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Some Personnel at U.S. Military Base in Qatar Urged to Leave as a "Precaution"; Iranian Chief Justice Says Protesters to Be Given "Priority for Trial and Punishment"; Trump Warns Regime, Don't Execute Prisoners; Saudi Arabia Emerges as Critical and Rare Earth Minerals Hub; Trump's Threatened Takeover Concerns Greenlanders; ICE Agents Clash with Minneapolis Protesters; Iran Says It's Ready for Potential U.S. Military Action; Fresh Questions about First U.S. Strike on Alleged Drug Boat; China Remains World's Leading Auto Exporter for Third Year. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 14, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:59:47]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 6 pm here in Riyadh in Saudi
Arabia. I'm at the Future Minerals Forum, where the global competition for resources is unfolding, namely over critical minerals and rare earths.
[10:00:07]
That's happening against the backdrop of tension in this region as the U.S. president continues to threaten Iran over its crackdown on protesters.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Becky.
And I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, where it is 3 pm and we are expecting two live events this hour, a press conference from the acting
president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and a meeting at the White House.
Vice president JD Vance is hosting the Danish and Greenland foreign ministers amid tension over U.S. rhetoric to take over Greenland. We will,
of course, bring you those as and when they happen.
But for now, back to you, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
Well, we start with the new information that some personnel at the U.S. military base in Qatar, the largest in the region, have been told to
evacuate. A U.S. official calls it a precaution as president Donald Trump considers military action on Iran to support anti-government protests.
Well, a U.S.-based rights group now says that more than 2,400 people have been killed and 18,000 have been arrested in Iran since unrest broke out
2.5 weeks ago. Now CNN cannot independently confirm those numbers.
Iran's chief justice tells state media, anyone charged with violence or terrorist activities, as he describes them, will be given, quote,
"priority" for trial and punishment.
Well, the U.S. State Department posted on social media that Iranian officials are planning to hang 26-year old Erfan Soltani, seen here today.
President Trump warning Iran's regime that it will face strong action if any protesters are executed. Nada Bashir with us from London this hour.
And you have been monitoring what is going on in Iran as we begin to get images and video of late last week. Given that there's been a near full
blackout on the internet and comms there, it's been extremely difficult to understand what's been going on inside Iran.
Now what are we learning?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, Iran has now entered its sixth day of this total internet and communications blackout. And the
information video getting out, as you mentioned, is really just a small fraction, of course, of what is actually unfolding on the ground in Iran.
As you mentioned, we've had that staggering update from a U.S.-based human rights organization over the death toll. Just yesterday, we had been
reporting that about 1,800 at least were believed to have been killed. Now more than 2,400; that jump really gives you a sense of the intensity and
scale of this crackdown by the Iranian regime.
And, of course, CNN cannot independently verify these figures. It is very difficult for us to get information on the ground, given the blackout that
has been enforced by the regime.
But we are beginning to see some video emerging, really demonstrating the horrific experiences of many of these protesters. And just a warning to our
viewers, this footage is very distressing.
We have seen video emerging, showing body bags of the victims of this crackdown, a morgue filled with the bodies of those killed in this
crackdown by the Iranian regime. And as you can imagine, we are beginning to hear distressing testimonies from some in Iran with regards to their
experience.
Family members saying that they have been unable to identify or retrieve their loved ones for burial. Some saying they have almost had to steal
their loved ones to -- in order to bury them.
One individual saying that they had to bury their loved one in an unmarked grave, for fear that the regime, that there would be repercussions with the
regime. And we have also had this testimony just today about what is happening in terms of the protests.
Now these protests have been going on since late December. We have seen them expanding and gaining momentum. But in the last few days, we've been
hearing that these protests have grown smaller.
One individual telling us that people are simply too traumatized, that there have been curfews put in place, actually preventing people from
moving between neighborhoods after 8 pm. And there is a fear, of course, that security forces are on the ground.
And what we've heard from multiple individuals on the ground in Iran is that live ammunition is being used by security forces against protesters,
against anybody in the street.
I've heard from one contact who was able to speak to a relative for just a matter of seconds just yesterday, reporting that security forces were again
using live ammunition indiscriminately, not only at protesters but at people just trying to make their way home.
So as you can imagine, this is a very tense and troubling situation. But, of course, there is also now a fear over what this may lead to in terms of
the international reaction and whether or not we do see the U.S. taking direct military action in response.
[10:05:00]
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Nada. Thank you.
Well, the protests across Iran are some of the biggest that the country has seen in years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Take a look at this video from recent days showing the scale, thousands of people gathered across the country. And as you see
here in the capital, Tehran, sources tell CNN that people of all ages, all backgrounds and all walks of life took to the streets calling for change.
My next guest is journalist Negar Mortazavi. She hosts "The Iran Podcast" and has been covering the region for well over a decade.
It's good to have you. As we've been reporting -- and we're being very transparent about this -- it is difficult to report what is going on on the
ground given the near complete internet blackout over the last six days.
Those restrictions on the internet, of course, continue. But videos and images are now coming out of Iran.
The ambassador to the United Nations has accused the U.S. president of violating international law over his post encouraging Iranians to, quote,
"take over your institutions."
In a letter to the U.N. chief, Iran says this reckless statement explicitly encourages political destabilization, incites and invites violence and
threatens the sovereign territorial integrity and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He's not wrong.
If that destabilization is what president Trump wants, what can the international community do at this point?
NEGAR MORTAZAVI, HOST, "THE IRAN PODCAST": Thanks for having me, Becky. Right. I mean, we've seen in the past U.S. administrations, the statements
were mostly focused on solidarity, showing empathy, condemning the abuses and the human rights violations and taking measures in accordance with
international law.
If it's sanctions, if it's designating human rights violators, if it's providing internet freedom tools for Iranians. But this is fairly
unprecedented for the president of the U.S. to say we're locked and loaded to respond. Help is on the way, implying there is military action coming.
And, you know, also suggesting that Iranians take over their institutions. So this is a new approach that we're seeing.
And it's very controversial, even by some inside Iran, because the question is, how exactly would military options from the outside help the protesters
inside Iran?
I don't know what these options are going to look like and what the president may choose or not.
But it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this kind of hard power, given the U.S. track record of military intervention in the region, this
kind of hard power, military action, kinetic actions from the outside, would actually help the cause of these protests on the ground.
ANDERSON: Is it clear whether this regime is any closer to collapse at this point?
Is it clear whether the elite among the security apparatus are in any way willing to move away from the regime?
You know, if we're not looking at an internal revolution by the security apparatus, what are we looking at this point?
I mean, the regime's response to dissent certainly appears unwavering at this point.
MORTAZAVI: Right. That's a great question. I think you put your hand right on the target because they are dealing with a very serious legitimacy
crisis.
It's no secret that the number of people that keep pouring into the street every time angrier and with more radical slogans, targeting the very top of
the system, the entirety of the system, just shows a legitimacy crisis has grown.
Because life in Iran, the status quo just doesn't work for the majority of Iranians; middle class, working class, average Iranians. But I also want to
be careful as far as predicting, because I see some of these talking points going around.
We don't see and I don't see any indications of this getting very close to that tipping point that you're asking about. We haven't seen major
defections in security forces and regime officials. We haven't seen the protesters really show any form of balance of power.
Yes, it's bodies on the streets willing to be very courageous and brave, putting their lives on the -- on the line. But the regime also has a
monopoly on violence, on arms, on -- and they're willing and they have shown the capacity and the will to use it, whatever it takes. They've done
it in 2019. They've done it in 2022 and they are doing it today.
[10:10:00]
Essentially using the iron fist to try to crack down on protests. So I don't -- I -- it's hard to tell if they're getting close to that tipping
point. But I just don't see those kind of indications yet.
ANDERSON: What are you watching for next?
MORTAZAVI: Well, first of all, the U.S., because, you know, president Trump is very unpredictable. But we should also take his words seriously.
Or he could not take action.
Is it going to be military?
Is it going to be kinetic?
Is it going to in any way help the protesters?
It's hard for me to think of a scenario -- or is it going to hurt the situation on the ground, give more excuse for repression, for crackdown and
potentially add to the chaos in the region spilling beyond Iran's borders?
I think the U.S. role here is going to be the wild card in really determining the path forward. Without that, inside Iran, I think dissent
will continue. The anger will just get piled up even more and more. You will see these protests reemerge again and again as they have.
And if the grievances are not addressed, if the system doesn't really shift gears and make serious fundamental changes and doesn't listen to these
calls, I think down the line in maybe medium term or longer term, we will have -- this is unsustainable. This is unsustainable.
I'm just saying in the short term, we just don't know if that kind of revolutionary change that some of some Iranians are willing or wishing for,
is in sight. But I think down the line, this the situation, the status quo, the life, the state of life in Iran is just not something that's
sustainable.
ANDERSON: And then there is the option, of course, of a reemerging diplomacy that was certainly an opportunity a couple of days ago until
Donald Trump said that he was seeing images of these deadly protests and that he was throwing his weight fully behind these protesters and took the
diplomacy off the table.
Just finally, you speak to a lot of sources in Washington. I'm speaking to people a lot here around the region.
How close were Tehran and Washington to reengaging and trying to find an off-ramp at this point?
And do you believe that scenario still exists?
Perhaps not today, tomorrow but in the short term, short to medium term.
MORTAZAVI: What we hear from both sides, Washington and Tehran, is that messages had been exchanged or contact was made, which shows that both
sides are still interested in a diplomatic off-ramp and that doesn't really relate to the protests on the ground, because there's the domestic
grievances.
And then there's the nuclear issue and the U.S. wanting a deal with Iran. And I think president Trump is also combining or conflating these two
issues together. But contact was made and I think that shows that there's still interest and will on both sides.
The problem is the two sides are so far away. They were negotiating initially. The president said no nuclear weapons. The Iranians said, OK,
that's agreeable. We can discuss that.
And then the goalpost started to move on the U.S. side. It turned into no enrichment, no program on Iranian soil. And that became something the
Iranians considered a red line. So I think the two sides have been too far away as far as concessions and trying to meet somewhere in the middle.
I don't know if any of the two sides or both are willing at this point to make concessions. That would be the only way that diplomacy can get
anywhere, because just meeting for the sake of meeting, especially in this format of indirect talks that take a lot of time with mediators, didn't
really bring down (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Yes. So you're right to say Donald Trump is conflating these two issues. They should be separated. What we have to concentrate on is -- are
these images in this video coming out from across Iran.
I mean, these are deadly protests, a clear and violent clampdown on those demonstrating against what is this, you know, awful domestic situation. And
we will continue to monitor those images as we get them and show them to the world.
We will continue to monitor what may happen next and what might, you know, what could happen next in the hours or days to come. We wait to see. You're
right to point out, though, we haven't seen --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: -- when Donald Trump says something these days, he kind of means it. Yes. Negar, it's good to have you. Thank you.
What's happening in Iran certainly reverberates around this entire region, including where I am here in Riyadh.
I'm at the Future Minerals Forum here, as U.S. president Trump pursues his research, resource driven foreign policy, flexing U.S. military might in
Venezuela and now pushing to take over the geostrategic territory of Greenland.
[10:15:02]
An already fractured and tense world is now staring down a global race for critical minerals and rare earth elements. The U.S. positioning itself
against China's global reach in this sector, looking to emerging sources of mineral wealth like Saudi Arabia, which is home to an estimated up to $2.5
trillion of untapped resource wealth, not including oil.
I'm talking critical minerals and rare earths, including the all-important rare earths that China currently has tightest grip over. The Saudi kingdom
sitting on what is believed to be the fourth largest reserve of rare earth elements in the Jabal Saeed mountain.
Geological surveys also point to millions of tons of gold, of copper, of zinc, of lithium and more across the country. Well, last hour I sat down
with a key player here, the Saudi minister of industry and minerals, and asked him if mineral-rich countries supply countries will have to pick a
side when it comes to this U.S.-China race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BANDAR BIN IBRAHIM AL-KHORAYEF, SAUDI MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND MINERALS: I think the attention is already there, I think but people are very
practical. Saudi is a country that has been very neutral. I mean,
the fact that we are bringing in more than 100 countries.
ANDERSON: Including China and Russia here, I mean this is the forum --
AL-KHORAYEF: Including China and Russia, yes. And the U.S. and everybody is here. I think it's the underlying message that we are trying to bring is
collaboration is key. Nobody can do anything alone. When we look at the value chain, regardless if it is a very advanced value chain in technology
or defense or very basic value chain, you will need multiple players to make things more accessible to their global needs.
ANDERSON: A McKinsey Report, which was released here at the forum, shows a decline in the value of mining deals in Africa over the last five years. At
the same time, this report highlighting that we've seen a tripling of deals in Latin America that decline in investment in Africa, as I understand it,
is very much about risk perception.
Capital hates risk. We've been talking here and I've run a number of panels here about mobilizing capital for what is an under invested industry
in mining and minerals. Africa sits on huge reserves of lithium, of cobalt, of copper, all massively important as transition minerals going forward.
How can Saudi help and what's being done to unlock that capital?
Where do you see the kind of blockages in the pipes, , to ensure that
these countries are getting the investment they need to economically empower themselves.
AL-KHORAYEF: Well, Saudi took a very aggressive approach since the beginning, from the early days of the Future Minerals Forum, we made it
clear without Africa, there is no energy transition. We need to be working very hard as a global community to help Africa bring up its resources and
this is what we have been doing.
I think today, seeing the world bank actually accommodating this direction and actually being part creating its own mining strategy is key, which they
talked about yesterday and one of the pillars is actually mobilizing investments.
Of course, it's not going to be done just with the World Bank but with more investments coming from, you know, investment banking and so on. But
without that political drive, I think for Saudi for example, joining with other countries like U.S. or some European countries, definitely it will
bring to Africa more endorsement in terms of the risk profile.
ANDERSON: So going forward, in the future, 2030, plus, plus, post, post. Well, in the past, we've talked about Saudi and its oil diplomacy, will we
be talking about Saudi and its minerals diplomacy?
Do you see, is it?
Is it that intrinsic are minerals and mining that intrinsic to the Saudi economy
today and going forward?
And which mineral or metal or element is it that you believe we'll be talking about when we think about the kingdom going forward?
AL-KHORAYEF: Well, I will quote, Prince, His Royal Highness, bin Abdulaziz Salman, our energy minister. And he said, in our last version of the Future
Minerals Forum, he said we used to talk in the past about energy security. The future is going to be talking about mineral security.
[10:20:00]
It's definitely going to be at the spotlight and therefore we are ready to make sure that we are contributing in the right way. Definitely, minerals
are used in a wide range of products. I mean data centers alone and AI is just, you know, few years back, even when we started the Future Minerals
Forum, we were only talking about energy transition.
Now we are talking about AI and data center. And these are huge consumers of minerals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right. The Saudi minerals minister speaking to me earlier.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson from Riyadh in Saudi. There is more news just ahead. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: The foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark are due at the White House this hour. They are set to meet with the U.S. vice president
and secretary of state.
Now both the semi-autonomous Iceland and Denmark, which is in charge of its security, have made it clear they strongly oppose president Trump's
takeover threats and reject his arguments that everyone would be better off with U.S. in control.
Well, just this morning, the president posting this, quote, "NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. If we don't, Russia or China will. NATO
becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States."
Anything less than that is, he said, unacceptable.
Well, anxiety running extremely high over these repeated threats of a U.S. takeover. Today, Denmark's defense ministry and the government of Greenland
have announced an increased military presence in and around the island due to, quote, "security tensions."
Well, our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is in Greenland's capital of Nuuk and he joins us now.
Nic, this new announcement of increased security, coming on a day that Greenland and Denmark are making their case to the White House, that a
takeover, a U.S. takeover, is neither needed nor wanted, fear does seem to be running very high that Donald Trump will follow through on his threats.
And perhaps that's understandable, given his form of late.
What's the feeling there where you are?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: High anxiety; everyone knows that the meeting that's about to happen over the next few minutes and hours
is potentially going to be a defining moment for this -- for this part of Denmark, this island that's part of the kingdom of Denmark.
People here look perplexed when you ask them about what Donald Trump has to say about the national security reasons, that China and Russia are
predators here and present in the region here.
[10:25:07]
People say, no, we're not seeing them. We don't see that at all.
People here are incredibly worried that the U.S. and its military might and president Trump's language of, we can either do this the easy way or the
hard way and hearing today, "unacceptable," as the president says, that United States should not be controlling Greenland, they feel very, very
vulnerable.
I talked to a lot of people here, one of them a businesswoman. And this is what she told me about the thoughts of these threats by president Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIA CHEMNITZ, GREENLAND BUSINESS OWNER: Donald Trump and his government. They know about all the agreements between Denmark and Greenland and the
U.S. They know everything. They are very welcome to invest in Greenland. We're always looking for investments. We want to develop. I don't think
it's about that.
N. ROBERTSON: What's it about?
CHEMNITZ: I think it's about land.
N. ROBERTSON: Donald Trump wants a big country.
CHEMNITZ: I'm afraid so, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. has long had its eyes on critical minerals from Greenland. Under the first Trump administration, the U.S. struck a deal
with Greenland to explore rare earths and critical minerals. That agreement is now expiring and Washington is moving on from mapping to money.
In June 2025, the U.S. Export-Import Bank signaled a potential $120 million loan for Greenland's Tanbreez mine, what would be the Trump
administration's first overseas mining investment.
If approved, the loan would be the Trump administration's first overseas investment in a mining project.
Well, I spoke with the U.S. assistant secretary for critical minerals and energy innovation. Audrey Robertson was here today at the Future Minerals
Forum and this is what she said when I asked her about the president's intentions with Greenland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDREY ROBERTSON, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CRITICAL MINERALS AND ENERGY INNOVATION: As it relates to critical minerals, I would take our president
at his word as it relates to Greenland. And I'm not going to necessarily comment on ongoing issues around that.
But the president has been decisive in protecting American interests and protecting the interests of our allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We'll be watching all of this very closely. And we continue to monitor, of course, the news coming out of Iran and any possible action by
the U.S. More on that as and when we get it.
Christina, back to you.
MACFARLANE: Thanks, Becky.
We are also watching for news from a hearing today in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities. They're challenging the
Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the state.
The U.S. Justice Department says there's no basis for a criminal investigation into the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good. At least six
Minnesota prosecutors have now resigned after pressure from the Trump administration to shift the probe to the actions of Renee Good and those
around her.
On Tuesday, president Trump warned that a day of reckoning and retribution is coming to Minnesota. In a Truth Social post, he called ICE agents
"patriots."
And hundreds more immigration officers are arriving in Minneapolis, where clashes between federal agents and protesters are escalating across the
city. A few blocks away from where Renee Good was killed, another woman in another car was confronted by federal agents on Tuesday
(VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN has reached out in an effort to find out what happened to the woman seen in that video. The Minneapolis police chief explains how his
department is trying to manage altercations like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Trying to do everything that we can to try and de-escalate situations, de-escalate some of the
chaos that's happening on the street and try and encourage everyone in our community to keep people safe and also encourage federal law enforcement.
[10:30:02]
If you're out here in our community, please perform in the way that we expect our law enforcement officers to perform their duties well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN's Ryan Young is in Minneapolis and sent this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tensions continue to rise, especially when it comes to the idea of some of these protesters
watching the ICE agents and border patrol agents in our neighborhood. Today, we saw how those two things could collide, and it got nasty pretty
quickly.
Look at this video, you can see the agents swarming into this neighborhood. You can see the people putting their bodies in the way, flash bangs, pepper
balls, and some of the agents were spread on people in that crowd, we saw arrest multiple agents on top of people. Some of the agents were spraying
each other.
And you have to consider the fact that in the city right now, there may be more Border Patrol and ICE agents than there are police officers in the
city.
But people tell us they want to see more action, so they're happy that not only is the state trying to fight back, but they're hoping the local
authorities are somehow able to get some of these agents out of the area. Behind us right now, you can see the vigilance here outside the federal
building.
And on top of that, there will be a visual a little later on Tuesday night, people still are concerned about the memory of Renee Good -- Ryan Young,
CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar right now.
South Korea's special prosecutor has requested the death penalty for the country's former president. Yoon Suk-yeol's criminal trial for
insurrection, abuse of power and other offenses drew to a close on Tuesday after his briefing -- brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
A source tells CNN Venezuela has freed at least four Americans who were imprisoned there. It comes as the country's interim government has begun
releasing dozens of political prisoners as part of an effort to meet the demands from the Trump administration.
The U.S. State Department calls it, quote, "an important step in the right direction."
The U.S. Supreme Court says it will not issue a ruling today on the legality of president Donald Trump's global tariffs. The president imposed
his tariffs by invoking a 1977 law meant for U.S. national emergencies. He has hit nearly every foreign trading partner with tariffs.
And still to come, Donald Trump is talking tough on Iran.
But should he act?
Just ahead, CNN's Stephen Collinson joins us on the questions the U.S. president can't avoid over what's next and the impacts on America's
credibility.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Here are your headlines.
A U.S.-based rights group says 2,400 people have been killed during government protests in Iran that are now in their third week, amid talk of
possible U.S. military action in Iran.
[10:35:07]
The U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia is advising increased caution for personnel. Earlier, U.S. officials said some U.S. personnel at the U.S.
military base in Qatar have been advised to leave as a precaution.
U.S. vice president JD Vance is hosting a meeting at the White House with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland. It comes amid strong
resistance to president Trump's takeover threats.
Just ahead of the talks, Greenland and Denmark announced there would be an increased military presence in and around the island beginning today.
Well, in Thailand, at least 32 people have been killed after a construction crane collapsed, hitting a moving train and causing it to derail. The crane
was being used as part of a high-speed rail project in the north. The country's prime minister says the cause of the incident is under
investigation.
Well, now more about conditions inside Iran as we understand them. Despite the internet blackout there, we are getting details about what has been a
violent crackdown on protesters and stories of fear and horror.
My colleague, Jomana Karadsheh, has this exclusive report on what is happening inside the country -- and a warning: the images that you are
about to see are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iranians are risking their lives to show the world the brutality the regime has
unleashed. A ruthless crackdown it's tried to conceal under the cover of a communications blackout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There were bursts of automatic fire, screaming, people gathering, protests, the staccato of DShK bursts,
people shrieking and slogans in the street. I opened the window briefly, the smell of gunpowder and tear gas was everywhere.
KARADSHEH: This is the voice of a doctor who's just left Iran. He's sharing his account exclusively with CNN and the pro-reform news outlet "IranWire."
He still fears for his safety so we are concealing his identity.
We're bringing you this rare first-hand testimony of what he witnessed inside the country.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): He says the crackdown intensified dramatically on Thursday. It was just as we began getting pictures of larger crowds out on
the streets of Iranian cities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everything fell apart. At 8:00 p.m. the internet was cut, at 8:20 I got a call from the hospital. Doctor
come, you must come.
When I arrived I saw what we call a mass casualty situation. Every single one of the four operating rooms was full. I was there from 10 or 11:00 p.m.
until the morning.
I don't know how many surgeries I did, maybe 10 or 11.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This is one of the few videos to have surfaced from inside Iran's hospitals. It shows some of the injured. But the doctor's
testimony paints an even more distressing picture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): From midnight Thursday onward the type of injuries changed. The live rounds started. By Friday evening all
the beds were full, most had pellet injuries and similar wounds.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Throughout these and previous protests the regime's security forces raided hospitals and hunted down injured protesters and the
medical staff treating them.
Turning places of healing into scenes of horror.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There was so much fear. Three patients contacted me through intermediaries. I was afraid to answer,
wanting to make sure it wasn't security agents trying to trap me.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The true scale of the carnage is only just beginning to emerge. Once again so many Iranians find themselves abandoned
and alone in this nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The hope being pumped by external media is not what we feel inside. Inside Iran it's a mix of terror,
desperation and a tiny flickering shred of hope.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, president Donald Trump has warned Iranian leaders that he will take, and I quote him here, "very strong action" if the regime
continues to kill protesters.
But how likely is it that those threats will be backed up by force?
Well, my next guest writes this, quote, "The rationale for U.S. military strikes to help Iran's protesters at a crisis moment for the theocratic
regime is becoming more urgent and compelling by the hour.
"Trump keeps creating new red lines after Iran's leaders defied his earlier warning that if they started shooting, he would, too."
[10:40:08]
CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson joining us now from Washington.
I guess this begs the question, if he doesn't act or he acts in a limited way, well, where does that leave us?
Or what does that leave the people of Iran?
More to the point.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the question of Trump, there's a lot of talk in Washington over the last few days among
foreign policy experts and foreign diplomats about 2013. That was when president Barack Obama didn't enforce his red line on Syria over the use of
chemical weapons.
Trump has now at least five, six, seven, eight occasions, depending on how you count, said to Iran that, if you crack down on protesters, I'm going to
act militarily. So he's almost talked himself into a corner.
And the question then becomes whether, if he doesn't do some kind of military action, the authorities in Iran will feel they're getting a free
pass from the U.S. president and may become even more vicious in their crackdown.
The problem, however, is when you start talking about presidents taking military action, sending Americans into combat, with all the civilian
casualties and consequences that can have, you're getting into quite dangerous territory.
Because then you're talking about how a president must back up his words rather than what the objective of the strikes might be in each case.
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, the objective, I think, is pretty clear. I mean, he's been quite emphatic about this. He says it would be to help protesters
on the ground.
Question is, is that what would happen or could limited strikes or targeted strikes actually make things worse?
These are the questions that are out there at this point as we continue to wait to find out what his decision is.
COLLINSON: Yes. And that's right. There is a big debate going on here about whether, OK, if you do the kind of targeted strikes that Trump has
shown he likes -- the bombing of the Iranian nuclear facilities last year, the lightning strike to take president Nicolas Maduro out of Venezuela --
is that, A, feasible in the Iranian scenario?
And, B, would it actually play into all of these demands, which U.S. policymakers are very careful about?
This conceit that Iran has, that the protests, to start with, are an American plot and that would give them the pretext to unleash even more
repression. That's always in the back of minds in Washington when they're talking about especially strikes on Iran. And then you get to the practical
nature of this.
Could airstrikes using missiles, drones, et cetera, could that really make a difference?
Even if you take out, say, IDRC (ph) hardware and facilities or communications, does that really make a difference when you're talking
about Iranian internal security forces on the streets, shooting people at point blank range?
Does that really help the situation?
So I think there are philosophical and practical issues here that, even as Trump seems to be moving inexorably toward some kind of military action.
ANDERSON: And you write this, quote, "The situation in Iran is deeply complex."
And it is. And you say he can't just bomb Iran into a democracy or bombard Iran into a democracy.
And I guess that begs the question, is there a meaningful option between doing nothing and launching airstrikes?
And again, you know, there will be much discussion about this, I'm sure, in Washington. Amongst those that you speak to, the point about this Trump
administration is pretty much nobody knows, apart from those very few people around him, actually, what his thinking is.
COLLINSON: That's right. And I think a lot of this has been caused, as it often is, by Donald Trump speaking publicly and saying things that
officials are then racing to catch up with and work out what the implications are.
One of the big issues in Iran would be if you manage to, for instance, topple the clerical regime, would that necessarily -- what would -- what
would happen next?
Would that open a path toward a democratic counterrevolution in Iran?
Would you then push the country, conversely, into the arms of some kind of more secular strongman, where the repression would be so great?
There's so much -- you know, the IDRC (ph) is so embedded in society.
[10:45:03]
It's got a lot to lose economically, apart from everything else.
If the regime were to fail, could you cause some kind of collapse of the governing structure?
You saw what happened in Venezuela, where the administration took out Maduro. But it has kept in place that repressive machinery that is the
government just because it's worried about that exact kind of collapse that happened in Iraq. So many unanswered questions here about Iran.
ANDERSON: Stephen, we watch this space and we continue to monitor those images and videos that are actually coming out of Iran. They're horrific.
Clearly there has been, you know, some incredible violence there. And we will continue to report on that. Thank you.
Well, that is it for our special coverage here at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The issue of resource access will affect
geopolitics for the years to come.
Who will control, invest in and profit from these critical minerals, these transition minerals, as they're called, that power everything from AI to
defense tech?
And how will that work here in a region still dealing with security challenges, like the tension that we are seeing currently, the violence and
instability on -- playing out in Iran?
The region is working to answer those questions and engage the entire world. That's why CNN is here, speaking to those leaders on the cutting
edge of this critical minerals world.
More news ahead, though, this hour with my colleague, Christina Macfarlane. From the team working with me here in Saudi, it is a very good evening.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
There are fresh questions about a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Sources tell CNN that the aircraft used in the U.S.
military's first such strike was part of a closely-guarded classified program and was painted to look like a civilian plane. That strike drew
intense scrutiny and resulted in numerous congressional briefings.
CNN's national security reporter Haley Britzky has been across the story for us today.
So Haley, this strike was already controversial.
What does this new information add?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Right. So this is, like you said, the first strike. So this goes back to September and the
first strike of this campaign that has existed against these alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.
And sources tell us that this plane that was used in the first strike was not the typical gray you would see on a U.S. military aircraft. It looked
like a civilian aircraft. And these planes are, as you said, in a highly classified program. They're used for surveillance and reconnaissance
missions.
And so it begs the question why this plane was the one used in this first strike. And the real crux of the issue, the real concern here exists within
the Pentagon's Law of War Manual.
[10:50:02]
Which essentially says it prohibits the intentional feigning of civilian status. So in this case, the intentional use of a plane that looked like a
civilian plane that did not appear to be a military aircraft with the intention of luring the enemy.
And in this case, these alleged drug cartel members on this boat into a false sense of security, essentially, too, so that they don't fight back,
they don't flee with the intent of attacking them afterwards.
That is a violation of the Law of War Manual, essentially a war crime. And so this obviously sparked concern among lawmakers who had a lot of
questions about why this particular aircraft was used.
Administration officials told them that, you know, it was not pretending to be a civilian aircraft. This happened to be the aircraft most available at
the time. It was more of a target of opportunity kind of situation.
But you know, there has been a lot of military buildup in the region. So some people say sources were telling us that, you know, they're not so sure
that they believe that explanation.
And legal experts we spoke to said they weren't sure it went quite so far as to be a violation of that clause in the Law of War Manual, primarily
because you have to prove intent, that they intended to trick these individuals into thinking it was a civilian plane.
And the legal experts were not sure that it went quite so far as to do that.
But Pentagon press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, when we asked her about this, said the military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard
aircraft and that all of them go through a rigorous procurement process to ensure compliance with not only domestic law but the law of armed conflict.
MACFARLANE: Yes, this clearly comes back to a question of legality, which, of course, has hung over all of these drug boat strikes. Haley, we
appreciate the update on this. Thank you.
And I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Stay with us.
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MACFARLANE: It seems president Trump's tariff war is not hurting China's economy. Earlier today, Beijing reported a record $1.2 trillion trade
surplus for 2025. CNN's Mike Valerio has the latest from Beijing
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the headline here is certainly record-smashing. China has just posted the world's largest trade surplus
ever. That is a milestone that certainly highlights the country's resilience at a time when we are still very much dealing with tariff
tensions.
So to tell you what you need to know about this expansive storyline, the surplus stood at $1.189 trillion for the entire year, which, to put that in
context, is roughly the size of the GDP of Saudi Arabia. The huge surplus here in China, analysts say, is bolstered by a strategic shift.
With President Donald Trump back in the White House, Chinese manufacturers are focusing on really trying to diversify their markets, turning to
Southeast Asia, Africa, especially Latin America, in order to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs.
So, while China is focusing on exports big time, this is really happening as the country is still grappling with a pretty sluggish domestic economy
and a prolonged property slump. Exports notably rose 6.6 percent in December, beating economists' forecasts, while imports were up by 5.7
percent.
Now, one of the standout sectors has been China's auto industry, where exports jumped by nearly 20 percent last year. E.V. shipments from China
soared by almost 50 percent, cementing China's place as the world's top auto exporter for a third straight year.
[10:55:04]
Now, despite this headline-grabbing record surplus, China is aware of the imbalances that this creates. We have heard from markets like the European
Union raising concerns about too many Chinese goods flooding into their economies.
And to that end, Chinese Premier Li Cheng recently called for more balanced imports and exports, signaling Beijing's efforts to moderate industrial
exports.
Now, the question going forward is whether this global dominance from China can continue amid shifting trade dynamics and an ongoing tariff dispute
with the United States -- Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And in about 24 hours from now, four astronauts will be on their way home, returning to Earth more than a month earlier than the
mission originally planned.
NASA's SpaceX Crew 11 is set to splash down off the coast of California. They're headed back ahead of schedule due to an undisclosed medical issue
affecting one of the astronauts.
It's the first time in history that the crew has come home early from the ISS due to a health concern. They all appeared in good spirits on Monday,
though, as they handed over command to -- of the International Space Station.
And that is it for us here at CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with us. "ONE WORLD" is up after the break.
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