Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. President Trump Indefinitely Extends Ceasefire with Iran; FBI Probes Possible Links on the Killed and Missing Scientists, Lawmakers Seek Further Information. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired April 22, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, just ahead.

The U.S. plans to ramp up its blockade of Iranian ports even as President Trump extends the ceasefire.

The U.S. has used a large part of its stockpile of missiles in the war with Iran. What that means for the military and U.S. allies.

And a number of top U.S. scientists tied to sensitive research have died or disappeared in recent years. Now the Feds and some lawmakers are looking for answers.

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

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

And our top story this hour, President Donald Trump has decided to extend the ceasefire with Iran. A move that's being met with distrust by Tehran. The President posted on social media that his administration is waiting for a unified proposal from the Iranian government.

But he added that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will remain. A White House official says Vice President J.D. Vance's expected trip to Islamabad to lead the second round of peace talks was called off after the announcement. Despite the uncertainty, here's what President Trump said.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT (on the phone): We're not dealing with an ISIS group of people, but we're dealing with them very successfully. And the blockade has been a tremendous success. They said two days ago, we will open the strait.

I said, no, we're not going to open the strait until we have a final deal. No, we want to open the strait, they said. We're not opening. We totally control the strait, just so you understand.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iran is dismissing the extension as meaningless. An advisor to Tehran's top negotiator is calling it a quote, "ploy to buy time for a surprise strike," adding that the time for Iran to take the initiative has come.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments from Abu Dhabi, she joins us now live. Good to see you, Paula. So now that President Trump has extended the ceasefire indefinitely and Iran is now issuing new threats, where do things stand right now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, first of all, let's look at the White House point of view. We heard from three officials familiar with what is going on, that they had actually given Iran a list of broad points that they wanted Tehran to agree to before these talks went ahead.

But they were receiving nothing back. There was silence from the Iranian side, according to these officials, even when the mediator, Pakistan, was trying to push them towards responding.

Now, the way the White House has read that is that they believe that there is fractures within the current Iranian leadership. They don't know whether it is the current supreme leader who is not giving direction, who we haven't seen or heard from since he was appointed. But they are hoping they can give time for there to be a more consensual opinion from Iran.

Now, we've seen that play out publicly. We've seen statements from the foreign minister, which are then rebutted effectively by the Revolutionary Guard. So this clearly is an issue that the White House is looking at.

But when we look at the way the Iranian leadership is responding to this extended ceasefire, it's a very different picture. We've heard one statement, which I want to read to you from the advisor of the parliament speaker, who's the head of the delegation when it comes to these negotiations.

Quote, "Trump's ceasefire extension means nothing. The losing side cannot dictate terms. The continuation of the siege is no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response."

So this is the key sticking point at this point for Iran. The fact that Trump has said that this naval blockade will continue in the Strait of Hormuz on the Iranian ports. And this is the reason they are saying that they are not going to consider talks at this point.

We've heard from Iran's U.N. envoy that as soon as Washington lifts this blockade, then talks can continue in his opinion. We've heard the foreign minister calling this an act of war. But President Trump is insistent at this point that that blockade will stay in place. So we are still in limbo. There isn't this looming deadline that there

had been. Certainly this ceasefire appears to have been extended indefinitely at this point.

[03:05:04]

But we are hearing more strong rhetoric coming from the military side in Tehran, the Revolutionary Guard, for example, through Fars state media saying that they are threatening to target oil production sites in their neighboring Gulf nations. Now they've actually named specific sites saying that they are hosting Iran's enemies. And they've talked about the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, all of the Gulf nations that they have been targeting for the last two months, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, many thanks for that live report. I appreciate it.

Joining me now is Abdulla Banndar Al-Etaibi, Assistant Professor in International Affairs at Qatar University. He comes to us live from Doha, Qatar. I appreciate you joining us.

ABDULLA BANNDAR AL-ETAIBI, ASSISTANT PROF. IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, QATAR UNIVERSITY: Thank you so much for having me, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course.

So once it was clear Iran was not showing up for the second round of peace talks in Pakistan, President Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely, even after saying he didn't want to do that. We know too now that Iran is issuing various threats affecting the region. What is your assessment of the situation right now, and what are the implications for the Gulf where you are?

AL-ETAIBI: Well, that's a good question. What we have seen so far, there are indications of internal divisions within Iran.

You see the foreign minister announcing the opening of Strait of Hormuz, then you see the IRGC just announcing the closure of it. And I think the Iranians know that it's a matter of time and it's a matter, it's a big test of patience.

And they know that President Trump wants a good deal, he wants a better deal than Obama's deal with Iran. And he wants a big deal that could be added to his C.V. and he moves on to another case. So the Iranians know that and they want to put more pressure when it comes to the time.

And this is the issue, I think this is a big test for the mediator as well, to put more pressure on both parties, especially the Iranians, to move forward and to have a big talks. If we are expecting a huge, magnificent deal, I think this is impossible at this moment with the issue of trust between both parties.

I think if they really want a good deal, I mean, I'm talking about the Americans and the Iranians, I think a framework of understanding on the big deals, such as the nuclear power, the missiles, maybe the proxies, the regional influence, etc., this would be more acceptable for the region.

I think all Gulf countries and all the regional countries, quote- unquote, "the reasonable ones," are pushing for more de-escalation and to have an end to this war. And I think it's the best interest of the region for the Pakistani talks to turn into Pakistan track or the process of Pakistan and the process of Islamabad, where the U.S. and Iran could have talks now and then maybe other regional countries could join to address their concerns on Iranian behavior in the region.

CHURCH: And, of course, that is the hope. The problem is getting them, all parties, to the table, right?

So what does need to happen next to get diplomatic efforts back on track? And how possible is it that a compromise agreement between the U.S. and Iran can be achieved, certainly when it comes to the enrichment of uranium and so many other unresolved issues?

AL-ETAIBI: Well, concessions could be done, I mean, but this is behind closed doors. The thing is, or the issue is, for the Iranians is that President Trump's post threats and post big talks on social media, and this is actually embarrassing them in terms of, in front of their internal audience. And this is a big thing for them, because it's now about exit strategy, how both parties could walk away with something, they could call it a victory for their audience.

We talk about the U.S. with being the superpower in the world and the legitimacy of that, to open the Strait of Hormuz, which wasn't the case before the war, and also to end the nuclear threat of Iran. For the Iranians, they want to, because they economically and militarily are devastated after the American-Israeli attack, but at least they have a victory, that the regime hasn't collapsed yet.

So it's about, I think, exhaustion. Once we hit that point, I think we will see concessions. At the moment, because the Iranians are losing everything except for the regime's survival, and they want to have the Strait of Hormuz carved back, because they closed it and they want to open it for the world, to use it as a strategy and a card for the future, in case there are more escalations coming from the American or the Israelis.

[03:10:07]

But now, because of the American blockade, you see this card has been taken away from them, and this is a big concern for them right now. So it's about the exhaustion.

Once they hit that point, I think we'll see the concessions coming. Now, I think maybe the Americans are relying on China, because the Chinese economy will be influenced by the big energy that comes from the Strait of Hormuz that has been closed by the American blockade.

CHURCH: Right, and of course China is calling for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. So what would an agreement with Iran look like, and how different or similar would it be to the nuclear deal made by the Obama administration, which was, of course, abandoned by President Trump back in 2018?

AL-ETAIBI: Well, I think it's about, it's not about the deal for President Trump, it's about the legacy itself. He wants the Iranian deal to be connected and associated with his legacy, rather than Obama's legacy. And I think if the Iranians are smart enough, they would give him something that is better than Obama's deal in any way.

If they could convince the negotiating team of President Trump, or even President Trump himself, they would get something out of it. But the thing is, at this moment, I don't think a big deal that brings stability to the region and ending the nuclear issue is possible, because we see a big escalation happening this year, after like two rounds of possibly successful negotiations, according to the Omani foreign minister.

And therefore, I think it's good, it's good to start with something like big understanding on big issues such as like, there is no nuclear bomb or nuclear weapon, could Iran develop something like a proxy should not be supported regionally, because they are just adding more chaos to the region. Things like that would be acceptable in exchange for some frozen assets to be eased by the Americans.

This would help the Iranians to at least to take something to the people and say, well, we want something. And this would actually result and President Trump announced his victory as well.

CHURCH: Abdulla Banndar Al-Etaibi, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

AL-ETAIBI: Thank you so much.

CHURCH: Of course.

Well, the U.S. military has used a lot of its stockpile of key missiles during the war with Iran. CNN's Zachary Cohen looks at the risks that has created.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SR. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Based on new analysis from the Center for Strategic Studies and the findings of which have been confirmed by our sources familiar with recent Pentagon assessments, the U.S. is running dangerously low on key munitions that it has expended during the war with Iran. Now, these munitions are critical not just for the U.S., but also allies like Israel and Ukraine, which purchases the weapons from the United States.

The United States has had to surge and replace the weapons that they've already used with those that they've already provided to allies, creating a dilemma for the U.S. But according to this study and our sources, the real problem could arise if the U.S. is forced to confront a near peer adversary like China sometime in the near future. This conflict would require and expend munitions at a much higher rate than what we've seen during the war with Iran. And just to give you an example of just how much these stockpiles have been depleted, the U.S. inventory of precision strike missiles is down to about 45 percent of what it previously was. Also, the U.S. THAAD missile inventory, the U.S. has used about half of those over seven weeks of war with Iran. These are missiles that are critical for intercepting ballistic missiles, key defensive munition on their own right.

And also Patriot air defense missiles, the U.S. has used about 50 percent of its existing stockpile during the course of the war with Iran. Similarly with the Tomahawk missiles, critical long range strike capability for the U.S. military, about 30 percent of the stockpile has been used thus far. And the real problem arises because these weapons do take a long time to replace.

Sources and this new analysis do both project the timeline to replace these weapons from one to six years. And that's not enough time to fully get back to pre-war levels if a conflict were to pop up before then. And so we're also told by sources that this is a problem.

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned President Trump about prior to the war with Iran. This was something that he cautioned the President could not only affect the U.S. military, but also key allies like Israel and Ukraine. It's something that the Pentagon is actively trying to address by requesting a supplemental funding bill from Congress, but that's one that would not fix the problem in the near term if an additional war were to break out.

[03:15:01]

In the short term, we're told the U.S. does have enough weapons in its stockpile to continue bombing Iran. But again, the question comes, what happens if another war arises next?

Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The FBI is on the case of at least 10 dead or missing U.S. scientists who worked in nuclear or aerospace research. Why some people think there may be a connection? Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Mexico says it's boosting security after a deadly shooting at Mexico's ancient pyramids just weeks ahead of the World Cup. Officials say Monday's attack was premeditated and the suspect acted alone. CNN's Valeria Leon has the latest.

[03:20:08]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in Teotihuacan pyramids in the state of Mexico, just 40 miles north from Mexico City. Here is a pyramid of the moon where yesterday an attacker climbed those stairs and opened fire, he killed one tourist from Canada and then he killed himself. He was identified as a 27-year-old from Mexico City.

This place remains closed. And here are two tourists from Italy. How do you feel about what happened here yesterday?

GIANNI MAGRINI, TOURIST FROM ITALY: Honestly, I discovered everything like this morning. But yes, we changed these plans yesterday just for schedule, organization. And yes, it was shocking.

But yes, I understood today really that someone was murdered because we told just that there were some shootings.

LEON: And inside this place, 13 people were injured. Eight of them are still in hospitals nearby. And authorities have confirmed that among the victims, there are tourists from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and also Russia.

And this came as a shock because Teotihuacan is the second most visited archaeological site in the country. Last year, it received 1.6 million visitors. And it also has raised concerns because Mexico gears up to receive the World Cup and receive also more than 5 million visitors during this summer.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said this incident deeply pains Mexico. Also, Mexican authorities have confirmed they are in contact with the Canadian embassy.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (translated): Our solidarity goes out to the family of the person who lost their life.

LEON: Security forces are being deployed here and also they're investigating what are the motives behind this crime and what made this 27-year-old man open fire in the middle of the morning in one of the most iconic archaeological sites.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Teotihuacan, State of Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Multiple sources tell CNN that the two U.S. embassy officials who died in a car crash in Mexico on Sunday were employed by the CIA. Three people briefed on the matter say the CIA officers had been working with Mexican officials on fighting cartel drug operations. According to initial reports, the U.S. officers and two Mexican officials were returning from a drug raid in the country's north when their car crashed on the highway.

Mexico's President says the situation is under investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEINBAUM (through translator): We were not aware that there was a direct coordination between the state of Chihuahua and the members of the U.S. embassy in Mexico. Therefore, we're requesting all the information from the government of Chihuahua and also from the U.S. government and reviewing whether there has been any breach of the national security law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The FBI is investigating the deaths or disappearance in recent years of at least 10 scientists connected to sensitive nuclear or aerospace research. CNN's Natasha Chen has a report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The circumstances of these dozen or so people vary widely from people whose deaths had been publicly reported and explained with suspects arrested to people whose disappearances truly leave detectives stumped.

I've tried to reach out to as many family members and close friends of these people as I could and the reactions also range widely from some laughing this off as ridiculous to others hoping a federal investigation will finally give them some answers.

The request for briefings from the FBI, the Defense Department, Department of Energy and NASA comes from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. Here's the committee chair James Comer.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY), U.S. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: When I first heard about this I thought well that can't be true that sounds like some kind of crazy conspiracy theory but once you see the facts it would suggest that something sinister could be happening and it would be a national security concern.

CHEN: But there's nothing sinister in the eyes of Julia Hicks, the daughter of Michael David Hicks, a scientist who died in 2023. He was named in those congressional letters.

There were internet rumors stemming from no publicly listed cause of death or available autopsy but his daughter told me she's the one who found him when he passed and he had no medical issues. She said he worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nearly 25 years on near-Earth comets and asteroids and how to deflect them from Earth.

Nothing that she feels would put a target on his back. She told me I can't help but laugh about it but at the same time it's getting serious, referring to this congressional attention.

[03:25:10]

And then on the other end of the spectrum you have disappearances like that of Anthony Chavez, 78 years old, who disappeared last year from Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was retired and had been a foreman overseeing construction of new buildings at Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to a detective there told me he is at a loss.

The clues show that Chavez was home the day before he was reported missing but left all his stuff behind and though he was a hiker and could have gone to one of the many canyons in the area, it was also pouring rain that day and he didn't bring a jacket. Chavez's best friend told me he tried to get the FBI involved initially but was hung up on. He says it's about time the feds look into this and he believes Chavez was abducted.

I asked him to elaborate on that but he said the Chavez family asked him not to say anything more.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted last week about what she called quote "recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, that agencies would holistically review all the cases together and leave no stone unturned."

Now the FBI declined to comment. The Department of Defense said only that it would respond to the committee directly and the Department of Energy referred questions to the White House.

Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead, the impact on oil. We will have more on the developments in the Middle East and Iran's latest threat against its Gulf neighbors. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The next round of talks between Iran and the U.S. are on hold and President Trump has extended the ceasefire that was close to expiring. It's not clear how long the truce will remain, the leader of the Iranian negotiating team says the ceasefire extension means nothing.

State media is airing a new threat from Iran. If its neighbors let the U.S. use their land to attack Iran, then Tehran will resume its attacks on them. An Iranian commander says Tehran's target list now includes major oil fields and refineries.

New video appears to show the U.S. forces boarding a stateless sanctioned vessel in the Indian Ocean. According to the U.S. Treasury, M.T. Tiffany is sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil. In a post on X, the U.S. Defense Department says it reserves the right to quote, "interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran anywhere they operate."

Well, amid all these developments, we are continuing to watch the impact on oil, of course, as prices this hour are lower. CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Dubai. What is the latest on oil prices and market reaction?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it's been a case of major whiplash if I had to define what we've seen over the last few days.

You know, we had a massive drop in oil on Friday when there was a grand declaration about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Things changed very quickly. And then yesterday, things were really tentative when President Trump initially said he wasn't going to extend the ceasefire.

Now we know there's no timestamp on the extension because they say that the U.S., the Iranian government is just so fractured. WTI and Brent crude now lower this morning. And importantly, everyone waiting to see who's going to budge first.

We're in the meantime seeing a maritime confrontation, Rosemary, really playing out in real time, whether it's the United States seizing and boarding vessels not only in the Gulf of Oman, but also in the Indian Ocean, specifically one tanker. It's just showing that the U.S. naval blockade and the expansion of enforcement in any seas is really coming into play.

And then, of course, from the Iranian perspective, choking off the actual transit in the Strait of Hormuz, and this becoming really a sticking point in terms of the potential conversations and tripping up the talks in Islamabad. And now we wait to see what happens in terms of any diplomatic off-ramp that can be found in these times.

But most experts are looking at this knowing very well that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is going to have a significant impact overall on the supply of oil. In the meantime, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted this on X.

And he says that POTUS has made it clear the United States Navy will continue the blockade of Iranian ports. In a matter of days, he says, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in.

So what we've been seeing here is that Iran has been dominating a lot of the traffic out of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war before the U.S. naval blockade. And the Treasury Secretary coming out and saying that Kharg Island storage is going to fill up very quickly, that is just tightening the screws on Iran being able to gain revenue during this time.

But Kpler data came out with some really interesting numbers. And they were talking about 176 million barrels of oil currently out at sea that is owned by Iran. So we wait to see if they reach their destination, but that's still millions of dollars' worth.

CHURCH: Those numbers just incredible. Eleni Giokos in Dubai, bring us that live report. Many thanks.

[03:35:03]

Still to come with Apple preparing for a new CEO, we will look at what the change in leadership could signal for the company's future plans in AI. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well here's a look at the business headlines now.

President Trump says he is against a merger between United and American Airlines, he argues both companies are doing well on their own.

[03:40:07]

Reports say the head of United discussed the possible merger with White House officials earlier this year.

German airline Lufthansa says it will cut some European routes and 20,000 short haul flights in an effort to save jet fuel. Airlines are struggling with potential shortages and higher prices due to the war with Iran. Jet fuel prices in Europe have more than doubled since the conflict began.

U.S. retail sales just posted their biggest monthly gain in three years. The increase was driven mainly by a spike in gas prices, sales of gas stations rose more than 15 percent compared to the same time a month before.

Well with Tim Cook stepping down as CEO of Apple, there's now a huge spotlight on how the newcomer will shape the company's future. CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy has this profile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: John Ternus has big shoes to fill when he takes over as Apple CEO from Tim Cook on September 1st. But this is somebody who knows Apple inside and out.

He has been at the company since 2001. In his letter talking about this transition, he actually wrote about working under Steve Jobs. I think trying to hammer home that he has a connection to this company's legacy.

He has grown up in Apple's engineering and hardware departments, currently serving as senior vice President of hardware engineering. He has worked on some of Apple's most important products like the iPad and AirPods. He also was behind the development of Apple's in-house chips for its devices, which may seem like a small thing to consumers.

But this was essentially rethinking the brain of Apple products from the ground up, making them more power efficient, enabling new features. And I think the selection of Ternus as Apple's next CEO gives us a hint about where the company is going in the A.I. era. They are signaling that they are focused on their legacy as a technical hardware innovator.

And this is interesting at a time when many players in the tech world are focused on A.I. software. But Apple really has always been that company that uses its devices to give many consumers access to services and software. And so that seems to be the thing that they're thinking about in this

next phase of technology. There is talk that Apple may be developing A.I.-specific devices like smart wearable glasses.

We'll have to see where that goes. Obviously, Apple is very secretive when it comes to products on its roadmap.

But I think the big question now is, can John Ternus make that happen? Can he sort of retain Apple's position as this essential piece of so many people's lives?

That is what he will have to do when he takes over this company later this year. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to thank you for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "World Sport" is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)