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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Israel and Lebanon to Hold Direct Talks in Washington; Potential Second Round of Talks between U.S. and Iran; E.U. Council Chief Says Strait of Hormuz Blockade "Not the Answer"; U.K. PM Calls for Lebanon "To Be Included" in Ceasefire; Pope Leo Delivers Holy Mass and Homily in Algiers. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is 6:00 in the

evening. We're coming to you from Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

And we start this hour with two potentially big diplomatic efforts in this region in the push for peace. The U.S. and Iran still communicating with

each other and, according to a source, not ruling out a second face-to-face meeting at this point.

And in Washington today, officials from Israel and Lebanon will hold their country's first direct talks in 40 years.

Now big hurdles remain in both cases. Iran's president calls U.S. demands unreasonable. He told France's president on Monday that his country will

negotiate only within the framework of international law. U.S. vice president JD Vance says the success or failure of talks is up to Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must have their conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon.

And I think that if the Iranians are willing to meet us there, then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries. If they're not willing to

meet us there, that's up to them. That's their decision. And really, the ball is very much in their court.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Meanwhile, the Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington coming as Israel continues to hit what it says are Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. But

it has scaled back attacks on Beirut and the Bekaa Valley this week under U.S. pressure, as we understand it.

Kevin Liptak back with us this hour from Washington. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. Want to start in Washington.

Kevin, tell us about U.S. efforts to keep these talks ongoing with Iran at this point.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And there is now an openness that we're hearing from the White House to engage in a second

round of in-person talks.

Where those takes place, when those take place, who comprises the delegation?

All unknown right now. An American official told me this morning all of those details remain unanswered. But it does seem as if these channels are

still flowing through the mediators. You know, the Egyptian foreign minister's in Washington today; he's meeting with the secretary of state,

Marco Rubio.

The Pakistanis, the Turks, all still passing messages in an effort to get these negotiations back on track.

And I think the hope, at least among American officials, is that this blockade in the Strait of Hormuz will increase pressure on Iran and force

them to make concessions at the negotiating table that they were unwilling to make over the weekend.

And it does seem as if there are two issues right now that are at the center of these talks. They both relate to Iran's nuclear ambitions. One is

this question of nuclear enrichment. The U.S., over the weekend, put on the table a proposed moratorium on enrichment of uranium for 20 years.

Iran has come back with a counter-proposal that it would pause enrichment for five years. The U.S. has rejected that. But you do see here an area

where they could potentially bridge the gap.

The other question is, what becomes of Iran's nuclear stockpile of highly enriched uranium?

It's believed to be buried underground at Isfahan right now. The U.S. wants that removed from Iran entirely. Iran seems to be suggesting that it would

be willing to dilute it to well below weapons grade.

But as of now, no resolution on that matter. And so you see how the sticking points are beginning to narrow. Of course, there are other issues

as part of this agreement, chiefly the Strait of Hormuz and what becomes of that but also Iran's support for proxy groups in the region.

But I think the belief among American officials is that, if they can get these nuclear sticking points resolved, then the rest of the deal might

fall into place. Of course, Iran is also asking for billions of dollars in assets to be unfrozen. That's something that the U.S. hasn't necessarily

come to an agreement on yet.

So still a lot of points but you can see the negotiations and the diplomatic gears still beginning to turn.

ANDERSON: Let me bring you in, Jeremy, from Tel Aviv.

What are the expectations then, going into these talks today in Washington?

Rare -- I mean, we may even say historic -- between Israel and Lebanon.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the expectations are not particularly high for the prospects of actually coming out with some

kind of agreement out of these talks. It's important to note that the two sides are still very much talking about the conditions.

[10:05:00]

That would actually allow negotiations to proceed in order to reach some kind of agreement on disarming Hezbollah and establishing normalized

relations between Israel and Lebanon.

The Lebanese are going into these talks with the plan to demand that Israel agree to a ceasefire in order to pursue those broader negotiations.

But the Israeli prime minister has insisted in recent days that he will not agree to a ceasefire at this point, stressing that Israel is continuing to

carry out strikes in Lebanon, continuing to engage in firefights with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

And so, from the Israeli perspective, they very much want to conduct any future negotiations, quote-unquote, "under fire."

And so how those two sides are able to bridge that first layer of agreement will determine whether or not we can actually move into more substantive

negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on those broader issues.

But nonetheless, we will be seeing the Lebanese ambassador to Washington sit down with the Israeli ambassador to Washington at the State Department,

with the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon and a senior State Department official both presiding over these negotiations.

We've seen direct talks between Israel and Lebanon back in December when they met in Nakuru in southern Lebanon, to discuss the framework for,

again, this very same topic.

But it is a relatively historic set of talks, particularly when you look at the fact that it's happening at the State Department with the ambassadors

of both of these countries. The last time before the talks -- that we had seen any direct talks between Israel and Lebanon was all the way back in

1983.

So this is a relatively recent and historic development that we are witnessing.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you.

Well, the U.S. Naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Persian Arabian Gulf, if you're from this part of the world, has just entered its second day.

Passage in the Strait of Hormuz has largely stopped since president Donald Trump's blockade took effect on Monday.

But at least one U.S. sanctioned tanker does appear to have passed, according to marine traffic data. It shows the Chinese-owned tanker Rich

Star turned back once on Monday, before passing the strait overnight.

Well, the vessel has ties to Iran and CNN has learned it was carrying a cargo of methanol, with its next stop believed to be China. Let's discuss

more with Tom Sharpe, retired Royal Navy commander and senior advisor at Corbis, keeping a keen eye on what's going on in that strait.

Tom, as a blockade effectively from both sides at this point, the U.S. and Iran, how is this supposed to help the flow of ships?

Is it clear at this point?

CMDR. TOM SHARPE (RET.), U.S. ROYAL NAVY: No, it's absolutely not. Well, the one thing that is clear is that it's not helping the flow of ships. It

wasn't, anyway, to be fair, the Iranian blockade, let's just call it that for ease, from the 1st of March, clipped shipping to about 6 percent to 7

percent of its normal levels.

So that was the blockade that we came to know and love. and just as the ceasefire was starting, the United States Navy put two destroyers through

the strait in what they would call a freedom of navigation operation. And it looked like things were moving.

I even wrote something to say, isn't it good that freedom of navigation still sits at the heart of the U.S. Navy's DNA?

And then -- and then 12 hours later came the announcement of the second blockade. Now the details of that are becoming clearer a couple of hours

after the president's initial transmission; they became a lot clearer, as I think probably CENTCOM tried to unpick what he meant and what he what he

really wanted.

And so we're now we're seeing that unfold. But it's important to say nothing really has changed in the 48 hours since his -- since the second

blockade. The Rich Starry (ph), the one that everyone zooming in on, is perhaps a good case study in where social media doesn't help.

It came from the UAE, it's Chinese owned and it's Chinese flagged but it came from the UAE. It therefore doesn't fit the criteria for this blockade

and the weaving around it did before it went through, we've seen lots of that in the last month. And that ship's not sure if they've got the

criteria to pass the Iranian blockade.

So it did a U-turn going, have I actually passed the test for Iran, having paid or got a bye?

There's still a lot of fragility and uncertainty. It turned around, realized it had and has now left. And my read of this as of now is that

it's exempt from the U.S. blockade because it didn't come from an Iranian port.

ANDERSON: That's fascinating. The shipping federation chief has told CNN this is a dangerous step backwards when asked about the U.S. blockade.

How are cargo companies and tankers going to balance what is going on between these two countries?

Which one in effect -- I guess the question is, are they going to work with?

SHARPE: Yes.

[10:10:00]

You're right. I mean, it's almost impossible to -- imagine you're on the bridge of one of these ships and you -- and we -- we're struggling to --

I'm struggling to unpick this with the internet here in an office because it's changing so fast.

The dynamics are moving so fast. Now they have to manage this from the bridge of a ship that may have been stuck there for weeks in fairly poor

living conditions for a lot of them, with a -- with a company that may or may not validate their insurance.

There are so many moving parts, which is why none of them are moving yet. There is no assurance. So whilst these two blockades are playing off

against each other and while we're playing a game, who's got the bigger navy, the business here, the real business end of this, the freedom of

navigation is not in place.

And the more uncertainty there is, the less likely there is -- it is to be in place. And then add the threat over the top of that. And again, it's --

Iran aren't shooting right now. If they start shooting again, then this whole thing turns back to what it was for the previous month. And again,

nothing, nothing moves.

ANDERSON: So this blockade seems to be adding more strain on the strait, not less.

Is it clear at this point whether the U.S. Navy has any scope to enforce this style of blockade?

I mean, Iran has drones, they have boats, they have water-bound drones, of course, as well. This is asymmetric warfare. They found some leverage, of

course, over these critical waterways.

Do you see this as essentially as becoming a new battlefield instead of a solution or some relief at this point?

SHARPE: Yes, it's definitely, it's definitely not relief. I mean, the whole point of this blockade is to, is to exert pressure on the Iranian oil

infrastructure. And that could work if they physically can't move their oil out of country fast enough, then the oil keeps coming out of the ground.

At some point, you have to shut those wellheads down. And I'm not an expert but I know that that then becomes quite hard to turn back on and very

expensive. This is a this is not designed to help. It's designed to punish and to be used as a negotiation lever. And I think it's just fractionally

too early to tell whether or not that's going to work.

But from a practical perspective, given how few ships are currently passing the Iran blockade, maybe, you know, six a day, 6-8 a day. From a practical

perspective, America getting its intelligence in place to go, OK. Of those six, we actually should be boarding three. That's quite that's not too

difficult to do.

You don't want to do it too far north because the closer you get to the Strait of Hormuz, the closer you are to the Iranian threat that you outline

the fast attack craft and the missiles. But then the further south you go, the more dispersed they become.

And before you know it, you've got a range problem and your resources are being dragged quite a long way out of position. So there's a happy middle

ground there. But when it comes to, you know, if they decide to ship, X needs to be boarded by ship Y, that bit isn't particularly difficult.

They'll send a destroyer toward it or perhaps an aircraft from the USS Tripoli amphibious ship. And they'll hail the ship and they'll ask it to

board and ask it to, you know, change course and speed. And when it doesn't, which it won't, they will fast rope on board and seize the ship.

And then you have to work out where to take it. But that those mechanics are not so difficult where it becomes very difficult. And in military

terms, as if the boarding becomes opposed.

So you close this vessel, you're going to get on board and they start waving weapons at you. Suddenly that is a different metric and requires a

different level of boarding team to carry out that boarding. It's now boarding.

Of course, the other, the real humdinger in all of this, what if there's a Chinese flag on the back of this or the back of this ship?

And that's where the Rich Star got everyone so interested.

You know, is the U.S. honestly about to start boarding Chinese flagged vessels as part of this blockade?

It seems it seems incredible. And, of course, if they do, the risk of miscalculation goes through the roof. And the invitation for China to start

boarding U.S. flagged ships somewhere else in the world, it becomes wide open.

ANDERSON: Yes. Fascinating times. It's good to have you, Tom. Thank you very much indeed.

And later this hour, the E.U. Council president discusses with me, what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz and how Europe intends to support efforts

in freedom of navigation and how the election in Hungary this weekend should free up much needed support for Ukraine. More after this.

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ANDERSON: China's leader is making his first public comments on the U.S.- Israeli war with Iran. Take a listen to what Xi Jinping had to say during a meeting in Beijing with Abu Dhabi's crown prince, a meeting aimed at

shoring up ties between China and the UAE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF CHINA (through translator): Today, our world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before. Humanity has to

make a historic choice between peace and war, between unity and confrontation and between development and decline.

As important members of the global south, China and the UAE need to enhance coordination and cooperation to build a more stable, resilient and robust,

comprehensive, strategic partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: During that meeting, Mr. Xi issued veiled criticism of the United States, saying the world should not be allowed to, quote, "revert to

the law of the jungle."

That phrase used by Chinese leaders and state media to criticize unilateral actions, often from the United States.

And China was one of the topics I discussed with the E.U. Council chief Antonio Costa, who is in the UAE today. I also asked him about Europe's

efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and whether Trump's naval blockade is, as some have suggested, a bold bluff. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTONIO COSTA, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Our answer is clear, blockage is not is never the answer. And the blockade doesn't resolve other

blockades.

ANDERSON: So is this a step backwards in your, to your mind, not a step forward?

COSTA: What I think is the right way is what 80 countries by -- under the initiative of United Kingdom and France are doing to build a large

coalition to ensure that by the full respect of the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the full respect of international law of the

seas.

ANDERSON: There are countries that have only weeks worth of jet fuel left for example. The criticism has been that Europe is dragging its feet. It

hasn't supported U.S. action, nor indeed has NATO. And we can talk about, you know, how you deal with Donald Trump's criticism and threats to Europe.

But the criticism ultimately is on the Strait of Hormuz that Europe is not doing enough, quickly enough. What is your response?

COSTA: We are doing by the right way and the right way is to address this issue in the full respect of international law, in the full respect of the

multilateralism core.

ANDERSON: But what happens when Russia and China veto a resolution?

So international law isn't --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTA: We need the -- one of the main reasons, because we are engaging with all the countries around the world, 18 countries now already, is

because the China, Russia and others and I expect the United States also understand.

[10:20:03]

That the best way to manage this issue is not by put and add a block to another blockade is not to go out of the international law but is working

and the frame of international law --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTA: -- with the clear mandate of the United Nations.

ANDERSON: But with respect, if you can't get a U.N. resolution passed, you can't get a mandate to operate in the strait. You're not going to operate.

That's what you're telling me.

COSTA: We will see. I say that in the in the ideal world, we will. We would have this mandate from the United Nations Security Council. But it's

not impossible to act in a different framework now, as a part of this war but as a part of a peace solution.

ANDERSON: And what role do you see China playing in a solution to this current conflict?

COSTA: A part of the global concern, China has a specific concern because China is suffering in this war, not only by the raise of the prices but

also by the lack of physical supply of a -- of oil and of oil and gas.

And then I count on China that China understand that they have a positive role to in this in this moment, in this crisis, push everybody for

negotiations. Apparently, it was very helpful to push Iran to the table of negotiations.

ANDERSON: In Islamabad.

COSTA: In Islamabad. But it's not enough because you need to they need to continue to talk in order to achieve an agreement and they need to push

also Iran to lift this blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and to reestablish the freedom of navigation.

And I think the main reason, as you know, because they blocked the resolution in Security Council, is because this resolution didn't condemn

the attack from the United States against Iran.

ANDERSON: Do you understand that position?

COSTA: I don't agree, because, you know, the European Union support this, support this resolution, because this resolution was essential to

reestablish the freedom of navigation.

ANDERSON: A long lasting peace in Lebanon is going to be crucial for an end to this conflict and peace in this region.

What can Europe do to ensure the success of these direct Israeli-Lebanese peace talks brokered by the U.S. in Washington this week?

Well, we are cross fingers but at the same time we are doing two important things. First, we are supporting the Lebanese army to give them to build

capabilities to do what they need to do --

ANDERSON: Sufficient?

COSTA: -- to have the effective control of the territory, to disarm Hezbollah.

And on the other side, we are giving 100 million euros in humanitarian aid support for the Lebanese people. And look, we can never forget that, just

before this war, the Lebanese government took a historic decision to ban the military activity of Hezbollah.

And we need to work with the Lebanese authorities to support president Aoun to support his government in order to allow the Lebanese army to do what

they need to do to disarm Hezbollah, to stop Hezbollah. The sovereignty of Lebanon must be respected. Their territorial integrity must be respected.

And that's the reason because we are supporting the Lebanese army. And, of course, we understand and we respect the right of self-defense from Israel.

But self, the self-defense need to be used in the respect of the international law.

ANDERSON: Is Israel flouting international law at present in Lebanon?

COSTA: Yes.

ANDERSON: As they did you say in Gaza?

COSTA: Yes. Unfortunately

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: That is the E.U. council president speaking to me earlier.

Well, Hezbollah wants today's planned peace talks between Israel and Lebanon scrapped before they've even started. Just ahead, I'll be speaking

with an expert on Lebanon about the significance of this moment.

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[10:25:00]

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ANDERSON: 0The war with Iran means deadly consequences for Lebanon. The country's health ministry says more than 2000 people, including at least

166 kids, have been killed in Lebanon since Israel began its most recent attacks on March the 2nd.

Israel says it's targeting Iran backed Hezbollah, which sparked the offensive by opening fire in support of Iran.

Well, in Washington today, Israeli and Lebanese diplomats will meet to talk peace. Hezbollah calls those talks futile and wants them canceled. Well, my

next guest has a message for the Israeli government and for Washington.

He says, I'm quoting now, "We 80 percent of the Lebanese people are sick and tired of being used as cannon fodder for other people's wars."

Saleh Machnouk is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute and a lecturer in comparative politics at Lebanon's Universite Saint-Joseph. He

joins me now from Beirut.

I've been looking forward to speaking to you, Saleh. Your message is very, very clear.

What are your expectations as Israel and Lebanon meet officially for the first time in years for talks about talks?

SALEH EL MACHNOUK, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Becky, thank you for having me and giving me this opportunity.

This is a historic and pivotal moment in Beirut today because, despite all the tribulations and the mayhem and the death and destruction brought about

by this war that was imposed on Lebanese people and on the Lebanese state, today, there is a glimmer of hope for the Lebanese people.

After 20 years of Lebanon's strategic interests, being held as a hostage by Hezbollah, today, the Lebanese state has made also, after 33 years of us

having gone to Madrid, negotiations only as a satellite state for the Assad regime.

Finally, the Lebanese state has made the very courageous and necessary decision to engage in these negotiations by reclaiming its diplomatic

sovereignty, because we do not want to be negotiated on at the table between the IRGC, the United States or Israel.

We want, as our constitution mandates, that our president be the one who is negotiating a gradual end to the conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

And I want to make something very clear, Becky, it's not only important in this war ends. What's even more important is that this be the last war

between Lebanon and Israel. This is what's essential in the minds of the Lebanese people that, for 57 years, we've been used as pawns and hostages

in other people's wars.

[10:30:02]

And this needs to be -- to end today.

ANDERSON: And you say, quote, "We need to stand with our army to establish Lebanese sovereignty."

What needs to happen, Saleh, internationally and domestically, for that to happen?

MACHNOUK: Excellent question, Becky. Thank you.

So what needs to happen is Lebanon, Lebanon's government needs to double down on its diplomatic efforts. The main question is not whether there's a

ceasefire today or not. As you may recall, Ukraine and Russia negotiated directly in 2022 as they were still fighting on the battlefield.

Now Lebanon, in addition to its diplomatic sovereignty, needs to assert its military and security sovereignty in practice because, otherwise, its

credibility is on the line.

And the international community will not treat it like the partner that it deserves to be treated as. On the other hand, the international community

needs an all-hands-on-deck approach. This is a historic moment not just for Lebanon but for the Middle East as a whole.

And I believe that diplomatic and political support for the Lebanese government in its efforts to establish its diplomatic and military

sovereignty are extremely important. The Lebanese army needs the full support.

Of course, we are fully aware that this support will be and needs to be conditional on the Lebanese army playing the role that it should play in

being the sole power that bears (INAUDIBLE) in Lebanon.

This way, this is the only way, Becky, where we can balance out getting rid of Israeli occupation and putting an end to Iranian interference, because

this war is not our war. It's a war fought between Iran and Israel on Lebanese territory. And the Lebanese state and Lebanese army are the only

parties capable of putting an end to both.

ANDERSON: The Europeans stand ready, they say, to support Lebanon. I spoke to the European Council president just earlier today.

He told me, quote, "We need to stop the war in Lebanon. We need to give the opportunity for the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah effectively."

This is the British prime minister, Keir Starmer. Stand by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: For Lebanon to be included urgently in the ceasefire, diplomacy is the right path. And I welcome the talks taking

place this week. Hezbollah must disarm.

But I am equally clear: Israel's strikes are wrong. They are having devastating humanitarian consequences and pushing Lebanon into a crisis.

The bombing should stop now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This isn't the first time we've heard this narrative from the U.K., from Europe.

I'm just wondering at this point, is this enough from Europe?

I mean and who else in the international community do you believe needs to step up and support at this point?

I'm talking very specifically about, you know, money for the Lebanese armed forces, for example, plus some.

MACHNOUK: So I think prior to talking about the technicalities and the logistics of what Lebanon needs, we need to have a proper understanding of

the problem. Lebanon does need a ceasefire but Lebanon needs a permanent ceasefire.

Lebanon needs a security agreement with Israel that makes sure that not every couple of years -- you know, I'm a young person but this is the sixth

war between the Lebanese paramilitary group and Israel in my lifetime. The last war happened only 15 months ago and here it is being renewed.

So simply asking for a ceasefire that probably will ensure another round of fighting in a year or two or three or five is not the ideal way to go. We

need a permanent solution to this problem.

And E.U. powers, Great Britain, the United States, the Arabs and others need to put together a comprehensive framework whereby we ensure that

Lebanese sovereignty is respected both by Israel and Iran.

And we need to square the circle, Becky. We need to make sure that this is the last war in our lifetime. Peace might be a long way to go. But I think,

in the meantime, we need the security agreement.

We need that the Lebanese state enabled and empowered politically, diplomatically, economically and vis-a-vis the military to make sure it can

establish full sovereignty in a way that doesn't ensure, on the other hand, that another war breaks out in one or two or three years. So do --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: You see this as an opportunity?

Sorry, Saleh.

Yes, briefly.

Do you see -- am I -- am I sensing some optimism?

Do you see this as a consequential opportunity at this point?

MACHNOUK: Becky, after every war must come peace.

[10:35:00]

And after every round of death and destruction, there must come time for prosperity and building.

I know you are based in the Gulf. We've seen the extraordinary progress on economics and development.

You know, most Lebanese young people actually now live exactly where you live, whereby we want them to stay in Lebanon.

Unfortunately, maybe because of all this pain and destruction, the Lebanese people, in their absolute majority, over 80 percent and over 85 percent

have come to understand that this struggle needs to end in its fundamentals and not simply by dealing with the technicalities of a ceasefire agreement

that might not, in fact, be permanent.

ANDERSON: Saleh, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Your insight is enormously valuable today. Thank you.

Well, still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, a pope, a president and now a grand ayatollah as a moral feud over the war in Iran continues the latest

as Pope Leo continues what is an historic visit to Africa.

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ANDERSON: Pope Leo is on an historic 11-day trip to Africa, home to 20 percent of the world's Catholics today, one in five. He became the first

pontiff to go to the mostly Muslim country of -- excuse me; of Algeria. Earlier, he toured the archeological site of Hippo in Annaba, followed by

the visit with the Little Sisters of the Poor.

On Monday, he visited the Great Mosque of Algiers, hoping to strengthen dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. Well, the pope's Africa tour will

include stops in Angola, in Cameroon and in Equatorial Guinea.

The pope has also been making headlines for growing friction with U.S. president Donald Trump over the war with Iran. Joining us now is

Augustinian friar Fr. Arthur Purcaro. He's also the assistant vice president of mission and ministry at Villanova University, a close friend

of the pope.

It's good to have you, sir.

What's your reaction to president Trump's repeated verbal attacks on the pope?

FR. ARTHUR PURCARO, AUGUSTINIAN FRIAR: It's a pleasure to be with you and thank you for the invitation.

It's sad that we sink to that. I think to understand the significance of Pope Leo returning to Africa and being today in Annaba, the place where

Augustine resided and shepherded people as bishop for almost 40 years, to give witness to the importance of dialogue and the search together for

peace, I think that's what is needed in our world today.

The pope speaking to and encouraging people to dialogue. Situation of violence and war and hatred and discrimination just are not going to help

create a better world.

[10:40:00]

And that's what we are about, creating a better world.

ANDERSON: Well, Iran's grand ayatollah is praising Pope Leo for his stance. And Iran's president condemning Donald Trump's insult to Pope Leo.

Did you ever think you'd see this day and hear these positions?

PURCARO: One would hope that all voices would come together and recognize the need for peace, the end to war; not just this war, the end to all war.

The very first word that Pope Leo spoke from the balcony in St. Peter's Square, when he was elected, "Peace."

And he is a peace builder. He's a bridge builder. And to realize that we treat each other -- we're members of one family and we have one common

home, this world.

So anything that distracts from that, detracts from building a better world together, sharing all the resources that God has gifted all of us with and

not trying to accumulate and hoard and leave people out, I can see why people, some people would be upset. But I think it's a wonderful

opportunity to come together.

ANDERSON: I have to ask you about Donald Trump. Donald Trump posting this AI- generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure. He later said it was

meant to be about the Red Cross.

What did you make of that and what message do you believe the U.S. president is sending?

PURCARO: I believe anybody who would want to distract from what is going on in the world, to keep people's mind off of the situation which we're in

-- rising prices, people excluded, people discriminated against, people left out.

Anybody who would try to do that and has the media on their side by favoring these distractions, I think Pope Leo and the ayatollah, the

president are trying to keep the camera on the message.

The message is we need a better world. And so any -- that distraction, that picture, the next one that's to come along are not going to distract the

true world leaders, the people who are looking for a better world for everyone.

ANDERSON: Well, we are looking at live pictures from the Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Algeria. Vatican classics (ph) but Catholics

in Africa, roughly 20 percent of believers worldwide. This is an important tour for the pope, of course. We appreciate your time today. Thank you so

much for joining us.

And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi, it is a very good evening. Stay with CNN. "MARKETPLACE ASIA"

today is up next.

[10:45:00]

(MARKETPLACE ASIA)

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