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Iran Rejects Temporary Cease Fire, Insists On Permanent End To War; Donald Trump Appears To Be Losing Some Support In U.S.; Artemis II Crew To See Parts Of Moon No Human Has Seen Before; Four Bodies Recovered After Iran Strikes Residential Building; UAE Insists A Ceasefire In Iran Must Address Regional Security; Orban Facing Stiff Competition From Pro-European Party; CNN Visits Jerusalem's Deserted Old City. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 06, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:30]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson
the time just after 6:00 in the evening.
President Donald Trump issuing a stark warning to Tehran, setting a new deadline and delivering a new threat to destroy Iranian infrastructure,
including power plants, if Tehran does not comply.
We are seeing new strikes today across this region. Officials say at least 10 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and more strikes across
the Gulf as well in the United States.
Savannah Guthrie returns to the "Today" show even as a search for her missing mother continues.
And in space, an historic day for mankind, the astronauts will be further away from Earth than anyone ever before.
Well, the clock is ticking after President Trump gave Iran a new ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In an expletive laden post on Truth Social
on Sunday, the U.S. president said Tehran now has until Tuesday evening, Eastern Time to unblock the waterway or face attacks on power plants and
key infrastructure.
In Tehran, Iranian officials have said the Strait will only reopen when they are, "Fully compensated for war damages." Iran also rejecting
suggestions of a temporary cease fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Our armed forces have made it clear that in case Iran's infrastructure is attacked, we would
react in kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A source says regional governments working to end the war have sent a proposal calling for a 45 day cease fire and the reopening of the
Strait to Washington and Tehran, President Trump has not signed off on it.
On the ground, rescue workers seen through -- seen digging through rubble southwest of Tehran, as state media there said at least 13 people were
killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on a densely populated area. In Israel, emergency services say four people were killed when an Iranian missile hit
a residential building in the city of Haifa and continued strikes on Gulf countries.
Our Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance is in Doha in Qatar, with more on the reaction in the region.
It does feel like we are in a very consequential period of this conflict, Matt, and let's just discuss your assessment of how Iran is reacting at
this point to Donald Trump's threats.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, they rejected those threats, and they said they're not going to, you know,
comply with them, and so, you know, we're looking at a situation where we're in a bit of a standoff, and there are frantic efforts underway, as
we've been reporting, to try and find a way out of this.
And so, you're looking at various countries leading diplomatic initiatives to try and find an off ramp. And the main one at the moment, as we've been
discussing, is that Pakistani led one which is a 45 day ceasefire, which has three different parts, the Strait of Hormuz being opened up by Iran, a
ceasefire being implemented, and then a period of two or three weeks in which the sort of final status, the permanent end to the conflict sort of
is negotiated.
United States hasn't signed off on it. The Iranians haven't signed off on it yet. They've expressed a preference for not having a temporary
ceasefire, because they say that would give a chance for the United States and Israel to rearm and reposition themselves in the region. They don't
trust them.
But the alternative to it is more escalation in the region and for the global economy, and that's something I think everybody wants to avoid,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Cut a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump to a degree, changing the goal post somewhat over the weekend, originally, this
10-day window, which would have closed today, was for a deal very specifically, but Donald Trump has said, open this Strait of Hormuz.
Again, this is a change in his narrative. He also a week or so ago, said, he wasn't interested in what was going on in the Strait. Didn't bother him.
Didn't bother the U.S. Clearly, that is now not the case, Gulf countries, who do a lot of business with the United States and spend a lot of money in
the U.S. will have put a lot of pressure on the administration to get some action there.
[10:05:17]
Tell us more about the Qatari LNG tankers that did try to move through that choke hold the Strait of Hormuz earlier, as I understand it, they turned
back.
CHANCE: Yes, that's my understanding as well. This were a couple of natural gas LNG liquefied natural gas tankers from Qatar. Qatar is one of the
biggest gas producers in the world. It's highly dependent on exports of that gas for its economic survival. These would have been the first tankers
from Qatar to have gone through the Strait of Hormuz and out into the Gulf of Oman and to the wider world, to the -- to their export market
destinations, but they turned back at the last minute and didn't actually go through at the end.
And it just shows you how much of a stranglehold that the Iranians now exercise over that very strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz through
which about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passes through on a daily basis in normal times.
And I think the big danger, the big concern that many countries in this region have, is that if there is a cease fire agreement, and if there is an
end to this conflict, it leaves Iran not just in a strong position with a nuclear program, with a ballistic missile program, but in an even stronger
position than it was in before the war began, with control over the Strait of Hormuz. And that's something that that many countries in this region,
and I expect the United States do not want to see, Becky.
ANDERSON: Matthew Chance is in Doha in Qatar. Good to have you, Matt. Thank you.
Well, as President Trump threatens to attack Iranian power plants, our next guest says the ultimatum is part of the President's wider tactics. Sina
Toossi is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, and he says, "I tend to read much of Trump's bombast as his version of madman
doctrine signaling. In other words, an attempt to convince the other side that he is totally unpredictable and capable of extreme escalation. He does
sometimes follow through, but when he does, it is often more limited than the rhetoric, or he ultimately pulls back, which has more often been the
pattern."
Sina joins us now live from Washington. This is an interesting perspective, and it was an expletive laden text -- sorry, post, which he published on
his Truth Social platform yesterday, Easter Sunday. Iran rejecting a temporary cease fire in its war with the United States, insisting on a
permanent end to the war instead. Given what you have written, do you believe that there is a path forward here?
SINA TOOSSI, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: Well, yes, Trump's style is negotiating style really going back to what he wrote in
The Art of the Deal, even in his real estate world, is, you know, to threaten fire and fury through to really take heat up the rhetoric,
escalate tensions to the maximum, and then try to seek some sort of deal.
Usually he does back down. We've seen when, you know, in many cases, you know, the madman doctrine is to have the other side team think you're
really crazy and you're capable of anything, and usually, but it's aimed at a deal. It's a bluff.
But with Trump, I mean, this is not always the case. He has obviously gone to war with Iran. He's now threatened to really escalate things to this
catastrophic scenario.
So, this catastrophic scenario that he's threatening is hitting Iranian power plants, going after the Iranian energy infrastructure. Iran has said,
in retaliation, it will widen this attack on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf and Israel hit critical infrastructure there.
So, this is kind of a mutually assured destruction scenario, that it's going to really raise the cost for Iran, but also for the U.S., for its
allies, for the global economy and for Trump. I mean, if he's hoping that the Iranians are going to capitulate on their core interests, on the Strait
of Hormuz, that just seems unlikely, because that's the only lever that Iran has right now. That's only leverage it has right now to try to gain
some economic benefits for itself and to have a horizon after this war to reconstruct.
ANDERSON: Anwar Gargash, who is the UAE senior diplomatic advisor to the president here, told me, "The Iranian regime is fighting for the regime.
The regime is not fighting for the country. Any normal regime will not accept the sort of destruction that they are seeing only to prove that they
have resisted."
[10:10:02]
I think what he's saying there, you know, out of failure, they see success to a degree, and the success is that they are still standing as a regime.
What do you make of his comments?
TOOSSI: Yes, well, the UAE has been of the Gulf countries, of the GCC countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. That has been the one
most kind of in line with the U.S. and Israeli approach towards Iran, more aggressive, whereas, you know, Qatar, Oman, even Saudi Arabia, have sought
to improve their relations with Iran in recent years. But at the same time, you know, the UAE, much like these other Gulf countries, also has a lot to
lose.
So, you know, Iran is in this situation where they view it as an existential conflict. I mean, Trump and Netanyahu, you know, they're
hitting Iranian critical infrastructure. They're hitting universities, you know, threatening to destroy all of the power grid, all of these things,
so.
But you know, for these GCC countries, they're also in a situation where, if the conflict escalates, you know, their economies heavily rely on
foreign investments, on stability, on investor confidence of being able to export, you know, their goods and energy through this trade of Hormuz.
So, the Emiratis and this quote you just read are, you know, justifiably in a very tough spot and angry with Iran, but the escalation scenario also
will not serve them, arguably, that if it really goes to this kind of really catastrophic level, there is a degree of mutually assured
destruction for them and for Iran.
ANDERSON: Yes, Mr. Gargash insisting that the UAE is resilient and the economic fundamentals are strong. He also said to me, if you ask me over
the last 20 years, what is the sort of unlikely worst-case scenario that the UAE can face, I would have said a full Iranian attack on the UAE. We're
seeing that worst case scenario, but we also are seeing that we are coping very well, and we are finding out that we are very resilient and very
resourceful, understandably so.
Well, if there is a proposal sent from the U.S. to Iran, or a proposal by Pakistan sent to both effectively and we really don't know the details of
what is happening behind the scenes at this point. So, let's be quite transparent about that. Who within the country of Iran is in a position to
negotiate at this point?
TOOSSI: Yes, well, I mean, you know, I think even more important than who is willing to negotiate is just the terms of the negotiation and what any
leader in Iran could stand to gain or lose.
I mean, the biggest issue is the trust deficit. So we're in this context where, you know, there were negotiations leading up to this conflict that
many of the mediating parties said a deal was at hand. There was a deal at hand that was stronger than the Obama era nuclear deal 2015 which Trump
left in 2018 and you know, has pursued this kind of war path of Iran. He pursued this maximum pressure campaign, sanctions, assassinations that
really got us to this point.
And we also saw last summer where there were negotiations, and that led to a surprise Israeli attack.
So, for the Iranians, you know, they need a horizon that they could rely on after this war, for sanctions relief, for being able to rebuild their
country, and a 45 day you know, these proposals that are out there for like a 45 day ceasefire that you know the Iranians would view that as you know,
they lose their leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, the economic leverage that they've had over the U.S. is diminished. The global economy can return
kind of to normalcy, and then the US and Israel will just attack again.
So, right now, you see the main decision makers, you know, they have become more hard line it. You know, the new head of the supreme National Security
Council, the new Supreme Leader, who's the son of the old one. But they are much more hard line their track records of one being more uncompromising,
but ultimately they, I would argue, do want a deal, but it is a deal that, again, would give them some kind of prospect of sanctions relief or having
economic leverage, you know, whether over the Strait of Hormuz, to be able to, you know, deal with other countries, to trade and to sell their own
oil, and to really, You know, have a horizon for themselves and their economy.
ANDERSON: And you just pointed out there is a new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. We haven't seen or heard from him. What we heard -- we're
supposed to believe that we've heard from him, but we haven't actually seen him. There's no evidence of him as of yet, since he was announced as the
new Supreme Leader. Does it matter? I mean, who is calling the shots at this point?
TOOSSI: Yes. So, the Islamic Republic, this system in Iran that came into power after the 1979 revolution, it has many parallel and entrenched
institutions.
So, there are these elected bodies, and there's a theocratic bodies, and the theocratic bodies have vetting power over those elections.
But regardless, you know, they have -- you know, the presidency, the judiciary, the parliament, they're still there. The parliamentary chief,
more so than the president. You know this guy, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, of the parliament. He is someone who, because of his pedigree in the
Revolutionary Guards is viewed as having more authority or being more representative of the true power center, which, you know, the military and
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[10:15:14]
Now, the new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards is this guy, Ahmad Vahidi, he is more of a hardliner than his you know, some of his
predecessors. And you have this body called the supreme National Security Council in Iran. It's kind of a consensus driven body comprised of various
officials. Its former head was Ali Larijani, who was widely viewed as a pragmatic moderate. He was assassinated. The new head is also viewed as a
hardliner, and these are figures who are close to much to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Mojtaba Khamenei is an enigmatic figure, mysterious figure. He continues to be, as you said, in this war, it's unclear where he is, and he's probably
in hiding. But you know, this is the most hardline camp, really, that is now, you know, dominating the decision making in Tehran.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you.
Well, the war with Iran appears to be affecting Donald Trump's once die- hard support in the United States. In a new University of Massachusetts, YouGov poll, only 62 percent of Trump voters said that they were very
confident in their vote for president, that is down from 74 percent a year ago, a 12 percent drop, illustrating that there is now growing regret in
that group.
CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere is live in Washington with more. What do you make of these recent polling numbers?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, it's a couple things that are going on here. Number one, people continue, and they have, since Joe
Biden was president in America, to say that their number one concern is costs, rising costs, affordability, prices, inflation, however you want to
say it. That's what people say that they are focused on and worried about. And they have been saying that for every day of Donald Trump's second term
here.
And so far, we have seen the President dismiss those concerns, or say towards the end of last year that he might start focusing on them coming
into 2026, he hasn't, and the costs keep going up. Grocery costs keep going up. Electricity costs go up. And now with what's going on Iran, we're
seeing gas prices that are going up that is hitting people very hard, and they're not seeing a clear even rationale from the president about what he
is doing in Iran most immediately, but on a lot of the things that are going on, it just seems like a lot of things, a lot of noise, a lot of
chaos, at the same time that they are paying more, and that seems to be what's playing out in the polls here.
ANDERSON: I want our viewers to listen to Donald Trump during his presidential campaign. Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East. They lied. They said
there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none, and they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass.
Reuniting forces to end the endless foreign wars.
I will expel the war mongers from our national security state and carry out a much needed cleanup of the military industrial complex to stop the war
profiteering and to put always America first. We put America first.
And we're going to end this endless wars, endless wars. They never stop. You ever see these wars? They're going for 14 years, 20 years they're
fighting ISIS for 21 years. These people are something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Have his priorities shifted? Let's caveat this by saying he did say this would take four to six weeks. We are in week six. He and the
Pentagon are determined to underscore that this will not be an endless war.
DOVERE: That is what they are saying. But we still don't have a plan for them -- from them about what would constitute victory, as they would see it
in Iran.
Of course, this is all going on while the situation in Venezuela, after the President went in and removed the president there, it's still unclear where
it's going. It's happening while the war in Ukraine continues to go on, and we don't have a clear plan from the president there of what's happening, of
course, the U.S. much less involved there than the Biden administration had been.
And the president talking about maybe going into Cuba, he keeps saying that that's next. Maybe he'll take it, is the way that he's put it.
So, it's a lot of war mongering, it's a lot of war making, and it's happening against the backdrop of some of those comments that you played in
the minds of voters who thought that America first in their minds meant not getting entangled in more things overseas with the president and not again,
articulating what it is that's the American objective in doing anything, the American interest in this.
[10:20:03]
ANDERSON: We are expecting to hear from Donald Trump in a major press conference later today. I think it's scheduled for 1:00 p.m. our viewers
will be able to see that here on CNN.
As we understand that this will be focused on the rescue of the U.S. airman in Iran over the weekend, he is also hosting an Easter Egg Roll at the
White House this hour where he may be thrown some questions, of course.
I wonder whether Donald Trump, to your mind, can say anything today that will answer these growing political concerns, particularly from his base.
DOVERE: Look, we had a speech from the President last week where he addressed the nation and said, what was his plan that evening, on Wednesday
evening, about what was going on in Iran, except that it wasn't full of a lot of details.
In the time since Wednesday, several things have changed in what he's been talking about, including his post on Sunday, talking about the Strait --
the Strait of Hormuz, and what he wants to do there, and the threats that he's making there.
We have it constantly shifting since this war began what the president has been saying about what's going on, what the time frame is, what the plan
is, what victory might be, what he wants to do, and we just don't -- we don't know day to day what will stick to it.
So, he may say something more today. He will certainly at the Easter Egg Roll. He'll certainly say more things at this press conference. But will it
match what he said yesterday? Will it match what he said last week? Will it match what he says tomorrow? We just don't know.
ANDERSON: Well, it's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. We will have to wait to see what Donald Trump says today, that is about
three or so hours. It will take some change from now.
Well, still to come, we take a closer look at global pressure to reopen this Strait of Hormuz. Can mediators strike a deal with Iran to open it
back up?
And you probably know the classic moon glow, now there is moon joy, a gray snow among the Artemis II astronauts as they gear up to make history later
today, I explain more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The Artemis II astronauts are set to wake up right now, or about now, at least, on a day that they are expected to make history. Their lunar
fly by aboard the Orion space capsule will take the four astronauts on a pioneering survey of the moon. That means they will go farther into space
than any humans have done before. The astronauts are already experiencing what mission control calls moon joy, as we hear from Canadian Space Agency
astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:25:01]
JEREMY HANSEN, CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT: There's been a lot of disbelief up here, just the fact that what we're seeing, where we are, it's
hard to wrap your mind around. I mean that sincerely, it really bends your mind and the emotions that come along with that, there's a lot of happiness
just to experience these unique things just brings you joy as a human.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's Randi Kaye reports from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Artemis II's lunar fly by is supposed to last about six hours, and the crew will be anywhere from 4,000
to 6,000 miles from the moon. One of the main lunar targets for the crew to document is something called oriental basin. It's this massive multi ring
basin, almost like a bull's eye that has never before been fully seen by human eyes.
DR. JULIANE GROSS, ARTEMIS CURATION LEAD: With the lighting conditions that we are now having during the flyby, they're going to, I think, see some
very dramatic views of that basin with shadows and depth perception that humans are so good at to like, really understand and see.
KAYE (voice over): During the Lunar fly by the crew will observe the moon in pairs, one with a camera lens and one with just the naked human eye.
GROSS: And then they have their personal computing devices, the PCDs, where they will record what they are seeing on the PCDs. We have a little maps in
there, so we are highlighting directly where these the next features are that they observe, so that they know where to go.
After the fly by the next day, we have a conference with them so we can ask them specific questions, so that we can basically extract all the nuances
and knowledges that are still stuck in their brain before they start forgetting about it.
I'm hoping that this can bring all of us together. You know, as Earthlings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: My colleague Kate Bolduan spoke with Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee and the editor of NASA watch, who says the world is watching this
moon mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH COWING, FORMER NASA EMPLOYEE: Well, we've done flybys of the moon before, but I'm 70, and the last time we did this, I was in high school.
So, you know, a lot of us have been there anticipation, for some of us, but for three quarters of the people in the world, this is their first moon
mission. So it's probably very few people who aren't excited in one way or another.
What we're going to be seeing is the spacecraft will get closer to the moon, and about 7:00 Eastern tonight will be its closest, about 4000 miles.
But what they're going to see is parts of the moon that you normally would never see with human eyes from Earth.
And you could say, wow, we flew around the moon before. Well, we're going at a different angle this time, and we're going we're going to see sites
that the human eye has never looked just, you know, out the window tourist mode, looking down. We've never done that.
But we have instruments that are doing all the science stuff. We'll go behind the moon. The signals will get cut off, and because of the
coincidence of how they launched, the date, going to get a solar eclipse. Then they'll come around the other side. We'll all say hooray, and then
they'll come back home.
Sounds simple, but we haven't done this in half a century, and as that kid said, we're going on the freaking moon.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Exactly. That's exactly that kid -- that kid is going to go down in not infamy. He's just going to go down in glorious
infamy.
Let me ask you about that blackout that you were talking about. They're going to they're predicted to lose communication for what is it, 40 minutes
when they're on the far side? That, to me, sounds absolutely terrifying, but how significant and how big of a deal is that kind of blackout period?
COWING: Well, the only time I think they were ever worried about this during the Apollo era is because that's where they would fire the engine to
come home. And the only time you didn't have to worry about that was Apollo 13. But they had other problems, so you, like, always wanted to talk to
them.
This time, they're on a free return. When they did their first burn that thing the other night, where everybody was all happy, they will pretty much
come back to Earth and hit the atmosphere perfectly, if they do nothing else.
But being out of communications, you know, I've been on expeditions where you don't have communications, and quite frankly, sometimes it's like good
I am tired of talking to those people. I want to look up. But it's not a big deal. It's true.
But, you know, thing is -- it's not a big deal. They're planning for it, and it's in a very short period of time. And if something does go wrong,
they'll have 30, 40, minutes to, you know, wait to get into contact with people. No biggie.
BOLDUAN: I mean, your version of no biggie, I think, is slightly skewed, because I feel, still feel like it's a biggie deal communication, but I do
like the whole idea, or they're up there being like, man, at least we can get some peace and quiet now from these guys for at least 40 minutes. I do
love that.
So, they've got this final list of targets for observation and pictures, craters, lunar plains, mountains that they're supposed to be looking at
observing. But what really are they looking for, why are these the targets?
[10:29:58]
COWING: Well, first of all, this Is a test flight. So, it's bonus to look out the window with the four humans. But they are -- when we going to the
moon before, we went with robots first, then, we sent people, then we stopped sending people, but we continue to send robots, and that's fine,
but at some point, you know, we got to go back to the surface, and we are doing a bit of a recon right now in addition to testing the spacecraft.
So, we are kind of looking down at the terrain, saying, hey, you know, that's kind of cool. Maybe we should go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And CNN will be monitoring all of this very closely. We'll get you all the latest headlines and pictures from
space as soon as we get them. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, emergency services in Israel have now recovered the bodies of four people killed by an Iranian strike on a residential building in
Haifa. Rescue workers searched through the night for the four people. These are images of the scene. The Israeli military says it believes they didn't
have enough time to reach safety as a missile approach.
Let's get more from Jeremy Diamond, who is live in Tel Aviv. Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right.
Well, in the last few hours, we have seen, you know, multiple Iranian ballistic missiles being fired at Israel. This comes as the last 24 hours
have really shown what appears to be an uptick in the pace of fire from Iran. We have seen multiple impacts, largely from those cluster munitions
that Iran is using in the Tel Aviv area, as well as in northern Israel.
Last night in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, we did see one of those ballistic missiles make a direct impact on a residential building. The
warhead, according to Israeli officials, did not actually explode, but it did cause the partial collapse of the building, just from the weight of
that warhead alone.
And following an overnight search by rescue workers, four people were found dead in an apartment building there. A couple in their 80s, their son and
his companion, a woman who was in her 30s. This is one of the largest single fatality events that we've seen in Israel since the beginning of the
war.
You'll recall that the second night of the war we saw nine people who were killed in a single ballistic missile attack.
Israel, for its part, has been carrying out a series of strikes in Iran, targeting three separate airports in Iran as well as a petrochemical
facility that produces more than half of Iran's petrochemicals. As we are hearing, of course, these threats from the United States as well to target
Iranian infrastructure. Becky?
ANDERSON: What has been reaction today from Israeli officials?
[10:35:04]
DIAMOND: Well, Israeli officials are threatening more of the same. More of these strikes on Iranian infrastructure facilities, like the one on this
petrochemical facility that we saw today.
Here is the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz with that very warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, DEFENSE MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): the terrorist regime in Iran continues to launch missiles at the Israeli home front,
killing and harming Israeli civilians.
If they continue firing at civilians in Israel, we will strike and destroy Iran's national infrastructure. We have severely damaged the steel
infrastructure and the petrochemical industry. And today, and every day, there will be more to come,
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And we are, of course, waiting to hear more from President Trump today about his threats to strike Iranian infrastructure. And we know, of
course, that the Iranians have already responded in kind, with the Iranian foreign minister, Araghchi, she speaking to his French counterpart, saying
that President Trump's threats amount to the normalization of war crimes, and he is threatening that Iran will retaliate in kind should the United
States strike key Iranian infrastructure in ways that will not just affect the United States but the global economy and the global oil markets as
well. Becky?
ANDERSON: Jeremy, good to have you. Thank you.
Jeremy is in Tel Aviv.
At least 10 people were reported killed in strikes across Lebanon overnight, including a teenager in southern Beirut. Israel says it is
targeting Hezbollah weapon sites embedded in civilian areas. The Israeli military has forced more than 15 percent of Lebanon's population to abandon
their homes, emptying entire towns and villages.
On Sunday, 18 far right, Israeli lawmakers, including some members of the ruling Likud Party, called for the IDF offensive across the Lebanese border
to be expanded.
Well, we are five weeks into a U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has placed multiple Gulf countries, Gulf Arab countries, squarely in the firing line
with catastrophic consequences. And while mediators work to find a way to end the war, the UAE says any ceasefire with Iran must guarantee that
shipping is again able to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
Anwar Gargash, an advisor to the UAE president, told me over the weekend that the Strait must be part of any settlement. He put it this way. "This
is extremely important for the global economy and global trade. It is an issue that is extremely important for everybody."
And crucially, the Strait of Hormuz, he said, "cannot be held hostage for any country."
Well, I want to bring in retired U.K. Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe to do more on this, and as we wait to see whether Tehran cuts a deal or opens the
straight, that is the deal that Donald Trump says they must get behind or hell will break loose, he says, by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
What real options the countries have right now when it comes to navigating the Strait of Hormuz?
TOM SHARPE (RET), ROYAL NAVY COMMANDER, UNITED KINGDOM: Yes, they are pretty limited. I mean, let's be clear here, Iran, Tehran has complete
control over that strait. And I think one of the problems is why would they relinquish that now? What are the conditions that will convince them to
give up? What is absolute control and potentially considerable profitability going forward? That is -- that's the problem we have today,
no matter what we threaten them with.
Fundamentally, they need to -- they need to stop firing, either because they choose to, because they are told to, or because they are -- they are
made to. And that's been the case from day two of this war, when they first -- when they first closed it -- sorry, controlled it.
ANDERSON: The U.N. Security Council is set to vote at some point, on a Bahrain-led resolution, authorizing all defensive means necessary to
protect transit. And they want to get authorization effectively from the U.N. Security Council for legal force. What does this actually mean in
practice?
SHARPE: Not much, I think, and I'm afraid. The resolutions are a good thing to do. The conversations getting people around the table. Talking is better
than not talking. Right? And that's -- these resolutions historically are a good way of convening these groups, convening the thinking, you know what
this might look like going forward.
But if you look at the U.N. resolutions that were that were laid up between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, all those years from 2015 onwards, they
didn't really make the slightest bit of difference in practical terms.
So, this latest resolution, it's great the Bahrain is taking the lead. It's great that they are cohering some of the GCC thinking around it.
[10:40:01]
But in real terms, it comes back to what I said at the start, that what makes Iran stop? And I think it's very unlikely to be a U.N. resolution in
this incident.
ANDERSON: So, while it effectively controls that strait, it is at present, clearly cutting bilateral deals with individual countries and shipping
organizations. And we have seen that from sort of India-China, right through to France, for example. The ties.
Do these deals, which clearly these countries believe are, you know, incredibly important, it is their energy security that is in -- at stake.
But do these individual deals undermine any sort of collective action for getting this strait or this straight open, these waterways open anytime
soon?
SHARPE: They do, and it's a sticking plaster solution. As far as I'm concerned, you cannot unilaterally declare that the Strait of Hormuz has
just become a Panama or a Suez in sort of international maritime law terms. They are completely different.
Now, you can have these conversations where people say, but international maritime laws is now irrelevant. It's completely gone.
We'll OK, fine, if that's your base assumption. But if you do, assume there are still guardrails, there is still an internationally recognized way of
doing business when it comes to freedom of navigation. Then, you cannot allow a country, I mean, dare I said, especially one like Iran, to suddenly
impose a tariff on an international strait that everyone has the freedom of navigation to go through and ensure the global passage, safe passage of
shipping. You can't just allow that to be changed, or you -- or you are ripping up the rule book to such a degree, it's, to my mind, it's almost
unimaginable.
But I know there are plenty of people who go, but the Egyptians do it in Suez. So, what's the difference?
ANDERSON: Interesting points. Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, folks. Ahead on the show, some of the other headlines that we are following this hour, including why
Hungary's longtime leader is looking for support from a high-profile ally? Details on that are after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Here are your headlines this hour.
Donald Trump has warned -- excuse me. Donald Trump has warned Iran it will face severe military action if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz by
Tuesday evening. He is threatening to attack Iranian power plants and infrastructure if the critical waterway is not unblocked.
Iran issued its own threats in return, and has rejected a proposal for a temporary cease fire.
We are learning new details about the operation to rescue a U.S. airman whose F-15 five. Jet was shot down by Iran.
[10:45:03]
Satellite images released Sunday, show a crater at the place with a jet crashed. U.S. military has now managed to rescue both of the crew of the F-
15. President Trump is set to brief reporters on the operation from the White House later on Monday.
And Savannah Guthrie returned to co-hosting the "Today Show' this Monday. It was her first time fronting the NBC show since her mother Nancy
disappeared two months ago.
In her opening remarks, Guthrie told viewers that it was good to be home.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, plans to be in Hungary on Tuesday and on Wednesday this week. He is set to have talks with Prime Minister Viktor
Orban in Budapest. The high-profile show of support comes just days before a parliamentary election in the country, which poses the toughest challenge
yet to Orban's 16-year rule.
Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian, shows us what this Trump ally is up against, and how he is counting on Vance's visit for a boost in the polls?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pub owner, Sandor Toth has been serving up pints for 43 years in this small village in Hungary.
And it's from behind the bar he says he's witnessed a lot of history in the country, including the fall of communism, and later, four victories in a
row by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz Party.
SANDOR TOTH, PUB OWNER (through translator): People who come here chat about which party says what, and I believe that generally here, people vote
for Fidesz, as they help pensioners, but also young people.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): Toth says he voted for Fidesz each time. And Orban and his nationalistic and socially conservative politics have a lot of
support in this town of about 450 people.
Rural areas are traditional Orban strongholds, but that could be changing.
In the upcoming election, Orban faces one of his toughest challenges yet: Peter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider and current leader of the center-
right Tisza Party, which is surging in popularity, especially with voters under 40 and people in urban areas.
MARIA JUHASZ, HUNGARIAN VOTER (through translator): I would like to see change very much indeed. I will obviously vote for Tisza. We must change
this regime. So yes, to them.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): Magyar is trying to tap into voter concerns about domestic issues like health care and food prices, knocking on doors in
Orban's heartland to try to win new voters.
And he has promised to realign Hungary with the European Union.
PETER MAGYAR, TISZA PARTY LEADER (through translator): Those who choose Tisza will choose a working, humane, European, proud, peaceful, and a
serene Hungary.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): Orban has close ties with Russia and has frequently clashed with the E.U., especially over its support of Ukraine. Most
recently, he blocked a $103 billion loan package for Ukraine. And he says the opposition would drag Hungary into the conflict.
VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): You, Tisza, are pushing the courage of the Ukrainians. And you are not standing with
the Hungarians. You want a Ukraine-friendly government, and you want to take the money of the Hungarians to Ukraine. This is the truth.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): The vote is being closely watched around the world, not only for the impact it will have on the E.U., but what it could mean
for right-wing populist politics. Orban is a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
And on Tuesday, Vice President J.D. Vance will visit Hungary to try to drum up support for Orban. Both the U.S. and Hungary have aggressive policies on
immigration.
With Orban famously building a border fence in 2015 to keep migrants from illegally entering.
Magyar says he'll maintain the fence if he is elected, but will restore an independent media and judiciary, which have been eroded under Orban's rule.
He will also limit prime ministers to two terms.
Polls say, for now, Magyar's Tisza Party is in the lead. But analysts say it could still be an uphill battle to unseat Orban.
ROBERT LASZLO, "POLITICAL CAPITAL": The gerrymandered constituency map, the high proportion of the out-of-country voters, and the minority
representation in Hungary. These are the three factors that helps Fidesz to counterbalance a potential Tisza lead.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): Voters in Hungary will decide on April 12th if they want another round of Orban's brand of populist politics or something new.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't know yet. We will see. We will decide inside the polling booth.
SEBASTIAN (voice over): Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Savannah Guthrie returned to co-hosting NBC's "Today Show" this Monday. It was a first time fronting that show since her mom, Nancy,
disappeared over two months ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, HOST, NBC: Pretty shot of the sun coming up. Good morning. Welcome to "Today". On this Monday morning, we are so glad you
started your week with us, and it is good to be home.
CRAIG MELVIN, ANCHOR, NBC NEWS: Yes, it is good to have you back at home.
GUTHRIE: Well, here we go. Ready or not, let's do the news.
MELVIN: Yes, yes. So good to have you back. All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to bring in CNN's Omar Jimenez for the latest from New York. I mean, Omar, you know, goes for that saying, it's obviously a very
difficult time for Savannah, personally and for her family.
[10:50:04]
Did she touch on the case of her missing mom?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She really didn't. And, you know, what's interesting is there clearly was a discussion over how this was going to be
handled, to coming into this day, for fans that have been following her, but also her co-workers as well, this was really a highly anticipated day.
We knew about this beforehand, that this was when she was going to make her return. You touched on how long it has been since her mother has last been
seen. That date, January 31st was the last time her mother was seen, which, of course, prompted a very high-profile search that to this point, despite
rewards promised of up to a million dollars for any significant information has not yielded any significant leads, at least that we know publicly to
this point.
And what you played sort of in the beginning of ready or not, you know time to get to the news. That really was the essence of how the show started. It
wasn't until the next hour when she went out onto the plaza, as they typically do with this show, and they are greeted by fans that come to see
a little bit of it play out, where you could tell that a little bit of the emotion and the acknowledgement of what has transpired over the past two
months or so really started to sink in.
I just want to play you a little bit of that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTHRIE: These signs are so beautiful. You guys have been so beautiful. I received so many letters. So much kindness to me and my whole family. We
feel it. And we feel your prayers. So, thank you so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And again, obviously a balance there where she has a job to do, clearly, she wanted to get back to that job, the professional that she is.
But no matter how much professional you have, it cannot truly erase the pain that she and her family have been feeling, personally, and on a very
public stage throughout all of this, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, and viewers have not seen her in a usual anchor chair for over two months. And what's the latest on the investigation as we
understand it?
JIMENEZ: Yes. So, the latest on the investigation is really there is no significant update on the investigation. And that's kind of the troubling
part for so many people that have been following this so closely. The reward has been up to a million dollars for significant information leading
to any sort of clues here. But to this point, there's no leading theory. What they know is they believe Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old, was removed
against her home, removed from her home against her will, back in early February. But to this point, it really isn't much.
They haven't ruled out that not more than one person is involved. There was evidence of a ring video camera that showed masked man on that front porch
as well, but really, the public, as I'm sure, the Guthrie family is as well, is anxious for anything that moves this investigation forward in any
significant way, Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Good to have you, Omar. Thank you.
JIMENEZ: Good to see you.
ANDERSON: All right. Couple of minutes left on this show, we are going to take a very short break. But when we come back, time -- just to have a look
at the impact of war with Iran on Jerusalem's holy sites. It is Easter Monday today, how this year's Easter celebrations have been markedly
different for worshippers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, these are live pictures from the White House, where the U.S. President is hosting the traditional Easter Egg Roll there.
[10:55:04]
We are monitoring this, just in case reporters are able to ask him any questions about the war with Iran. We do, though, expect a briefing from
the White House on that issue in just over two hours from now. Stick with CNN for that.
Well as Israel's war with Iran continues, the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran continues. So, do, do the restrictions on access to Jerusalem's holy
sites, even on major holidays like the past weekend.
Our Jim Sciutto walk the eerily quiet streets of Jerusalem's old town on Easter Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (voice over): On a typical Easter Sunday, these alleys would be crowded with Christian pilgrims
celebrating the holiday. But we found in the midst of the Iran war, different rules now for different holy sites.
SCIUTTO: This is the gate leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and laid to rest. But even on
Easter Sunday, this is as far as worshippers can go. 20 priests were allowed in earlier today, but not worshipers. Israeli officials say that's
because of security.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are very sad to hear this and to know this, because it never happened in our life.
SCIUTTO: All entrances to the Dome of the Rock one of the holiest sites in Islam, including that green door there down at the end of the alley, have
been closed now since the start of the war. No Muslim worshippers, even if they live here in the Old City, are allowed inside.
SCIUTTO (voice over): And here, access to the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism is limited to the Western Wall tunnels in groups
of 50 or less.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jim Sciutto in Jerusalem.
Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. From the team with me here in Abu Dhabi, it is a very good evening. Stay with CNN.
"ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
