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Iran Sends Delegation to Pakistan for New Talks; Pete Hegseth Touts U.S. Blockade; New Attacks Test Israel-Lebanon Truce Extension; Two Men in Gaza Open "Phoenix Library"; Cubans Living in U.S. Send Aid to Family Amid Energy Crisis; U.S. Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Betting on Maduro Raid; Jeanine Pirro Drops Criminal Probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell; U.N. Says 32 Million People Will Fall into Poverty Due to Conflict; Israeli Operations in Lebanon Draw Comparisons to Gaza. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired April 24, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:34]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programing headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vows to keep up a tight naval blockade.
Iran's foreign minister is expected in Pakistan to potentially renew diplomacy.
Well, as the fragile truce in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah is extended by three weeks, we'll bring you a report on the massive
destruction in the south of the country. And $400,000 won on Polymarket bets over Nicolas Maduro leads to the arrest of a U.S. special forces
soldier accused of insider trading.
Well, we begin this hour with a declaration from the head of the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal. Iran has a historic chance to make a
serious deal. And the ball is in their court. Either way, the War Department stands ready for what comes next. Locked and loaded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Pete Hegseth there. He's also saying that he is ready to tighten the U.S. blockade on Iran's ports until there is a deal with
Tehran.
Well, sources telling CNN Iran is sending a delegation to Pakistan for new talks. The Iranian delegation, led by the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi,
is expected to hold those talks with Pakistani mediators later, not with the United States.
Well, in a moment, we'll go live to Geneva, Switzerland, and to Ali Vaez, who's the director of the International Crisis Group's Iran Project. Our
Kevin Liptak is at the White House. I want to get first, though, to CNN's Nic Robertson in Islamabad with the very latest there on this renewed
diplomatic action.
What are you hearing at this point? 0
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it really does seem to breathe life into a process that appeared to be stagnating until
right now, Becky. The foreign minister of Iran is expected in here with a small delegation remembering he was the number two who was here two weeks
ago, meeting in those trilateral talks with Vice President J.D. Vance, Pakistani mediators around the table, as well as a larger Iranian
delegation.
His mission this time coming in now appears to be right now to meet with a Pakistani official, not quite clear who but one might reasonably expect it
to be his counterpart, the foreign minister. We do know that Abbas Araghchi before he left Iran had had a phone call with Pakistan's prime minister and
had a separate phone call with Pakistan's field marshal, both of whom were involved in mediating the talks two weeks ago, both of whom have been very
involved in the diplomacy that's been going on, trying to bring the United States and Iran together around the table.
And what Pakistani government sources are telling us is they hope, they think that this -- the meetings, bilateral meetings that the Iranian
foreign minister has here in Pakistan with Pakistani officials will help allow the United States and Iran to get back around the table again.
Now, it's not quite clear when that sequencing would happen. What we understand from Iranian state media is that the Iranian foreign minister,
after his meeting here with Pakistani officials, then goes on to Oman, in Muscat in Oman for meetings there, and then on to Moscow. So the sequencing
of what's in play seems to be diplomacy pushing forward quite how quickly or if it gets the United States and Iran around the table together again in
trilateral talks. Not clear when that quite could happen -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Nic.
Ali, let me bring you in from Geneva. How do you read Araghchi's expected presence in Islamabad amid this sort of escalating standoff at sea?
[10:05:07]
ALI VAEZ, IRAN PROJECT DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's good to see you, Becky. I think it is for reiterating Iran's position about what it
takes to get engaged in serious negotiations. The Iranians believe that the Trump administration is already in violation of the ceasefire agreement
that they had, which is the fourth time that the Trump administration, in the views of the Iranians, has reneged on diplomacy with Iran.
Of course, first time President Trump withdrew from a fully functional deal in 2018 and then bombed Iran twice in the middle of negotiations last year
and this year. And now even is basically cheating on the terms of a ceasefire, which did not include a U.S. blockade. So the U.S. blockade
would have to come out from the Iranian perspective in order to get back to the negotiating table and the memorandum of understanding that they were
negotiating in Islamabad, and back and forth that the Iranians and the Americans have had with the Pakistanis.
That also has to be almost finalized for the parties to then show up in Islamabad in order to sign it. Otherwise, the Iranians see no point in
engaging directly with the United States in another round.
ANDERSON: Stand by, Ali.
Kevin, let's just get to Washington and your thoughts on what we heard from Pete Hegseth today. He also said the clock is not on Iran's side, echoing
the U.S. president's insistence that he has no need to rush. Break down the Trump administration's thinking right now for us.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And they seem to genuinely believe that the time is on their side despite this blockade of
the Strait of Hormuz, which is causing energy prices to rise around the world and causing gas prices to rise in the United States, and causing some
significant political issues for President Trump.
You know, this war now is well past the president's initial timeline of four to six weeks. We're budding up on the eighth week of the war. The
president was put under some sustained questioning about why it's gone on for so long in the Oval Office yesterday. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On the war with Iran, how long are you willing to wait until you get a unified response?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, don't rush me. Don't rush me, Jeff. You know, guys like you, you want to say, oh, so we were in
Vietnam, like for 18 years. We were in Iraq for many, many years. We were in for all the -- I don't like to say World War II because that was a
biggie. But we were four and a half, almost five years in World War II. We were in the Korean War for seven years.
I've been doing this for six weeks. I don't want to rush myself, you know, because every story say, oh, Trump is under time pressure. I'm not. No, no.
You know who's under time pressure? They are. I'm not under any pressure whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So you hear him say that he's not under any pressure whatsoever. But I think in reality there is an enormous amount of political pressure.
The president staring down what is going to be a very tough midterm election year for Republicans. A majority of Americans, significant
majority of Americans now expressing anxiety about the economy.
I think the reason he's not putting a timeline on all of this is because he knows that if he continues to blow past his own deadlines that he's set for
himself, that this will, I think, become more of a political problem for him going forward.
And so the reason he seems to be doing this is he knows he won't be able to sort of adhere to any fixed deadline. He also saying again yesterday that
he doesn't understand who in the Iranian leadership is actually going to sign off on this deal. And so still a lot of uncertainties. But when you
talk to officials this morning, they do view the travel by the Iranian delegation to Pakistan as a positive step, even if they're not entirely
sure when this U.S.-Iranian talks will get back off the ground.
ANDERSON: Bring you back in here. Pete Hegseth says the fight over the Strait of Hormuz is, and I quote him here, much more Europe's than
America's. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades. But the time for free riding is over. America and the free world deserve
allies who are capable, who are loyal, and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street. It's a two-way street. We are not counting on
Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, sort of given the domestic pressure that the Trump administration and Donald Trump himself is under, it is interesting his
administration is again chastising allies.
[10:10:04]
I just wonder what you made of that. Ali?
VAEZ: Oh, sorry. I thought that question wasn't for me. Look, the reality is that the Trump administration went into war without any consultation
with allies, and now expects the allies to just join a war that is illegal according to the U.N. charter and puts basically NATO troops in harm's way
for a war that doesn't even have a clear strategy. It actually makes no sense for the Europeans to get involved in this.
But what the Europeans are doing is that once this war is over, international shipping would need a degree of reassurance that things are
safe and back to normal in order for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to resume. And this is going to be a lengthy process and so there is a need
for a maritime coalition to reassure the shipping companies. And this is what the Europeans are doing.
It is not about basically doing something in parallel to what the United States is trying to achieve right now. It is planning for the day after
this war ends, and chastising them I don't think is going to change anything. If you want allies to join you, you build a coalition before you
go into the war, not after.
ANDERSON: I wonder how many Europeans and others may start just cutting these sort of bilateral deals with Iran the longer this goes on. That will
be interesting to see.
Ali, while Donald Trump is again calling into question Iran's leadership, "The New York Times" has new reporting on the state of the supreme leader,
Mojtaba Khamenei. Let's have a listen to what their reporter, Farnaz Fassihi, told CNN a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARNAZ FASSIHI, REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: His leg has been operated on. There are suggestions that it may even be amputated, and he's waiting for a
prosthetic leg. His hand has been operated on and it's gaining functionality. And more importantly, his face and lips have been severely
burned to the point where it's difficult for him to speak and he will require plastic surgery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And you told "The Times," quote, "Mojtaba is not supreme. He might be leader in name, but he is not supreme the way his father was. He
is subservient to the Revolutionary Guard because he owes his position and he owes the survival of the system to them," which means what in the
context of where things stand today?
VAEZ: It means that the Islamic Republic is no longer a system that is dominated by the supreme leader. It is more a militarized system dominated
by the Revolutionary Guards. They are the ones who are making the decisions and Mojtaba, whether he's functional or not, is basically there just to
provide a cover of legitimacy for those decisions.
I don't think he micromanages the system in the way that his father did. I don't think he would be able to dictate and has the authority to have the
final say on matters of state.
It is really the bunch of generals in the Supreme National Security Council, former generals like Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, who are
calling the shots today and in whatever stage or state Mojtaba is, I don't think it really matters because he's just there in name and nothing more.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed to all of our panelists.
I want to bring in Zachary Cohen at this point. Back with us from Washington this hour.
And, Zachary, what more did we learn about the U.S. military efforts in the Strait of Hormuz from this Pentagon briefing a little earlier today?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying that the U.S. military operation has
entered a new phase really focused on this ongoing blockade of Iranian ports, which Hegseth claims gives the U.S. complete control over the Strait
of Hormuz. And while that is a point in dispute, obviously, the Iranians pose a significant threat to vessels and have effectively shut down that
key waterway with their asymmetric capabilities, the U.S. military is really hyper focused on, for the moment, at least, on controlling the flow
of ships in and out of Iranian ports.
And that's something that Hegseth said today they are willing to do indefinitely and are willing to go on as long as it takes, not just by
projecting power in the Middle East, like with this blockade, but also seizing Iranian ships in other regions as well.
[10:15:05]
We've -- we were told today that as of now the U.S. military has forced 34 ships that have approached the blockade to turn around and return where
they came from. They've obviously also boarded and seized two vessels in the Indo-Pacific region as well sanctioned Iranian vessels. Take a listen
to how Hegseth characterized the U.S. military efforts, though, as they relate to this moment in the conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEGSETH: Not only is the blockade growing, in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days, but this growing
blockade has also gone global. Just this week, we seized two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before
the blockade went into effect. They thought they'd made it out just in time. They did not. We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize
more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: So you heard Hegseth there reference a second U.S. aircraft carrier that is expected to join the blockade effort. That would actually mean that
there are three U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, all operating at the same time, which is a significant amount of U.S. firepower. And also, we
know from multiple sources that the U.S. military is drawing up new plans for potential strikes if the ceasefire does ultimately end up falling
apart.
Those strikes, I'm told, would place a significant emphasis on Iranian capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz. So you can see how this key
waterway and the ongoing standoff between Iran and the U.S. is really the defining factor in this conflict at the moment.
ANDERSON: It is fascinating, isn't it? All right, Zachary, thank you.
Well, the truce between Israel and Lebanon, which just got extended by three weeks, is being tested with attacks reported by both the IDF on the
one hand and Hezbollah on the other. Israel says it has rocket launchers -- it hit rocket launchers at a Hezbollah military side as the Iran backed
group said it launched attacks on Israel. Lebanon's prime minister also accusing Israel of war crimes after a strike that killed a journalist
earlier this week.
Well, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations tells CNN the extended ceasefire is not 100 percent solid, arguing that Lebanon has no control
over Hezbollah. President Trump announced the ceasefire would be extended after officials from Israel and Lebanon met at the White House on Thursday.
Well, I spoke to Oren Liebermann about this last hour. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: So it was President Donald Trump who said the meeting between ambassadors in Washington, D.C., late
last night, local time at least, in his words, "went very well," and that there was a three-week extension of the ceasefire. That means, all in all,
it will be about a one-month ceasefire. And the goal here, from the White House's perspective, is essentially to try to create room for more
negotiations.
They're still eyeing a more permanent ceasefire agreement and a broader peace between Israel and Lebanon, two countries that have had no diplomatic
relations for decades. The challenge here is, although the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the war had been and continues to be between
Israel and Iran's proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. And they're not a party to this agreement. Whether they do or do not fire depends on, first, how they
see Israel's actions and then second, what's in Iran's interests.
In fact, it was the Lebanese government who accused Hezbollah of dragging - - I'm sorry, it was Lebanon's government who accused Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon into the war at the behest of Iran. And that gives you a sense of
how difficult the diplomacy is here. This isn't an agreement that could be hammered out in just a couple of meetings, but it seems that's what the
Trump administration is trying to pull off here so they can expand the Abraham Accords, the agreement that saw Israel normalize with other
countries in the region.
That's an incredibly tall order here. Trump also said, Becky, that the U.S. would help Lebanon protect itself from Hezbollah, but it's unclear what
exactly that means. Israel is learning firsthand how difficult it is to destroy Hezbollah, even after waves of attacks, strikes and some two years
of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah -- Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann, speaking to me last hour.
All right. We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:21:30]
ANDERSON: Well, as we continue to focus on the conflicts in the Middle East, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the Israel-Lebanon talks that go on
at present trying to quieten the Hezbollah military, at the same time looking to ensure during this truce that Israel's guns are also silent. we
also want to keep a focus on Gaza.
From the rubble of bombed out buildings in the enclave two men and their helpers teamed up to find books for a new library. Clarissa Ward shows us
this new addition to Gaza with a most appropriate name.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What would you rescue from the rubble? For a group of Gaza book lovers, the answer was knowledge
itself, and I want to show you the Phoenix Library. It's the first library to open in Gaza since the war began, and it's a very special place.
Now during the war, every single one of Gaza's main public libraries was either damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombing. So Omar Hamad, Ibrahim
Masri, and a group of brave bibliophiles decided to do something extraordinary. They began sifting through the rubble of these libraries and
rescuing the beautiful books inside, with the goal of building a new library that would preserve Gaza's knowledge and history.
Omar told CNN they called it the Phoenix after the bird itself, rising up from the rubble. In a place where so much has been destroyed his library
represents something that can't be bombed. The resilience of the human spirit and the desire to learn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Books for me, are a way to live. They are a way to survive, to understand. And especially here in Gaza, our only weapon is
knowledge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Clarissa Ward reporting.
Well, as Cuba struggles with an ongoing energy crisis, Cuban's living in the United States are still trying to help deliver much needed aid to the
island.
CNN's Carolina Peguero talked with Cuban expats in Miami who send supplies back home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Aiza opens her trunk packed with boxes and bags of goods. Everything inside has one destination,
Cuba.
For Aiza, and many Cubans coming to this type of agency is part of their routine in south Florida. They arrive, stand in line, sometimes for hours,
and send off their shipments. She claims to always include something essential for Cubans.
AIZA CRUZ, MIAMI RESIDENT (through text translation): The typical Cuban breakfast is coffee with milk. Any Cuban who doesn't get their coffee and
milk hasn't had breakfast.
PEGUERO (voice-over): This isn't new. For decades, the Cuban diaspora has supported their families on the island, but now the need is greater.
So this is just an idea of what it looks like here in this place where there's a lot of cargo shipments being sent out to different parts of the
world, including Cuba. A lot of people have been waiting in line for hours just trying to get a spot in line.
MAYOR BRYAN CALVO, HIALEAH, FLORIDA: See, you know, days where you'll have a couple hundred people waiting in line to send goods.
PEGUERO (voice-over): Cuba's crisis has deepened under sweeping U.S. economic restrictions, tightening the pressure on an already fragile
economy.
[10:25:05]
Fuel shortages and rolling blackouts have intensified, and goods that were once hard to find are now increasingly scarce.
RAMON RIZO, MIAMI RESIDENT (through text translation): It's terrible, there is no electricity, no gas, no oil, no gasoline. There is nothing, and the
people are in the dark.
PEGUERO (voice-over): Jose Antonio Govea is sending a generator to his mother.
JOSE ANTONIO GOVEA, MIAMI RESIDENT (through text translation): You charge it and then turn it on when the power goes out. She has one over there, but
she broke it, so it doesn't work anymore.
PEGUERO (through text translation): How much was it?
GOVEA (through text translation): $300, plus $104 to send it, That's $404 in total.
PEGUERO (voice-over): Jose Antonio says he'll keep sending essentials, but he hopes Cuba will change.
GOVEA (through text translation): God willing, this administration under Donald Trump, our president, brings a change that leads to a solution. We
cannot go on like this. The solution is not for us to send support to our families for our entire lives.
PEGUERO (voice-over): Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, a U.S. special forces soldier involved in the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is now accused of cashing in after
betting on that raid. Prosecutors say Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke wagered about $32,000 on prediction markets that Maduro would be ousted by
January. They say he won $400,000, sending it to hidden crypto accounts and is now facing five criminal charges.
Well, we should make clear that CNN has a partnership with Kalshi, providing us with data. It's one source that our journalists can use in
covering stories or events.
Let's bring in CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey is a defense attorney and previously worked as a prosecutor.
Always good to have you on board, sir. Thank you. Can you just break down this case for us? And how it was even able to happen?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So good to be with you. How it was able to happen is because you have these predictive markets. Now, these
predictive markets in and of themselves are not illegal at all. In fact, they encourage wide scale betting with respect to a number of various
things. Right? People like to bet. And as a result of that, you have these predictive platforms where people can do just that.
The issue here, as it relates to this specific defendant, and there are other peculiar cases centering around people who are similarly situated
betting on everything. I'm a political candidate, I want to bet whether I win or lose, you know. The reality is, is that it's centered around one
thing, and that is that you have nonpublic information. And so there's something called insider trading of sorts.
And what does that mean? It means that you have information that no one else may have. Now, to the extent here where you are specifically involved
thoroughly in potentially the planning, potentially having information and intelligence surrounding exactly what the United States is going to do,
when they're going to do it. The specific strategy involved in taking measures, now that's improper. Why? Because everybody else who is betting
does not have the advantages that you have. And then you put on a chunk of money. I'm going to bet $30,000 and voila, I all of a sudden have $400,000.
That becomes problematic.
And so it's fraud. And to the extent that you use any of your intelligence that no one else may have, and I'm stressing that for a reason, these
predictive markets should be in the form of people taking their best shot and their chances based on whatever their educated guesses, assumptions or
presumptions are, not having specific information relative to strategic planning, strategic execution and information.
And so if you look at this case as a whole, that is specifically what it's centered around, someone who's engaging in this type of betting have
information that no one else has, and therefore being given an unfair advantage and profiting as a result.
ANDERSON: In the broader world of prediction markets, Joey, yesterday, three U.S. political candidates were banned from Kalshi, which is another
platform, of course, for betting on their own races. And in France, there's now an investigation into whether someone was tampering with the weather
sensors at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport, setting them at 22 degrees Celsius, about 70 Fahrenheit, to cash in on a Polymarket bet.
Just how widespread is this? And I'm going to call it. I'm going to call it as it is, or certainly as it looks, this kind of manipulation.
JACKSON: Yes, I think that's a fair term and it's a fair term because of the fact that you have these, again, predictive markets in these platforms.
And betting is a thing, right?
[10:30:06]
You have a variety of platforms where people bet freely and it happens every day. And it's -- it generates billions of dollars. But I think the
issue here is you have to have some integrity in the process. I think also the issue here is that these platforms need to be better regulated.
Now here with regard to these three, they were de minimis bets, right? Very little 100 bucks here, 50 bucks here, 50 bucks there. But that's not the
point. It's important to point out that in this particular case, I think what the violation was, was against internal rules. Now this is not a
criminal case involving these three politicians. This is a case where in the platform itself said, hey, I'm just going to issue bans and fines and
that type of thing so we could protect our own integrity.
But I think the reason they did that, because you've got these bills pending in Congress that are seeking to shut down or significantly regulate
and ban some type of betting. And whenever that happens and it cuts into the profits, oh, wait a second. Congress, the United States Congress is
going to regulate us? They're going to issue laws that prevent us from making money? We better do something ourselves.
And that's what they did here. And so here, as I've noted with regard to the last case, you have nonpublic information like, what? If I'm a
politician, I may have access to polling data how am I doing. I have access to fundraising data. Hey, how am I -- what money am I raising versus what
my adversaries are raising, et cetera., so that we know that there are unfair advantages given. So here it was done internally by the platform.
They felt that they needed to do this in order to protect the integrity.
The problem, though, is, Becky, that they just came up with this regulation literally, that they're punishing these people for last month. I mean, it's
not like these regulations have existed in long standing. And so it's ever evolving as people continue to bet. I think Congress will get involved. I
think people will continue and these platforms will self-regulate to keep Congress out of it. But as long as you have people who are ultimately
affecting and as you said, manipulating, it becomes problematic.
ANDERSON: Well, U.S. President Trump himself asked about this at length yesterday. Let's just have a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: People suspect that there's insider trading happening on these prediction markets around the war. Are you concerned
about that?
TRUMP: Well, you know, the whole world unfortunately has become somewhat of a casino. And you look at what's going on all over the world, in Europe and
every place, they're doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don't like it conceptually, but it is what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we should note his son, Donald Trump Jr., is a strategic adviser to an investor in Polymarket and an adviser to Kalshi.
What do you make of the president's somewhat sort of, I could call it a cavalier attitude, his sort of quite pragmatic attitude, seems to be sort
of quite complacent there? Will U.S. officials, do you think, be encouraged to really step in?
JACKSON: So I think it depends on the party. I make of his cavalier attitude that he's a business person. And as a result of that, this is a
platform where people could seek to make significant money. And you have a situation where people who might have information that no one else has make
that money.
Could you imagine if the lotto numbers were posted and I got advance notice of, you know, what those numbers might be? And I played the numbers because
I know that's the number that they were going to actually take. And I made all this money. Now it's an extreme example. Obviously, the lottery numbers
are posted consistent when people play different venue, different issue, different product.
But what I'm saying is when you have intel about, you know, what tomorrow's news is going to be, and it hasn't happened yet, it puts you in an unfair
advantage. And I think the American president is simply as a business person saying, OK, yes, people bet, people make money. What can I tell you?
And I don't think depending upon the party Republicans generally don't -- are a party that doesn't like to regulate business, whereas you have
consumer protections that are more looked after when you have a Democrat in office.
And so I think whether these sites are regulated, the extent to which they're regulated moving forward, will really depend upon who's in power in
the coming years.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's always good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Joey in the house for you.
Some breaking news from Washington. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says she is closing the criminal probe that was opened into the U.S. Federal Reserve
chairman Jerome Powell. That was a key demand of Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who was blocking the approval of President Trump's pick to be
Powell's successor. And it clears the way for Kevin Warsh to take the reins at the Fed.
[10:35:02]
Joey, I think I've still got you actually. My producers told you to hang on because we want to get your thoughts on this.
JACKSON: I think the thoughts are quite simple. Look, you have to have a situation where you're actually investigating people because they've
engaged in criminality. And we've seen this over and over here in the United States.
The Department of Justice historically, Becky, has been a department that has been really divorced from the executive branch. What I mean by that?
Yes, it's true. People yelling now, well, it's part of the executive branch. It is. But I think the way and the norms have been that the
Department of Justice, which engages in investigations involving criminality, which takes cases and prosecutes people, they do it based upon
the evidence and the law.
They don't do it upon, hey, Letitia James, New York state attorney general, she went after me. I'm going after her. What is it? Right? We saw that case
dismissed. Oh, Comey, I didn't like him. He was the FBI director. We got to do something. What are you waiting for? Go after him. Case dismissed.
You have to actually have specific evidence when you're going after something or someone that is credible. And when you don't, you're going to
see outcomes like this. Now here, I think the proper outcome, again, let's just drop it. And I think they're not doing him any favors. I think this is
in response to rebukes that they've been getting from grand juries that have met and said, there's nothing to see here. And we're dismissing the
case.
And so, you know, I think that this is probably a very good thing. It's a very good thing because it comes back to the fact that the law has to be
about the law and not about whether I like you. I dislike you. Did you commit a crime? And if so, you should be prosecuted. If you didn't, there
should be nothing to see here.
ANDERSON: Yes. That's the legal position. The political one, of course, is that this gets Thom Tillis on board.
JACKSON: Far different.
ANDERSON: The Republican senator. And is likely to therefore allow Donald Trump's pick to become the next Fed chairman when the current one stands
down something like 20 days or so from now. Right.
Joey, as I said, it's always good to have you. Thanks for hanging on for that. It's always a pleasure. Thanks.
Well, the U.N. warns millions could be on the brink of poverty due to the war with Iran. We're going to speak to a World Food Programme official
about exactly that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right. Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran has a chance to make what he calls a good deal with the U.S., and that the ball is in Tehran's court.
[10:40:01]
At a Pentagon briefing earlier today, he also said that the U.S. controls the waters around the Strait of Hormuz and that the U.S. blockade of
Iranian ports is growing.
Well, sources tell CNN Iran is sending a small delegation to Pakistan for talks very specifically with Pakistani officials. The Iranian foreign
minister is said to be part of that team. Sources also say Pakistani mediators expect there will be, at some point, a second round of talks
between the U.S. and Iran.
Well, a fragile truce in Lebanon has been extended by three weeks after representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the White House. However,
strikes between Israel and Hezbollah continued even as the talks were held. Israel's ambassador to the U.N. tells CNN he has doubts over the extended
deal, saying it is, quote, "not 100 percent."
Well, more than 30 million people will be dragged into poverty because of the war in Iran even if peace were to be declared tomorrow. That's
according to a new estimate from the United Nations. It says the war is knocking a huge hole in the world economy equal to as much as 0.8 of a
percentage of global GDP as the closure of the strait drives up energy prices and adds to food insecurity. And it says food shortages will peak
later this year as growers in multiple countries go without fertilizer that would have been shipped to them via the Strait of Hormuz.
Well, I'm joined now by the World Food Programme's regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Samer Abdeljaber.
Good to have you, Samer. I want to look specifically at this food security issue and at fertilizers specifically in a moment. But first, just explain
to me what being dragged into poverty really looks like on the ground for the people that you work with and frankly, for individuals in, you know, so
many of these heavily impacted countries around the world.
SAMER ABDELJABER, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME'S DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA AND EASTERN EUROPE: Thank you, Becky. It's great to be with
you again. I think I can talk about it from the immediate impact that we're seeing. We're seeing that people are struggling. Of course, we expect our
estimates is around 45 million people will be food insecure if the crisis continues.
And that is because of the reasons you mentioned, the fuel prices, the fertilizer and the whole supply chains that will impact those people. And I
think it's important to remember that in this region, at least, we are already dealing with a crisis. So it's becoming like a crisis within a
crisis. We're looking at affordability for the people to be able to procure. The markets are being inflated. The prices are affected, and that
will continue to send shockwaves across actually the globe if the crisis continues.
ANDERSON: Let's talk very specifically about fertilizer, because it's the fertilizer these developing countries that you work with need so much in
order to plant, you know, the stuff, the food stuff that is eaten there and exported of course elsewhere to the developed world ofttimes.
Sudan imports more than half of its fertilizer by sea from the Persian Gulf region. 30 percent of Somalia's fertilizer originates from the route. And
for Pakistan, Thailand, Kenya, that number is over a quarter. So I just want to get a sense from you just how dire this is and what, if any, other
options countries like these have at this point. Just -- I mean, just how bad could it get for the region that you cover?
ABDELJABER: So remember in 2022, when Ukraine crisis happened, we saw that many of the countries, mainly in Africa, that was independent of
fertilizers or goods that were coming from Ukraine, were impacted during the season, planting season. And now we're seeing that this could be
actually a risk where 20 percent to 30 percent of fertilizers comes through the Strait of Hormuz, and now is the right time to actually start the
planting in many of the countries that you mentioned.
So farmers are likely to face higher input costs, and that will be actually translated into the agricultural produce, but also at the household level,
people who can actually -- will have to bear the prices and the availability as well.
ANDERSON: Can I just have a look at the stats here? Because there are --go on, go on. No, go on.
ABDELJABER: No, no. I wanted to say, any disruption in the fertilizer market will create a price spikes and means lower yields. That's basically
the bottom line. And for us from the World Food Programme, our expertise is actually on the food, not actually the fertilizer. So we want to make sure
that the food is available for people who are vulnerable. People we are serving to make sure that we are actually able to make sure that they're
able to secure the meals that they have.
[10:45:04]
And that's we believe our operational cost will be higher because of all those impacts fertilizers, cost of fuel, and supply chain routes.
ANDERSON: Yes.
ABDELJABER: I think you mentioned that in Sudan, we had to divert actually many of our food that was going through the region to actually reach Sudan
through the sea, but avoiding basically Bab El-Mandeb area, which could be driving prices higher or even to Afghanistan that is vulnerable. We had to
go to the Caspian Sea, actually reroute all of the supply chain through the Caspian Sea, which adds operational cost, which for us is important because
there are dire needs in places like Afghanistan.
ANDERSON: And we talk to your colleagues at Dubai Humanitarian, which is, you know, the sort of biggest global hub for aid, for organizations like
yours hosted there. You know, we were discussing the significant increase in costs that the shock to the supply routes from this war have caused.
Look, we're beginning to hear the risk of famine certainly being discussed. Organizations identified famine, actual classified famine in two places at
one time, Gaza and Sudan. That was in 2025, before the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran and before the effective closure, of course, of the Strait of
Hormuz.
Your organization said this was, and I quote here, "driven primarily by conflict and restricted humanitarian access and exacerbated by forced
displacement." How will this looming crisis differ from the famine that we have already seen, and can we expect a new phase impacting regions that are
not suffering from their own hot wars at this point?
ABDELJABER: Yes. Look, on Gaza, I think we saw it when the crisis started. The first thing we saw is Kerem Shalom was closed. And then we saw that
Kerem Shalom opened a couple of days after. And we have another crossing that is open for Gaza in the north, as a key. But still the prices are
high. Wheat flour we estimate that the prices are 85 percent higher than the day the crisis started.
We're running actually what we say is hand to mouth operation at the moment, because not enough is going in, not just for us as humanitarians,
but also for the commercial markets, because we want to diversify the modalities of our assistance. We are supporting markets, bakeries. We
wanted the sense of normalcy to get back into places like Gaza, but we're far from this at the moment.
Lebanon, we cannot ignore it. Like at the moment, our biggest obstacle is making sure that we're able to reach people who are stuck in the hard to
reach areas in the south. Only 12 convoys for WFP and interagency community made it to some of those areas in the southern part of Lebanon. And we know
the needs are high. People are displaced in Lebanon. One million people in shelters, but also in host communities in the streets, actually as well.
And the food security situation is bad.
So we are trying to make sure that we are actually supporting them with in- kind, but also cash assistance to make sure that they can cope with this situation until hopefully this ceasefire holds, they're able to go back to
their areas that they belong to, and we can get them more dignified assistance in their homes.
ANDERSON: Right. It's good to have you and this conversation just really sort of, you know, draws it home. It really drives it home. Just what the
world is facing as a result of this conflict very specifically and then the sort of wider story here as well. Thank you for that.
And we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:26]
ANDERSON: Before we leave you tonight, I want to get back to the conflict in Lebanon. After President Trump on Thursday said the ceasefire was being
extended by another three weeks, Israel's strategy in Lebanon is drawing comparison to its operation in Gaza. Its operations in Gaza.
Jeremy Diamond now with more on how Israel appears to be using the same playbook.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through text translation): All houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be destroyed. According
to the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza, in order to permanently remove border-area threats from the residents of the north.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After leveling homes, neighborhoods and entire cities in Gaza,
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Four, three, two, one.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israel is exporting that model to southern Lebanon, raising civilian infrastructure in towns and villages near the border to
carve a buffer zone out of Lebanese territory, which the Israeli military says is aimed at distancing Israel's northern residents from the threats
posed by Hezbollah.
But in one town after the next in southern Lebanon, rows of homes have been flattened. Shops torn to the ground, entire neighborhoods erased. Over six
weeks of war the Israeli military systematically demolished the town of Al- Shaybah, now practically wiped from the map. Along this street in the border town of Adisa, which once held a pharmacy and auto repair shop. One
building after the next has been reduced to rubble.
Even the local mosque was not spared. Steps away, an excavator and alongside it a multi-story building not yet destroyed.
To Hassan Ramal, it represented plans for the future, a building he erected in his hometown, apartments on top, with shops on the ground floor. It had
been partially damaged in a previous Israeli strike. Construction was underway just one month before the current war broke out. Those dreams
dashed the moment Ramallah saw this video confirming the worst.
HASSAN RAMAL, SOUTH LEBANESE (through text translation): Somebody sent me images and I saw that the building I was renovating had been destroyed. I
felt that the hope that once existed had diminished. For you to build, only to be demolished. Build, demolish.
DIAMOND (voice-over): There are countless stories like Ramal's in South Lebanon, a Shia majority area where many, like Ramal, support Hezbollah. In
the town of Bint Jbail, fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants soon gave way to controlled demolitions, razing the city's old quarter and buildings
beyond.
Such massive destruction of civilian infrastructure is considered to be a violation of international law and a potential war crime. The aftermath is
both apocalyptic and yet terrifyingly familiar, revealing the same kind of systematic destruction Israel carried out to create a buffer zone in Gaza.
And, like in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon doesn't mean Israel will cease demolitions. Israeli officials say they will continue. In videos
filmed by nearby residents post ceasefire, the ruins of this Lebanese village give way to more destruction.
[10:55:06]
Excavators working to tear down more buildings. Lebanese communities within this roughly five-mile wide buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops
are facing more of the same. That buffer zone means Ramal hasn't been able to return home, but he remains defiant.
RAMAL (through text translation): Israel can say whatever it wants. There will be no buffer zone.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And refuses to give up on his dreams of homecoming.
RAMAL (through text translation): This land is dear and precious. Even if we build a tent, I will continue so I can smell the soil of my village.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD this evening. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi, it is a very good evening. Stay with
CNN, though. "ONE WORLD" is up next for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
