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CNN International: Another Round of U.S. Strikes; South China Sea Tensions; Zelenskyy Under Pressure. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 24, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into the headlines.

The U.S. hit Iran for yet another night of heavy airstrikes. Iran says it has responded. We're going to have a live report for you on the escalating conflict and tensions arising in the South China Sea. We're going to get a first-hand look at the standoff between China and the Philippines. Plus, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is facing growing pressure at home. This comes after he fired his very popular defense minister.

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

ABDELAZIZ: Now, the U.S. is extending its relentless air campaign against Iran with no immediate end in sight. The U.S. military says it completed a 13th straight night of airstrikes. Iranian state media reports at least four people have been killed. You're looking at video which allegedly shows Iran firing a new wave of attacks towards Bahrain and Jordan. This is as it continues to bombard U.S.-allied Gulf nations.

Now, Iranian state media claims Tehran targeted U.S. assets in those countries. But President Trump is showing very little appetite to return to the negotiating table. He said Thursday that Iran is not ready to strike a deal, claiming its leaders, quote, "have evil intentions." And the U.N. secretarygeneral is warning that it's time to take a step back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The situation is getting out of control. It's teetering on the edge of unimaginable. The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation. One crisis feeds another when escalation triggers the next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: I want to bring in now CNN's Leila Gharagozlou. She is here in London. Good morning, first of all, to you. So, President Trump says, look, I am not ready to negotiate anything right now, and says that he's going to continue to strike Iran. How has Tehran responded to any prospect of talks, if there are any prospects of talks? And what are you learning about how the country is retaliating to these American airstrikes?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. So, when it comes to talks, Tehran has kept a pretty steady line throughout this conflict. They've said time and time again that if they come to the table, they want to have a deal that is a lasting peace. They don't want to be in this limbo of no war, no peace.

And this most recent ceasefire proposal that The New York Times is reporting, that the Iraqi prime minister brought to Iran, essentially puts them, from our understanding of it, back in this limbo space of no war, no peace. This is what happened in June of 2025. And this, they found, was very unacceptable, because they knew always that another conflict could start.

So, they've been very clear that if they come to the table for any negotiations, for any diplomacy, they want it to be a lasting peace that also allows them to continue having their sovereignty. That is generally the message that the Iranians have been sending. So, having a 10-day ceasefire to them is unacceptable. So, for now, they have rejected that ceasefire and are saying that they're going to continue the way that the U.S. is also moving forward.

Now, as you said, President Trump himself has said that he is not ready to make a deal with Iran, which means that at the moment, we don't have an off-ramp. We're just moving towards this rapid escalation in the region. And when it comes to Iran's retaliations against the U.S., over the course of the last week, they've said that their new defense doctrine is an eye for an eye.

So, if the U.S. escalates, Iran's going to escalate, broadening out all the U.S. bases to all the U.S. bases into the region. So, we're in a very fragile situation between these two countries, and we're going to have to find some sort of off-ramp, some sort of diplomacy that is lasting that can kind of end this conflict. Otherwise, we are looking at an expansion of this throughout the region, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Leila there monitoring developments for us on an Iran that wants something that isn't no war and no peace.

[04:05:00]

But as you heard there from Leila, of course the escalating conflict is continuing to ratchet up. And it is taking a toll on oil prices. Brent Crude jumped more than 6 percent on Thursday, briefly hitting $100 a barrel. This is before retreating slightly. There are growing fears about the world's oil supply after Houthi rebels in Yemen targeted Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The attacks are raising fears that more violence could cut off the critical lifeline for the global oil market.

Donald Trump is unwilling to give up on his unpopular tariffs. Just a few hours ago, a new round kicked in, reigniting his global trade war. This means that dozens of the U.S.'s trading partners are now being hit with levies of 10 to 12.5 percent on goods exported to the U.S. new tariffs will now replace the temporary 10 percent global tariffs that are set to expire. The White House says President Trump is not going to allow his trade policy to be undermined by a court. It is unclear if this plan C will survive or if it too will be shot down by the Supreme Court, which ruled against the sweeping tariffs that he imposed last year.

Earlier this week, the U.S. announced 50 percent tariffs on many Canadian imports, claiming the country discriminates against American goods. The Canadian prime minister had this response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: If these tariffs or other measures come into force, and there's a full range of things that we can do in that regard, we don't need to respond in advance. In fact, I think it would be counterproductive. We are going to support Canadian families, workers, businesses, full stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Those new tariffs combined with rising oil prices are raising fears of new inflation shock, and investors are taking notice. As you can see there, Asian shares have been falling today. And ahead of Wall Street's opening, U.S. futures are looking mixed. That's after the markets closed lower on Thursday.

President Trump says a date has been set for Chinese leader Xi Jinping's trip to the United States. September 24th will be the date. This will be his first state visit to the U.S. in more than a decade. President Trump did make a trip to China earlier this year, and they're expected to continue their conversations about artificial intelligence and other issues of mutual concern.

I want to take you now to the simmering tensions in the South China Sea. China has been acting on its long-held claims to nearly all of that critical body of water and sending warning signs to ships from smaller neighboring countries. The latest flashpoint is Scarborough Shoal. It's a tiny island not far from the Philippines. It's rich in marine resources.

Our Ivan Watson is aboard a ship traveling through those contested waters, and he witnessed a confrontation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, we're looking at a China Coast Guard ship that's operating in very close proximity to a ship from the Philippines government, from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Both of these ships are operating in disputed waters close to Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Both Manila and Beijing claim that uninhabited rock for themselves. China has effectively, with its much larger fleet, controlled it and boxed out the Philippines from it for years. And yet, the Philippines, with much smaller resources and a much smaller fleet, are demonstrating that they are not going to relinquish their claim to that area.

This is a flashpoint in the South China Sea. There are a number of similar disputes, and you can see just how close the Chinese vessel is to the Philippine ship. Both sides have been issuing warnings to each other, repeating that they claim that they are operating legally in these contested waters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have entered the territorial waters of the People's Republic of China.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in dangerous actions against the government --

WATSON: These types of confrontations happen all the time, daily, weekly. They've been going on for years, and we're getting a rare view at how close these large ships operate to each other. We're being told we need to step inside.

All right. The Chinese ship has moved within 10 meters of the Philippine boat and is now actually hitting the ship with its water cannon.

[04:10:00]

So, a definite escalation shortly before 8:00 a.m. local time, and now it looks like our ship is taking a turn away from the Chinese ship.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: We're now joined by Ivan Watson, who is in the South China Sea. I mean, that is such a fascinating confrontation that we just saw you witness there, Ivan. What else have you experienced in the last several hours? This is very exclusive access that you've gained here to this frontline battle. And what's going on around you right now?

WATSON: Right. Well, that pattern of the water cannons and the Chinese ship coming very close repeated itself over and over again. But for about five, six hours now, the Philippine vessels have turned away. The crew here says that they're changing their mission, basically cutting it short because there's a typhoon rapidly approaching the area. And the water does seem a bit stormier.

So, the Philippine ships have turned away from Scarborough Shoal. That said -- and they're headed north back towards the Philippines, they're still in the distance, about two miles away as the crow flies, a speck of a Chinese Coast Guard ship that is shadowing two Philippine government vessels that are headed back to their home turf right now.

Now, I do have to say, watching these large ships, this one is 30 meters long, 90 feet long. The Chinese ships are bigger, kind of playing chicken, even though the speeds aren't huge. None of these vessels can stop on a dime. It is disconcerting. And there have been collisions in the past. Last year, a Chinese Coast Guard ship and a Chinese Navy ship collided. And there was some serious damage there while they were pursuing Philippine ships. Today, the Philippine Coast Guard condemned the Chinese counterparts, accusing them of illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions. My colleague in Beijing, Mike Valerio, he asked the Chinese foreign ministry to respond to these accusations. And here's an excerpt from what Chinese officials had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN JIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): As relevant Philippine vessels deliberately intruded into the waters, it's legitimate and lawful for China to take necessary measures to uphold its rights and security, which is professional, standard and beyond reproach. The Philippines should immediately stop its infringement activities and provocations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: OK. And the Chinese official went on to say that bringing journalists along what the Filipinos have been doing is making further provocations. In full transparency, for years, CNN has been asking the Chinese government for access for a tour of some of these contested regions, some of its man-made islands, but has never been taken along, never been granted permission.

The Philippine government, as you can see here, has brought us along to see these confrontations firsthand. Back to you, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Playing chicken on the front lines of the South China Sea. You've really painted an image for us there, Ivan Watson. Thank you so much.

A fast-moving wildfire has forced the total evacuation of a popular tourist hotspot on the Atlantic coast. Authorities have sent boats there to remove everyone on the Cape Verde Peninsula. Now, French President Emmanuel Macron says he has requested help from the European Union in battling these wildfires, and neighboring Spain has declared a national emergency over a series of heat-driven fires. More than 30 villages have been evacuated, as firefighters battle one of the country's largest wildfires on record. Back-to-back heat waves in Europe have intensified drought conditions and driven wildfires across the continent. The heat has also been blamed for thousands of deaths.

The controversy over the firing of Ukraine's defense minister takes a new turn. Coming up, protesters push for his comeback as he says no to any other government job.

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[04:15:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Ukraine's capital is bracing for more demonstrations. This is over the firing of the country's popular defense minister. Now, demonstrators, rather, planned a new rally in the coming hours unless Mikhail Fedorov is reinstated. The young minister was ousted last week after clashing with the military's Gold Guard. President Zelenskyy then offered him a different role, but Fedorov rejected it. Mr. Zelenskyy later described what that job would entail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is very important because there must be coordination of innovations with the leadership of the ministry of defense, with the leadership and the chief military, and with the general staff, and, of course, with the president of Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Meanwhile, a new video shows Ukraine's latest strikes inside Russia on Wildberries. This is the country's top online retailer. Officials say three people were injured near St. Petersburg, and a warehouse is on fire. Ukraine says the company's warehouses are used to make military drones.

I want to bring in now our guest independent journalist, Nataliya Gumenyuk. She joins us now from Kyiv. Good morning to you. Thank you so much for being on with us.

I want to start by getting an understanding of the mood on the streets right now because, of course, President Zelenskyy has sacked the country's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and then replaced him with a younger general, Mykhailo Drapatyi.

[04:20:00]

He's offered the former defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, this alternative post, which he refused. How are demonstrators taking this? How is it changing the mood or how is it enraging or calming people down?

NATALIYA GUMENYUK, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: I should say the demonstrators are kind of like the representative of the large Ukrainian society in this regard, and these are more or less the same people which they do the daily job and at any given moment.

And the firing of the previous commander-in-chief is quite a big thing. Also, we should say that the person who is the new commander- in-chief, it's largely respected by the, within the armed forces and also within the larger population. I wouldn't narrow down this conflict for kind of this generational gap, but the new commander-in- chief is kind of known to be a bit more humane. Also, the person who is ready to say no to the uncomfortable task, to be, you know, uncomfortable to his superiors, and also probably more open to more horizontal way of communicating within the armed forces. So, there are a lot of hopes.

We do have the -- a kind of the new acting minister for defense who is coming from the security services. However, he's largely known as a person behind the spider web operation, fascinating operation last year when Ukraine with the drones reached the Russian nuclear triad.

So, the mood is kind of different Fedorov There are a lot of expectations. There is, of course, a discussion what would be the role of Mikhailo Fedorov, but it's definitely way before, beyond the personalities. It's more like a structural change, not just about this old and new guard, but rather the development of the armed forces within the war, whether it should be kind of more technological and the balance of the forces.

But what is the most exciting for me is indeed that in Ukraine, you do have amidst of the total war, the protests which are more about national defense, not just about like anti-corruption or any kind of disagreement with the government, but with such a serious issue connected to the country's security.

ABDELAZIZ: And there have been concessions here by President Zelenskyy, of course. He has sacked Syrskyi. He has offered Fedorov positions. He is clearly listening to demonstrators. Do they feel that they are being heard? Does this feel like a success? What do they want next?

GUMENYUK: So, I think that's indeed extremely important to understand that nothing is given in Ukraine, that in this regard, President Zelenskyy is known to be pretty stubborn, but accepting that he has made a mistake is considered to be the sense of his maturity. So, people in this country like when the higher-ups accept that they made mistakes.

There is a question what will happen with -- you know, with Mikhailo Fedorov, what role in the government he would say, but of course, it's accepted. However, it's still the president will pay quite a price for not reading the mood of the public way earlier. For me personally, on the analytical level, it's very important that these changes are happening and there is the conversation between the different government bodies, between the parliament and between the people, what would be the way out in the situation when Ukraine is kind of getting -- has -- you know, got some initiative in fighting against Russia.

There is a progress. So, Ukraine reached some of the parity with the technological drone warfare. So, it's very important not to lose the momentum. So, the whole discussion is how we can both sort out this systematic and strategic problems, get a new commander-in-chief, have a change in the military leadership, but also not to lose the momentum.

And again and again, yes, the people are on the streets and I do think that in Ukraine, it's already a bit of the sign if we, due to the security reason, cannot hold the elections and that there is one way that there is various different ways, including in such a complicated issue as security to be on the streets and, you know, tell the leaders what's actually wrong.

So -- but I should also say that people I talked in the -- you know, within the military, they also want to have a bit more sober approach. You know, like it's kind of a balance between the previous decision of the president, but, you know, also not having a bit too idealistic demands and not to have these demands regarding one specific person.

ABDELAZIZ: But you're also saying that President Zelenskyy is paying the cost for not reading the mood of the streets.

[04:25:00] We describe demonstrations in Ukraine as being very rare, but something like this happened last year, right, when Ukrainians went out and demonstrated after the passing of a bill that was going to effectively destroy the power of two of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. And yet again, they're taking to the streets.

Explain the spirit to me behind this message, because it seems like Ukrainians are saying to President Zelenskyy, look, yes, we're in wartime, yes, we have martial law, yes, we can't hold elections, but you cannot act with impunity, you will be held to account. What do you feel is the message and the spirit here?

GUMENYUK: First of all, it's not about the impunity, it's -- because there is no impunity for president or for nobody in this country, nobody has an impunity here. However, of course, let's say popularity, because one thing is supporting Zelenskyy and his stubbornness in the way he deals with the foreign partners, a different thing that people expect him to be more inclusive in the domestic politics.

So, what I'm saying by paying the price, even last year, you know, the president needs to revert the legislation regarding the independence of the anti-corruption bodies. It was a bit too late. Later, he didn't -- he in the end sacked his head of the office, largely unpopular, quite an anti-charismatic person, but it was already too late, so the popularity also went down.

And now, in this regard, there were the warnings, you know, before the rumors that there would be change in the government reshuffle, there were a lot of urges for support, Mykhailo Fedorov in the position of the ministry of defense, and it felt like the president was really, really, you know, forcing his decision on keeping the old commander- in-chief, and it's just the people who change it.

So, I think that the mood is changing depending on how the government acts, how the politicians act. If Mykhailo Fedorov would, for instance, like, would -- I don't know, would also become too stubborn and would kind of be very, very firm on like, I need to be back into the ministry of defense, he possibly would lose his popularity as well, if he would kind of look not mature enough.

So, in this regard, the mood in Ukrainian population is that the leaders, that they are mature enough to admit that they make mistakes, and they also are ready to take difficult decisions, but also, they do not risk the situation in the frontline, because in the end, the Russians' bombs are falling, while I'm talking to you, there is another air siren in Kyiv.

So, you know, like, it's very important for us not to forget about that, especially in the moment when, indeed, what is very special with Fedorov, that he's a bit of the prodigy, his activities connected to the innovation, connected to the drone warfare and the digital systems, which are, you know, is a Ukrainian answer to scale the drone production, pretty successful.

So, he brought the hope for, not say like victory, but at least a better situation in the frontline. So, people were disappointed, but I think people very much appreciate that what they do matters. And it's very important for everybody not, let's say, to escalate. We know the Russia always like to have the, you know, problems within Ukraine.

ABDELAZIZ: And that really counts there. Nataliya Gumenyuk, thank you so much for your time. So, interesting and so fascinating to hear about the power of these street demonstrations. Thank you so much coming live to us from Kyiv there.

A blockade of another key straight in the Middle East could open a new front in the Iran war. I'm going to speak with an expert about the unfolding crisis right after the break.

And there's growing frustration over Donald Trump's shift on a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia 24 hours after it was signed. What's behind the new condition? Just ahead on CNN.

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