Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Oil Prices Rise After Trump Vows Blockade of Iran's Ports; Israeli & Lebanese Diplomats to Meet in Washington Tuesday; Oil Prices Soar After Trump Announces Hormuz Blockade; U.S. Vows to Impose Blockade on Iranian Ports Starting 10am ET; Hungarian Voters Reject Orban, Hand Victory to Peter Magyar. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: President Trump wants the Strait of Hormuz opened. So why is he asking the U.S. Navy to enforce a

blockade? It's 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi from our Middle East programming headquarters, I'm Becky Anderson. You're

watching "Connect the World".

The stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. U.S. futures indicating a lower open as all prices surge amid continued tensions in the

Middle East. And that is where we begin this hour with U.S. President Donald Trump ordering a blockade and all traffic entering and leaving

Iran's ports on the Persian Gulf in the Arabian sea.

U.S. Central Command says it will begin enforcing the blockade in one hour at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. And markets have already reacted to that news.

Oil prices jumping to more than $100 on the barrel. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned today that no port in the Persian Gulf,

known in this part of the world as the Arabian Gulf and the sea of Oman would be safe if its own ports are threatened.

President Trump says the United States is sending minesweepers to clear the strait.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have minesweepers there. Now we have highly sophisticated underwater

minesweepers, which are the latest and the greatest, but we're also bringing in more traditional minesweepers. And so, I understand is the UK

and a couple of other countries are sending minesweepers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the future of what is this critical waterway and the wider war, of course, still unclear after direct talks between the U.S. and Iran

ended on Sunday in Islamabad with no agreement. Nic Robertson is live in Islamabad in Pakistan. Kevin Liptak joining us from the White House.

Nic, get is up to speed on what we understand to be going on in the strait, on the status of shipping in it and the waters around it?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, shipping thinning out, according to some sources, Lloyd's insurance saying they're seeing no

traffic moving. The U.S. Central Command, saying they will be blocking all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

So that is either side of the Strait of Hormuz, or even sort of giving specific instructions to maritime traffic in that area, telling them to use

bridge to bridge, the bridge of the ships, the control room of the ships, if you like, on Channel 16 when trying to talk to U.S. maritime vessels,

the U.S. Navy there.

Precisely how this is going to work. Isn't clear what we're hearing from the Iranians, from the IRGC, in fact, specifically this case, the Ministry

of Defense, the Acting Minister of Defense in Iran, saying that they, the military are ready for all eventualities. The IRGC, one of the commanders

there, has issued a threat to expand Iran's closure of the waterways in the region by shutting down the Bab el-Mandab.

That's the Red Sea route for marine traffic, next to Yemen that the Iranian products are the Houthis have a lot of expertise in shutting down maritime

traffic there. So that's where the picture looks and this U.S. blockade is due to come into effect in about an hour's time, safe to say, it raises the

tensions in the region.

It's raising the price, or appears to be raising the price of oil. And the question, will the ceasefire that still has another eight days to run? Can

that endure?

ANDERSON: Kevin, what more than are you learning in Washington about how this blockade will work?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, clearly, the president trying to up the economic leverage that he thinks the United States has

over Iran. But you know, so far, this war has really been fought in the air. This is by far the most difficult task that the president is assigning

to the U.S. Navy as part of all of this.

Of course, ahead of the war, we saw that massive buildup of naval muscle in the region the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln now stationed just off the opening of

the Strait of Hormuz.

[09:05:00]

But when you talk to experts, and CNN has been sort of polling experts over the weekend, they do say that it could require more than that to enact this

kind of blockade. You know, James Stavridis, the Former NATO Commander, said that you would need two aircraft carrier groups in order for all of

this to work.

There is another one headed to the region the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush, but as of now, it's still in the Mediterranean. It will take several days for

it to reach a place where this would be effective, and it does, I think, get at the continued asymmetric capabilities that Iran has that could

potentially turn this blockade into a very dangerous mission for U.S. Naval assets.

You know, they continue to have missile capabilities, drone capabilities, small boats that could carry them out and potentially attack destroyers who

are working to enforce the president's blockade here. So, the success of this is not determined in any way. And remember also, President Trump has

expanded this out.

It's not just a blockade of Iranian ports. It's also the president suggesting that he will go after any tankers that have paid a toll to

transit the strait in international waters. And so, this could be an enormous undertaking for the president. You know, one expert says that two

destroyers in the Gulf could potentially board as many as six naval vessels a day.

When the strait was operating at full capacity, 130 ships were passing through. And so, it will require an enormous amount of naval capability on

the part of the United States in order to make this work. And I think the fear among at least some of the president's advisors is that as soon as

Iran starts firing back at some U.S. naval assets.

Then all of a sudden, the war just restarts again in earnest, which I think is something that the president is hoping to avoid. So, I think a lot of

uncertainties here in the hour before this blockade is set to take effect.

ANDERSON: Nic, the UAE, where I am describing Iran's strangle hold on the strait as economic terrorism. The U.S. now upping the economic ante against

Iran, a blockade is a weapon of war. Is this a change in strategy at this point by the U.S., or just an adaptation or an added layer, do you believe?

ROBERTSON: Look, it was really interesting being here and listening to what JD Vance, Vice President, said when the talks broke up over the weekend,

specifically talking in terms of a sort of a business language deal, saying that the U.S. has made its final and best offer.

So, in that context, there is sort of a deadline here, if you will, a ceasefire expiration in about eight days. So is the implication of the

president that is working towards that deadline, that is going to come back and see if Iran give them an opportunity with this additional pressure to

meet the U.S. demands before that deadline.

In that context, you know from a business negotiation, the art of the deal, if you will, negotiation the way President Trump often views trying to get

what he wants out of a situation, to apply this sort of business references and his business acumen, if that's what's happening, if there isn't an

escalation, if the ceasefire doesn't break down, so many ifs then there's the potential for the president to get what he wants.

But in that a lot of trust is broken down. And a lot of people in this region absolutely see the United States bringing a blockade on an Iranian

blockade. So, a double blockade, as really escalating the situation even more. Over the weekend, you had a couple of guided missile U.S. frigates,

destroyers rather, go through the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command, on Saturday on a sort of a de mining mission.

So, there are a number of naval moving pieces here. We just don't have the detail on it. But absolutely, certainly, there are a lot of people with a

lot of expertise that are able to look at this situation, just as Kevin was describing, and say there are so many opportunities here for escalation,

for sort of mistaken communication, mistaken movements.

And also, that it's small, subtle, asymmetric effort, perhaps by Iran, to try to scupper, put a price on the U.S. efforts here. Remember just a few

years ago Fujairah, that port of the United Arab Emirates that's in the Gulf of Oman, there's that pipeline that goes from where you are Becky, on

the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Gulf through the mountains to Fujairah to get that -- got that oil flowing from the UAE out to the world.

Well, that port was attacked by missiles by Iran.

[09:10:00]

Well, a few years ago, we were in the seas there, looking at vessels that have been target by just a couple of small Iranian like fishing boats,

where small magnetic mines had been attached to the side of the boats, holes blown in the boats, bringing the shipping there to a halt.

So, Iran has got the expertise to use these asymmetric tactics that could be directed covertly. Maybe it cost to them, maybe it cost to the U.S.

Navy. But the paths to escalation here are multiple.

ANDERSON: It is fair to say this is a transactional president, rather than a leader who leans into traditional diplomacy. Certainly, the idea of this

blockade isn't one that should be unfamiliar as an idea in principle to this Trump Administration, we saw their actions against the boats in and

out of Venezuela, of course.

Nic Robertson, Kevin Liptak, good to have you both. We will watch this develop 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, just under an hour from now, is what

CENTCOM tells us is the deadline for that blockade to begin. Well in the lead up to direct talks between Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese

media reporting Israel is continuing to carry out deadly attacks in the south of its country.

Lebanese Health Authorities say more than 2000 people have been killed in Lebanon during this war. More than 6500 have been wounded. Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered Southern Lebanon on Sunday for the first time since the war began to conduct a survey of territory seized by

Israel.

CNN's Oren Liebermann joining us now from Tel Aviv. And I just want to note in the past couple of hours, European Commission President Ursula von der

Leyen warning that there cannot be stability in the Middle East, quote while Lebanon and is in flames given this continued Israeli bombardment.

How much hope is there that a deal could be reached from at least the sort of onset of these talks, whatever they may look like, brokered by the U.S.

in Washington tomorrow.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Becky, I think from where we sit and from what we see a hot war across the Israel-Lebanon border, and

Israel not willing to make any concessions. It's difficult to see a scenario in which the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon under the

leadership of the United States are able to make real progress or get to a real ceasefire agreement.

The crucial question is, how much pressure is the U.S. willing to put on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal? Netanyahu has tried

to lay out what are his red lines for a deal. He wants to make sure that any agreement includes a disarmament of Hezbollah, as well as what he

called a real peace agreement that would hold for generations.

At the same time in the government meeting today, he said he's looking at an Israeli occupation of Lebanon that is a solid, deeper security zone. Now

he didn't talk about a timeline, or how long Israel would hold on to that territory, whether that would be indefinite, but that very much looks like

what we're seeing with the growing seizure of land and territory in Southern Lebanon.

And certainly, the statements we're hearing from some of the far-right members of Israel's own government. There's no indication that they're

willing to make concessions in these negotiations, and that's where it essentially is up to the United States on how much pressure to put on

Netanyahu, and can they get him to come around, because it doesn't look like Netanyahu will get there on their own.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to fire across Israel's northern border at Northern Israel. So, it doesn't look like they will leave the Lebanese

government with that much maneuvering room here to try to get to an agreement. So, it remains a very difficult situation, one not unlike

Pakistan, it's a significant diplomatic achievement that there are direct talks. That doesn't mean they'll be successful.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Oren. Thank you very much indeed. Oren on what is going on the ground and of course, on these U.S. brokered talks set

to begin tomorrow. More on those as we get it, of course. Well, with less than an hour before the U.S. military begins what is advertised as a

blockade of Iranian ports.

Oil prices have soared above $100 on the barrel again, President Trump's blockade, adding to fears of a continued squeeze on energy supplies from

the Middle East. You can see here both U.S. crude and Brent crude, which is the global benchmark, remain high. These prices had a significant impact on

Asian markets in their Monday trading session.

We expect to see a lower open on Wall Street when those markets open about 15 minutes from now. Eleni joining me live from Dubai. You've been keeping

an eye on those international waters in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

[09:15:00]

These are waters with vessels, under normal circumstances, flagged from countries all over the world. The impact we know on the strait being

effectively closed has been enormous. I guess the question at this point is, what impact is a planned blockade likely to have on that marine

traffic?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's such a good question. I think it's very indicative in terms of what we're seeing in the oil price right now.

Just a note on that, Brent crude is up 40 percent since the start of the war in WTI, the U.S. benchmark, is up 50 percent.

But what I have with me, Becky, is a list of all the vessels that have been able to transit through the straits since the start of the war. 453 vessels

have been able to make that transit on a normal day. Each day you see 130 vessels passing through the straits. So, it's just really an indication of

how the Iranian choke hold over the Strait of Hormuz has choked off critical supply of all sorts of goods.

So, it's crude, it's some of those refined products. That's what you're hearing news about, jet fuel prices spiking, fertilizer prices spiking. But

what's also really interesting when I look at this list, it's that Iran dominates a lot of what is on these vessels. So, what we're seeing now with

this other blockade, the U.S. naval blockade, really attempting to try and tighten the screws on Iran's ability to get revenue from transit through

the strait, is that it's going to have an even bigger effect.

Now for shippers out there, and I've spoken to so many experts, shippers already in a dilemma even negotiate with Iran directly, perhaps potentially

pay a toll fee to transfer through the straits and get some access. Now they are dealing with the U.S. elements also dealing with the United

States.

A lot of the ship is not willing to do this at this point. They are really worried in terms of the new rules of engagement. Now, countries that are

very friendly to Iran have been able to transit as well. We don't know if they paid the toll fee, but we're watching to see how they respond, because

it's been taking a lot of the oil to Asian economies like Pakistan and India that are facing domestic issues.

Now, countries that are friendly to the United States, they also have a dilemma in terms of then directly negotiating with the Iranians. What we're

seeing right now is something completely unprecedented. It is uncharted territory. This is an international waterway.

Whether this is going to have the desired effect on Iran, because this is what President Trump is trying to do to effectively try and put pressure on

Iran to open up the strait, remains to be seen. One expert I spoke to said, perhaps this opens the room for more negotiation, as everyone is feeling

the pressure of the strait right now.

Iran also saying that they're going to use their proxies in Yemen the Houthis to potentially block the other important maritime choker point.

We've seen this happen before, the Bab el-Mandab. This is a release file for a lot of the crude that flows through Saudi into the Red Sea.

So, Becky, this is a very important moment, around 45 minutes away from the U.S. naval blockade being implemented. How they plan to enforce this is

anyone's guess at this stage.

ANDERSON: Yeah, know, you're absolutely right, and we will continue to report on that as we get further detail. Eleni, thank you. Still to come

you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. I'm just going to move away from the Middle East for a moment, because Hungary making a

political shift away from Viktor Orban.

16 years in the top seat there. What the change could mean for the country and for Europe is just ahead. And a rare exchange between the U.S.

President and the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, Pope Leo, their heated war of words is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

ANDERSON: Hungary's main stock market jumped 2 percent today following parliamentary elections on Sunday. Massive crowds joined Peter Magyar in

the capital last night to celebrate his Tisza party's victory. It was a remarkable defeat for long time, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of

both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Magyar's win, also indicating a significant political shift for Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sent his congratulations. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: This was one of the best pieces of news that we got yesterday, that obviously we still have such a high degree of

resilience in a democratic society like in Hungary. Right wing populism suffered a severe defeat in Hungary yesterday, and this doesn't just apply

to Hungary.

Hungary is sending a very clear signal against right wing populism to the whole world. Yesterday was a good day in this regard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well CNN's Melissa Bell has been in Budapest all week. She filed this report.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just to the feeling on the streets here last night, it really was an amazing moment.

Lots of young people. The demographics were fascinating. They come out because they couldn't quite believe not just the democratic change had

happened so strong was the grip of Viktor Orban and his regime over the course of the last 16 years, for many of them, most of their lives.

But they couldn't quite believe that they'd been part of that democratic change, that it had worked, that Peter Magyar had not only won but secured

this super majority, which they believe will allow him now to return the country to the rule of law. Now we expect to hear from Peter Magyar later

today, but we had this speech from him yesterday.

He walked up onto a stage through the crowd to the sound of Frank Sinatra's "My Way". And then delivered this speech really congratulating the people,

thanking the 3.3 million Hungarians who voted for his party, Tisza, handing them that two thirds majority in parliament.

And he said that this had been a victory for Hungary, not just a small one, but a very large one. And really the enthusiasm that we heard here

yesterday really reflected that. And one of the interesting things over the course of the last week, has been following this, trying to get to people

to speak to us in Hungarian or in English, these last few days about Viktor Orban and his government in the election.

A lot of people very reticent, really, giving you the impression that they did feel they were living under an authoritarian regime rather than a

democracy. Last night that changed very suddenly, and they could not tell us enough of their joy, their feelings, their enthusiasm, their hope for

the future.

And the fact that many of them believe that this is nothing short of a revolution, certainly from their point of view of their long young lives.

The change that these signals in Hungarian politics is seismic. Then there is the reaction of the rest of the world. European leaders really lining up

very quickly to congratulate Peter Magyar, hoping that this is a signal that Hungary will return to the European fold, which would transform

Europe's ability to do things like help Ukraine, vote against Russian interests, vote for its own.

But then, of course, the big question how the American Administration reacts very little so far in the way of concrete reaction. The question is,

for MAGA, what this represents? This was, after all, the cradle of so much of MAGA's ideology and its plans for the second President Trump term.

What does this signal? What does it tell us about what happens when a regime or a liberal democracy has been created when so much power has been

concentrated in the hands of the executive. What happens when those changes? And we hope to hear more about Peter Magyar's plans a little later

today.

ANDERSON: Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.

[09:25:00]

And officials in Haiti say 25 people died in a crowd crush at a popular tourist attraction on Saturday, the number was originally reported to be

30. Now, the tragedy happened amid overcrowding at the entrance of the Laferriere Citadel, an early 19th century fortress and UNESCO World

Heritage site.

Well Gaza bound aid flotilla is aiming to break the Israeli blockade on the enclave after departing the Spanish port of Barcelona on Sunday.

Participants say this is the largest fleet yet to sail to Gaza, with 39 boats on the way and more expected to join to reach a total of more than

70.

Well democratic U.S. House Representative Eric Swalwell has withdrawn from the California Governor's race as he faces numerous allegations of sexual

misconduct. Now this comes days after CNN and the "San Francisco Chronicle" published separate reports in which women accused him of sexual misconduct,

including rape in one case.

With a failure to reach a lasting ceasefire agreement on Iran and a new U.S. blockade scheduled to start today. The global fuel crunch not getting

any relief in European nations trying to ease the pain for consumers. Germany's coalition government has just agreed to fuel price relief worth

almost $2 billion for both consumers and businesses to help alleviate the pressure.

And in Ireland, where diesel prices have jumped more than 20 percent since the start of the war. Police have been dismantling blockades set up by

angry protesters. The Irish government refused to negotiate with them, but it announced more than $500 million worth of tax cuts and other support to

help mitigate higher spending on fuel.

Well with oil prices back above 100 bucks on the barrel. And just 30 minutes before this U.S. Navy promised blockade on Iran. Going to find out

how U.S. markets react at the start of the trading week, that is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World" from our Middle East programming headquarters here.

Here's your headlines. Next hour U.S. Central Command says it will begin enforcing President Trump's blockade on all traffic entering and leaving

Iranian ports.

Now the president says the U.S. will also intercept any ship that has paid a toll to Tehran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

[09:30:00]

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warning there cannot be stability in the Middle East, quote while Lebanon is in flames. Lebanese

media report that Israel is continuing to carry out deadly strikes in the south of the country ahead of direct Lebanese Israeli talks in Washington

scheduled for Tuesday.

Let's get you to the opening bell on Wall Street then, and it is being run by the mayor of Dallas. He is leading the city's business delegation and

promoting their investment scheme Y'all Street and Y'all. Have a look and see how we are doing on these stocks at the open.

The indications were that they would be lower by about a half of 1 percent that is what the Dow Jones Industrial Average is doing. We'll wait to see

how the other couple of markets that we watch, S&P and the NASDAQ settle down in the next minute or so. Let's take a look at the live oil prices for

you.

Markets reacting to the latest developments in the Iran war. This looming U.S. blockade really creating some confusion and an uncertainty about the

stability of the global oil supply, and traders reacting accordingly. We are seeing some volatility. Well, let's bring in Karen Young, who is a

Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

And we'll bring up the markets as they open. We are expecting them to be, you know, half of 1 percent lower today on the back of this rise in oil

prices once again. How serious is the shock for global energy markets at this point, as we are into what sort of, you know, looking at what 50 days

now of this significant instability?

KAREN E. YOUNG, SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR AT THE CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Well, thank you, Becky, yes, we're into that

six-week mark now. The ups and downs just continue. And the shock isn't necessarily about what Iran exports and this blockade of ships leaving

Iranian ports.

It's about the shock to markets and this sense of the prolonged period of not having a return to normal flows in the strait. We get farther and

farther away from making that a reality. And so, the task of the U.S. Navy is going to be both a military one and an administrative one.

It really is, you know, again, a change of tack and position from President Trump, but this one is going to be a lot more complex to execute.

ANDERSON: Have you got any further insight into how they may operate this at this point?

YOUNG: No, I don't know other than what they've said nothing is leaving Iranian ports, including from the pipeline that exits around the corner of

the strait. And Iran, of course, has already said that it would, you know, retaliate against ports on the other side of the Gulf if its ports are

damaged or are, you know, put under these conditions of restraint.

So, we get back into the cycle of sort of waiting for retaliation, seeing what the actual implementation by the U.S. Navy would look like. And I

think it's going to be very, very difficult for them to verify, you know, who is paying a toll or not, what ships are moving in what direction this

requires, you know, quite a lot of vigilance.

ANDERSON: Yeah. I want to talk about where this leaves Iran. Tehran, let's have a look at the numbers exporting about 1.8 million barrels of crude a

day, if that effectively were to drop to zero overnight. What does that do? What does that leave a system where oil and gas makes up some 80 percent of

export earnings.

It certainly feels as if we're looking here at an attempt to economic financially squeeze or suffocate Iran at this point.

YOUNG: So, the Iranians, over now decades, have been able to weather economic pressure. They have mastered what is the resilience economy. So I

don't think in the, you know, in the short term, that this gives them, you know, quite a scare, but it does, and potentially could do potential, you

know, large damage to their oil production if they have to shut in production, that could, you know, do lasting damage to these wells for the

future.

And it also creates this, you know, impending deficit that we have in global oil supply. We've had the luck of the diversions that are through

the Saudi pipeline, through the emirate pipeline, and Iranian flows were part of that, that kind of continuation of flows, so to speak, from the

Gulf, not diverted, but still continuing to go through the strait.

So, absent that, you know, in what was a 7 million barrel a day deficit of crude and 4 million deficits of product, minus those Iranian barrels. And

Iran doesn't just export crude, it actually has a pretty vital product, refined and petrochemical exports.

[09:35:00]

So those are going to be hitting, I think, a. And a lot of consumers, many in Asia, the hardest.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. I want to have you, back. I'm running out of time here, and I've got to take a break, but it's important insight and

analysis, and I know you've got a really deep understanding of the region where I am.

So perhaps we'll have you back later on in the week as we work out how this scheme will work, and what sort of mitigation, sort of strategies we are

seeing in this region, and whether you think those are sort of, you know, good long term as it were. I'm fascinated to get your thoughts on that as

well. Thank you, Karen for the thank you time being.

YOUNG: Thank you Becky.

ANDERSON: Pope Leo pushing back against criticism from U.S. President Trump saying he has no fear of the Trump Administration, the first American Pope

has been increasingly vocal about his opposition to the war with Iran, and has condemned Donald Trump's threats against the people of the country as,

quote, totally unacceptable.

On Sunday, the president attacked the leader of the world's Roman Catholics in a social media post, and later double down on that message to reporters.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't like it. I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime. He's a man

that doesn't think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world. I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb traveling with the pontiff, joining us now from Algeria, which of course, Christopher is the

first stop on a four-nation tour of Africa. You were on board the plane where the Pope has been defending his stance on Iran or certainly being

questioned about it and speaking out about President Trump's attacks. Just explain his response and his narrative, if you will.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we were on the back of the plane with the Pope traveling to Algeria today. And Pope Leo,

as he always does, came to greet journalists individually, and of course, given President Trump's remarks, he was asked by a number of reporters for

a response.

And the narrative that he gave was quite simple that he doesn't see himself as a politician. He doesn't want to get into a tit for tat back and forth

with President Trump, but neither will he be intimidated by the president, nor will he stop speaking out against war and in favor of peace and

building bridges. And this is some of what we had to say on board the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SOVEREIGN OF VATICAN CITY: The message of the church, my message, the message of the gospel, blessed are

the peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, politician. I don't want to get into a debate with him. I don't think that the message of

the gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing, and I will continue to speak out loud against war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: But it is quite extraordinary, Becky, that we have this first American Pope standing in such stark contrast to the U.S. President, a

clash between the president and the Pope. It really is almost unprecedented, and I think we're going to see Leo continuing to speak out.

He's going to continue to do that whilst he's here in Algiers, of course, as a Muslim majority country. He's already said today that he comes as a

messenger of peace, and that he's concerned about violations of international law. So, I don't think Leo is going to back down.

And I think this contrast between the first U.S. Pope and the U.S. President is really quite stark and striking, and Pope Leo standing really

as a diplomatic and spiritual counterweight to the President of the United States, Becky.

ANDERSON: As you say, Christopher, this is the start of a marathon trip across the African continent. We are likely to hear more as you work

through that trip with him. For the time being, really appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed. Christopher Lamb in the house.

Well, it wasn't always pretty, but he has done it again. Rory McIlroy comes out on top on a thrilling Sunday to win his second straight Masters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: What a thrilling Sunday we had in Augusta for the Masters. Back and for the up and down, bit of a roller coaster, wasn't it? And in the

end, Rory McIlroy emerged victorious for the second straight year to retain that green jacket. Amanda Davies is with me.

And he wanted to prove his first Masters wasn't a fluke, and he had to dig deep. But where does this put him in the pantheon of golfing greats,

Amanda?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, I mean, he's now the most successful European, isn't he, in terms of major wins?

ANDERSON: Yeah.

DAVIES: But we've been talking a lot this morning, because over the last few years, he's really kind of secured his position in terms of a

spokesperson and a leader, hasn't he for the golfing community? But now he talks about the weight being lifted off his shoulders with that long

awaited finally Masters victory last year.

He has been playing at this tournament. He was playing like a different person. I mean, it was the Rory coaster. I like that phrase. I heard it

over the weekend. I'm going to steal it. Every time we watch him, we support him. It's like riding a Rory coaster. But it was such a popular

victory, things didn't go his way.

He still managed to pull it off. And we're actually where you don't want to hear from me. You want to hear from the guys who are at Augusta have been

there every weekend, and that's who we're going to be speaking to in just a couple of minutes in "World Sport".

ANDERSON: Amazing. That's "World Sport" after this short break with Amanda and her colleagues. We are back top of the hour with the second hour of

"Connect the World". Stay with us --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:00:00]

END