will not work. In the meantime, Lloyd's List is tracking a lot of the maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. When President Trump made that announcement around a naval blockade by the U.S., there were vessels that were moving or attempting to move through the straits. They then stopped and turned around.

So, now, we're seeing absolutely no movement. We wait until 10:00 a.m. Eastern today. Rosemary, which will be 6:00 p.m. here in Dubai to see how this naval blockade will be enforced and implemented.

CHURCH: All right. Eleni Giokos bringing us that live report from Dubai -- many thanks.

Well, after 21 hours of negotiations, the U.S. could not get Iran to agree to President Trump's conditions for Tehran's nuclear program. According to a White House official, those include ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling its major nuclear enrichment facilities and retrieving the highly enriched uranium believed to be buried underground.

Well, joining us now is Nicole Grajewski, nuclear policy fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and she joins us on the phone from Paris.

Thank you so much for talking with us. Can you hear us okay?

NICOLE GRAJEWSKI, FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE (via telephone): Yes, I can. Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Wonderful.

So U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says the Islamabad talks with Iran collapsed because Iran refused to give up on its nuclear ambitions. So what are those actual nuclear ambitions and what are Iran's nuclear capabilities right now?

GRAJEWSKI: Yes, it seems like the Iranians are unwilling to give up any type of nuclear program at the moment. This has been a long standing position. However, the real kind of big issue in the talks has been the status of the highly enriched uranium at some sites, including Isfahan, and whether or not Iran would provide that to international oversight or ship it out of the country. So that's the main sticking point in the talks so far.

CHURCH: And, of course, we've been receiving mixed messages on how much damage has been done to Iran's missile capabilities. But mixed messages, too, on just how close the country is to building a nuclear weapon. What is the most reliable information on this?

GRAJEWSKI: Well, I mean, the issue of Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon has been very politicized, both by the Iranian leadership and also the U.S. leadership.

[02:40:04]

What is clear is that Iran maintains some capacity to potentially have that option going forward. And this is something that they've always, you know, been able to pursue. However, Iran's nuclear infrastructure was so greatly damaged during the June 2025 war in terms of enrichment, that it would take some years for Iran to even start building up or kind of gaining that momentum to have a nuclear weapon. So at the moment, Iran has the knowledge, but it doesn't necessarily have the infrastructure to develop a nuclear weapon.

CHURCH: So far from imminent.

GRAJEWSKI: Very far from imminent, I would say.

CHURCH: So what is Iran's strategy now, one month into this war and after Tehran's refusal to accept the offer made by J.D. Vance at those talks?

GRAJEWSKI: Iran seems to believe that they've won this war. And that was very clear in the talks when Iran was, you know, approaching these issues of whether or not they'd have the ability to enrich in the future. I think that was what they were leveraging, was the ability to impose costs on the global economy and on the United States.

And so, I think their strategy is to hold out at the moment, though, you know, it seems likely with what's happening with the naval blockade, kind of the impasse in talks is that maybe this conflict would flare up again. And I believe Iran is prepared to do what it needs to take to kind of achieve the terms that are favorable for them.

CHURCH: And of course, you mentioned that U.S. military blockade were just hours away from that happening in the Strait of Hormuz. And broader than that, to prevent maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports. So how will Iran likely respond to that move? Do you think?

GRAJEWSKI: I mean, it's unclear. Iran still retains some capacity within their IRGC or Islamic Revolutionary Guard, maybe to swarm these ships. It's unclear if Iran is going to respond militarily, if Iran's going to exert pressure on any of the countries in the Persian Gulf. There's a lot of options that can be pursued right now. Or you could see Iran acquiescing and simply just pursuing diplomacy.

CHURCH: Nicole Grajewski, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

GRAJEWSKI: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Well, turning now to Peru, where the right leaning candidate, Keiko Fujimori, has taken an early lead in the country's presidential election. That's according to exit polls. The leftist candidate, Roberto Sanchez, is in second place, while the center left Ricardo Belmont was close behind in third due to the crowded field and no candidate reaching the 50 percent threshold needed to win out outright, a runoff appears likely here, and that would take place in early June.

Well, still to come. Celebrating 10 years, working to end modern slavery, we will show you the global organization bringing together voices from different backgrounds to achieve a common goal. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:28]

CHURCH: The Global Sustainability Network is marking a decade in its quest to abolish modern slavery in all its forms. Leaders from the worlds of politics, business, religion, media and more make up the ranks of the nonprofit organization, which recently came together to celebrate the milestone.

CNN's Becky Anderson has more on the group's work so far

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Today, leaders of the world's religions have come together to form a historic initiative to eradicate modern slavery.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): History was made back more than a decade ago, when leaders from many of the world's major religions gathered at the Vatican to ask a single, urgent question how do we end modern slavery?

POPE FRANCIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Each human being, a man, a woman, a child is an image of God, and each human being is a free person who has the right to exist in equality and fraternity.

AMANPOUR: The global freedom network welcomes your support and practical action to eradicate modern slavery once and for all.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The meeting, moderated by CNN's Christiane Amanpour, sparked an idea in Pakistani born businessman Raza Jafar.

RAZA JAFAR, FOUNDER, GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY (through translator): It's a very dark and difficult subject to deal with, but when you bring people together, it gives all of us strength to have a much bigger impact.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The global sustainability network, or GSN, was designed to be an answer. It's an international alliance of modern abolitionists working across all borders and belief systems. Members from all over the world gathered recently in Abu Dhabi to celebrate GSN's 10th anniversary.

SHEIKH NAHYAN BIN MUBARAK, UAE'S MINISTER OF TOLERANCE AND COEXISTENCE: It's a great pleasure to be with you this evening as we mark this important anniversary of the global sustainability network.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Among the dignitaries in attendance, the UAE's minister of tolerance and coexistence, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak and Sudan's former prime minister, Dr. Abdalla Hamdock.

ABDALLA HAMDOCK, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF SUDAN: Modern slavery is a stigma on humanity. We thought with all the struggle that went into ending slavery in the world, that we saw the end of it, but it is still there.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The evening involved a call to action, encouraging everyone to wear a White Freedom pom-pom, a small adornment designed to start a larger conversation about modern slavery.

MAREN KRASS, FOUNDER, HEARTS ON A MISSION: We're working with victims of slavery, and we want to give them -- we want -- we don't want to see them as victims. We want to make them to heroes.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Its empathy that defines the network's efforts and inspires optimism for the future.

DR. CATHERINE O'FARRELL, FOUNDER & CEO, INCLUZAN: Young people are going to be the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow, so the more informed, empowered and educated they are, the better our leadership will be in the future.

ANDERSON (voice-over): And sometimes the most powerful voices are also the youngest.

(SINGING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Twelve-year-old True El-Deeb wrote this song for those who don't yet have a voice.

TRUE EL-DEEB, SINGER: Everyone can serve a purpose here, no matter how old they are. Even I like -- I'm very honored to be helping and contributing, and I know anyone out there in the world can help.

JAFAR: We all can do a lot every day. We can express and join the Freedom Movement by simply having our voice, by wearing our voice.

[02:50:02]

So, my message to everybody is wear your voice. Let everybody hear your fight for freedom.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up on Wednesday, April 15th, join CNN for My Freedom Day, a student driven worldwide event to raise awareness of modern day slavery. Follow the hashtag #myfreedomday on social media and check out CNN.com for more information.

Still to come, Rory McIlroy's Masters tournament win was anything but a sure thing when he started the final round. How he pulled off his second straight championship title. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: He's done it again. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has clinched a second straight title at the Masters Golf tournament. His victory was hard won after a dramatic day on Augusta national's famous greens. Four other men held the lead at various points in the final round, but McIlroy's ultimate win puts him in a rare brotherhood of just three other players to have won back to back green jackets.

[02:55:06]

CNN's Andy Scholes brings us the highlights of the day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was quite the roller coaster here in Augusta, but somehow Rory did it. Ever since he had the largest 36-hole lead in Master's history, Rory has been trying to hang on for dear life. And on Sunday, in the final round, Rory actually fell behind Justin Rose by two shots at one point.

But the difference, like it's been at so many Masters, came down to Amen Corner and on 12, Rory, a fabulous shot off the tee. He would birdie the hole. Rose, meanwhile, had bogeyed 12 moments before. Rory then went to 18, up two strokes. But then he made that an adventure, hitting his tee shot way right, but he was able to get around those trees and would putt in to win the Masters, letting out a huge scream.

He then shared an awesome moment with his daughter Poppy, wife Erica, and his parents as he's the champ once again.

RORY MCILROY, PRO GOLFER: I was a little kid with a dream. And the support that I have from my family, my friends, everyone back home -- you know, some people probably thought it was outlandish to dream of the things that I wanted to do, but I had amazing support from back home and, I can't thank them all enough for, for that continued support.

SCHOLES: The win makes Rory just the fourth golfer ever to win back to back Masters, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. And this is the sixth major win of his career. And Rory had said this week that he was playing here in Augusta this time around, with the weight lifted off of his shoulders because he had finally won here at the Masters. Well, now, he's on top of the world as the Masters champ once again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well done. I want to thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a quick break. Do stay with us.