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White House: Vance, Top Officials Heading To Pakistan For Iran Talks; NY Archbishop: Pope Is Preaching Message Of Peace; Mamdani, Hochul Announces Tax On Second Homes; Police: 8 Children Killed, 2 Others Wounded In Louisiana Mass Shooting; Trump: U.S. Delegation Heads To Pakistan For New Talks With Iran; Winegrowers Fight For Domestic Grapes In Bottles. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired April 18, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:29]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Some uncertainty with the second round of highly anticipated peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, with Vice President JD Vance to lead the negotiations in Islamabad. The clock is ticking as a fragile ceasefire is set to expire within days.

Also, gas prices may be easing slightly, but don't expect under $3 a gallon any time soon. The U.S. Energy secretary says relief could be months away.

Plus, Pope Leo brushing off a clash with President Donald Trump, saying his focus is on peace. What Catholics here in the U.S. think about the two leaders seemingly facing off.

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with the urgency to find peace in the Middle East. The White House says its dispatching top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, back to Pakistan for another round of crucial talks with Iran that are expected this week.

But there is so far no official confirmation from Tehran that Iran will take part in the negotiations with only days remaining until a fragile ceasefire is set to expire. The Trump administration is expressing optimism a deal is in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRITE, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Negotiations are going very well. A lot of the chatter and noise you hear in public is really the signs of a regime that's falling apart.

President Trump and Vice President Vance have us on a pathway to a good ending of this conflict before long.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Today, President Trump is continuing to increase the pressure on Iran, threatening once again to resume military strikes in the country if negotiators cannot reach a deal.

It all comes as Americans are increasingly frustrated with the war and the president's role in it. According to new polling from NBC, two- thirds disapprove of Trump's handling of the conflict, with only a third saying they do approve.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us live now from the White House with more on all this. Julia, what is the president saying about his expectations about these negotiations?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, "No more Mr. Nice Guy." That's a direct quote from President Donald Trump today, and that's how he is framing his approach to Iran as this next round of talks is expected to take place.

As you noted, though, there are still questions, as Tehran has not confirmed those plans. But we are hearing from Trump, and he says that the United States is offering a very fair and reasonable deal.

At the same time, he is warning that if Iran does not take this deal, that he will do what needs to be done. I want to pull up part of his post. This is from just a few hours ago now.

And in it he said, quote, "We're offering a very fair and reasonable deal. And I hope they take it because if they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran."

That's where he added, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

So once again, threatening their energy infrastructure. And this all just comes a week after there were talks in Pakistan, led by Vice President JD Vance. Those talks ended with no agreement to end the conflict. And he said at the time that this was the United States' best and final offer. Trump expressed optimism that Iran would come back to the table.

Now, when it comes to this next round of talks, Trump said earlier today in various interviews that Vance would not be traveling this time due to security concerns.

But we have been speaking with White House officials who have confirmed the plans for Vance, along with special envoy, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to all take part in this.

And when pressed on the confusion there about the U.S. delegation, an official simply said, quote, "things change".

Now Trump has expressed frustration with Iran for allegedly breaking the ceasefire when it comes to their actions in the Strait of Hormuz. That's that critical waterway where 20 percent of the world's oil typically passes through. And Tehran has once again been blocking most ships from passing. [14:04:49]

BENBROOK: So as these plans for this delegation to travel are there, there are still questions on where Iran stands on this and when exactly those talks might be happening, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Meanwhile, President Trump is accusing Iran of violating its ceasefire with the U.S. after reports two ships have been fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz. The crucial waterway responsible for carrying a significant amount of the world's oil, remains closed today, as Iran alleges, I'm quoting now, "breaches of trust", end quote, by the U.S.

CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in Islamabad, Pakistan where these new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to take place.

But Nic, first off, while we know now the vice president will soon be on his way to attend these talks in person, is it not clear whether Iran is actually sending a delegation?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: That's how it seems, right? What you do see on the streets here in Islamabad is the Pakistan city here is preparing for those talks. There's high security at the hotels where the delegates would expect it to be expected to be from. Both sides are being cleared of their normal guests, just like it was a couple of weeks ago. So on the ground here, it looks like it's happening.

And you would have thought, right, when the White House announces JD Vance, Witkoff, Jared Kushner on their way here, you would have thought the Iranians would be stepping right up to say, yes, their delegation is on the way -- on the way too.

I think there's a couple of takeaways here. One is that we know, and we know from multiple sources, that Steve Witkoff isn't favored as a negotiator by the Iranians. They just don't like him. The level of trust isn't as good and isn't the same as it is with JD Vance.

So are the Iranians playing hardball here because JD Vance wasn't initially on the list to come? We just don't know that.

What we do know is the Iranians continue to say their position is that when they lifted their blockade on the Strait of Hormuz two days ago and the president decided to keep the U.S. blockade in place, that for them was a red line. That's why they reimposed their blockade. That's why they fired at those two ships.

And it appears to be the case at the moment that the Iranians are standing by that. The U.S. needs to lift its blockade before they will come to the talks. That may be the position.

And I think if it is, it's kind of similar context to the last round of talks when there was a last-minute wrinkle then.

The issue back then was the Lebanon ceasefire. Iran wanted a Lebanon ceasefire before they would get into the talks. And even as JD Vance was in the air on the way to Pakistan, that was still sort of being -- trying to smooth that out, a temporary ceasefire, et cetera, et cetera. So I think we're looking at the same last-minute-ism here.

That said, the Iranian negotiator said (INAUDIBLE) progress. Yes, there are still big gaps but he's also accused President Trump of lying. He said that the president's lied that Iran won't give up its nuclear ambitions. He said the president's lying when he says Iran will hand over the so-called nuclear dust.

These things still rankle the Iranians. But are they actually enough to stop them coming? It's not clear.

And I guess the other thing that happened this evening that's kind of pertinent, but doesn't have a lot of detail hanging off of it, Pakistan's prime minister spent 45 minutes on the phone with Iran's president this evening.

The readout looks like a conversation between two leaders about mutual issues and security in the region. 45 minutes is a long time. The Pakistanis are very keen to see these talks succeed.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

All right. Nic Robertson, let us know when you learn more on that.

So the unrest in the Strait of Hormuz, known as the transit choke point for 20 percent of the world's oil, is adding to the uncertainty around the cost of gas at the pump here and in so many cities across the world, quite frankly.

Today, the U.S. Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, told CNN that he believes prices have peaked, but warns they may not drop back under $3 a gallon in the U.S. until next year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: When do you think it's realistic for Americans to expect that gas will go back to under $3 a gallon?

WRIGHT: I don't know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year. But prices have likely peaked and they'll start going down. Certainly with a resolution of this conflict, you'll see prices go down. Prices across the board on energy prices will go down.

TAPPER: But it might not be under $3 a gallon until 2027.

WRIGHT: Under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in an inflation- adjusted terms. We had that in the -- in the Trump administration, but we hadn't seen that in inflation-adjusted term for quite a long time. We'll get -- we'll get back there, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: According to AAA, the national average gas price is $4.08 a gallon. That's more than a dollar higher than before the war with Iran.

[14:09:50]

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, if there is a resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, how long will it actually take to get shipping back on schedule? We'll discuss the complications.

And straight ahead, we'll hear what some American Catholics think about the continuing exchange of words, shall we say, between the Pope and the president.

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[14:14:52]

WHITFIELD: All right. Happening right now.

Pope Leo is in Angola where his open-air mass drew a crowd of some 100,000 worshipers. The Pope urging Angolans to overcome their colonial past and strife that have besieged the African country for decades.

The Pope is in Africa, making stops in four countries there, meeting with worshipers while also exchanging thoughts with the president of the United States.

CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is traveling with the Pope and CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino is in New York, where she has been talking to Catholics here in America, attending services in New York.

So, Christopher, let's begin with you. I'm wondering if this ongoing exchange with the president is overshadowing his trip at all. The Pope didn't necessarily address President Trump directly today, but he did talk about the war in the Middle East overall.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fredricka. I mean I think Pope Leo certainly is refusing to be knocked off course by the criticisms of him by President Trump. You know, he said to us reporters on the plane here to Angola that he wasn't going to debate President Trump. And he's continuing to emphasize whilst in Africa the key themes of his papacy and of this trip, which is overcoming conflict and social justice.

And at that mass -- at the end of that mass that you mentioned for 100,000 people here in the capital of Angola, he made an appeal for peace in the Middle East.

This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POPE LEO XIV, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): The ceasefire announced in Lebanon offers cause for hope. It is a sign of relief for the Lebanese people and for the Levant.

I encourage those working towards a diplomatic solution to continue the peace negotiations so that the cessation of hostilities throughout the Middle East may become permanent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Well Fredricka, the Pope's trip to Africa is very significant because, of course, Africa is a continent where a fifth -- around a fifth of the worlds Catholics live, and it's growing. A church that is young and is increasingly important in different parts of this continent.

And Leo here in Africa, he says to support those Catholics, to accompany them and to be here as the head of the Catholic Church. And I think he wants to underline that side of this visit, rather than the debate that's been going on with President Trump, which has been, I have to say, a big part of this -- the early part of this trip.

But I think Leo is trying to push forward with his -- with his message and has I think with his recent remarks, tried to dampen down this extraordinary back and forth between the first American pope and the U.S. president, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Christopher Lamb, thank you so much -- traveling in Angola with the Pope.

All right. Let's go to New York now, where we find Gloria Pazmino. You talked to Catholics there who have been attending services, and what have they been saying about this exchange of words between the Pope and the president?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. You know, certainly I heard a lot of frustration from parishioners here today. Some disappointed, including some of the president's supporters who felt that this was not a fight the president should have picked with the Pope.

But I also spoke with Archbishop Ronald Hicks here in New York. He represents New York's 2.5 million Catholics across all of New York City and to the northern suburbs of New York.

And he said to me that he is very happy to hear Pope Leo's message so far. He has been impressed by the way in which the Pope has been sharing his message of peace.

And I think what we heard from the Pope in Angola today and during his trip throughout Africa, is much of what the archbishop talked about his sermon here today.

He talked about Catholics walking toward their faith, walking in peace, that that message of peace continues to be central here in the Church. And he told me that he is relieved, happy, and certainly in support of hearing the Pope try to spread that message.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD ALDON HICKS, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: What I think I've been most impressed about with our Holy Father is how he's responding. I'm not surprised by what he's saying. He's preaching the gospel. He's preaching a message of peace, a peace, a message of reconciliation, of healing. That shouldn't surprise any of us.

So far, the majority of our Catholics, they are very happy with our Pope. They are embracing his message.

[14:19:50]

HICKS: And he's showing them a way of what dialog looks like, of what leadership looks like, of how to direct our lives in a proper way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Hicks also mentioned to me that, you know, the fact that we have an American pope in this moment is also extremely relevant. He did say that Pope Leo's message is certainly resonating with people.

In the last few months, churches have seen an increase in parishioners and people attending services. He has seen that reflected right here at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. It was a packed service throughout the day today.

So certainly, Hicks talking about that message and saying that its resonating with people.

Some Trump supporters I spoke to told me that they wish the president would simply just stay out of that lane. They told me that it was not a fight they thought that he should pick.

But some of them also said that they believe that he has a right to speak out on Iran. And some of them were supportive of his actions there, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino in New York. And again from Angola, Christopher Lamb. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right. Still to come, President Trump is also taking on New York's Mayor Mamdani, over a new plan to tax second homes of the super-rich. The mayor says it's part of a plan to make New York more livable. But Trump says Mamdani is, I'm quoting him now, "destroying the city", end quote.

[14:21:18]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. A new tax for New York City's wealthiest residents is getting some pushback from the White House. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich. Well, today we're taxing the rich.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It would add a tax surcharge of up to 4 percent on multi- million dollar second homes that are worth over $5 million.

President Trump accused Mayor Zohran Mamdani of destroying the city after the mayor revealed this new policy. The mayor had this to say when asked about the president's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: It's not a surprise given the fact that the president and I have many deep policy differences. And I am not shy about airing them both publicly and privately.

When I speak to the president, I always bring it back to the city and what I think will help the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to bring in political correspondent Kelly Mena with Spectrum News NY1 for more discussion on this. Kelly, good to see you. So how is this being received amongst New Yorkers?

KELLY MENA, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, SPECTRUM NEWS NY1: Thanks for having me, Fred.

Well, I think for New Yorkers, they're kind of used to this idea that President Trump is going to attack the mayor of New York City at any opportunity.

We know that President Trump is very quick when it comes to firing off those social media posts and going after Democrats, that he doesn't believe have good policies.

It's interesting, though, that Mayor Mamdani believes that those attacks are something that he's brushing off. He's taking it in stride. We know that they have this kind of chummy relationship, and it's still ongoing.

And you know, I think he's keenly aware that they're probably not going to agree on many, many things. And this is probably one of those areas.

We didn't get a chance to ask the mayor if one of the reasons that Trump is so against this is because he could possibly be facing this 4 percent tax on his extra homes.

So I'm sure that this is possibly something that they'll talk about in the future, if at all. But definitely in the public arena. WHITFIELD: So New York Governor Kathy Hochul's office says, you know,

a new policy, also one that she is proposing that something very similar, right, would help fill a multibillion-dollar budget gap for the city.

And she said in a statement, "As governor, I understand the importance of stabilizing the city's finances without compromising on essential services New Yorkers count on. If you can afford a $5 million second home that sits empty most of the year, you can afford to contribute like every other New Yorker."

So Hochul, you know, has generally been hesitant to raise taxes on the wealthy, but does support this idea. What's going on here?

MENA: Yes. I mean, she is in an election year, though, you know, her rival, Republican Bruce Blakeman, doesn't look like his campaign is going that well. But it's not a good time for her to start thinking about new taxes overall.

So she really wants to stay away from that third rail kind of idea at this moment. So for her, this is kind of meeting Mayor Mamdani in the middle.

At the beginning of the year, the mayor said that the city was facing a multibillion-dollar budget hole that he had to fill. And part of his plan to fill it was getting a lot of help from the governor and from the state.

And unfortunately, it's not a good time to be asking for that money from the state or the governor because of the election year.

And so this is a proposal that meets both of those needs, helping with the budget hole and the governor trying to help out the mayor.

The thing is, this new pied-a-terre tax that was proposed on the second homes is only going to generate about $500 million, about between 9 and 10 percent of the budget hole that the mayor's really trying to fill.

So it's really not super helpful, it's a fraction of what he needs. And it's really the governor signaling to the mayor that he's going to have to figure this out on his own. This is part of those growing pains that you need to learn about when you come into office. And he's going to have to work with the city council, who at the moment seems to be in opposition with his proposed plans to getting the balanced budget across.

WHITFIELD: So, so then the mayor -- what does he have in mind as to how that, you know, $500 million could be used and utilized and how in his view it would be helpful?

[14:30:07]

MENA: Well, I mean when you're facing $5 billion necessary to close a massive budget hole, any amount of money is helpful. His other proposals, on top of what he gets from the state, is this property tax that really unsettled everybody across both sides of the aisle Republicans, Democrats, people at the state level, at the city level, because it would be across the board to everybody and really impact black and brown New Yorkers, the most home owners the most.

And they're already -- the majority of their wealth is in their homes. So, taxing them more would only destabilize them in some type of way and really go against his affordability agenda.

Then, he has this idea that he's found some savings. He hasn't detailed all of them, but he's only detailed about 220 million of that. And finding those savings is part of that plan. He's hoping will also get him to the finish line of balancing this budget.

So right now, he's looking at around $720 million that he for sure has to closing this $5 billion hole. But how does he find the other $4 billion. It looks like he's going to have to work with the city council who really hasn't been or who hasn't been supportive of the plan he's proposed, has their own plan that they've proposed.

That includes possibly cutting into service -- city services and looking at vacancies. And he's just against that.

So, I think the governor, who has a very good relationship with the speaker of the city council, is basically saying through this new tax that she's proposed, this is as much as I can help you. The rest you have to figure out on your own.

The mayor has only been in office a little over 100 days. And so this is part of that governing reality check that you have to do this with the team you have in place. It's not like at the state level where you can put policy goals into negotiating a budget and you do have to work with the city council. This is not just the mayor has the final say, like he's used to or was used to when he was a state level politician.

WHITFIELD: So, quickly, is the mayor getting credit for this idea, or is it the governor or is it kind of both of them?

MENA: I would say the mayor more, though. It's not his proposal. It's the governor's, and the mayor is getting attacked more for it from people who are unhappy about it, even though it's the governor's proposal. And it would come from the state. But it would only affect the homes in the city.

I think Mamdani strategy on taking credit for this is really speaking to his base, who, since he was campaigning, has asked for taxing the rich. And this wasn't his brainchild necessarily how he thought he would get there, but this is a way to get there, and actually tax these really wealthy New Yorkers through their homes.

So I think that's why Mamdani wants to take so much credit for it, because he can actually show his base, which is a Democratic socialist, that he's done. He's kind of committed to this plan, and he's been able to get it done within his first term in office.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Fascinating. All right. Kelly Mina, thank you so much. Good to see you. All right. Straight ahead, with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz

and the U.S. enforcing a blockade, we'll examine what needs to happen to resolve the crisis at the world's most critical oil choke point.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:43]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following breaking news out of Louisiana, where police say eight children have been shot and killed, while two others are wounded.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins us now with more on this.

What happened?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very, very tragic story, Fred. According to Shreveport police, officers responded to reports of shots fired just after six this morning and found victims in two homes along West 79th Street and a third home on nearby Harrison Street in the city's Cedar Grove neighborhood. Shreveport Police Corporal Chris Bordelon said -- he described what officers found as a very large scene with multiple deceased children present.

Bordelon called what happened a domestic disturbance. He said the victims ranged in age from 1 to 14 years old. You heard that right 1 to 14 and were all apparently shot by the same individual who happens to be related to some of the victims.

Bordelon also said that the shooter also carjacked a vehicle not far from where the shooting took place, and at that point, the chase ensued with Shreveport police officers right behind the suspect.

This is what happened next, according to the corporal. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CPL. CHRIS BORDELON, SHREVEPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT: The vehicle was chased into bossier parish and at which point in time, Shreveport police officers did discharge their firearm and that individual is deceased. We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And the shooting happened in house speaker mike Johnsons district. In a statement, Johnson said, were holding the victims, their families and loved ones in our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the mass shooting a tragic situation. Maybe, he said, the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport. Police have not released the names of the victims or the suspected shooter. But again, ten people shot altogether. Children ranging in age from one to 14. WHITFIELD: Yes. Still so sad. We're going to have the mayor of

Shreveport, Mayor Arceneaux, join us in the next hour, and perhaps they'll be even more details that we learn about this tragic situation.

Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, a second round of closely watched U.S.-Iran peace talks now in the works, a time is short as the end of the tenuous ceasefire is nearing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:44:43]

WHITFIELD: All right. Eva Longoria is back, this time in France. Join Eva as she explores the country's rich history and celebrates the cuisine in the CNN original series, "Eva Longoria Searching for France".

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, HOST, "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR FRANCE": So what are we making?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I got to make a sandwich I make for my children with caviar.

[14:45:00]

LONGORIA: I wish I had caviar sandwich when I was young.

And it's heavy on the butter. This is France, after all.

All right. Like this. Okay, but how much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More?

LONGORIA: Comes up. Oh my god. Et voila.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

LONGORIA: No way, more? Oh my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: La.

LONGORIA: La.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we put caviar, we have to put caviar.

LONGORIA: Yeah. Okay. This is probably the most expensive sandwich I'm ever going to eat in my life.

LONGORIA (voice-over): We're talking $100 worth of caviar here. LONGORIA: Sante. It's not a crazy buttery taste. Together, they

really complement each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It fits very well. So, do you want to make the main dish though.

LONGORIA: Yes. I would love --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mm. Butter and caviar. Who knew? All right, we'll try it.

Watch this new episode tonight at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. And the next day on the CNN app.

All right. Back to our breaking news on Iran, President Trump says U.S. representatives are traveling to Pakistan for a new round of negotiations with Iran. He says they'll arrive tomorrow evening in Islamabad. Vice President J.D. Vance will reportedly lead the U.S. delegation.

The president also accused Iran of violating a ceasefire agreement in the Strait of Hormuz by firing at French and British ships. That ceasefire is set to expire on Tuesday. Today, Trump renewed his threat to attack Iran's power plants and bridges if diplomatic efforts fail.

Meanwhile, in a new NBC News/Survey Monkey poll, roughly two thirds of Americans disapprove of the presidents handling of the war with Iran, with more than half saying they strongly disapprove. Only a third say they approve of Trump's handling of this war, and a majority, 61 percent, say the U.S. should not take any further military action in Iran, while 16 percent say military operations should continue. But with only airstrikes and 23 percent say the U.S. should consider all options, including the use of ground forces.

Joining us right now is retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery. He is a senior fellow at the foundation for defense of democracies.

Admiral, great to see you.

REAR ADMIRAL MARK MONTGOMERY (RET.), SENIOR FELLOW AT FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, there is going to be a new round of high level talks with Iran. And almost two thirds of Americans just reminding of that poll say they don't want to see any more U.S. military action. So, what is your assessment of where this is headed? Is this round of talks leaning toward diplomacy to avert any more military action?

MONTGOMERY: I think the president is trying his hardest to posture aggressively to try to get the Iranians to the table. The real issue here, I think, is going to be on the Iranian side about whether the IRGC, their security arm, is in charge or the political arm. The political arm is at the meetings, and they tend to -- it looks like they are able to discuss things. But then when you hear from the IRGC back in Tehran, it tends to be a lot harder.

So, I'll have to see. I think the president's inclination is not to go back to kinetic strikes because he knows what the impact I have on the market and on gas prices.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then what happens if the ceasefire does end as scheduled on Wednesday? The peace talks are scheduled for Tuesday. And say these peace talks don't immediately yield any results. What kind of posture does this put the U.S. in if the president says, okay, let's elongate this ceasefire, let's give it a little bit more time for yet another round of talks.

Does that weaken the U.S. position up against Iran, which right now feels very much in the driver's seat. They feel very emboldened, do they not?

MONTGOMERY: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: So, I think that's the challenge he has. He'll want -- he wants this to end. He probably wants it to end more than the IRGC does. That's not necessarily more than the Iranian politicians who have to deal with the fact that, you know, this blockade by the United States Navy is beginning to, you know, significantly erode their economy beyond what the 40 days of bombing did.

So, they're going to have -- you have a political challenge versus a security challenge. The president's going to want to crack that. He's going to want -- I think he'll want an extension as part of this second set of meetings, you know, a ceasefire extension.

If he doesn't get it, there are ways he can put pressure on the Iranians without going back to full scale, 500 to 700 strikes a day. He can -- he can begin to seize Iranian ships around the world. He can begin to see ships coming to Iran with things besides fossil fuels, with weapons, potentially. So, he can put pressure on the Iranian regime while he continues to maintain the blockade without going to full out strikes, which I think would, you know, degenerate, you know, things would disintegrate very rapidly.

[14:50:05]

WHITFIELD: So, is it bluster or does the president mean it when he says or is threatening? You know, if there is no deal to end the war? In his words on social media, he says, "The United States is going to knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran. No more Mr. Nice Guy." That coming from social media.

I mean, every single power plant bridge, would that be a war crime? And if so, would the U.S. military actually follow orders to do something like that?

MONTGOMERY: I do believe that's rhetoric, and bluster. And it's part of posturing before these negotiations. I think what would happen was that would be translated by General Caine and Admiral Cooper, and the strikes on militarily, militarily relevant bridges and power stations, which is a lot of bridges and power stations in Iran, but is not targeting power stations that say only have a civilian, you know, aspect to them or customer base to them.

So, what I think you'd see is the -- is that that would be translated at a, at a very strategic level by General Caine into something that is a much more executable order by everyone in the operational chain of command.

WHITFIELD: Mm. This U.S. blockade now at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman. It's designed to, you know, perhaps intercept or stop vessels from coming or going into the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran is already doing that, right? By opening or shutting the strait. So in your view, you know, talk to me about the this kind of waiting game, the stresses or anxieties that this is posing for those U.S., U.S. military vessels, you know, troops are on board in some cases.

I mean, these ships which are in that region to engage in conflict, potentially, if it comes to that. But what are they doing then on a day to day, as there is this kind of waiting game during this negotiation and ceasefire period?

MONTGOMERY: So, they are the blockading ships are achieving a mission, right? Because the Iranians would be happy to allow Iranian, you know, shadow fleet ships from the, you know, transporting Iranian fossil fuel out. So far, at least 23 of those ships have been turned back. So, they're playing a role.

It's actually a high. You know, this is a, you know, would actually be a stressful time because they're actually closer to the Iranian coastline than they may have been operating over the last, you know, 40 days. So they're being very careful. They're being very vigilant. And then they're executing this mission. I think they've done a good job so far.

I mean, I'm surprised. I would have thought there have been a few leakers that get through, but it appears that so far from what you can see on civilian maritime satellite that they've turned back the Iranian fossil fuel ships that have tried to come out.

WHITFIELD: So, you know, as you try to assess all the moving parts here, things that are working, not working in your view, Admiral, how do you think this will get resolved if at all?

MONTGOMERY: It's got to be diplomatically, clearly, militarily, just pounding the Iranians for 45 days to the point where they could not respond, you know, their navy gone. The air force got it did not actually break the will of the IRGC. It didn't foster the kind of, I think, internal revolt that they that the U.S. and Israeli leadership may have thought would happen.

So as a result, they're going to have to negotiate this. Now, I think they're in a good position, which is that they have really removed a lot of Iran's ability to impose costs. And we've shown that they don't actually control the Straits of Hormuz. If the U.S. navy wants to control it as well, they can. But it really means is no one controls the straits of Hormuz, which makes sense given its geographic proximity to Iran. So, I think what were at a point is both sides would benefit greatly

from a positive outcome of, you know, Tuesday and Wednesday's talks in Pakistan. And let's hope that that's what happens.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, thank you so much.

And of course, we'll have more on the planned peace talks with a live report from Islamabad coming up at the top of the hour.

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WHITFIELD: All right. In California, sour grapes over what should be in a bottle of wine. Facing a tough market, wine growers in the state are backing a bill that would require 100 percent of all grapes to be sourced from the United States in any bottle labeled American wine. Under federal rules, they currently need to have 75 percent of U.S. grown grapes, and the rest can be from other countries.

Wine growers say that's unfair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE FELTEN, 5TH GENERATION GRAPE GROWER: Instead of, you know, buying grapes from growers here in Lodi and throughout California, actually they stopped and found cheaper wine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Some big wine companies say a 100 percent American grape requirement would take away critical flexibility in the case of climate events or shifts in consumer demand.

All right. Crews are surveying damage after a week of severe weather brought multiple tornadoes, damaging winds and softball sized hail across central U.S. states. The National Weather Service confirmed that at least one EF-3 tornado touched down in Wisconsin's Marathon County.

The agency also confirmed a strong EF-2 tearing a path through Galena, Illinois. Thousands of customers lost power there. Officials say there are no fatalities or serious injuries to report.