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U.S., Iran Fired Both Sides in the Strait of Hormuz, a Test of the Fragile Ceasefire which U.S. President Trump is Unsure of the Fate; Britney Spears Pleads Guilty of a Lesser Charge Related to DUI to Avoid Jail Time. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 05, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And we are so glad you could join us here on "CNN Newsroom," I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN MANAGING EDITOR, MIDDLE EAST: I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East Programming Headquarters in Abu Dhabi. It is 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May the 5th.

And the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is being tested after both sides fired shots in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran also striking the UAE, a move that could widen this conflict again.

Emirati officials say an Iranian drone strike caused a major fire at an oil facility on Monday. Three Indian nationals there were injured in the attack.

Iran's strikes coming hours after President Donald Trump launched what he called Project Freedom, designed to guide commercial ships, he says, through the vital waterway. President Trump warns Iranian forces they will be, quote, "blown off the face of the earth" if they target U.S. ships. He also declined to say if the ceasefire with Iran is still in effect.

And we are now hearing from a top Iranian official, CNN's Paula Hancocks, joining us now with more on that. Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Becky, what we had heard from Iran is that this Project Freedom they considered to be a violation of the ceasefire. And then what we saw transcend with this trading fire between the U.S. and Iran happened afterwards.

We've had a response from the parliament speaker, Mohammad Bager Ghalibaf. He's the one that was leading up the delegation for the talks as well.

And he says, quote, "The new equation of the Strait of Hormuz is in the process of being solidified. The security of shipping and energy transit has been put at risk by the United States and its allies through violations of the ceasefire and imposition of the blockade."

So Iran has been criticizing this effort by the U.S. to try and facilitate the transiting of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as it is trying to change facts on the ground itself. And it wants this U.S. naval blockade to be lifted as well.

We did hear from the foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, because bear in mind that the diplomatic process is still ongoing at the time of this. And he said that events in Hormuz make clear that there is no military solution to a political crisis.

He refers to the fact that talks are making progress with Pakistan's gracious effort and said the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into the quagmire by ill-wishers. And he says so should the UAE.

And of course, that's what we saw, that the retaliation included the United Arab Emirates here. We saw that Iran had carried out that drone strike against the Fujairah oil industry complex.

Three Indian nationals were moderately injured in that, India has criticized Iran as well, saying it's unacceptable. And you had some 19 missiles and drones that were engaged by the Ministry of Defense. You know, a sadly familiar reality for residents here in the United Arab Emirates coming under fire from Iran once again.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Paula. Thank you.

Well, joining me now from London is Jasmine El-Gamal. She's founder and CEO of Avaros Strategies and former Middle East adviser at the U.S. Defense Department.

And Donald Trump has stopped short of saying that the ceasefire is over. Do you believe it is effectively over at this point?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FOUNDER AND CEO, AVEROS STRATEGIES, FORMER MIDDLE EAST ADVISER, U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, AND PODCAST HOST, "THE VIEW FROM HERE": It does seem to be that way, Becky. I mean, I know Donald Trump is trying to maintain some semblance of diplomacy and the fact that negotiations still could be around the corner. He doesn't want to set panic through the markets, he doesn't want to set panic and anger through the American public who are already against this war.

But if we're looking at facts on the ground, it does seem silly to call this a ceasefire with everything that's been going on, especially in the last 24 hours.

ANDERSON: The UAE has maintained its right to respond after yesterday's attack. And those attacks were ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

[03:05:04]

How likely do you believe it is now that Abu Dhabi could play a more active role in this conflict? And what would that look like?

EL-GAMAL: Well, of course, I mean, they are pressured to do so now more and more. And Becky, as you know, over the last few weeks, the Gulf countries have not necessarily all been exactly on the same page as to how to respond to the Iranian attacks against them, which as you I mean, of course, you're there, right?

It took them completely by surprise. And they felt very betrayed by the Iranian response. They felt that it was completely overhanded -- heavy handed and over the top. And they feel that Iran has crossed a line that, frankly, they won't be able to walk back.

But the UAE has really borne the brunt of that. And almost like a self-fulfilling cycle, the more the UAE bore the brunt of that in those early weeks, the more the UAE doubled down publicly on its strategic alliance with the U.S. and Israel, which in turn made it more of a target for Iran.

So it really is kind of this vicious cycle here. So you can see the UAE really thinking about how to respond to this, because obviously, this is not a precedent that they want to allow being set by the Iranians. And of course, this is all happening in the overall context--

Yes, sorry, go ahead.

ANDERSON: No, finish your thought.

EL-GAMAL: I was going to say this is all happening within the overall context of this war of timelines, the competing timelines that you and I have talked about a few times now, which of the two parties, the U.S. and Iran, is able to exert a consistently higher cost on the other in order to make the other blink first.

And Iran has calculated that it can weather this storm for several months, if need be. And it's calculating that the U.S. timeline is more a week's long timeline. And that's the bet that they're making.

So they're trying to make the cost even higher, not allow the UAE or any other country to take advantage of alternate pipelines or ways of exporting energy and making sure that that cost on global markets on the U.S. domestically, internationally on the Gulf allies stays very, very painfully high.

ANDERSON: If we assume just for the moment that President Donald Trump does not want to get back into any sort of kinetic action, this is an assumption, we don't know this for a fact, but he's looking to sort of, get shot of this as it were, and excuse the pun and sort of move on. Then that sort of plays in perhaps to this rather muted response that the U.S. President had to these projectiles fired at the UAE; I'm a resident here.

Look, when those alerts went off, you know, repeatedly last night, I can tell you, it's a very worrying escalation. For those who live in this Gulf country, the President said, quote, "they were shot down for the most part, one got through, not huge damage."

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has not made any public comments. His rival, though, the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the Israeli alliance with the UAE is vital. And Iran's actions are, I quote him here, "a declaration of the renewal of war." How do you read between the lines of all of that?

EL-GAMAL: Yes, and I can't imagine how stressful, honestly, it is to be there right now. I mean, speaking to friends, obviously, and getting these warnings has shaken them, as I'm sure you as well. I think this really comes down, Becky, to a fundamental mismatch in perceptions of what exactly this war is.

Is this a political problem that needs to be solved politically and diplomatically? Or is it a military problem?

And I think that the U.S. and Israel, to varying degrees, still continue to see this issue with Iran as one that could be solved militarily. What we've seen over the last several weeks now, and really, for the entirety of the U.S.-Iran relationship, that diplomacy is the way to get at these issues, because these are structural issues. These are existential issues.

It's about whether this regime in Iran will be accepted by the United States, by Israel, what kind of dealings they will have with it, whether they will allow sanctions to be lifted on it, for it to be a quote-unquote "normal member of the international community," what to do with the nuclear program, proxies, missiles. I mean, all of this bundle of issues, can it be solved militarily?

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And I think what the U.S. and Donald Trump has been finding out is that the answer to that is no. But he still can't be seen to be walking away from this weak or defeated or not being able to declare victory. And so you see him trying to walk this fine line between trying to keep the temperature down and keeping up pressure on Iran.

And of course, we always have to keep in mind that Donald Trump is a wild card, as is Benjamin Netanyahu. We have to remain vigilant and plan for further escalation by the Americans and Israelis as a surprise.

ANDERSON: Jasmine, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed, Jasmine El-Gamal speaking to us today.

And we'll have more on the war with Iran a little later this hour. I want to send it back now, though, to Polo, who is in New York.

SANDOVAL: All right, Becky, we'll go back out to you shortly for the latest on the Middle East.

For now, though, let's bring our viewers up to speed on this cruise ship that's stricken by a suspected outbreak of Hantavirus. It was denied permission to dock in the capital of Cape Verde, which is an island nation just off of West Africa.

Three passengers have died and at least three other people are currently sick. Local health authorities, they have visited the ship and already checked on those with some symptoms. But for now, about 150 people remain stuck on board while officials figure out exactly what to do next, that includes possible medical evacuations. More now from CNN's Larry Madowo.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A suspected outbreak of Hantavirus on board this cruise ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the M.V. Honduras, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina over a month ago.

Details of the suspected outbreak emerged as it was anchored in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa. On Sunday, one American travel blogger on board issued this tearful message.

JAKE ROSMARI, TRAVEL BLOGGER: We're not just a story, we're not just headlines, we're people.

People with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home.

MADOWO: Cape Verdean authorities have refused to allow anyone to disembark. However, local health authorities visited the ship and assessed two symptomatic crew members requiring urgent medical care, Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement.

There are 17 Americans among the 149 people on board, according to Oceanwide. The company told CNN it is, quote, "currently focused on the health and safety of passengers and crew."

Humans most commonly get infected with the Hantavirus through contact with rodents like mice or rats, especially their urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, as well as headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems. Human-to- human transmission is rare, the World Health Organization says.

DR. SCOTT. MISCOVICH, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: To have this many people clustered together on a ship, most public health officials would be looking and looking for human-to-human transmission, and I'm sure this is going to be investigated tremendously, but that would be where the arrows are pointing right now.

MADOWO: So far, it's not clear how the suspected infections on this ship occurred.

The first death on board this ship happened April 11. The body of a 70-year-old Dutchman was taken to the island of St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, according to South Africa's Department of Health, his wife later collapsed at an airport while trying to fly home and died in hospital. At this time, it is not confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board, the operator said.

The World Health Organization says it is facilitating between member states and the ship's operators on a full public health risk assessment, but added, quote, "the risks to the wider public remain slow." There is no need for panic or travel restrictions. Larry Madowo, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: And still to come this hour, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintaining already a firm grip on power for decades in Russia. Well, now he's fearing a coup. Those details on the other side of the break.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back.

Russia says that it will be observing a two-day ceasefire in Ukraine later this week to mark its annual World War II Victory Day celebrations. This year's parade will be significantly pared back with no military hardware on display. The Kremlin says that that's because Moscow is facing what it describes as a terrorist threat from Kyiv.

But President Zelenskyy announcing that Ukraine will begin its own ceasefire starting on Wednesday, saying that he believes human life is far more valuable than any anniversary celebration. He went on to say that Russia needs to enact a permanent peace, especially since Moscow believes that it can hold a parade without Ukraine's goodwill. Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudyk agrees.

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KIRA RUDYK, UKRAINIAN LAWMAKER: When you are starting the war, committing all kinds of war crimes, you should be expecting that at some point this war will come back at you, and the amount of pain and suffering, the amount of killings and stolen children that Putin and his surrounding and Russia have committed in Ukraine gives us all the rights to fight back, and this is what we are doing.

And we will continue doing that until Russia stops. And this is why we are offering a ceasefire even before the military parade.

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SANDOVAL: And as Vladimir Putin's four-year war in Ukraine drags on, there is now new evidence that he may be becoming more paranoid about threats to his presidency and to his life. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh with more in this report.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a rare pointed insight into one of the starkest secrets in Russia, President Vladimir Putin's security protocols. And it, a detailed intelligence report given to CNN by a source close to a European intelligence agency, portrays, predictably, a Kremlin in deep crisis.

Cooks, bodyguards, and photographers working with Putin must have surveillance systems installed in their homes, it says. Putin has stopped visiting military sites this year entirely, it says, in contrast to last year, often spending time in fortified bunkers and keeping clear of his main lavish residences like Valday.

A tactic aided by many of his appearances, and he is in the media a lot, being pre-recorded. His staff cannot use smartphones or public transport, the report adds. Visitors must be searched twice.

PATON WALSH: Not all of this information is new. Some of it rumored or evident before. But the massive detail is striking, as is the decision by a European intelligence agency to release a report like this, clearly an information salvo designed to stoke strife and paranoia at a time of perceived weakness in the Kremlin.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The dossier also suggests something staggering, that the measures may be designed to protect Putin from a potential coup, something he had a narrow miss with in June 2023, when mercenary boss and former chef to Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a failed march on Moscow.

The risk of a coup, it says now, is from another former confidant, Sergey Shoigu, once his Minister of Defense, but now Secretary of the Security Council. He retains significant influence within the military high command, it says. The report says a coup is more likely after Shoigu's former deputy and close associate, Ruslan Salikov, was arrested in March, which it calls, "a breach of the tacit protection agreements among elites."

But the report doesn't provide any evidence or explain why it has made this risk public, warning the Kremlin.

It claims the new security measures came after a series of assassinations among the Russian top brass, likely by Ukraine, at an urgent meeting last year, after the killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow on December the 22nd.

The release of the report has convenient timing, four years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at a time when doubts about Russia's ability to sustain its war effort and its economic impact are growing. Of major internet blackouts, growing internal criticism of Putin himself, and continued successful Ukrainian bombardment of targets deep inside Russia.

Especially ahead of the May the 9th Victory Day parade, scaled back dramatically this year for security, there are plenty of reasons European intelligence would seek to destabilize the Kremlin, and much of this is hard to corroborate. But it is rare detail and a confident presentation of a Kremlin in crisis that matches a moment of peaking criticism of Putin internally. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

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SANDOVAL: Now when we return, we'll take you back to the Middle East to tell you what we know so far about the drone attack on a major UAE oil facility, and this as the U.S. and Iran continue trading shots in the Strait of Hormuz.

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ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. and Iran traded shots on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, testing what is a fragile ceasefire. This comes as the U.S. initiates what they call Project Freedom to quote, "guide stranded vessels out of that strategic waterway."

Now a senior Iranian official warning that the move violates the current ceasefire agreement. But President Trump is warning Iranian forces will be quote, "blown off the face of the earth if they target U.S. ships."

But meanwhile, an Iranian drone strike reportedly sparked a major fire at an oil facility in the UAE on Monday. Officials say three Indian nationals were injured in that attack on the oil facility in Fujairah in the UAE.

Well, for more on all of this, we're joined now by Jennifer Parker. She's an adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia's Defense and Security Institute. Importantly, a former Australian Navy officer.

Your last appointment, Jennifer, was as Director of Operations in Bahrain of the Combined Maritime Forces, which is, of course, a 47 nation coalition promoting maritime security in this region. So from your vantage point as a naval expert with considerable operational experience in this region, how do you assess the state of play right now?

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JENNIFER PARKER, ADJUNCT PROF., DEFENSE AND SECURITY INSTITUTE- UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AND FORMER AUSTRALIAN NAVY OFFICER: Well, the state of play right now is fairly confused, I would suspect, for the merchant ships in the region.

Of course, they have Iran saying that they cannot transit the strait or they will be attacked. And they have the U.S. saying that Project Freedom will allow them to be guided safely out of the strait. So it is a bit of a deadlock.

That said, I think that Project Freedom, the success of it will be measured in days, not hours. But I think it is important that the U.S. take some steps to free up shipping to go through the strait. What we can't allow is a status quo where Iran controls the strait and has a view that it can control the strait after the conflict, that would fundamentally impede maritime trade.

ANDERSON: I wonder, you've said that Project Freedom appears to be less about providing direct protection to ships and more about the U.S. trying to change this threat perception in the strait so that ships feel safe about transiting. Is that ambition realistic at this point, given what we understand to be a serious amount of mines having been laid in that area and indeed threats from Iranian small boats, at least, if not more?

PARKER: Well, it certainly is ambitious. Whether it will be effective will depend really on how much capability Iran has left, which is not clear. Clearly they have some.

But also U.S. resolve to see it through. Now, when it comes to mines, it does look like Iran has mined the traffic separation scheme, which is in the middle of the strait. The U.S. has encouraged vessels to transit close to the Omani coast, south of that traffic separation scheme, where clearly they don't view there are mines there.

That also puts them at a distance from the Iranian coast, where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats are most active.

Now, if the U.S. can have a protective layer around that northern part of the Omani coast, they could create a bubble for these ships to go through. How sustainable that is will really depend on U.S. will and the status of negotiations, which again, aren't clear.

ANDERSON: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has posted a new map claiming to expand its control of the Strait of Hormuz, and it includes Fujairah, which is the key emirate here in the UAE, where oil can bypass the strait, go from effectively west to east. That is an oil facility, it's in Fujairah that an oil facility was attacked yesterday.

I wonder how much does Iran, extending its field of control, change the operational picture here?

PARKER: Look, I'm not sure it actually changes the operational picture a lot.

I think this is more about information operations for Iran, trying to demonstrate that they are in control of that strait, to try and discourage any civilian shipping from going through without going through the Iranian toll gate and without going through without Iranian permission. So I think that's more about information operations than it is about physical military control of that strait.

Not that we should underestimate Iran's capabilities. They've clearly attacked at least three ships in the last 24 hours, some with significant damage. But I think that statement is more about the communications rather than their ability to exercise control across that region. ANDERSON: I want to talk about who else might get involved in trying

to free up access and navigation in these straits. Donald Trump's highly anticipated visit to Beijing next week is still on the calendar. His Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has urged "China to step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait," that's a quote from Bessent.

We've not seen much of an appetite from Beijing to get involved, even though a considerable amount of oil bound for China, of course, goes through that strait from Iran and other countries. But I want to get your thoughts on that posture from the Americans, this appeal to China at this point. What do you make of that?

PARKER: Well, I think it's true to say that China has influence over Iran and China will be feeling the pressure of the effective closure of the strait. And certainly there is a view that China could apply diplomatic pressure. And there were some rumors in reporting over a month ago when there were negotiations in Pakistan that China had applied pressure for that to happen.

[03:34:58]

The optics, though, of a public call for China to do so, I don't think necessarily reflects the U.S. in a good light. And I think it makes the U.S. look like they are not being successful here in this campaign. So I think that's a curious strategic communications approach behind closed doors asking China to apply pressure, yes, but publicly, that is confusing.

And I think that that is not going to solve any immediate problems in terms of access to the Strait of Hormuz.

ANDERSON: Other countries have said that they will get involved in trying to help and support freedom of navigation once the fighting is over. So last question to you very briefly, do you see a period of kinetic action again at this point?

PARKER: Look, I think that's what the last 24 hours have shown. Now we'll have to watch the next couple of days to see if this escalates or if this is just a simple breach of the ceasefire.

But I think Iran is not going to give up control of that strait easily. I think the U.S. does need to wrestle that back. So potentially, we're going to see further escalation here.

ANDERSON: Jennifer, it's good to have you. Thank you very much, indeed. Jennifer Parker in the house for you this morning.

And we will be right back after this.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: Now we do have some video to share with you out of southeastern Brazil. It is disturbing, and it shows a small plane crashing into a building. Now this happened on Monday in the city of Belo Horizonte, the local network T.V. Globo capturing these images.

The fire department said that the pilot and co-pilot were killed and the other passengers on board are in serious condition. An investigation now underway into the cause of this crash.

Britney Spears will avoid jail time in her DUI case by pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Her lawyer agreed to a plea bargain known as a reckless on her behalf. And this basically means that Spears will get a year of probation, required DUI class, and also state mandated fines.

The plea offer is fairly normal for defendants who did not cause a crash or injury, who do not have a history of driving under the influence, and also who have shown some motivation to seek treatment for themselves. Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment center last month.

And as part of the plea deal, she also must agree to automatic searches and sobriety tests if she's pulled over in the future. Spears was arrested in California for driving erratically in March.

Well, fashion's finest, they came out for this year's Met Gal The theme? Costume art. Attendees, they were encouraged to express their own relationship with fashion as an embodied art form, and boy did they understand the assignment.

Beyonce here, you see, she was one of the event's co-chairs. She was back at the gala for the first time in 10 years, she wore the silver skeleton gown and was accompanied by her daughter, Blue Ivy.

Madonna's outfit featuring a black ship on the top of her headpiece, as well as a long gray train that was held up by an assistant on the red carpet.

And also in attendance, actress Blake Lively, fresh off of settling a lawsuit with her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni and his production companies. You should have seen Bad Bunny, too.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, thank you so much for joining us for "CNN Newsroom." "World Sport" is next, and I'll join you again at the top of the hour.

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