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CNN International: U.S. Reveals New Details About Tuesday Strikes On Iran; European Gas Prices Hit Highest Level Since Start Of Iran War; Venezuela's Leader Thanks Trump For Energy Deals. Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired September 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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[04:00:35]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everybody. Welcome to our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Paulo Sandoval live in New York. And this is what's ahead on CNN Newsroom.

New details on the renewed escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, along with the flow of oil to the Strait of Hormuz. We're live in the Gulf with the latest.

And the U.S. and Venezuela are touting their new oil agreement between. The critics are questioning how the deal will actually unfold. I'll tell you why.

And deliberations are set to pick up in the Lindsay Clancy trial after jurors, for a second time, said that they could not reach a unanimous verdict. We'll have some legal analysis in a moment.

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

SANDOVAL: Let's begin with the new details on what happened during the latest round of strikes between the United States and Iran. Those attacks come amid renewed escalations in the region and this after weeks of military silence. Two US officials are telling CNN that American forces hit nearly 60 military targets around Iran, but they also escorted 40 commercial oil vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, U.S. Forces reportedly fended off a range of attacks coming from Iranian forces from both air and sea during the escort.

And President Trump says that the U.S. was specifically targeting Iran's radar systems in an effort to stop their military from observing ships that were trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the fighting continues to claim lives. Iran's health minister reporting that at least 18 people were killed in U.S. strikes overnight Tuesday and more than 100 others were injured. According to Iranian state media, a U.S. central Command denying the troops targeted civilians in Iran.

And President Trump commented on the escalation in the region on Wednesday, noting that the upcoming midterm elections are not influencing his decisions, he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know how much more they can take, but, you know, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. And I'm not affected by the election. Number one, I'm not running, but my party is running, and I'm going to help my party. But I think my party respects the fact that we're not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Yes, but his party controls Congress. Let's go now to Abu Dhabi, where CNN's Paula Hancocks is standing by with more. Hey, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paulo. Well, to bring you up to date with what's happened over the last 24 hours or so. We have heard from Kuwait authorities there saying that their air defenses did engage missiles and drones from Iran in the early hours of Thursday morning. That's the second day in a row for Kuwait. But it seems as though it has been relatively quiet elsewhere in the -- in the Gulf.

What we have heard, though, is more information from two U.S. officials familiar with the situation about what happened Tuesday into Wednesday, when we really saw the most serious escalation in violence between the U.S. and Iran for well over a month. So, what we have heard from these U.S. officials is that there was an escort by the U.S. military of some 40 vessels, commercial vessels, through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, saying that some 18 million barrels of oil were transited. That's a significant amount of oil, not quite where we are at prewar levels, but far more than we have seen.

We are waiting for maritime agencies and for these tracking companies to be able to -- to verify those figures. But of course, many of these vessels would have turned off their AIS. They've turned off their transponders so they couldn't be tracked as they were transit -- transiting this, this critical waterway.

Now, the U.S. Officials say that the U.S. military was targeting the radar systems of Iran along the Strait of Hormuz, so that they couldn't detect these vessels. Also, their ability to be able to fire upon them, saying that they were dealing with a number of drones that were being fired throughout the night. So, we've also heard from these U.S. officials that the military believes that they will have to continue to do this kind of -- of operation so that they can make sure that vessels can transit through.

It's unclear at this point how sustainable this kind of effort is, but we did hear from the US President talking about these operations.

[04:05:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We blew up much more than their radar last night. It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any -- anytime we want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: It is worth mentioning that at this point, both the United States and Iran claim that they control the Strait of Hormuz. Polo?

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

Now to an update on rescue crews. Actually, before we get to that, let's get to Europe's biggest budget airline, Ryanair, that's now warning that high jet fuel costs could be a survival test for some of the rivals, some of its rivals this winter.

And high natural gas prices across Europe are forcing some countries to cut their power usage in the coming months. CNN's Anna Cooban with more.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTER: European natural gas prices are marching higher, hitting their highest level since the U.S.-Iran war broke out in February and the highest level in three years as the U.S. and Iran are again engaged in tit-for-tat strikes. It's not just oil that comes out of the Strait of Hormuz. About one- fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas does too. And it's this fuel source which millions of homes and businesses across Europe rely on for heating during winter, which we are now approaching.

Normally, the summer months are a period of time when European countries are taking advantage of relatively low gas prices to fill up their stockpiles ahead of the winter. But this summer is different because of the war. Less gas is exiting the Middle East, meaning fewer cargoes over which more countries are competing. Stores are currently about 65 percent full across Europe, which is lower than where they normally are for this time of year.

Last month I was speaking to analysts who said that many of these cargoes are going to Asia over Europe, where buyers are paying higher prices. But analysts told me that rest assured, we are not in a gas crisis Comparable to 2022. Remember, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has simply learned to live with less gas demand is down and analysts aren't worried about material shortages or blackouts, just price rises. Because if European buyers are consistently paying more for gas, you can bet that consumers down the line will be paying more, too. Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

SANDOVAL: Venezuela's leader is praising President Donald Trump after a series of new oil deals that she says could help pull her country out of its years long economic crisis. Several major energy firms, including Chevron, are expanding projects to Boost Venezuela's oil output. At least that's their hope. And the deals were signed in Caracas in the presence of the country's interim president Delsey Rodriguez and U.S. energy Secretary Chris Wright, as you see there.

Wright says that the deals will bring prosperity to Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: The mission is to bring peace,

freedom, opportunity, and prosperity to the people of Venezuela. I believe the deals that are signed today, tens of billions of dollars of investment, ultimately many thousands of jobs. These are critical in starting this ball rolling of peace, opportunity, and prosperity for everyone in Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Under these new agreements, Chevron says that it plans to invest more than $7 billion into Venezuelan oil projects and also double production to about 600,000 barrels a day. And their hope is to do that within five years. And this is separate from a recent U.S.- Venezuela oilfield pact that gives access to roughly 17 oil fields.

The White House, calling that the biggest oil deal in world history. So, what will these new energy investments actually mean for Venezuela?

My colleague Jim Sciutto spoke to an expert earlier. Here's part of his conversation with Christopher Sabatini, who's the director of the Latin America program at Chatham House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, LATIN AMERICA PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, CHATHAM HOUSE: Donald Trump, shortly after removed Nicolas Maduro, convened the oil, U.S. Oil majors in the White House, if you remember, Jim. And at the time he said go invest in Venezuela. None of them did, except for Chevron, which already had long standing projects. And the reason is exactly the reason why this will not come to fruition. And I really wouldn't put much chance of this really ever happening because, first of all, as you say, the interim president is deeply unpopular.

She's only an interim president, according to public opinion polling. She's only about 25 percent approval rating. And this is after the earthquake, of course, in which the government failed to respond effectively in its search and rescue missions.

So now she's an interim president. This is also in violation of the Constitution. The constitution that the founder of her movement, Hugo Chavez, helped spawn, which basically prohibits foreign interest into basically controlling Venezuelan oil. So, there's the unconstitutionality, her lack of popularity, and her uncertainty in her future. And given what I'm hearing, and many others, too, are from the opposition who are understandably upset, not just at stealing their resources, but they're making a deal with the repressive apparatus that they have been fighting against for now decades is can't imagine if elections were to be held that they would uphold this agreement.

So, no, I can't imagine that any of the major oil companies are going to rush in and think this is a stable deal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:10:36]

SANDOVAL: And Venezuela's former president, who was forced out of office by Donald Trump earlier this year, says that he should have immunity from U.S. drug trafficking and weapons charges. Nicolas Maduro also wants a judge in charge to dismiss the case against him. And Maduro's case was argued in federal court in New York on Wednesday. His lawyer said that a judge is required by law to reject the indictment because it can't be brought against a foreign leader.

Maduro's wife making a similar argument in a separate filing on the same day Maduro and his wife were captured from their heavily guarded home in early January. You may remember U.S. forces engaged in an intense firefight with Venezuelan air defenses. The couple's trial set for June of next year.

All right. Now an update on rescue crews working in the aftermath of last week's catastrophic flooding along the Nepal China border. Officials say that the death toll has now climbed to more than 1,200 in Nepal, with more than 4,700 people still missing, and that includes 75 Americans.

And across the border in China, according to state Media, at least 21 people are dead, and rescue crews are battling mud and plenty of debris as they try reaching workers that are feared trapped inside Nepal's hydropower tunnels. Officials say around 900 workers are still missing across projects along that river, and it's still unclear how many were actually inside those tunnels when the water and the mud poured in. And the search is being slowed by bad weather, thick mud, damaged roads, and also destroyed bridges.

And that's making an already desperate rescue effort even harder. At the critical road to the China-Nepal border. It is now largely reopened after floodwaters wiped out a key crossing. Chinese state media says that the route should allow more rescuers supplies, and also heavy equipment into the areas that have been cut off for some time now. Emergency work to repair the road has been difficult due to the constant rain, rock falls, and other challenges.

These are some protesters in Ceuta that they say that they've had enough of the ongoing migrant crisis. Thousands of migrants who stormed the border with Morocco in late July remain in the Spanish enclave, and tens of thousands of others have already returned home. But some protesters say that both residents and migrants are tired and that the situation is at a breaking point.

Nationwide rallies in solidarity with Ceuta were held across Spain on Wednesday. And all while Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is speaking at Parliament about the crisis at this hour. And he said that the alternative to letting the migrants cross the border back in July, it would have been catastrophic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (voiceover): So, our dilemma was to either let them in or to shoot them. And that would have obviously triggered a terrible catastrophe. I affirm that we did the right thing. Because we responded with humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And there's so much more ahead here on CNN Newsroom, including the judge in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial giving his final instructions. As jurors remain deadlocked. We'll be looking at where the case could go from here if it failed to reach a verdict.

Plus, a setback for President Trump and his efforts to crack down on birthright citizenship. What's the latest ruling from a federal judge?

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[04:18:23]

SANDOVAL: Officials say that at least two people are dead after a mass shooting in the US State of Minneapolis. We can make out some of the gunshots there. Officials say several other people were injured on Wednesday, including three police officers. A law enforcement source says that the gunman is also dead, likely from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police responded to reports of gunfire in that high rise building you were looking at before encountering what's been described as a haze and that limited their visibility for officers just before they were injured. One official says that police had gone to the same building earlier in the day after dispute that may have been related to an eviction.

A Mexican musician, his pregnant wife, 3-year-old daughter and their nanny have been found dead in a gruesome homicide case. Their bodies were discovered late Tuesday night in an apartment near Mexico City. Even the family dog was killed.

A victim, Jonathan Melendez, played keyboards for the indie rock band Camilo Septimo. His wife was four months pregnant. And now the family of their 21-year-old nanny confirmed that she was also shot to death.

A six-year-old boy, however, was found alive and unharmed in that apartment. Prosecutors say that one of the two men arrested was an associate of Melendez. A Mexican cabinet minister added that one of the suspects got into the home by exploiting his relationship with one of the victims. [04:20:02]

The jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial returning to court in the coming hours to continue their deliberations. It will be their sixth day.

Clancy, a 36-year-old former laborer and delivery nurse, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering her three children. Twice now the jury has told the court that they cannot come to a unanimous verdict.

However, on Wednesday, the judge gave his final instruction to the jurors to keep at it, to keep working, to try to reach a decision. Now, if the jury remains deadlocked, the judge may choose to declare a mistrial, which would end this trial without a clear resolution. And it also raises the possibility of a retrial if prosecutors want to proceed.

Clancy's defense attorney spoke to the media about his client's reaction amid these ongoing deliberations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How is she feeling today leaving the court?

KEVIN REDDINGTON, CLANCY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She's upset. I mean, she's sad. I just sit there and try to keep her up, you know, try to talk and discuss different issues and things and just try to keep her mind occupied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Joining me now is Areva Martin, legal affairs commentator and civil rights attorney. She's joining me from Los Angeles. Areva, thank you so much for joining us.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: So Areva, as you know, on Wednesday, the judge read the jury these very direct instructions, essentially strongly urging them to continue trying to reach a verdict. They then eventually asked to go home. What's your read now on what we could expect when the jury returns on Thursday morning? Do you think that this extra time may actually make a difference, or does it look like a mistrial is inevitable?

MARTIN: Yes, Polo, it doesn't look like this additional time is going to change the minds of the jurors. We know this juror. These jurors are deadlocks. They cannot reach a unanimous agreement about the outcome of this case.

They have been trying now for five days. And the judge gave what is called the Tawny Rodriguez charge, which is similar to an Allen charge in federal cases. And it's considered the dynamite charge because basically it's the judge's way of saying, without coercing them to change their minds, please reconsider your positions, think about the positions of others, and see if you can come to a unanimous decision without, you know, giving up on your beliefs about the facts and, you know, legal status of this case.

But after five days, 300 exhibits, 80-plus witnesses, it just seems like a unanimous agreement is not in the cards for this particular case. So, I would be surprised if we don't see the judge declaring a mistrial tomorrow.

SANDOVAL: In your work as an attorney, Areva, I understand you've been in similar situations where a jury is essentially deadlocked. If you could just maybe walk us through what the prosecution is likely thinking about at this hour. And on the other side, defense.

MARTIN: Well, the prosecution is weighing in the event there is a mistrial, will they retry this case? They've invested lots of man hour, lots of time into trying this case, and they have an obligation to these children who were killed and to the family members of these children to seek justice. There's also the possibility of some kind of plea agreement. We know that manslaughter is one of the verdicts that the jury could consider in this case.

So, there's a question about whether the prosecution wants to invest the time, the resources, the money retrying this case, knowing that they may get a similar outcome. So, is it more expedient to enter into some kind of plea agreement? And the defense has to be thinking the same thing. Is this a case where now maybe they can go to the prosecution and put something on the table that would be acceptable to the prosecutors?

But both sides have had an opportunity to see the cases that will be put on if there is a second trial. And the question is, can you convince another juror jury that will be empaneled to rule differently or to come up with a not rule, but come up with a different decision than what this jury has come up with? So, there's a lot to weigh on both the prosecution and the defense.

SANDOVAL: And given the strong possibility that we are, that we could see a mistrial, and on that issue of a possible plea deal if we were to reach, you know, that hypothetical Areva. Just curious, just given all the evidence that you've seen in this case and you've seen presented, what do you think the mechanics of said plea deal could be?

MARTIN: I can't imagine there being anything obviously less than a manslaughter charge that Lindsay Clancy would be facing. And the prosecution, they're going to want jail time. This isn't a case where I think they would agree to her taking a plea deal where maybe she spends a couple of years in a psychiatric facility. I think, given the severity of the actions, three dead children, that this, prosecuting team is going to want to see Clancy do some serious jail time.

[04:25:08]

I don't know if that's 10 years or 15 years or even 20 years, but I cannot imagine that there's any deal that gets brokered that does not involve serious jail time for her.

SANDOVAL: Areva, I have a couple of seconds here for a final thought. Regardless of the outcome on Thursday morning, just if you could just leave us with what you expect this case to mean just for society in general, the imprint that it leaves behind, given the interests and also the support that we have seen for Clancy as somebody who suffered from mental illness.

MARTIN: Well, you know, Paulo, lots of folks online and women outside this courtroom have been cheering for Clancy, saying that this is about a failed medical system. This is about a system that does not recognize maternal health issues and postpartum mental health conditions that women develop all over this country and particularly the world. So, I think this case is going to send a strong message about how we treat women who have postpartum conditions and the need to ensure that children and others in their orbit are protected and kept safe. And so many conspiracy theories online, so much anger about what wasn't done to keep these children safe.

So hopefully it will spark an international conversation about how we protect children and how we provide health care to women.

SANDOVAL: And that's an important point to end on. Areva Martin, as always, thank you so much for your legal perspective.

MARTIN: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: A U.S. federal judge blocking President Trump's latest efforts to crack down on birthright citizenship. She's halting an executive order signed last month aimed at tightening laws already in place. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the president's first attempt to end birthright citizenship last year. And the U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of the immigration status of their parent.

Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, Russia's president speaks at a major economic forum in the Far East. We'll have a live report and tell you what he said.

Plus, a new call for the removal of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And it's coming from within the president's own party.

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