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Trump Says Negotiations With Iran To Resume Today; Iranian Denies Trump's Claims On Request To Stop Attacks; Iran: Understanding With Oman Doesn't Mean Hormuz Will Reopen. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 03, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:31]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, and this is CNN Newsroom.

Negotiations, instead of more strikes. We'll have a live report on where things stand in the war with Iran after President Trump says that he canceled the planned attack. And the battle is ongoing to contain fast-moving wildfires in the state of Washington as residents return to find their homes destroyed. An update on the way.

Plus, why a U.S. Senate primary race is being watched so closely and the implications beyond the state that's holding the election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: And we do want to begin with President Donald Trump, who says that the U.S. and Iran will resume negotiations today after he called off a planned attack on Iran over the weekend. Here's what he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They said, we'd like to make a deal now. You know, I don't know what they say because a lot of times, they'll say that to me and then they'll go out and say we don't know what he's talking about. Obviously, they don't want to be attacked. And they knew -- they knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happens now?

TRUMP: What happens now? Well, now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon, and we'll see if it's true. I'd love to do that.

Save a lot of lives, save a lot of unnecessary power, to be honest with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: And aboard Air Force One, the president also claimed that

there's a deal on the Strait of Hormuz and that there will be a deal on the denuclearization of Iran, as he put it. Tehran, for its part, not backing down on its claim to supervise that critical waterway. In fact, state media reporting that Iran's foreign minister held several high-level phone calls with senior Saudi and Pakistani officials on Sunday.

Let's go now to Nada Bashir, who joins me live from not -- from London. So Nada, just tell us a little bit more of what we know about these negotiations before they begin.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned Polo, we are still seeing some daylight between the United States the Trump administration and Iranian officials, according to the messaging and rhetoric we are hearing at this point. As you heard there from the U.S. President, he seems pretty adamant that we are expecting to see those talks taking place today, another round of negotiations in an attempt to mediate some sort of diplomatic resolution. And that is certainly what Gulf allies of the United States and others in the region have been pushing for.

Many of these nations, of course, bearing the brunt of this recent escalation, seeing yet more attacks from the Iranian regime, from missiles to drone attacks, targeting not only civilian areas, but also, of course, U.S. military assets in the Gulf region.

There has been a real push by Gulf nations and others in the region, including mediators in Pakistan, to try to bring everyone back to the negotiating table, to try to prevent a further escalation. But in terms of what we're hearing from the Iranian regime at this point, it is that staunch, quite clear rejection of this attempt of negotiations or the fact that they had called for a return to the negotiating table. We've seen reports, according to the semi-official First News Agency, quoting officials within the Iranian regime saying that the Trump administration has run out of steam, that Iran has not asked for the attack to be called off, has not asked for negotiations to resume.

We've heard further warnings as well from the Iranian regime, according to state media broadcasts and publications, stating that any further assault or attack by the United States on Iran will trigger once again a significant response from the Iranian regime. And that is, of course, the messaging and the rhetoric we have been hearing from on both sides now for some time now.

But again, that effort by mediators, by others in the region to try to step up the pressure is ongoing. We know that Iran's foreign minister, for example, as you mentioned, has been speaking with officials in both Saudi Arabia, his counterpart in Saudi Arabia, as well as senior military officials in Pakistan, marking the second round of talks in just 24 hours on Sunday.

So clearly, we are seeing some, some sort of diplomatic movement there on that front. Of course, Iranian officials have also been maintaining communications with officials in Oman as well. And it's understood that those talks and discussions have really been focused on the mechanics of trying to hammer out some sort of agreement on how to control the security of the Strait of Hormuz in any sort of negotiated agreement. But again, both sides have been very clear on what they expect to see in any sort of deal. And up until this point, we have yet to see any agreements. And whether we do see talks today taking place on what form they may take place in remains to be seen.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Nada Bashir with that live report from London. Thank you so much.

You know, oftentimes when we hear some hint of optimism from the president, that usually translates to some impact on markets. You see where some of them sit right now after President Trump's decision to call off strikes on Iran and resume negotiations to end the war.

Looking at the Brent crude numbers, the international benchmark and also U.S. crude prices, they've been falling since Saturday. And at this hour, U.S. futures, they are also up ahead of the opening bell. They are crossing the board again. This amid renewed optimism, as we just heard a little while ago from Nada, of a possible diplomatic breakthrough, but still a lot that we do not know ahead of the negotiations expected to once again begin today.

And Israel has expanded strikes across Gaza for a second straight day. The IDF says that it targeted two elite Hamas commanders in Deir al- Balah as well as military objectives in the in Gaza City and Jabalia. The escalation coming despite President Trump announcing fresh progress towards an Israel-Hamas ceasefire on Thursday.

Hamas has said that it is committed to disarming, but only after Israel stops its attacks. The Palestinians also gathered in Gaza City on Sunday to mourn a man, his pregnant wife and their seven-year-old son. They were reportedly killed in an Israeli attack on a residential building.

Officials estimating more than 1, 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the initial ceasefire plan was outlined in October.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche says that he is formally rescinding President Trump's so called Anti-Weaponization Fund. The controversial program aimed to offer taxpayer money to people claiming that they were unjustly targeted by the federal government. That includes those involved in the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol.

The decision to revoke it could remove a major hurdle in President Trump's push to have the Senate permanently approve Blanche as the U.S.'s Attorney General. But the president continues defending the program. Here's what he said about it on Sunday.

This was before Blanche put out his announcement on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: This would be a reimbursement for the payment. They suffered. A lot of people like it. If they don't approve that, I put it back on the T. A lot of people like it. A lot of big supporters of Trump like it.

(ed

SANDOVAL: Republican Senators John Cornyn and Tom Tillis have threatened to withhold their critical votes for Blanche's confirmation, and that is until there is written assurance that the fund would not be resurrected. Cornyn's spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that a deal, in fact, has been reached with the Justice Department to issue a formal termination order. The Senate Judiciary Committee is now scheduled to meet on Tuesday for a potential vote on Blanche's nomination.

In the coming hours, some favorable weather conditions could possibly help firefighters strengthen containment lines as Washington state battles its worst fire season in decades. An estimated 700 homes are among the many structures that have already been destroyed since the series of wildfires broke out over the weekend in spite of Spokane County.

They have burned more than 7,000 acres and there is currently no containment at this time. At least 60,000 residents have been evacuated. Officials are saying that one of the fires, known as Autumn Lane, is now the highest priority blaze in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CANTWELL, (D-WA): This is the most risk and resourced fire in the United States today. It is the top fire in our nation. That means they are going to give us the resources that we need here on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The firefighting efforts continue there, where it's currently 1:00 a.m. Firefighters are getting support from not only dozens of states, but as far as Australia. Unfortunately, no serious injuries or deaths have been reported, and residents have described leaving their homes with whatever they could carry and little else. While some are waiting for the chance to go home, others have returned to complete destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIC FRANK, SPOKENE RESIDENT: I don't think I'm going to rebuild here because I don't ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill again. And I've been in Spokane my entire 64 years because my little brother died in an accident when he was 6. And that's why I stayed close to my family. I think it's time for me to leave Spokane.

[04:10:13]

SANDOVAL: Earlier, I had a chance to speak with Washington State Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove. He shared more details about the state's wildfire response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVE UPTHEGROVE, COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS, WASHINGTON: This is an

extraordinary wildfire season in the United States, and in the state of Washington, this is not normal. Fortunately, we came into this fire season well prepared. We prepositioned equipment, we built an exceptionally well-trained wildfire force, established mutual aid agreements with neighboring states, federal partners. And fortunately, that is paying off.

Right now, we have about 5,000 people responding to 15 major wildfires in Washington state covering a quarter million acres. We've brought in firefighters and equipment from across the country, and we've activated our state's National Guard with a couple hundred members working alongside us.

So that's why, despite the scale of these fires and despite understanding the devastation, I remain hopeful. We have an enormous job ahead of us. But thousands of people are working together with one shared mission, and that is protecting the lives and helping these communities rebuild.

SANDOVAL: And with conditions persistently dry, Commissioner, there is still a fear, I assume, that those flames will still spread to more residential areas, and if so, where?

UPTHEGROVE: Absolutely. We can't predict exact paths of the fire because it depends upon wind and weather conditions. But the threat of wildfires in this state is nowhere near over. We're doing everything we can to get the fires put out with as many resources as we can activate.

But we are encouraging people to, when they receive an evacuation notice, heed that notice. You know, these wildfires move deceptively fast. They change direction quickly, and they're deadly.

We've seen a loss of life earlier this summer on a couple fires, folks who were in the path of the fires. And we're also reminding people, don't be the spark that starts the next fire.

We had three major fires start this morning. So as we battle the current fires, we are encouraging people to be safe on the landscape as well. Everyone has a role to play during challenging conditions like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: While those crews in Washington should see lighter winds and cooler temperatures today, it may not last long. We see more extreme heat is expected across the west coast by Wednesday. Here's meteorologist Chris Warren with your forecast.

CHRIS WARREN, METEOROLOGIST: Winds have calmed down considerably in eastern Washington and much of the Pacific Northwest, but smoke remains. And those winds turning to be from the north, helping to bring even more smoke from Canada into Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, where there are already plenty of fires providing smoke on their own. And the winds will continue to calm down throughout much of the week, with spotty areas seeing at times breezy conditions and it is going to heat back up.

For the time being, early on, the Pacific Northwest is on the northern edge of this heat dome, or the intense, dangerous heat is focused over the desert Southwest and parts of Southern California. And you can see that here with the purple being the extreme heat risk. Not having adequate air conditioning enabled, a way to keep yourself cool during the overnight hours, is what makes it particularly dangerous. And when the overnight lows stay quite warm.

By the time Wednesday rolls around, we're going to see moderate to major heat risk west of the Cascades from Seattle down to Portland. And these temperatures are getting a little bit of a break here in the Pacific Northwest for those wildfires.

But it is staying dry, and it will get hot once again. You can see those temperatures back into the 80s and 90s east of the Cascades, even west of the Cascades. By Wednesday, we'll see temperatures top 100 degrees in the Willamette Valley from Portland, Oregon, all the way down Corvallis into Eugene and still staying quite toasty in the Southwest.

SANDOVAL: We're also following a separate firefighting effort that's happening in Europe. Greek investigators. They are now looking into what caused two helicopters to collide on Sunday while aiding firefighting efforts.

The country's fire service reporting that the two crew members aboard one of the choppers did not survive the crash. The two from the other helicopter did. Greece is one of the latest countries to experience summer wildfires due to record breaking heat waves. So, is there any relief in sight?

Let's get the latest now from journalist Elinda Labropoulou, who joins me from Parga, Greece with more. It's good to see you again. We've seen Greek authorities literally going door to door trying to convince people to evacuate. What are you hearing now?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: They really are going door to door asking people to evacuate. These mass evacuations have been going now for days simply because the weather conditions have been so extreme that, you know, firefighting aircraft has not been able to operate until yesterday when we had this tragic incident. Even the prime minister came out yesterday and said, well, look, we're dealing with really extreme conditions, so evacuations continue.

We know that this fire, the big fire burning close to Athens, about 40 miles from Athens, is moving quickly at the moment. And we know that it is also reaching close to an industrial area.

[04:15:34]

So that's why firefighters are really increasing their efforts to make sure that everybody gets out safe. Well, let's take a listen at what some of the local residents have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voiceover): It's not a good situation. This is

extremely sad. The wind is very strong. It keeps changing direction. It's difficult to deal with.

The firefighters who are trained and experienced can't contain it. How can we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voiceover): Now it's flaring up again from above. What can I say really? The situation is desperate. More police than firefighters. That's what I see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LABROPOULOU: Well, the police and firefighters are now talking about a new chapter in these mega fires that have been plaguing Europe this summer. Greece is a bit of a newcomer. The big fire started last week. Until then, weather conditions were much better.

And the question I think here is very much linked to what happens in the long run. We know that Europe is warming up faster than the rest of the world. We know that we are here in idyllic conditions. You know, this is the Mediterranean.

This is the land of Homeric times. It's been known for its beauty. What you can see behind me is islands full of pine trees, vegetation that no longer seems to be able to support the increasingly changing climate in Europe. So the debate really moves on onto how Europe manages to cope with what's coming next. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, certainly that climate crisis has been part of the conversation as we've been covering these fires not only in France and where you are as well. Elinda, thank you so much for -- for your live report.

And so to come here on CNN Newsroom, the latest on a deadly bomb explosion in Russia's capital. A live report from Moscow will return.

Plus, also far-right politicians. They are returning to familiar anti- immigrant rhetoric after a historic rush of people cross the border from Morocco into Spain's territory.

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[04:21:16]

Russian police are investigating a deadly bomb blast at a restaurant in downtown Moscow. The city's mayor calling the Saturday incident a terrorist attack. At least two people were killed and 21 more were wounded. Investigators not yet said who they think is responsible.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joining me now, joining me now from Moscow. So what is the latest on the investigation, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Polo. Well, they're not saying who they say is responsible, but also they haven't said yet who they think the target of this attack was. This happened on a Saturday night at around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday when

an upscale restaurant right in the center here of Moscow in a landmark building, there was a private function going on at that restaurant. And sources from that area say that area already had a lot of security teaming there.

Apparently, what happened then is that during that private function, one of the security guards who was at the door there noticed a woman with a package, seemingly a courier, coming to the front door of that restaurant, then confronted that woman, asked to search her, and that's when that package bomb went off.

Now, in total, three people, the Russian authorities have said so far were killed in that incident. The security guard who checked the package, the woman who was carrying it was, but then also one customer of that restaurant as well.

The authorities are saying that they're not sure whether or not the woman who was carrying that package actually knew that it contained a bomb. But certainly, that is part of the investigation. As you can imagine, all of that still very much in the early stages. But so far, as you've mentioned, the Russians have not said who they think was behind all of this. And that certainly is key because right now, of course, there is a heightened state of security here in the Russian capital.

Also, in other cities as well, as there have been targeted assassinations that in the past the Russians have blamed on the Ukrainians. In 2023, a very well-known Russian blogger was killed in a cafe in St. Petersburg. Also, two Russian generals were killed by bombs in Moscow. So the Russian authorities certainly have been on high alert for possible incidents involving improvised explosive devices.

But again, right now they're saying all of this still in the very early stages of the investigation and not saying who they believe might be behind all of this. Polo

SANDOVAL: CNN's Fred Pleitgen been covering that all weekend. Thank you so much, Fred.

Authorities in Spain's North African territory of Ceuta are transporting more migrants back to Morocco. Most of the 60,000 people who cross the border last week have already returned. And life in the tiny community has mostly returned to normal.

But far-right leaders in Spain and other parts of Europe they're using the deadly border rush to stoke public fear and anger. Some are calling the influx of migrants a, quote, "invasion." EU interior ministers will be joining an emergency meeting on Tuesday, hoping to address the growing backlash and also the threats by some EU leaders to tighten their borders.

Let's go live now to Saskya Vandoorne with more. So Saskya, what is expected at this meeting? SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Polo. Well, I expect that they'll be dealing with two very big questions. Firstly, how do they ensure that crossing on this scale never happen again? And also how did it happen in the first place?

Because it appears that what fueled the sudden surge wasn't in fact these people smuggling networks, but rather messages that were circulating online encouraging Moroccans to head to Ceuta. Now there are also efforts to try and ease tensions between European leaders, and that's because Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is furious. Over the weekend, he accused some EU leaders of attacking Spain during this crisis of essentially playing political games rather than showing solidarity.

[04:25:06]

And of course, that was aimed at Italy because following those dramatic scenes in Ceuta, Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who has long been critical of Spain's migration policy, announced that Italy would be suspending its visa-free travel agreement with Spain for roughly a month. And so we've been hearing from Spanish media that there are now checks, random checks happening in airports and in seaports in Italy on travelers arriving from Spain.

Now, Sanchez is not just feeling the heat abroad. He's also feeling the heat at home. You've got those Spanish, a lot of political -- politicians, far-right politicians who were in Ceuta this weekend saying that Sanchez is not protecting Spain's borders enough.

Meanwhile, Spain is reinforcing its Ceuta border. It has now built a 600-foot barrier that will sit on the sea on that border with Morocco. So, Polo, even though it seems that the immediate crisis has eased, I expect that the political consequences of what's happened in Ceuta will be long-lasting. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, Saskya. And as you were talking, we were showing viewers video of that apparent barrier that's being set up, a reminder that they are afraid this could happen again. Saskya Vandoorne, thank you so much for all that information.

And still to come hereon CNN Newsroom, another key Senate primary for the Democrats, this time in the state of Michigan. And it's also another critical test for the rising progressive movement. We'll have a preview of Tuesday's closely watched race.

Plus, the Justice Department drops a case against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Now President Trump is pushing back on his own DOJ's reasons why.

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