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Trump Claims "We Ended The War With Iran Today"; Trump Cancels Strikes, Touts New Deal With Iran; Iranian Foreign Ministry: No Agreement Finalized. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 12, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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[04:00:00]

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into the headlines.

Donald Trump is calling off a new round of strikes on Iran as he claims there is a new deal. What we know about where negotiations actually stand.

Plus, the World Cup is underway and the U.S. Men's team is facing stage stiff competition. We have a report from inside their training site.

And the White House is gearing up for a huge day of celebrations on Sunday, Flag Day. We have an inside look at the preparations for a cage match right on the South Lawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: Deal or no deal, that is the question on everyone lips this morning after President Trump declared, "We ended the war with Iran today." The president spent the early part of Thursday threatening to hit Iran very hard, even floating the idea of taking over parts of the country's oil infrastructure. Then the president canceled the strikes.

He now claims Vice President J.D. Vance could travel to Europe as soon as this weekend to sign a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we, we insisted on. That was the whole purpose. That was 95 percent of it. And they've done it in the most powerful way you can do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now a spokesperson for Iran's foreign Ministry told state run media that reports of a finalized agreement with the U.S. are merely speculation. Our Paula Hancocks says following all of these developments from Abu Dhabi. It's good to see you, Paula. Thank you for being with us this morning.

Look, we've been here quite a few times before I think with the administration claiming it is super close to finalizing a deal. But this is the clearest comments we've heard from President Trump yet. Is it real this time? And if there is a deal, what do we know about?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Salma, as you say, we've, we've been here many times before that the U.S. president has certainly sounded a lot more optimistic than anybody else in particular than Tehran.

Now this time he has said that he also believes there is agreement. There has been consultation not just between the U.S. And Iran, also the Gulf nations, also Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan. All of the vested interests have been covered.

He's also saying that potentially there could be a signing coming up in coming days, potentially in Europe, potentially with the U.S. Vice president involved. But of course, it's important to hear what Tehran has to say. And they have said up until this point that there is no deal. We have no confirmation from Tehran.

We are hearing, though, from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, even though he has said that it is merely speculation that there is still talks ongoing. Let's listen to exactly what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (voiceover): Regardless of the rhetoric, threats and claims of the other side, we are focused on the interests of the Iranian nation. We are doing our own work. Regarding the text and the overall understanding, whenever we conclude that it secures the interests of the Iranian nation, we will certainly announce it transparently. As I speak to you at this moment, we have not reached a final conclusion on this matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: We have been hearing, though, from sources in the region, from U.S. officials as well, that there was some progress made when the Qatari -- the Qatari delegation was in Tehran. They left just Thursday morning. They were there for the U.S. strikes against Iran.

We heard from one person familiar with that situation that there have been a number of sticking points that have been solved. For example, what sort of framework the future talks will take, for example, when it comes to discussing the nuclear program. How that will unfold, when it comes to the billions of dollars that have been frozen of Iranian money, how some of that may be unfrozen.

[04:05:06]

So, these very key sticking points, it does appear as though progress has been made. We're hearing as well from the Iranian side that there are still these delegations from Qatar, from Pakistan that are trying to push the process forward. So even though we on the face of it hear something very different from President Trump and from the administration in Tehran, we are, however, hearing from sources that there has been progress made.

In fact, there was one source that had said that they believe that there was real breakthrough when it came to this Qatari delegation, saying that they were, quote, "cautiously optimistic." So, yes, we have heard this many times from the U.S. President. But certainly what we're hearing behind the scenes is that there could be something more substantial behind this. Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you, Paula. So something more substantial, but as Paula pointed out there, that is a memorandum of understanding potentially there will be many more talks in the days and weeks ahead.

For more on all of this, I want to go to Cairo now. We're joined by H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Let me just break down here that the truth or not truth of this, because we're hearing, of course, from President Trump a claim that a deal could be signed as early as this weekend. We are hearing, you know, that the supreme Leader himself has agreed to this deal. But Iran is saying, look, it's too early to say that there is a deal. Who's telling the truth here?

H.A. HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, RUSI: So the honest answer to that is we don't know. We obviously have evidence from the past to indicate that, you know, Donald Trump may be overhyping how far they've gotten, but the fact that they have gotten so far that he's willing to go out on the type of a limb and say that they're this close, I think means that they are indeed quite close. It would be quite embarrassing for there to be nothing signed in the coming days if otherwise.

But I think that also what you see in terms of the response from the Iranians makes it clear that there is a gap. I think that there are two ways of looking at this.

One is that first, there isn't a deal, right? This is an MOU that's being discussed. You keep on talking about a deal, a deal, a deal. But there's no deal. In reality, neither the Americans nor the Iranians are saying that there's ever going to be a deal in this particular phase.

It's an MOU and an MOU to begin talks on a deal. As in every hard issue is really going to be a part of that. So, Trump says great settlement or something. Iran is still clear that there are gaps and ways to go.

So, this strikes me as the way to reconcile these two particular things, but also the narrative. And I think part of the narrative here is that, you know, Trump said that he was ordering really massive strikes and a huge escalation and then called it off. And the narrative that's been presented is that he called it off because a deal had been struck, whereas I don't think that there was that much change from the Iranian side.

And this will become, I'm sure, a subject of dispute between those in Tehran supporting the Iranian regime and those in Washington --

ABDELAZIZ: Sorry there, I believe we've lost he Hellyer in Cairo. He was beginning to break down for us the realities of what an agreement might look like. A reminder there from him that this would be a memorandum of understanding, meaning that it is just step one in a much larger process.

Moving on to our next story. President Trump has named his next pick to become the Director of National Intelligence. Jay Clayton was the head of the securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term, he is now a federal prosecutor in New York. Trump says he still plans to make Bill Pulte the acting intelligence chief.

Now, that's despite bipartisan pushback on his lack of experience. Pulte has also come under criticism for bringing criminal referrals against a number of the president's perceived political enemies.

Now a group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors are speaking out against President Trump's nominee for attorney general. The group of 19 women say Todd Blanche does not deserve the role after he participated in secret White House meetings on how to contain the political fallout from the Epstein files.

They were responding to new reporting from the New York Times. They say they are deeply disturbed that the administration was focused on its reputation instead of seeking justice for the survivors. Here's what one of them told CNN's Jake Tapper.

[04:10:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ STEIN, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: It's really concerning to us because at the end of the day, at the end of the day, we're victims of a crime, right? And what is the message that we are sending to Americans in this country about how victims of crime should be treated? This is an issue that has been laden with a ton of political emotion. But if we can't count on our government to prosecute crimes, then we're in big trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Mexico City was the center of the sporting universe earlier as the World Cup cohosts overcame South Africa in the opening match.

The crowd going wild there after a Mexico goal. Thousands had gathered in the city's famous Zocalo palace to see their team win 2 (inaudible). The Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum was at the match cheering on the team. She's right there in the front of that video selfie.

Later today, cohost Canada will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto and Team USA will have its own home opener in Southern California. CNN's Coy Wire has a preview for us.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, I am here outside of the USA's World Cup practice facility. Was at their practice just a bit ago. Players chomping at the bit talked to some of them, some of them saying that they are nervous and they're not afraid to say it. This World Cup returns to a very different America than the one that visited when it was last hosted here in 1994.

U.S. soccer back then actually had to pay players just so they could train. There was no MLS, no soccer specific stadiums. There were no generation of kids growing up watching American stars compete at some of Europe's most storied clubs like we have today.

Now, crowds are bigger, passion of fans is more palpable. The football IQ is higher. And those kids who grew up with World Cup dreams are now living and about to play in one right here on Home Soil. They are hyped.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN PULIISIC, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Probably be looking up at my family and friends in the stands who have supported me throughout all this. So, there will be a lot of emotions. It'll be a proud moment representing the U.S. Home Soil in a World Cup. I mean very special.

SEBASTIAN BERHALTER, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Very happy motion. And you know, tears come, tears come. But yes, I can't wait for that moment.

WESTON MCKENNIE, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Full circle moment because you know, as a kid dreaming about being in that position, wearing the crest and being able to hear the national anthem, I think it's something that, yeah, it makes dreams come true.

TIMOTHY WEAH, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: You get kind of nervous in that moment. But It's a great feeling. I can't wait.

MARK ARFSTEN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Motivated, inspired, emotional.

BRUNO FERNANDES, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: I'm sure there'll be a tears shed. It's a huge honor.

CHRISTIAN ROLDAN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: L.A. is my hometown, and so being able to play in my hometown for a World Cup, I mean, it just creates an unbelievable story.

ALEJANDRO ZENDEJAS, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Grateful for my family, everyone. They're going to be there. So that's going to be a special moment for me for sure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: All right. The U.S. have not reached a World Cup quarterfinal since 2002, but this group believes this tournament won't just be a soccer event. It'll be a moment changing how their country sees the game and how the rest of the world sees them. America's World Cup journey begins against Paraguay right here in Los Angeles.

ABDELAZIZ: Political headwinds are not getting any easier for British Prime Minister Pierce Starmer. Here ahead, two key defense officials call it quits as political rivals potentially vie for his job.

Plus, a message from the streets in Albania about a project called that is backed by President Donald Trump's family members.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:18:00]

ABDELAZIZ: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking what some are calling a political hammer blow at a time when he is fighting to keep his job.

On Thursday, two top defense officials quit his government, including Defense Secretary John Healey. He says Mr. Starmer is not giving the armed forces the resources that they need. The resignations came just weeks after the U.K. health minister also called it quits.

Mr. Starmer is bracing for next weeks by election in northwestern England that could make or break his political future. Fourteen candidates are in running in that race, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. He's expected to challenge Mr. Starmer if he wins the by election.

Now more protests are expected in Albania. That's in the coming hours, just as the country's prime minister plans to hold a party rally in the capital. Protesters are furious over a plan to build a new luxury resort that's backed by President Donald Trump's family members. And as Isa Soares reports, the protesters message is that their country is not for sale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Thousands of people once again packing the streets of Tirana outside the office of the country's prime minister, Edi Rama. The message loud and clear. Their anger isn't going away. Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury

resort linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and son in law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, that would transform uninhabited coastal land and protected wildlife areas into hotels, apartments and villas.

ARDIT CAMI, PROTESTER: No Albanian is going to afford 1,000, 2,000 euros a night. It doesn't make any sense. We also have no idea how this is supposed to benefit us.

SOARES (voiceover): It's a movement that has grown in size and scope. That began with concerns about the environmental impact of the project and has steamrolled into widespread anti-corruption protests where protesters demanding Rama's resignation. They say the government is selling the country to the highest bidder and has passed laws to fast- track projects like this one and bypass environmental protections.

[04:20:15]

ANISA IBRAJ, PROTESTER (voiceover): The project lacks transparency and we're all here for transparency. Until this clear to us what kind of investment this is, we will continue to protest.

SOARES (voiceover): The protests so far, not deterring Prime Minister Rama, who says the project will go ahead and be a big boost for tourism in the country. He says it will create jobs as the country continues its negotiations to join the European Union. But the European Commission is warning that Albania's luxury tourism goals could derail its biggest aspirations if its ecological policies don't align with the EU's.

Rama's more media problem is the fact that thousands of protesters gathering daily in Tirana who say they won't back down until he is gone. A movement that began with preserving flamingos now taking flight into something much broader.

GREISI MANI, PROTESTER: We are fed with the corruption here. We are supposed to be a new candidate country, but we lack basic services. Everybody has its own reasons. It has to come to an end, quite frankly.

SOARES (voiceover): Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: It's being called the Swiss Brexit. Voters in Switzerland will decide on Sunday whether to limit the country's population growth. They will vote on a proposal to cap the population at 10 million people.

Now Switzerland's population stood at 9.1 million at the end of last year. Businesses warn the measure could restrict access to skilled labor and strain relations with the European Union, which is its biggest export market.

Pope Leo is expected to return to the Vatican in the coming hours. During the final leg of his trip to Spain on Thursday, the pope focused on the migrant crisis in the Canary Islands. He called on leaders to treat all people with dignity. Our Christopher Lamb has more.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Leo standing shoulder to shoulder with immigrants at the last part of his visit to Spain. Coming to the Canary Islands, which is a major entry point for new arrivals from parts of West Africa.

Pope Leo going to the port of Arguineguin, which is known as the Port of Shame because in 2020, migrants were found sleeping and living there in squalor. Pope Leo speaking to immigrants and those organizations helping them, saying that human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.

Immigration for Leo, like his predecessor, Pope Francis, is a major priority. Pope Leo also listening to the harrowing testimonies of those coming to the Canary Islands.

ABDELAZIZ: More than 200 Catholic bishops gathered to commemorate America's 250th anniversary. The special mass was held Thursday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida. The Archbishop of Oklahoma City led prayers expressing gratitude for America's founding and its guiding principles.

With gas prices rising, the Trump administration is pushing to expand oil drilling off the coast of California. CNN spoke with some of the men leading the charge about why they believe it's so critical. That's ahead.

The UFC is taking over Washington, D.C. this weekend as the White House is set to host fights on the South Lawn. Still to come, we break down how much the UFC is spending on this event.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:27:17]

ABDELAZIZ: Iran is expressing skepticism about a deal with the U.S. to end the war. A foreign ministry spokesperson says while negotiations have yielded some progress, no agreement has been finalized as of yet.

Now, President Trump had called off planned military strikes and announced the deal on Thursday, claiming it could be signed as early as this weekend in Europe. He even suggested that Iran's supreme leader had backed the agreement.

The president says Iranian targets have taken a pounding from the U.S. military over the past few days. He claims that's what forced them into the deal. The Trump administration is using the Iran war as motivation for a post push to expand drilling and oil production in California. CNN's Elex Michelson recently traveled to Santa Barbara County for an exclusive look at that effort and the pushback to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): We arrive by

helicopter. We're excited to get after it for a firsthand look at a Sable offshore oil platform located off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. This pipeline is once again actively producing thousands of barrels of oil. Due to an executive order issued by the Trump administration.

The state of California is suing to shut it down.

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: President Trump is for energy addition and energy dominance. Gavin Newsom is for energy subtraction and energy submission.

MICHAELSON (voiceover): We speak exclusively with U.S. energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum atop the Harmony oil platform. At a moment when so many Americans are worried about higher gas prices.

DOUG BURGUM, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: 72 million cars could fill up their tank off the production coming from these platforms that are right here.

For AAA, California currently has the highest gas prices in the country, driven largely by environmental regulations and the nation's highest gas tax.

BURGUM: That's policy, including, you know, killing refineries, killing transmission lines, killing gas pipelines.

MICHAELSON (voiceover): On the helicopter ride to the platform, we see miles of deep blue ocean. But back in 2015, this same waterway was coated black after that pipeline, operated by a different company at the time, ruptured, spilling an estimated 120,000 gallons of crude oil. All oil production stopped here for more than a decade.

ALEX KATZ, EXEC. DIR., ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE CENTER: This is going to be a fight.

MICHAELSON (voiceover): Alex Katz is executive director of the Environmental Defense center, which is suing to stop Sable.

MICHAELSON: Why do you oppose Sable?

KATZ: The problem with the pipeline is that it doesn't have an effective way of preventing corrosion. That's why it broke in the first place.

MICHAELSON (voiceover): After President Trump launched military action in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz shut down, gas prices spiked. The Trump administration ordered Sable's pipeline to start producing again.