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Trump Claims Iran Wants A Deal "So Badly" Amid New Strikes; Graham Platner Drops Senate Bid, Denies Rape Allegation; Trump: U.S. To Produce Missile Interceptors With Ukraine. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 09, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now is Sabrina Singh, CNN global affairs commentator and also former deputy Pentagon press secretary. Sabrina, good morning.

I want to start with what the president was saying there, talking about maximum leverage because we heard him describe it as leverage militarily.

Can you help me parse that with where we are now -- the U.S. having to do strikes again?

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR, FORMER DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah. Good morning, Audie.

The United States military does retain significant capabilities within the Middle East. I mean, we have an aircraft carrier there with multiple destroyers that can continue to launch waves of strikes that you saw last night and the night before on Iran. So there is military leverage, but can Iran be bombed into submission over time? And I think the answer that we know to that is no.

Just look at the course of the war and how it has played out. This war started February 28. President Trump said then that this was about to be, you know, around four to six weeks. Obviously that timeline has just blown by. We're almost at mid-July at this point and the war is continuing.

So the United States retains some military capabilities which allows it some leverage, but it does have economic leverage and that really comes in the form of sanctions. And before the sanctions were lifted on Iran and Iran was able to sell its oil on the global market its economy was cratering. So the U.S. has put some of those sanctions back in place. We still hold some of those cards, like the president likes to use that term. But overall Iran really has time on its side, and they can continue to run down the clock.

CORNISH: Now, in the House, Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, who is on the Armed Services committee -- he, of course, has been critical of how and why the president started the war in the first place. But this is what he had to say about the latest move from Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WASHINGTON): But I will say I think Iran is kind of pushing their luck a little bit. I mean, they had a pretty good deal here where they could get paid to open the strait. Instead they wanted to say well, we'll open the strait a little bit, not entirely. And that's why they're shooting at some ships going through the lanes they don't want them to go through. Now I think we're looking at a protracted conflict, and the negotiations are going to be in trouble for a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Can you talk about this? I've heard this in other places that Iran, in its strikes in the strait in the last couple of days, was essentially nudging people into the lane that it wanted them to traverse because they hoped to one day have a toll.

SINGH: Yeah. This is the problem with the MOU that was signed between the United States and Iran. It was very murky in its details and in one of the lines in the MOU it does say that Iran is responsible for clearing the strait of mines. Now, Iran is obviously interpreting that as it controls the Strait of Hormuz.

And because the details -- I mean, there was 14 points, 1 1/2 pages. I mean, I think we've talked about having grocery lists that are longer than the MOU. There's going to be misinterpretations on both sides of the MOU and how it should be executed.

But Congressman Smith is right. I mean, the MOU hugely, largely favored Iran. They were able to sell their oil on the global market in American dollars and so this was a very good deal for them.

Now they're exerting some power. They're trying to project power as they've attacked some of those ships transiting. They want ships to pay some type of fee or toll to them. And the United States is basically saying that goes against freedom of navigation international law and the MOU that you signed.

But this is really the problem. Both sides signed a very murky agreement and now to implement it and execute it it's proving to be very difficult as we're seeing kinetic action over the last few days.

CORNISH: What can you tell us when you look at the targets, meaning the U.S. focusing on these coastal parts? You've got Iran at least aiming in the direction of U.S. military bases. When will we know that this is quite serious based on the target?

SINGH: Well, what is interesting is also Iran launched strikes at Qatar, and we know Qatar has been a main interlocutor when it comes to securing this peace agreement. So it's a little confusing why they're also antagonizing a party that is trying to bring both sides to the table, but they are saying that they're targeting U.S. bases in those three countries.

Now, the U.S. military is targeting military sites that they're saying are in the southeast of Iran. These are the sites that are really being used to control the Strait of Hormuz. I think when it gets beyond those sites along the strait and we see strikes within central Iran -- the western part of the country -- that's when we're going to see a larger expansion of this war.

I really don't think either side wants to go back to a full-scale war. It is just depleting of not only just munitions but time and energy. I think both sides do want to see some type of agreement and ceasefire put back in place.

[05:35:00]

But it is very possible that this war expands and then you're going to have Gulf countries brought back into this. And they were really the ones that said to this administration we need to stop this war and put some type of ceasefire into place because we just can't handle the level of strikes that are coming towards our country right now.

CORNISH: Yeah. It'll be interesting to see what we hear from those countries out of the region today.

Sabrina Singh, thank you for being here. Appreciate your time.

SINGH: Thanks, Audie.

CORNISH: Now straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING we're going to turn to that high-rise in Manhattan that had seemed on the very of collapse. Now investigators want to know how did things get to that point.

And coming up in the next hour, has Israel become a dividing line for Democrats? We're going to talk about why Rahm Emanuel says the party needs a new strategy.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:40:20]

CORNISH: It's now almost 40 minutes past the hour. This is your Morning Roundup.

Democrats in Maine are scrambling to find a new candidate for Senate as Graham Platner drops out of the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM PLATNER, (D) FORMER SENATE CANDIDATE: I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw. What comes next needs to come from the people. It needs to come from the people of Maine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now this all comes after allegations of sexual misconduct from several women, which caused a mass exodus of endorsements and contributions to his campaign. Platner denies the accusations.

The Maine Democratic Party will hold a nominating convention to select a new Senate nominee, and they have until July 27 to make that decision. And a federal judge orders the release of nearly $6 million to E. Jean Carroll from President Trump. His team immediately appealed the decision. They were denied. President Trump has been trying to delay paying Carroll after he was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

In New York, there is significant progress in the stabilization of a Manhattan high-rise that had been at risk of collapse. Crews added steel supports to each floor from the ninth to the roof. The New York Department of Buildings has inspectors and engineers on site monitoring and investigating what caused the structural failure earlier this week.

And next on CNN THIS MORNING what's life like on the front lines of the war with Iran? We take you aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the Arabian Sea.

Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This way he can't complain that we're not giving them enough. I say make them yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Could this be the change Ukraine needs in its war with Russia? How President Trump is boosting Ukraine's air defenses.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:46:42]

CORNISH: So a big political win for Ukraine hand-delivered by President Trump. He announced the U.S. will be buying Ukrainian drones and more significantly will be teaming with Ukraine to co-produce Patriot missile interceptors -- a development that could significantly improve Kyiv's air defenses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Yeah, very cool.

TRUMP: This way he can't complain that we're not giving them enough. I say make them yourself. We haven't informed the company of that yet but that'll work out alright. I'm sure they'll be thrilled. But, you know, they'll be able to do it. You'll be able to figure that out. Most countries couldn't do that.

ZELENSKYY: No.

TRUMP: If I said that to most countries, they wouldn't know what I'm talking about. But this is a very ingenious group. And what I like about that it's a defensive -- it's a defensive situation as opposed to an offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joel Rubin joins us. He's the former deputy assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under the Obama administration. Good morning, Joel.

JOEL RUBIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR LEGISLATION AFFAIRS, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Audie.

CORNISH: There's actually a lot to unpack in that short statement, but I want to start with this -- the turnaround from when Trump was sitting next to Zelenskyy and telling him you don't have any cards. You can't dictate this process.

What do you think has changed in the backdrop leading up to this moment?

RUBIN: Audie, it's great to be with you.

And clearly, Trump likes a winner and what he's seeing now and what the intelligence is demonstrating is that Russia is on the defensive. Ukraine is able to strike into Moscow at will. That the losses on the field -- on the ground by Russia have been significant and they're not making progress. And so President Trump -- he sees that.

And you combine that -- and I've got to say that moment yesterday at NATO was really surreal. President Trump basically has now flipped his narrative on NATO. He now sees it as a value add to American security. And so combining that with the move on Zelenskyy, I think Trump realizes that he can gain a lot more with our allies and our friends and sees Ukraine as winning in this war.

CORNISH: At the same time, Ukraine is not winning. It has Russia at a standstill.

RUBIN: Yeah.

CORNISH: And I was surprised to hear the president use the word there "this is defensive" when Ukraine, as you mentioned, has pushed its missiles further and further deeper into Russian territory.

RUBIN: Yeah. So Patriots are a defensive weapons system -- a missile defense system. Now, the Russians are going to say that this is an aggression because they don't like there being any missile defense near them because that inhibits their ability to strike. But for Ukraine to hold Russia to a standstill -- that's winning because again, Russia is invading into Ukraine.

But these strikes into Moscow -- that's the gamechanger. The Russian people are noticing that the war is now coming home and that's creating pressure on Putin as well. And I think for President Trump to see Ukraine not only being able to strike inside Moscow but then, of course, to defend its territory -- if he can add this extra nudge maybe he thinks that can get Putin to a deal. I hope he's right. But certainly it is quite a turnaround with Ukraine.

CORNISH: I want to connect the dots here because we're at this inflection point with the war with Iran --

[05:50:00]

RUBIN: Yeah.

CORNISH: -- and there are some connections between what's happening with the war in Iran and what's happening between Ukraine and Russia.

One example is drones. Just Ukraine really showcasing it is now at the forefront of innovation on drone battlefield warfare, and the U.S. now dealing with a country that can churn out drones.

Is that, like, yet another aspect of this that has kind of shifted things? And then I want to ask you about sanctions.

RUBIN: Yeah. Look, you know, I was just in Israel last week and the drone wars are real. They're across the Middle East. And Ukraine, out of necessity, has perfected drone technology on the cheap. But also there's another factor as well, which is that Iran was providing drone technology to Russia to bomb into Ukraine as well. So all of these wars now -- they seem to be connecting.

The technology is real. It's robust coming out of Ukraine. They have a value added edge frankly in the global marketplace and I think for Trump he sees that as well. And that's the future of warfare. Those drones and that technology that Ukraine has is the top of the line.

CORNISH: Does this open up the channel or --

RUBIN: Yeah.

CORNISH: -- make it easier for Netanyahu and Israel to continue the war against Hezbollah? I mentioned this to someone yesterday but from a diplomatic point of view I'd love to hear from you what you think. Is it basically all bets are off if the New York Post is posting, you know, "Peace Out" --

RUBIN: Yeah.

CORNISH: -- on the ceasefire deal?

RUBIN: I mean, Audie, there's two parallel tracks on diplomacy with Iran. Of course, the ceasefire that's now in abeyance between us and Iran. And then there's the separate track, which is Israel and Lebanon government-to-government being sponsored by the State Department and Marco Rubio? That's always been a tension point in the diplomacy.

So I wouldn't say that it's a guarantee that we're going to see fighting renewed inside of Lebanon because the Israeli government and the Lebanese government are talking right now. And that actually seems to be bearing more fruit than the Iran-U.S. MOU that has obviously collapsed. CORNISH: Before I let you go, a short time left. After this NATO summit, is the U.S. in a stronger position with Europe? Is Putin going to be concerned that relationship has improved?

RUBIN: Well, he can't be pleased, right? Like, if you're Vladimir Putin your whole goal for the last decade, frankly, if not longer has been to separate the United States from NATO and to break NATO. To break that collective security arrangement inside Europe.

So when the mood music -- mood music changes, as it did with President Trump yesterday where the United States and NATO and our European allies are essentially talking from the same sheet -- that is a sign to Putin that he can't break the alliance, and that is a strong position for American national security.

CORNISH: OK, Joel. Don't get any breakfast yet. I need you in the next hour. We're going to talk more --

RUBIN: Yes.

CORNISH: -- about some of these regional concerns.

Next on CNN THIS MORNING a CNN crew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. It's one of more than 20 Navy warships patrolling the waters near the Middle East.

And in the next hour, President Trump promised cheaper gas prices. Is Freedom Fuel the answer?

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:57:40]

CORNISH: Our breaking news coverage continues now as the U.S. and Iran trade new strikes overnight. The U.S. military touting its presence in the region, posting new video of its more than 20 Navy warships patrolling the waters near the Middle East.

CNN's Pam Brown was on one of those ships in the Northern Arabian Sea yesterday with the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: This is one of two aircraft carriers in the region. And you see behind me what's called the bridge -- the flight tower. This is where all the shots are called. And you see the planes. Here they are on this deck. There's F- 35s, F-18s, Growlers, E-2s. All of them play certain roles in the conflict.

Now, what we know for sure per a U.S. official I spoke to, is that there will be defensive missions happening on the USS Abraham. And, in fact, there has already been a shift in operational plans in the wake of the Iranian attacks on those vessels. This ship left port early yesterday so that it can be out here at sea and ready to go in case orders are given. So you can see some of that preparation happening right now. There is some maintenance happening over here on this helicopter. And then if we pan over here you can see they pulled out some armaments -- some missiles -- to put on the flights. Now I'm told that would be standard operating procedure because tomorrow is a flight day.

But, of course, this takes on new meaning in the wake of the latest rhetoric from the president and the Iranians as well, so we'll have to wait and see. As one source said, it is a very dynamic situation here.

Pamela Brown, CNN, from the USS Abraham Lincoln.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CORNISH: And I'm Audie Cornish. Stay with us. Our breaking news coverage continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CORNISH: And the breaking news we are following, the war with Iran. New threats, new attacks. Are we in a new phase of this war?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When they hit, we hit back much harder. They started this. They're a little bit out of control, but they want to make a deal badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish.

We're going to start with the big question this morning. Are the U.S. and Iran about to return to full-scale war? The U.S. military hit more than 90 military targets last night. President Trump posted these videos on Truth Social showing some of the attacks.