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CNN International: U.S. and Iran Trade New Strikes; Search and Recovery Efforts Continue in Nepal. Putin Ready for Peace Talks but Continues Strikes; Bloc Celebrates 25th Anniversary with SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan; Posterboy Hong Kong Activist Facing More Prison Time. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 02, 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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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: And a warm welcome to our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. And ahead here on CNN Newsroom, we have the very latest on those Iran strikes as they continue its military campaign there on behalf of the United States despite a new threat from President Trump. A new video that shows a woman and two children narrowly escaping raging floodwaters in Nepal as the death toll rises again. Also, how narwhals known as the unicorns of the sea, how they're helping researchers track climate change in the Arctic.

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

SANDOVAL: Well, the U.S. and Iran have traded new strikes. U.S. Central Command now saying that they were prompted by, quote, attempted attacks on commercial shipping in the straits and American service members in the region. And they come after the first escalation in the region in a month just days earlier. (inaudible) video on Tuesday with a list of Iranian targets it hit in those strikes, including air defense sites, radar systems and communication sites. And U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran that, quote, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level if they retaliate.

And the president later wrote that he couldn't care less if Tehran signs a, quote, worthless agreement over the Strait of Hormuz. And he urged Iranians to rise up and fight. Multiple strikes from Iran were reported on Tuesday. The Jordanian armed forces confirmed that it did intercept at least 10 missiles that were launched from Iran and another three that fell in remote locations. Bahrain and Kuwait also reported intercepting Iranian drones.

Let's go now live to Abu Dhabi where CNN's Paula Hancocks is closely following developments. So, Paula what's the latest?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, ABU DHABI: Well, Polo, it really is a familiar pattern that we're seeing here. After several weeks of calm, we now see once again a second night of U.S. strikes against military targets in Iran followed by Tehran retaliating by targeting U.S. assets, it says, in the Gulf. Now, this time, Tehran targeted Jordan. We understand from authorities there that there were some 13 ballistic missiles that came into towards Jordan.

Also Bahrain and Kuwait were dealing with drones from Iran. Kuwait says that there was a fire in a residential building because there have been no injuries and that fire has now been put out. So what we saw overnight Tuesday into Wednesday was Central Command saying that they were targeting the Revolutionary Guard military targets. Now, the sort of things they were targeting, air defense sites, radar systems, minelaying capabilities.

So what we have been seeing in the past trying to -- to prevent Iran from being able to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and also being able to target U.S. service members. CENTCOM pointing out that some 50,000 U.S. service members are currently in the region. Now, we did hear from Tehran, we heard from the chief negotiator, who was also the parliament speaker. In response, let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMAD GHALIBAF, IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER: Our military forces have full control of the Strait and do not allow it to be opened. Whenever they see movement from the enemy, they react with authority and precision and do not allow them to pass through the Strait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: And we're also hearing something quite similar from the U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that the U.S. has almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz and is guiding some vessels through the Strait to get oil and energy into the global markets. Now what we're also hearing from Iran is that shrapnel from one of those U.S. strikes struck a building where a wedding was being held. This is in a southern Iranian state in a town called Kuhestak. We understand from Iranian state TV that four people were killed, including a four year old child.

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They also say that dozens were injured, at least 50 of them women and children. Now, these videos have been geolocated by CNN showing the damage in a building. Rubble on the floor, smoke in the air. We have reached out to U.S. Central Command for comment on these claims. We've heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson though regarding this particular event, saying that it is part of a, quote, catalog of atrocities. We await comment from the U.S. military. Polo?

SANDOVAL: CNN's Paula Hancocks with that live report from Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much.

Now to oil prices that seem to be surging amid the new U.S. strikes in Iran. Oil futures, they climbed another 2% on Tuesday morning after a jump on Monday. When you look at the oil markets and where they are right now, you see Brent crude, which essentially the global benchmark is up about just under $95 a barrel while WTI, that U.S. benchmark dropping to about $90 a barrel. Those are the trading numbers as of this hour.

And the U.S. Treasury Secretary is downplaying Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz. At the G20 Summit on Tuesday, he insisted that efforts to establish new oil shipping routes will ultimately make the critical waterway redundant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We could see the Iranians are trying to use the Strait of Hormuz as a choke point. It's not a choke point for the U.S., but it is a choke point for many, many other countries and -- but that will be bypassed in two years. In two years the Strait of Hormuz will be like a worthless piece of water, that the -- that the oil will be going on pipelines across land.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: The aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln is docked in Thailand. It's its first port of call in more than eight months at sea. Its long deployments in the Middle East raised some concerns about the crew's well being. CNN has previously reported that it led to morale issues and supply shortages on board. And we know that there was at least one possible suicide attempt among the crew of 5,000. President Trump had dismissed concerns about the lengthy deployment, saying that it was, quote, not nearly long enough.

Well, rescue efforts are still underway a week after a massive landslide triggered deadly flooding across parts of the Nepal-China border. And for many, including some of these women and children who narrowly escaped to safety, they were decided by just a few split seconds. This raging water just washed away entire communities. The United Nations estimating that the disaster has left behind more than 2.4 million tons of debris.

And international aid agencies are currently racing to reach some of the hardest hit flood zones that have been cut off by the damage to major infrastructure like roads. Authorities say that more than 1,100 people have been killed between the two countries and that at least 4,500 people remain unaccounted for. And the scale of destruction, it is making it difficult for many families to learn the fate of their missing loved ones. CNN's Hanako Montgomery joined police in Nepal as they search for victims along the country's flooded riverbanks. Here's her report.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Down in Nepal's plains, the river gives up its dead. Floodwaters carried them far from where they were last seen, scattering them along the riverbanks. Right now we're on a search and recovery mission with the Nepali police. They found hundreds of bodies that have washed downstream from the Himalayas in this river.

So we're just going to go and see if we can find any more human remains that might need recovery. Using sticks to probe the tall grass, they search for what the floods left behind. They find nothing. So, the search continues downstream. They say they found something. I'm just going to put on my mask here in case it's a body. We found an animal carcass and you can tell that it's been here for a few days. It's pretty badly decomposed. The police tell us the same is happening to human remains.

(UNKNOWN): These scenes are very heart wrenching, but we're keeping strong and working.

MONTGOMERY: The places to search seem endless. And what they do recover, they bring here, a center where photographs of the found dead flicker across screens. Families stare at image after image, looking for a brother, a son, or for this man, his sisters.

(UNKNOWN): I'm still hoping that they come back. We're looking for them and contacting all possible places, but we haven't found any leads.

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MONTGOMERY: The police tell me over 800 people were reported missing at this center alone. Just 12 were returned to families. Some, he says, are so badly decomposed they're unrecognizable.

(UNKNOWN): This situation is very challenging. We're getting dead bodies, body parts, and we don't have enough people who are able to do this work.

MONTGOMERY: Reunited holds a different meaning here. Finding remains confirms an unbearable truth. But an end to the search for some families, allowing them to lay their loved ones to rest. But they're considered the lucky ones. The hundreds who can't be identified are brought deep into the forest to a freshly dug mass grave. Numbers are assigned for the unnamed, with the bleak hope that using collected DNA samples, one day someone will come looking for them. Back at the river, the police find what they're looking for.

When we were with the Nepali police, we didn't find any remains. But the same team, they called us and they told us they found two bodies in the river. And now begins the really painful process of identifying these people and then reuniting them with their families. Behind every missing person is a family still waiting. And behind every recovered body, the enormous task of learning who they were. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nepal.

SANDOVAL: And there's so much more on the way here on CNN Newsroom, including Russia's president, who claims that he's open to substantive peace talks. And this as his forces continue battering Ukraine's capital with deadly airstrikes. Plus, Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks governance and leveraging influence at a time of global change. We'll have the latest from a gathering of world leaders.

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[04:15:00] SANDOVAL: Russia President Vladimir Putin is claiming that Moscow is open to what he calls concrete peace talks. He says that he wants to end the war and achieve, quote, lasting and complete peace throughout Ukraine and Europe. Except he said this as Russian forces continue their deadly bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine's president is currently warning that its drone strikes on Russian targets are making Russian airspace too dangerous for air travel. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian drones do not threaten civilian aircraft. But he's warning international airlines and insurance companies to stay away from Russian airspace. Russian's president denouncing those comments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: Listen, I haven't heard these statements, but if it was said out loud, it borders state terrorism. Also, I draw your attention to the fact that they ask us to resume talks with them, to meet them in person. Well, there can be no talks with terrorists.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Joining me now is CNN's Clare Sebastian, live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, off the top of we just mentioned right now, you know, President Putin has repeatedly stated before that Russia is ready for peace talks. Well, he's saying it again. Is there any indication that this could be any different?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Polo. I think this is a sort of traditional Russian doublespeak, a no to peace talks dressed up fairly elaborately as a yes. He said he's open to peace talks if they can stop sort of going round and round pointlessly. If, you know, as we've heard from previous comments from Kremlin officials recently, they want to iron out all the details before it gets to the leader's level.

And you heard him say it just there that he doesn't negotiate with terrorists, which is of course something that he regularly calls the Ukrainian president and the sort of the government in Kyiv even before this threat that we got from President Zelenskyy yesterday to Russian airspace. So they are not anywhere closer, I think, to agreeing to real peace talks. Interestingly, though he did say he was willing to keep talking to Trump's envoys who he says he trusts and knows very well.

Now, clearly referring to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have made a number of trips to Moscow at this point, but not to Kyiv. Notably, this is something that Ukraine continues to push for. So, that is that, I think, as I say, that is a no to peace talks dressed up as a yes. But when it comes to this threat to airspace from Zelenskyy saying that civilian aircraft should stay away from Russian airspace that is now so heavily saturated with Ukrainian drones, I think this is something that Russia does have to take seriously.

We're hearing this morning from state media reporting that all agencies, this coming from the Ministry of Transport, are working in close coordination to prevent threats to -- to air travel. Putin obviously dismissing this, but it is something where Ukraine still does have cards. The Moscow mayor has also come out and said that over the course of August, more than 8,500 drones were detected flying towards Moscow and the Moscow region. That is not including, of course, the rest of Russia, which has also been under regular sort of attacks by Ukrainian drones. So this is an area where Ukraine does still have cards.

But of course, this is a point in the war where Russia is massively escalating at its aerial attacks. We saw President Zelenskyy on Tuesday visiting children in a bomb shelter on their first day back at school for the new school year. It is a bleak moment. Our team on the ground reporting more air alerts this morning, more air defense activity over the city. So again, I think that sheds light on that comment from Putin that he is, as he claims, willing to start peace talks. Polo?

SANDOVAL: Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for that live report.

We also are continuing to follow what was a multi day summit that was held this week, in which various world leaders met together, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who is now calling on the Shanghai cooperation organization to work together toward a more equitable and multipolar world. The Chinese president laying out his vision for the Bloc during a summit with leaders from member countries in Kyrgyzstan. It happened on Tuesday.

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The meeting was focused on strengthening global governance amid the shift -- the shifting balance of power in recent years. And President Xi called on the SCO to uphold international norms, to honor the rule of law, and to work together to tackle global challenges. Joining me now is Steve Tsang. He's the director of the SOAS China Institute and professor of Chinese studies at the SOAS University of London. Professor, it's always good to see you. Thank you for taking the time.

STEVE TSANG, DIRECTOR, SOAS CHINA INSTITUTE: Good morning.

SANDOVAL: Good morning to you. So, coming out of this week's summit, what is your assessment of China's position on the world stage at a time of multiple wars and no shortage of geopolitical instability?

TSANG: Well, China under Xi Jinping has a very clear global strategy, and they are taking advantage of the situations in the world, the chaos unleashed by others, including President Donald Trump of the United States, in order to project that China is a force for stability and a force to deliver what Xi Jinping calls the democratization of international relations, making the world support China's position. The SCO is one of these cornerstones of China's approach.

SANDOVAL: And back to what you mentioned there, of China really seizing this opportunity to portray itself as, you know, a source of stability. How is the war with Iran providing China with that kind of additional leverage, you think? TSANG: Well, the war in Iran is extremely helpful to China because, on the one hand, it substantially weakens the relationship between the United States and its traditional allies in Europe and the other democracies. And on the other hand, even more importantly, it substantially discredit the United States in the global south. And the global south is where China's global strategy is pivoted to. And China tries to engage the global south to secure their support, to make changes to the international order.

SANDOVAL: What has also been interesting here is some of the recent announcement from the U.S. government in terms of sanctions against not just Iran's government, but also other nations. So, I'm curious, what has been the Chinese president's response to that recent threat from the Trump administration that any nation that provides Iran with what they describe as an economic lifeline would face U.S. sanctions. I mean, professor, the first thing that comes to mind is China as the chief buyer of Iranian oil.

TSANG: Well, China's position is a simple keep calm and carry on. Nothing to worry about too much, because they don't think President Trump will take on China and reopen a trade war over which China holds the trump card of rare earth export and processing. And what is interesting about the SCO meeting is that Iran is a member of the SCO, and in the summit, there was hardly any reference to the current conflict in Iran or the American threat to impose secondary sanctions on others. And instead Xi talks about economical operations and political cooperations with member states of SCO, including, of course, Iran.

SANDOVAL: Curious what else stood out to you during this summit? Of course, it's always touted as this diverse group aiming to balance the West's global influence. What else do you think really stood out of that meeting of global leaders to you, professor?

TSANG: Well, what stands out is that how far Xi Jinping is able to shape the direction of discussions, and if you like, consensus at a regional organization like the SCO. It was created, of course, with China's input as the most important member. But then having others, including Russia, also going along with it, thus shows that China is now pretty dominant in the SCO and can get it to do what it wants to do, mostly.

SANDOVAL: It's absolutely remarkable. You see the Chinese president, along with other world leaders, including as you saw there, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Professor Tsang, as always, thank you so much for your analysis. Thank you for your time.

TSANG: Thank you. Great pleasure.

SANDOVAL: Pleasure is ours.

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And still to come here on CNN Newsroom, Germany now saying that Russia launched a drone attack on one of its airports. We'll give you the details in a moment.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong facing more time in prison after pleading guilty to foreign collusion in his second national security case. The 29 year old was a leader in Hong Kong's 2019 pro democracy protests. He's already serving nearly five years in prison after pleading guilty in a landmark subversion trial which happened in 2024. And he could face an additional three to 10 years behind bars, possibly even life in prison. Our Ivan Watson with more from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Joshua Wong was a poster boy for Hong Kong's now all but gone pro democracy movement. He was a teenager who founded organizations and led protests in the streets of the city in years past. But he's been behind bars for years, as have his colleagues and many opposition politicians, those who haven't fled this city, as a result of a crackdown on these types of activities that began after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020.

Now, a judge in court announced that Wong would be pleading guilty to the crime under the national security law of collusion with foreign forces. The prosecutors accused him of meeting with foreign officials, including then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi --

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