Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump & Iran Reach Agreement; Trump Hosts Ultimate Fighting Championship on White House Lawn; The Americanization of Soccer's Biggest Event. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 15, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[00:00:41]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and we're following breaking news out of the Middle East.

The U.S. and Iran announced that they finally have an agreement after months of negotiations and stalemates.

A formal signing of this memorandum is expected to take place in Switzerland on Friday and, once signed, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen, and the U.S. will lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Now, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, he says that the agreement with Iran would ensure that the vital waterway will be, quote, "permanently toll-free." But since Iran had not imposed tolls before the conflict, this would effectively restore conditions that existed before the war.

Now, President Trump took to social media to tout the memorandum, saying in part this: quote, "The leaders of the region have, for the first time, found a president who can help them achieve real peace," unquote.

Now, CNN's Sophia Saifi joins us now here from Hong Kong. She's usually based in Pakistan.

It's great to have you here, right in the neighboring studio, Sophia. And you've been covering these peace talks for quite some time now. What were the main points of contention during these talks leading up to this moment?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Kristie, I think what's really interesting is that there has been a massive lack of trust between these two parties, between Iran and the United States.

There's been a very byzantinian [SIC] kind of complicated process, in which information was relayed between the Iranians and the Americans. And Pakistan as a mediator, for example, was working to bridge that lack of trust. But within that friction, within that lack of trust, of course, there

was this requirement by the Iranians, for example, to lift the blockade at the same time as they would be lifting their own issues with the Straits of Hormuz.

They wanted a simultaneous lifting of the blockade. There was confusion and contention when it came to their nuclear stockpile when dealing with the Americans.

There were also many different parties within the Iranian side, as well as the American side, in terms of the negotiators. So, there would be some negotiators who would have -- who would bring certain specific messages, and then those would be relayed, for example, on the Iranian side within the IRGC. But between the political setup, as well.

So -- and at the same time, you had the same kind of accusations being made by the Iranian sources that we were speaking to in Islamabad, for example, saying that they trusted some American negotiators more than others.

So, a lot of friction, a lot of, you know, starts that never really came to much. There was, for example, an announcement a couple of days ago by Pakistan's prime minister that there would be a digital signing. And then we never really heard anything from the Iranians, even though President Trump had come out and said that something was going to happen.

So, a lot of delays that have led us to where we are right now.

There's cautious optimism that there is going to be a deal signed on Friday somewhere in Switzerland, potentially in Geneva. There is also not an exact location that's been shared. We're still waiting to hear from D.C., and Tehran, and Islamabad for more details as to how this will unfold.

But what we do know from Pakistan's prime minister's post on X this morning is that there are going to be technical talks. There is going to be another effective ceasefire. The first ceasefire was announced on the 8th of April, and then there have been multiple ceasefires, multiple hostilities that have flared up again in the interim.

There are many days left until Friday. We're only at Monday right now, so we're going to have to wait and see if there are any spoilers that could, again, completely derail the process -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yes, that's right. That final signing is expected to take place this Friday in Switzerland.

And Pakistan, Sophia, has a close and complicated relationship with both the U.S. and Iran. How is it able to maintain its neutrality? And how much credit is due to Pakistan for reaching this MOU?

SAIFI: Well, Pakistan's leadership has been very invested in making sure that a deal or a memo of understanding, a memorandum of understanding, this MOU, actually does happen. [00:05:10]

Pakistan has always had a strong relationship with the United States. It's been complicated, of course. But their relationship with the Iranians, perhaps, has been even more complicated.

Pakistan shares a physical land border on its Western border with Iran. But ever since 2024, it's had better relations with the Iranians. The IRGC has a close relationship with Pakistan's military.

It's very interesting to note that Pakistan's field marshal, Asim Munir, was in Iran twice since April. The first time he was there for many days and had access to many different parts of Iran that most leaders do not.

There is a new sort of trust that's been built. Pakistan's foreign minister has visited. Pakistan's interior minister was there, as well. Iran's foreign minister has visited Pakistan.

So -- and of course, on the other side, with the United States, for the past one year, Pakistan's field marshal general, Asim Munir, has been called President Trump's favorite field marshal not once, but many times.

So, yes, there is this kind of understanding. And this was maybe, like, the perfect sweet spot that there was this personality here in Pakistan that had the kind of relations with both Iran, with Tehran and D.C. that has led to this relaying of messages, with this intermediary and mediating role.

So, yes, Pakistan's had a very strong role to play in these negotiations. It's been the lead mediator. It's, of course, thanked Qatar. Qatar was also very incredibly involved, as well as Turkey, as well as Egypt, as well as the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the country that Pakistan's prime minister also thanked.

But this really paves the way to kind of imagine what's going to happen to the region once this deal is signed. There's hope. There's optimism that this could be kind of a flourishing of defense relations between countries in this region who've kind of had a sort of animosity between them. Is this a new dawning of a new security apparatus, a fresh economic revival in the region, which will increase interconnectivity?

So, we're just going to have to wait and see; hopefully, get to Friday, and then see what happens in the 60 days of the phase two of the talks and the technical understandings, where they're really going to get into the nitty gritty of what really is part of this deal moving forward -- Kristie.

STOUT: Absolutely, Sofia. There is, as you report, the sense of optimism in the region, but this is an MOU. We're not at a signed deal just yet.

But Pakistan, no doubt, will continue to play a significant role as the details get hashed out. Sophia Saifi reporting live for us. Thank you.

Now, news of a peace agreement had an immediate effect on global oil prices. And if the Strait of Hormuz is indeed reopened, those prices could drop even further.

Now let's take a look at where they stand at this moment. And these are among the lowest oil prices we've seen since March. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, down 4.6 percent. WTI crude -- this is the U.S. benchmark -- losing a touch over 5 percent.

Now, investors, they're going to be watching to see just how fast oil producers in the Middle East can resume production and exports.

The conflict has disrupted about one-fifth of the world's crude oil supply.

Markets here in the Asia Pacific region, of course, they are reacting to the news, as well. And as you can see there, green arrows across the board.

Markets in South Korea, in Japan, very sensitive, since they are big consumers of Middle East oil. You can see the Nikkei 225 is up 4.8 percent. So, KOSPI is gaining 5.6 percent. And in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng is gaining just under half of 1 percent.

Now, political leaders from all around the world, they have been weighing in, reacting to the U.S.-Iran agreement. We heard from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who released a statement saying in part this: quote, "I welcome the agreement reached between the United States and Iran, the result of a diplomatic effort to which several partners have contributed. I call for its rapid and complete implementation," unquote.

We also heard from Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, also adding her support, saying in part, this: quote, "Going forward, I strongly hope that the memorandum will be steadily implemented, that free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz will be effectively secured, and that a final agreement on Iran's nuclear issue and other outstanding matters will be reached as soon as possible."

Now, we're joined by CNN's national security analyst, Alex Plitsas. He is also the director of the counterterrorism project at the Atlantic Council.

Alex, thank you so much for joining us at this critical moment. I can't wait to hear what you're going to -- to share with us.

[00:10:05]

We now have this MOU, this deal. Could you walk us through it? What does this MOU lock in, and what still depends on more talks?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks so much for having me. So, over the last couple of weeks, I've been engaged with mediators in

the region, the back channel, U.S. officials in the last couple days, it's reaffirmed discussions that we've had.

And basically, the substance of the agreement has largely been agreed to over the last couple of weeks. And it was the sequencing of events that kind of held things up.

And that was because the Iranians were looking for liquidity up front. They wanted and needed cash, about 12 billion out of that 24 billion. They demanded that they be released up front.

The problem is, they were looking for that with any -- without any real concessions. And that would be problematic for the United States, because that would look that we were essentially returning the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war conditions at a cost of $12 billion, which would amount to a -- like a bribe on a political level, which simply didn't work.

So, there needed to be an agreement, at least at a high-level, that -- that this would come with an understanding that the highly enriched uranium, that 440 kilograms at 60 percent or more, would either be diluted or would be removed from the country and destroyed. The details of how that happens would be phase two.

Some sort of moratorium on future enrichment. There were discussions about a permanent moratorium. The Iranians wanted ten years, and then it went back and forth in a negotiation afterwards. So, an agreement that there would be some sort of moratorium; details to work out later, et cetera.

So, if we think about that, if that high-level agreement at least gets an understanding that these nuclear issues will be resolved, but the how is what gets into phase two, that would likely be sufficient for the U.S. to then start lifting sanctions.

But I did speak to senior U.S. officials yesterday who stressed something to me. And they said, look, what needs to be made clear about this deal is that it's conditions-based and that the Iranians will not get anything unless they're actually demonstrating commitment to the things that they are supposed to do for us.

But the details and text have simply not been released yet.

STOUT: Right. And we are awaiting those details. Interesting how you heard about the sequencing. Iran's priority, Iran needing liquidity. They need to get that from the unfreezing of assets.

It seems that the priority in the U.S. side was the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. We heard from Donald Trump. He said that it will be, quote, "permanently toll-free" when it reopens, after the MOU is signed.

I want to get your thoughts on that: the fate and future of the strait and how it will be controlled and managed after this agreement. PLITSAS: That's been quite an interesting back and forth. So,

initially, the Iranians had said that they wanted to toll it, potentially with the Omanis and President Trump. You know, and even quipped in the beginning and said, look, maybe we'll make this a joint venture in the U.S. We'll profit from it.

And, you know, shipping and oil owners that I spoke to very quickly said that they had called the White House and said that's a nonstarter for them. There were no tolls or there were no taxes, et cetera, you know, before the war started. So, if they had to pay them afterwards, that's moving backwards, not forwards, and that simply wouldn't be acceptable, which the White House then communicated.

The Iranians, then, were seeking some sort of mechanism and came up with the idea of an environmental cleanup fee for the oil and other environmental issues in the Gulf, which was, again, really more of an effort to get cash or liquidity.

Because at the end of the day, that's what they need in the short term. Between the blockade and the sanctions and the damage that's been done, they need money.

I was in Syria at the end of August of last year after President Trump had lifted sanctions. And it takes a while for the banks to reintegrate into the banking system. And the Iranians simply can't wait that long.

They know that the U.S. is not in an appetite to give up a large amount of money. The Europeans are being asked to spend an increase from 3 to 5 percent of GDP on defense. They don't have the money for this. They've been attacking all of their Gulf neighbors, who have no appetite at this point to give up large sums of money. And there are other patrons. The Russians are broke after -- after their war in Ukraine, and the Chinese don't want to do it either.

So, it leaves them in a bind where they need cash. So, how do we get around that without taxes or tolls or people giving up money? And the idea then became unfreezing assets that they have, and that's why they demanded it up front. They wanted that $12 billion.

But the U.S. had to figure there had to be some way to tie that that influx of cash the Iranians would get to meaningful concessions, or else it wouldn't be politically viable for the president.

So, allegedly, that is tied to a commitment in phase one to the nuclear issue, the details to be worked out in phase two.

STOUT: Also need to ask you about Lebanon, because the ceasefire, the deal is supposed to cover Lebanon, as well. After months of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Trump, you know, immediately after announcing the MOU, he's taken a swipe at the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a, quote, "very difficult guy."

I mean, how likely is it that Israel will, even though it didn't sign onto this deal, but will stick to this deal?

PLITSAS: So, I think there's a bit of nuance and reading between the lines of what's transpired.

So, it's very clear that the political establishment in Israel, in the Netanyahu administration, doesn't want to see this go through. They would much rather have the war, you know, finish to a military conclusion, whatever that looks like, and would certainly prefer regime change. But you simply can't do that from the air.

And from speaking to folks in Israel, in the U.S., the military establishments on both sides, as well as allies, I think that the U.S. military, the IDF, is pretty clear that they've done significant damage to the Iranians, where they no longer pose the existential threat that they did with their ballistic missile program, although obviously they have residual capabilities and can still hold the Strait of Hormuz at risk with projectiles without actually having to mine the waterways, which is sort of its own problem.

[00:15:22]

So, with that understanding, you know, the Iranians have denied having proxy forces in the region, which, you know, we all knew was kind of nonsense. But they sought to include Lebanon as part of the agreement.

Israel hasn't been attacking the state of Lebanon. It's been going after Hezbollah, a designated terrorist group on its border, who's been launching projectiles into Israel and has displaced a large percentage of the population in Northern Israel since October 7th.

So again, this morning, what we saw was that there were a drone attack across the border from Hezbollah into Israel. And I think the president was frustrated, because I think he saw Prime Minister Netanyahu as overreacting in terms of the, you know, the disproportionate force that was then used to strike in the suburbs of Beirut.

But it was actually a very calculated strike. And politically, it was very smart. The individual that was killed today, Ali Mussa Daqduq, who was a Hezbollah commander who had been sent into Iraq during the height of the Iran -- excuse me, the U.S. war in Iraq to get the Iraqi militias stood up.

And he's actually personally responsible for the kidnapping and then subsequent execution-style murder of five U.S. soldiers inside of Iraq.

And when he was returned to Lebanon by the Iraqi government after 2012, he went right back to the battlefield and right back to Hezbollah. And the Iranian -- and the Israelis killed him today.

So, it kind of put the U.S. in a difficult position, because it was justice for the U.S., but it also escalated.

So, I actually think this is difficult, and a potential major flashpoint going forward, because Hezbollah, you know, if they attack again, the Israelis have a right to defend themselves. And how do you get that restraint or proportionality guaranteed so it doesn't start another round of conflict? That is the heart of the problem. STOUT: Solid analysis, as ever. Alex Plitsas, we'll leave it at that.

Thank you.

PLITSAS: Thank you for having me.

STOUT: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Up next, U.S. President Trump, he's been packing a lot into his 80th birthday celebrations. First, the agreement with Iran, then hosting a massive UFC event at the White House. We'll have the latest on that, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:41]

STOUT: Welcome back. Back to our breaking news. Three and a half months after the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran, Washington and Tehran say that they have reached a deal to end the conflict. And the agreement is to take effect on Friday.

President Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping at that time. Iran says 60 days of nuclear negotiations will begin once the U.S. meets three commitments, which include ending the naval blockade; ending military operations against Iran; and releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds.

Iran's deputy foreign minister says the deal doesn't mean his country's view of the U.S. has changed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAZEM GHARIBABADI, IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): This memorandum of understanding was reached, despite our complete distrust of our enemies. We have no trust in the enemy. Our trust lies in our military strength, our diplomatic capabilities, and the support and unity of our own people.

That is why the implementation of this memorandum of understanding is extremely important. We have specific plans in place to monitor the implementation of U.S. commitments under this memorandum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: A U.S. official says no funds will be released before the Iranians implement their commitments.

Now, hours after announcing this agreement with Iran, Donald Trump joined thousands of people to watch UFC fighters brawl inside this massive cage just steps away from the White House. Now the president has a ringside seat to watch all the action. He had long promised to bring the mixed martial arts event to the White House as part of the country's 250th anniversary celebration. It also falls on Trump's 80th birthday.

The UFC paid some $60 million in production costs for this, but U.S. taxpayers will be footing part of the bill. Now here with more insight is CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He is also an opinion columnist at Bloomberg. He joins us now live.

Ron, thank you for joining us this hour.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good evening.

STOUT: First, a temperature check, a political temperature check for Trump.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: Trump, he has -- he's riding high on the back of this MOU with Iran. He has this big UFC cage match. I don't know if we have live video available. We did just have moments -- a moment ago, live video from the White House of that.

All this is coming at a time of rising energy prices, food prices. So, is this a political moment that Trump can capitalize on?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, I think the core reason he got elected in 2024 was that people felt the cost of living was out of control, and they thought he was going to do a better job than Joe Biden at getting it under control.

Eighteen months into his presidency, most Americans do not feel that. His approval rating on handling inflation is down in the 20s. Even about 25 to 30 percent of his own 2024 voters give him negative marks on handling their cost of living.

And I think, so long as that is the case, there's nothing else that can -- that can completely offset that.

You know, getting out of the Iran war, with its impact on -- on gas prices. will be a positive for him. Anything that brings down gas prices will be a positive for him.

But it's hard to see that -- this agreement leading to a reversal of the conclusion we've seen in polling, where most Americans feel like the benefits of this war have not justified the costs.

He's going to need a lot more progress in the -- in the next 60 days, I think, to reverse that judgment.

[00:25:08]

STOUT: And trying to get into Trump's psyche right now, we are looking at live video on our screen --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: -- just a moment ago of Trump paying salute. He's there at the White House. A cage match has been underway on the White House lawn.

What's in his head right now? Does he -- does he want a big win to look strong? I mean, it's his 80th birthday.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: He's hosting this, as we see, on our screen, this sort of macho display at the White House in terms of the cage fight that we looked at earlier. Is all this to burnish his image as a strong leader?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, there is certainly a lot of overlap between the UFC fan base and the Trump electoral coalition.

And in 2024, Trump clearly benefited from his association with kind of cultural developments that appeal to particularly young men who don't regularly vote. And -- and associating with the UFC, and appearing on podcasts, and all of these different ways he was able to kind of situate himself in a cultural space and able to talk to voters who probably don't pay a lot of attention to us or to political news, in general.

The complication he's got -- and I think that is still a positive for him. The complication is what I was just talking about, though. He was elected, above all, because voters, including those same voters I'm talking about, felt like their cost of living was out of control.

And one of the problems he has now, only about five months away from the election, is that not only do voters feel like he has not solved the problem, many voters -- a majority of voters consistently in polls -- say he is not focused enough on the problems. He seemed more focused on his own causes, his priorities, his grievances.

And there is the risk that this is seen as just kind of another count; in that him focusing on something that makes him feel good, rather than on the problems that are making them feel stressed.

STOUT: So, this is the key point, isn't it?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: Because these scenes may be very appealing to his core base, these scenes of machismo and testosterone. But general American voters, are they -- are they not on board? Is this macho showmanship politically risky for Donald Trump?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, the -- you know, the basic of the fight itself widens the divide between those who feel that Trump is degrading and debasing the White House and those who like that he is someone outside of the -- kind of the normal balance of politics, and seems to be part of a world that they live in.

I think the -- the kind of the tipping point this -- in this, though, is what we were just talking about. You know, he is facing a kind of a triple whammy on the biggest issue that he was elected to solve, which is people's cost of living.

First, they don't feel like it's getting better. Second, to the extent they -- that he is addressing it, they feel like many of his policies are making it worse. Tariffs, cuts in federal health care support. The war itself, with its impact on gas prices.

But then you have this third thing, this sense that he is more focused on what concerns him in the presidency -- putting his name on buildings, putting his name on money, tearing down the East Wing, hosting this kind of, you know, celebratory fight at the White House -- rather than on their problems.

So, for his voters, I think this is, you know, perfectly fine. For voters who feel like they're not getting what they wanted out of his presidency, I don't think it solves that problem, and it probably makes it a little worse.

STOUT: Got it. Let's talk about Trump on the global stage, because the G-7 starts on Monday.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: In fact, France delayed the summit, in order to accommodate this UFC event that's underway.

Trump's mood at the G-7, depending on Iran. A deal, an MOU has been done. It should be signed by the end of this week.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

STOUT: Does that allow the G-7 to -- to put the tension aside? What should we expect out of France?

STOUT: Well, look, I mean, you know, Trump launched this war with Netanyahu with no consultation, really, with our allies. I mean, it's hard to think of another major conflict that the U.S. has launched with as little interaction with the countries that we have viewed as our traditional allies, at least since World War II.

So, they -- you know, at various points along the way, he was asking them for contributions, for example, patrolling the strait. And people, you know, other nations, did not feel any incentive to kind of help him extricate himself from the -- the, you know, the bear trap that he found himself in.

On the other hand, the -- the impact on global energy markets was really hitting those countries hard, particularly in Europe, as well as in Asia.

So, I think, you know, the -- the lessening of that pressure, if in fact, the strait is now going to be open, will reduce the immediate tension at the G-7.

But, you know, the MOU, what we have achieved primarily so far, is to defuse a problem that did not exist when -- before the war started, right? Which was Iran's attempts, successful attempts to squeeze the global economy by disrupting shipping -- disrupting shipping through -- through the strait.

[00:30:07] So, you know, if all you've gone back is to the status quo and, in return, you're going to eventually see a lot of financial resources flowing into Iran, which, of course, Trump and Marco Rubio both lavishly condemned in 2016 when it was part of Obama's agreement, I think a much smaller amount of money than is ultimately going to be at play here.

I think he's going to have an uphill challenge, convincing both international allies and the domestic audience that we are better off at the end of this conflict than we were before it started.

STOUT: And Ron, we've been discussing geopolitics --

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

STOUT: -- as we've been watching the U.S. president, Donald Trump, sitting right next to a UFC cage match on the White House lawn. This has been such a surreal split-screen moment.

BROWNSTEIN: As tradition (ph).

STOUT: We thank you for your analysis. Thank you, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

STOUT: Live pictures there from the White House. Ron Brownstein, thank you. Take care.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We have a lot more here in the program. In fact, still to come, what we know about the agreement between the U.S. and Iran and what exactly is coming down next. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:35:52\

STOUT: Welcome back. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Now, the stepson of Norway's crown prince will find out in the coming hours whether a court finds him guilty of rape, domestic violence, assault, and drug possession, among other crimes.

Twenty-nine-year-old Marius Hoiby joined the royal family when his mother married the crown prince. He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges, but also admitted to some lesser ones.

Brazilian investigators are working to determine what caused two helicopters to collide midair over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. One of them crashed into the parking lot of a car dealership. All six people on board were killed. American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was listed among those passengers.

Now, the U.S. and Iran say that they have reached an agreement and will sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will lift its blockade on Iranian ports, and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen once the agreement is signed.

But Washington and Tehran are already contradicting each other about what happens after the agreement is signed.

Behnam ben Taleblu is the senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He joins us now live from Washington, D.C.

Behnam, thank you so much for joining us here on the program. We have an agreement on the table, and you've been parsing and going through the practical realities of this deal. What stands out to you?

BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, SENIOR DIRECTOR, IRAN PROGRAM, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Pleasure to be with you.

The practical realities, but also the political kaleidoscope that is this deal. Because even prior to its announcement, you had the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America through intermediaries, but also through the press, through selective leaks, tried to frame it as much more zero sum than perhaps might meet the eye.

The Iranians are certainly taking the victory lap here, saying that they got the U.S. to come to the table, to surrender. The U.S. Was compelled to this.

President Trump on Truth Social, congratulating all, in particular, the mediators. But also, quite intent on taking a victory lap this evening, which is, I believe, still his birthday here in Washington, D.C.

There's quite a bit of spin, and there will be spin, I have to guess, that will be permeating online, particularly in the new media space, up until we see the new deal text and that new deal text will settle. Really, all of these scores. But even if that deal text looks even something like what we've seen reported officially and unofficially, in English and in Persian, today it will only mean that that is an entry ticket to a much more complex nuclear problem, political problem.

Meaning what's left of the regime's nuclear program. What's the status of its enriched uranium? Does America get to get that? Do inspectors get to go back in? So even if the deal text looks like some allege it is, it's really just an open door to a much longer, harder, more difficult to negotiate 60-day diplomatic problem.

STOUT: Yes. An open door to much more difficult talks ahead, including Iran's nuclear program.

And as reported, there were only two signatures on the MOU. It's from the U.S. and from Iran. So, what does that mean for Lebanon?

You know, we've just come through this very tense period with Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Can there be any meaningful end to this war without agreement from Israel or Iran's proxies? TALEBLU: Well, I actually think that it would behoove America to push

away from the table rather than be seen as restraining Israel, which would actually increase American leverage and not just leverage, but deterrence against the Islamic Republic. Particularly at a time when, despite the regime's capability and despite the -- you know, military capability of its proxies being considerably lower than since the start of hostilities, their intent on acting on threats that they make is actually as high as we've seen, perhaps even in recorded history.

[00:40:01]

I mean, for the first time ever, the regime, about a week and a half ago, extended ballistic missile fire to defend Lebanese Hezbollah.

In the week and a half since, the Israelis were able to challenge that, and the regime did not respond.

But I, for one, don't believe that you need to have, you know, the Lebanese state or even Lebanese Hezbollah's buy-in into this.

I think, in a world in which America and Iran are thus far intent on limiting this to the nuclear issue, that's the world in which America and Israel need to have a freer hand against the Axis of Resistance. And this is the name that America -- that the Islamic Republic has given to its constellation of terror proxies and partners in the region.

In a world where America and Israel, politically or militarily can't or won't do that, then yes, absolutely. Not just Lebanon, but every jurisdiction that the Islamic republic has proxies and has funded them in should be on the table. But thus far, sadly, they didn't seem to be.

STOUT: And the future of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, assuming that the MOU is signed on Friday, how quickly will maritime traffic safely resume and flow through the strait? And what are the terms for Iranian authority over the strait going forward?

TALEBLU: Well, ideally -- and this is why you actually had the Trump deal supported by folks as diverse and folks who have had as many political problems with the president, as the prime minister of the United Kingdom or the prime minister of Australia. By the way, both the U.K. and Australia are key U.S. intelligence and political partners under the auspices of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement.

Both men actually came out today with press releases supporting the deal, particularly for purposes of freedom of navigation, energy security, and the free flow of oil and commerce and maritime trade through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

So, in terms of interests, you've got a whole diverse series of folks interested in seeing a snapback or return to normal of this blocked maritime trade.

The challenge is, hypothetically, the Iranians back down, and the Americans back out. You still have to do a minesweeping mission in this critical part of the world. At least 10 to 12 mines is what the Islamic Republic has dropped, according to open-source press, during the actual 40 days of fighting, perhaps a few more since the actual extended ceasefire.

So, you have to actually go through, make sure that all the mines are actually picked up or deactivated. And then the real force that can tell the world that this is a safe body of water is not Iran, is not America; is the private sector. It's the shippers. It's the insurers, many of which have been blocked off and too risk averse to test this body of water.

STOUT: That's right. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This is what global shipping, global energy, global markets have been holding their breath for.

We'll leave it at that. But Behnam ben Taleblu, we thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for your insights.

TALEBLU: Thank you. A pleasure.

STOUT: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. And still to come, we'll tell you whether Swiss voters decide to become the first country in Europe to have a population limit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:47:40]

STOUT: Now, Switzerland has rejected a far-right proposal that would have capped its population size at 10 million as a means to limit immigration.

Early results show nearly 55 percent of Swiss voters opposed the idea, while 45 percent were in favor. The referendum was put forward by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which says uncontrolled immigration is hurting the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS AESCHI, SWISS PEOPLE'S PARTY VICE PRESIDENT: Forty-five percent of the Swiss population said yes to limit immigration, to do something against those big problems that we have with illegal and criminal asylum seekers.

So, a very strong sign to our government to change its policies. A very strong sign to the other parties, as well, and a very strong sign to the large lobby organizations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, foreigners make up some 28 percent of the 9 million people in Switzerland.

Opponents of the plan said it would hurt the economy by ending the free movement of labor between Switzerland and the European Union. Now a deadly overnight Russian attack sparked a massive fire at a

historic Ukrainian monastery in central Kyiv. Video shows flames raging in the monastery as crews battle the fire.

The monastery is almost a thousand years old and is a UNESCO world heritage site, Ukrainian officials say that at least four people were killed and more than 20 wounded during the Russian attack.

At least five others were killed in the Northeastern city of Kharkiv.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on his 80th birthday on Sunday.

Now, the two presidents apparently spoke for nearly an hour, discussing relations between the U.S. and Russia.

Trump also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also wished him a happy birthday. Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have one wish for President Trump. All Ukrainians do: that peace can finally be achieved, so that we can achieve this success together with America, together with all our partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Meanwhile, the European Union will be holding initial membership negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova on Monday. Ukraine's membership has previously faced opposition, mainly by Hungary's former leader, Viktor Orban.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:51:45]

STOUT: The group stage of the World Cup is starting to heat up as teams look to gain an early edge.

In Houston, four-time World Cup winner Germany made the biggest statement of the day, dominating Curacao, seven goals to one. This was the island nation's first World Cup game, and it is the smallest country ever to appear in the tournament.

Ivory Coast grabbed a dramatic 90th-minute winner to beat Ecuador, one-nil, in Philadelphia. And Japan faced off against the Netherlands in Dallas in one of the most entertaining matches of the day, scoring a late equalizer to secure a two-two draw.

In Vancouver, Australia joined the United States at the top of Group D after a two-nil victory over Turkey in that team's first World Cup match in 24 years. And Sweden trounced Tunisia, winning 5 to 1 in their opener. This is

Sweden's 13th World Cup, but their first appearance since 2018.

Meanwhile, the Iranian national team arrived in the U.S. on Sunday, just hours before President Trump announced an agreement has been reached with Iran's government.

This marks the first time in World Cup history that a host nation is at war with one of the participants. Due to the conflict, the Iranian players faced multiple challenges ahead of the tournament, including visa delays; including travel bans; and their practice stadium being moved to Mexico.

This all comes as Iranian Americans debate whether to cheer the team on or not. Now listen to this. This is what one Iranian American protester outside the team's hotel in Los Angeles had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOROUSH KRUMARSI, PROTESTOR: How they can go to the -- choose the team that comes with the flag of Islamic Republic and national anthem for the Islamic Republic.

This regime has occupied Iran for 47 years and destroyed Iran's culture, everything in there. That's why we are -- we try to revolution and change the regime in Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, from the halftime entertainment to dynamic ticket pricing, this year's World Cup has been, quote, "Americanized" in more ways than one.

CNN's Charline Bou Mansour looks at what is driving this cultural shift.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the Oval Office, in the White House.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Can I keep it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For you? Well, you can --

TRUMP: We're not giving the World Cup.

CHARLINE BOU MANSOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Let's talk about the Americanization of the World Cup.

BOU MANSOUR: The 2026 tournament is being hosted across Mexico, Canada --

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): -- and the United States, and it's introducing changes that are looking increasingly familiar to those --

BOU MANSOUR: -- who actually watch American sports. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Oh, thank you.

BOU MANSOUR: First, FIFA confirmed that every match will include a mandatory three-minute hydration break midway through each half.

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): Officially, it's a player welfare measure that simplifies and streamlines breaks seen at previous tournaments.

But FIFA has also reportedly allowed broadcasters to sell advertising during those breaks, creating the closest thing football has ever had to a TV time out, something that's been long embedded in American sports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Los Angeles. Now I can hear the Los Angeles vibe.

[00:55:03]

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): Second, the World Cup final --

BOU MANSOUR: -- will feature its first ever half-time show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, a half-time show?

CHRIS MARTIN, COLDPLAY LEAD SINGER: Yes, half-time show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A half-time show?

MARTIN: A half-time show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow! What's a half-time show?

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): FIFA has described it as a historic moment, with the show curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay. It's a format that feels far closer to the Super Bowl than to football's traditional 15- minute interval.

TRUMP: The World Cup is great. It's the most successful they've ever had, ticket-wise. It's -- they've never had anything that sold so quickly.

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): Third, ticket pricing is increasingly reflecting American market practices.

BOU MANSOUR: It's called dynamic pricing --

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): -- where prices rise and fall depending on demand, which has pushed some tickets far beyond the levels seen at previous World Cups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you have your ticket already for the final. All the others, 10th of September, start getting your tickets.

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): FIFA has defended the pricing as reflecting demand in the host market, saying the resale marketplace is safe, transparent, and secure. And while dynamic pricing models are common across American sports and entertainment, they're also becoming increasingly normal at major events.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's going to win?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: England. I think England, but I don't want to say it loudly, because it's embarrassing.

BOU MANSOUR: Fourth, media access is expanding.

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): Following trends seen in U.S. sports, half- time interviews and behind-the-scenes content are becoming more common, blurring the line between sport and entertainment.

American influence isn't limited to the tournament itself. According to CIES football observatory data, American investors now own 117 clubs across Europe, including more than half of the Premier League. The business models shaping football are increasingly coming from the U.S.

TRUMP: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no other sports trophy like that.

TRUMP: Well, that is -- whoa.

BOU MANSOUR: And that's what makes this conversation so interesting, because this might not even be about Americanization at all.

BOU MANSOUR (voice-over): The hydration breaks, the half-time show, the premium ticketing, the entertainment first approach. These aren't uniquely American ideas. They're commercial ideas.

The U.S. simply happens to be the world's most successful laboratory for turning sport into an entertainment product.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions for the second time in their franchise history.

The Hurricanes shut out the Las Vegas Golden Knights three to nothing to capture their first NHL title since 2006, winning the series. four games to two.

Now, Hurricanes rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi, he blocked 22 shots by the Knights. And Carolina Captain Jordan Staal was named most valuable player.

It's been a busy news cycle. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. I'll see you next time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)