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Trump Calls for Muslim Nations to Join Abraham Accords; Four Dead After Train Hits School Minibus in Belgium; Republicans Face Off in Key Senate Race in Texas; Trump-backed Paxton Faces Cornyn in Senate Primary Runoff; U.S. Strikes Target Missile Launch Sites, Boats Around Hormuz. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired May 26, 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: Well, a live look at Saudi Arabia as Muslims mark the harsh pilgrimages' most important day, the day
of Arafat. It is 04:00 p.m. in Mecca, it's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters, here this
is "Connect the World".
Also coming up, the U.S. military carried out what it says were self- defense strikes on Iranian missile sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. Four people are dead, two of them children, after a school bus
collided with a train in Belgium. Well, the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now.
It's the beginning of the trading week, of course, there after the Memorial Day holiday. And this is a state of play as we expect these markets to
open. That is a look at the futures. The U.S.-Iran ceasefire hanging in the balance following new attacks by the United States, after Iran reported
explosions in Bandar Abbas.
The U.S. confirmed it launched what it calls self-defense strikes against Iranian missile launch sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's
Revolutionary Guard warning of possible retaliation. This as negotiations do appear to stall. The U.S. Secretary of State, who made a brief visit to
Armenia, seen here, says talks are being held up over language around sanctions and Tehran's nuclear program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: With something like this, it's going to take a couple days to settle on even down to the disagreements over a
word sentence. So, we'll have to work through that. If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that, but this is, you know,
it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Kevin Liptak with more from Washington for you.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: These negotiations were already extraordinarily fragile, even before the U.S. and Iran began
trading fire. And I think it just lends to some of the uncertainty around all of this. And just to run you through exactly how this played out
yesterday, the U.S. detected two Iranian boats that they say were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. blew up those boats. The Iranians responded with surface to air missiles, and then the U.S. took out some of those missiles launch sites.
So that's sort of how this all played out, you know, it's not the first time that the U.S. and Iran have traded fire over the course of this
ceasefire.
And what U.S. officials say is that the truce does remain in effect, but it just, I think, complicates these ongoing negotiations. You know, every day
that the U.S. and Iran are going back and forth over a single word in the document, which is what Marco Rubio says they're doing, is another day that
something like this could come in and threaten to upend the negotiations.
Now, that hasn't happened just yet. And in fact, before this took place yesterday, there were some signs of progress. You had an Iranian delegation
visiting Qatar. You know, Qatar has been a mediator in all of this, but they're also, I think, perhaps more importantly, the site of where billions
of dollars of frozen Iranian assets are held, and as the Iranians look to get more clarity on what financial relief, they'll get as part of this
deal.
I think those conversations will be very, very important. Iran, for its part, has seemed relatively unyielding in its rhetoric, and this message
that we got today from the supreme leader, I think, just underscores that, you know, it's a written message we haven't seen or heard from him since he
was elevated to this position, but it was an address to mark the start of the hajj season.
He offered a warning to the U.S. He said that the hands of time do not turn backwards, and that the U.S. not only will no longer have a safe haven for
its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region. So quite an emboldened message from Iran at a very fragile moment in these talks.
ANDERSON: Well, I want to do more on this. So Fawaz Gerges is Professor of International relations at the London School of Economics and Author of
"The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East". That is a very good read.
So, I hope our viewers can spend some time with that at some point. I want to lean into your regional expertise to unpick what we know about these
negotiations, Fawaz. Let's start with Donald Trump's latest post on this subject.
[09:05:00]
He says Iran's enriched uranium would quote, either be immediately turned over to the United States, or destroyed in place. Is that suggestion the
so-called nuclear dust being dealt with inside Iran a concession at this point? And is it the sort of concession, if it is, that you would expect to
see in an effort to get a real deal done between these two parties.
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: I mean, I think President Trump's idea could be seen as a way
out of the stalemate between the United States and Iran to bridge the divide between the two countries, because Iran refuses to ship its enriched
uranium, the 970 pounds outside the country.
So, Trump's idea now is the enriched uranium could be either de-enriched or diluted inside Iran, but we need to remind our viewers is that the Iran's
nuclear program, it will be postponed to the second phase of the ceasefire. I think the first phase deal was the ending the war, not just in Iran, but
also in Lebanon, and also opening the Strait of Hormuz for shipping and lifting some of the American sanctions on Iran and unfreezing some of its
frozen assets in Qatar and other places.
ANDERSON: There is still negotiation on the language around the Strait of Hormuz, key to any deal moving forward. Before we further discuss, what we
understand to be going on here, I wonder what you think about this most recent sort of skirmish, as it were over the past 24 hours, there has been
some escalation, of course, between the U.S. and Iran.
Does that worry you that we are headed at this point towards further escalation?
GERGES: You know, Becky, any time there are clashes, they could serve as a trigger, miscalculation, renewal of hostilities, but the bigger point again
about what has happened in the past few weeks, not just today, what we are seeing is what I call the management of de-escalation, both the United
States and Iran do not really want renewal of hostilities.
They realize both sides will lose a great deal if another round of war basically is triggered. So, both the Americans and the Iranians are trying
to manage the de-escalation, and what we are seeing is the rhetoric and the anger and the bluster and the threat are part of the, you know, management
of escalation, but I think there are some major progresses that has taken place in the past few weeks.
I think we have the broad contours of a deal, in particular on the first phase, which has become very clear, because look for President Trump, it's
the Strait of Hormuz, it's opening the Strait of Hormuz, that's it. Just forget all his bluster about the nuclear program, because this is a very
complex situation.
It will take a long time, more than 30 or 60 days. He wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open because of the pain to the world economy, because of the
inflation in the United States, and of course Iran wants America's blockade of its sport to be lifted.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
GERGES: And it wants also, you know, some of its frozen assets to be, I mean, released, because Iran is suffering a great deal economically.
ANDERSON: Yeah, another new idea floated by Donald Trump, is that Middle Eastern countries and other Muslim countries join the Abraham Accords if an
Iran deal is reached. Now, Saudi and Qatar, very specifically pinpointed by Donald Trump. A Saudi official told me, repeated to me, that nothing
changes as far as the kingdom is concerned.
Riyadh will only normalize ties with Israel once there is an irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state. I wonder, given what we saw from Donald
Trump in this post yesterday about these Abraham Accords. What, if any, connection is there between a solution in Iran to his mind and a wider
regional Donald Trump plan at this point? And what do you make of that?
GERGES: Well, that's the question. How do we explain it? I think we take too much of what President Trump says for granted unfortunately. I think
what President Trump is trying to do is to anchor any deal between the United States and Iran in a wider regional framework.
[09:10:00]
In fact, when President Trump asked his Arab and Muslim counterpart to normalize relations with Israel, it was reported there was silence, not
even a single word was uttered in response to President Trump, because it's very much unlikely neither the Saudis nor the Qataris nor the Pakistanis
will normalize relations with Israel before Israel recognizes Palestinian rights to a state of their own.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
GERGES: And my take on it again, in addition to this, is really all about domestic opposition at home for Donald Trump. He's trying to appease
Republican hardliners who have attacked the so-called negotiated settlement between the United States and Iran as a major win for Iran and a loss for
the United States.
So, it's all about domestic politics in the United States. Nothing will come out of it at the end of the day. Becky, in the same way as President
Trump's idea, the Riviera of the Middle East in Gaza.
ANDERSON: OK, what do you think Iran means when it says that any deal needs to include Lebanon? And if so, how do you see the U.S. squaring that circle
with Israel, finally?
GERGES: Well, I think Iran is very consistent. Iran insists that any deal with the United States includes all France, that means the Gulf, Iraq, and
Lebanon. This has been a major impediment, and that's why Iran is basically proceeding very cautiously. Iranian leaders say we do not trust President
Trump, he has to deliver.
And here Benjamin Netanyahu, where he comes, Benjamin Netanyahu is the biggest loser of any kind of negotiated settlement between the United
States and Iran. He's the spoiler, and what we have seen in the past 48 hours is the strategic escalation on the part of the United States.
Now you have the attack 70 targets yesterday in the same round when the peace, when the deal was negotiated between the United States and Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu ordered hundreds of attacks in Lebanon, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. The question is, will President Trump try to
intervene and basically restrain Benjamin Netanyahu?
I doubt it very much. And that's why the fragility of any deal between the United States and Iran, in fact, even though both sides are trying to
manage all their escalation on the Lebanese front, I don't see any de- escalation at all. In fact, I see more and more escalation, strategic escalation on the part of Benjamin Netanyahu.
ANDERSON: The perspective of Fawaz Gerges today. Thank you. And we discussed the new details. We are learning about what specifically could
happen to Iran's enriched uranium. I recently spoke to Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General. And asked him if there is any scenario in which
Tehran would be allowed to keep that highly enriched uranium stockpile. This is what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: You can have many alternatives, and many have been discussed,
Becky. We have discussed, for example, of course, the exfiltration and export ship out of the material.
Other alternatives have been discussed, like keeping it there, like down blending it there, and at that point you can either keep it or export it.
So, I think these are all alternatives, and all of them are possible. What is clear, I think, for everyone is that unless and until the issue of the
60 percent is resolved, it will be very, very difficult to have an overall comprehensive agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Was Rafael Grossi speaking to me late last week, and more, of course, as we get it. We are following a developing story for you out of
Belgium, where right now investigators are on the scene of a deadly collision between a train and a school minibus.
This happened around eight this morning, local time, in the town of Buggenhout. You can see in this video the minibus laying on its side next
to the railway track. Police say two children were among four people killed after the bus appeared to plow through a barrier at a level crossing.
Let's get the very latest from CNN's Nada Bashir. Here is monitoring things from London. What do we know about this incident, and indeed the
casualties, Nada?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, as you mentioned, among the four killed, it is understood and has been confirmed that at least two
children were among those killed. There are still some questions around the casualties. There's still an ongoing investigation, but we have just had an
update from a police spokesperson in Belgium. Take a listen.
[09:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AN BERGER, SPOKESPERSON OF BELGIAN FEDERAL POLICE: At eight past eight, bus school bus past here, it was driving along the railroad, the driver wanted
to cross the railroad, which was closed at that time, eight, eight past eight. A train came from Bruges and drove into the bus.
Do we know if it was a human mistake or maybe a decision by the driver?
At this moment, it's too early to say anything, so the only thing we know is it was 8o'clock, eight past eight, and that the rail -- the railway was
closed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: Of course, as you can hear there clearly, this key line of investigation at this stage is that that level crossing, that rail crossing
appeared to have been closed at the time of the collisions. The questions as to whether the driver of the school bus, as confirmed by police, now
drove through the crossing intentionally, whether there was any sort of mistake or accident.
Of course, these are all questions that are still being looked into by police officials, but this is a tragic incident. At least two children
killed among the four dead. And of course, what we've been hearing from local media, as well, is that it appears that that mini bus that we saw in
the picture turned on its side may have been transporting school children from a local special education school.
But again, we are still waiting for further confirmation from the police.
ANDERSON: Nada, thank you. Well, the Head of the World Health Organization is traveling today to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which, of course,
is the epicenter of this fast-moving Ebola outbreak. Ahead of his trip, he warned that the outbreak is outpacing the response, and said delays in
detecting cases meant that responders are playing catch up.
220 people now suspected to have died from Ebola, on Monday, Uganda confirmed two more cases. Well CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell is
with me. And Meg, Ebola has been here for a while. At this point, there is no vaccine or treatment, certainly not for this strain. Why?
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you're right. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but as you noted,
we have a vaccine for the more common strain of Ebola called the Zaire strain. We do not have a vaccine for this strain, which is called
Bundibugyo.
We've only seen two prior outbreaks with this form of the virus before. So that more common strain was the cause of the biggest Ebola outbreak in
history in 2014 and it was during that outbreak that the vaccine that's now approved was brought forward. However, there are limited data about whether
that could work to protect against this strain.
Questions about its safety. Now, a second reason, of course, for why we don't have a vaccine or approved treatments for this strain is what
researchers call the cycle of panic and neglect. So, there's a lot of investment during the actual emergency situation, and then after that has
passed, a lot of the investment and the focus go away.
And so, right now, we don't have a completely empty toolbox, but it is, of course, not at the stage where they would like it to be to be able to
deploy to stop this outbreak. Right now, they're talking about treatments as potentially nearer term in terms of clinical trials.
So, we're looking at two monoclonal antibody drugs that they are hoping to bring into clinical trials soon. Those could be used as treatments.
However, they're often given as IV infusions, which could be difficult to administer in this setting. Now there's also an antiviral drug called
Obeldesivir, which they're talking about using as post-exposure prophylaxis.
And what that means is essentially after somebody's been exposed to the virus, you could give this to them to prevent them from developing Ebola.
And one of the good things about that treatment is that it's given orally, so that could be easier to administer. Now, there are also vaccines in
development, including one that uses the same technology as the approved vaccine.
But it's going to take six to nine months to ramp up human supply of that for a potential clinical trial in people, and so there are other approaches
as well, which could go faster, but there is even less data for those approaches. And so, we're talking about months, possibly to start clinical
trials for vaccines, potentially sooner for therapeutics.
As we wait for those, they say what's necessary is to identify cases, give them treatment, identify their contacts, and isolate their contacts. That
is how you stop Ebola outbreaks. But, Becky, this is such a difficult and complicated scenario to do this, because we don't have a scope of the size
of the outbreak, and it's in a very difficult area, Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Meg, always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Well, still to come, we are following a highly significant Senate
race in the U.S. State of Texas, which is testing the strength of President Trump's influence inside the Republican Party.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: It's a primary runoff election in the U.S. State of Texas will pit President Donald Trump against his Republican party, effectively. The
president is backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the left in the Republican Senate primary runoff against longtime Senator John Cornyn.
Trump's endorsement is part of an ongoing effort to unseat incumbent Republicans he believes have not been loyal to him. Well, the winner of
today's contest will face Democrat James Talarico in November's general election. CNN's Arlette Saenz, following this story for us from Plano in
Texas.
Good to have you there. In this election season, Arlette, we have already seen Trump-backed candidates unseat several Republican dissenters, and
let's call them in other races. What do the polls suggest may happen today where you are?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, Republican voters in Texas will soon decide whether to extend Senator John Cornyn's
long career in the U.S. Senate or go with the Trump-endorsed candidate, State Attorney General Ken Paxton.
This has been an incredibly close and intensely fought race, the most expensive U.S. Senate primary in history. Now, Cornyn has been fighting for
his political survival until the very end, trying to warn that Paxton would be a liability for Republicans in November, but there has been a lot of
momentum on Paxton's side ever since President Trump endorsed him last week.
And we spoke with voters here at a polling location in Plano earlier today who really had mixed views. Some have supported Cornyn, others have
supported Paxton, but I want you to take a listen to Gena Tatum, a Paxton supporter who said that President Trump's endorsement did ultimately sway
her decision in this race. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENA TATUM, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I was torn because I was going to go with Kroman (ph).
SAENZ: Cornyn.
TATUM: Cornyn. But when Trump backed, and I like who he backs, and so I went Republican.
SAENZ: So, the president's endorsement was the deciding factor.
TATUM: Yeah, it was. It was, and it was because I wasn't sure I listened to Trump. I like Trump. I like Trump a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now this runoff will test whether President Trump's grip on the Republican Party stands here in Texas and nationwide. We already saw the
president's endorsed candidate move ahead in the Louisiana Senate primary. He had picked a side in that race to try to go against Senator Bill
Cassidy, who had frustrated the president in this Texas Senate race.
The president has argued that Cornyn is not loyal enough, though he has consistently said that he is on the president's side. So, the big questions
for Texas Republicans on whether they will side with the president or decide to go with Cornyn.
[09:25:00]
There have been many Senate Republican Leaders up on Capitol Hill, who have expressed frustration with the president's decision to endorse Paxton in
this contest, as they are worried that having Paxton at the top of the ticket could complicate their chances against the Democrat James Talarico
come November.
ANDERSON: So, bottom line here, how would you assess the president's influence at this point in backing these candidates he sees as dissenters?
SAENZ: Well, the president has had some success in recent weeks, part of why he is feeling so emboldened to weigh in on this Texas Senate race. You
had that Senate primary in Louisiana, where he went against Bill Cassidy, who had voted to move forward with impeachment proceedings in the past.
Then, if you also take a look at Kentucky, where he had endorsed a candidate against Congressman Thomas Massie, a very vocal opponent at times
of the president's agenda up on Capitol Hill. Massie went down in defeat to that Trump-endorsed candidate. So, we have seen these successes from the
president in getting behind candidates specifically to go against people he feels are not loyal enough to him.
And he is hoping that that is something that will happen here in Texas and push Paxton across the finish line.
ANDERSON: Arlette, good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Well, look, folks, we are minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. It's
been a long Memorial Day weekend, of course, for the markets. So, will U.S. stocks resume what has been this historic climb?
That is what the futures are indicating. We will get back to those markets as the bell rings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World" from a Middle East programming headquarters. These are
your headlines. The U.S. has launched what it called self-defense strikes on Iranian missile launch sites and boats in the early hours of the
morning, follows reports by Iran of explosions in Bandar Abbas, Tehran vowing to retaliate against any ceasefire violation.
The Iranian President has ordered authorities to restore internet access to people in the country. Iran restricted that access, beginning in late
December, during mass anti-government protests. More on that, of course, as we get it. Well, today's Senate primary run-off election in Texas is seen
as a major test of President Donald Trump's political influence.
He endorsed candidate Ken Paxton faces off against incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a Republican battle.
[09:30:00]
Well, MasterCard will be ringing in the opening bell on Wall Street. That is the bell. It is the 20th anniversary of the company's listing. And to
honor that occasion, Chief Executive Officer Michael Miebach is ringing that bell. All right, well, the futures markets were indicating a
relatively decent start.
I have to say to what is the beginning of the trading week after the Memorial Day weekend. We're going to check out how stocks are getting on,
and that is the picture on the Dow Jones Industrial. As that settles out, and we will get a sense of what the other two markets are up to as they
settle in.
Certainly, the NASDAQ was expected to trade significantly higher. The price of Brent crude oil climbing after the U.S. military conducted what it
called self-defense strikes, targeting Iranian missile launch strikes and boats around the Strait of Hormuz. Right now, trading at $99 on the barrel,
just above that.
That's after it settled 7 percent lower on Monday, when it appeared Washington and Tehran are getting closer to some sort of agreement to end
the conflict. WTI, which is of course the U.S. benchmark, is down from Friday's close. U.S. markets were closed, as I say, on Monday for that bank
holiday.
Joining us now to discuss all of this is Karen E. Young. She's Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia
University and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, and a good friend of this show. Welcome back. Thank you for joining us.
KAREN E. YOUNG, SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR AT THE CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Thank you.
ANDERSON: How do you read how markets are reacting to what is going on in this region?
YOUNG: Well, it is certainly a roller coaster -- we've been on now for several months, and it's really not the market's job to provide the
stability, but to read sentiment to price risk.
And so, we had this, you know, good news over the weekend of a deal being very, very close. And then yesterday, you know, some sort of movements,
attacks, as you mentioned, sense that maybe Iran was mining the strait, the U.S. retaliating, so showing the fragility of what is a ceasefire.
And really, I think showing the difference in sort of sensitivity to time in this negotiation. Iran can take a little longer, and the U.S. is
probably feeling more pressure. And so, markets are going to respond to that a little bit with prices up in Brent this morning, but the sentiment I
would say in terms of equity markets is like everything's moving along swimmingly.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, it is absolutely remarkable, isn't it? Deutsche Bank analysts say, quote, optimism still elevated that an agreement on a deal
can come about. What do they say? Optimism still elevated that an agreement can be made to end the war. Last night's targeted action by the United
States is clearly a warning shot that the ceasefire is fragile.
I guess that just underlines just how uncertain the next few days of negotiations could be. And yet, as you rightly point out, these markets are
on a bit of a clip, although they're not. I have to say, as these markets settle into the trading day, they're not quite as high as the futures
markets were indicating, the NASDAQ up about just high of 1 percent, the S&P up about a half of 1 percent.
What do you expect with regard to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz if and when any deal is struck?
YOUNG: So, you know, I think we have to keep in mind this is not a final deal that's in the works at all. It's an agreement, essentially to extend
the ceasefire, and then to enter into, you know, more permanent negotiations. Number one on the nuclear file. So, priority number one is
increase in transit flows through the strait.
And everybody is responding, you know, favorably to that, because we need it so desperately, and we need it so desperately, yes, for crude, but more
importantly, for those refined products, and for LNG. So, LNG, we're seeing a lot of pressure now. Qatar Energy announced today it's having to declare
force majeure, the inability to deliver contracts through August, and that's mostly to European customers.
So we continue to see this real pressure on the traffic flows on the strait, and you know, if we get a little bit of relief, even just, you
know, let's say 2030 of those, you know, important large tankers, that would be amazing, even 5 or 10 of them would be, you know, a real relief,
but that doesn't solve what we're seeing really more in price pressure.
It was a supply shock going into this crisis, and now we're getting more of the kind of follow-on effects, sort of inflationary pressures across
products that go through the strait, and the products that go to make other things.
[09:35:00]
So, you know we're seeing that really across now. You know, inputs for fertilizers, including sulfur. We're going to see it as refineries,
particularly in Asia, are not getting crude and able to produce jet fuel, gasoline, diesel, LPG, these kinds of things that are going to be real
input constraints for economies all over the world, but particularly what we're feeling now and seeing in Asia.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and I think you're just underscoring the enormity of the impact of the Strait of Hormuz issue. We can't underscore that enough. And
I think what the next sort of 30, 60, 90 days could look like, should we not get some sort of deal in place, could be really frightening.
Can you see the language in any deal speaking to some sort of services contract to be paid by shipping to Iran and possibly other coastal states,
and I guess I'm talking about Oman here, rather than the language of, for example, a toll that's clearly unacceptable to the international community
writ large, not just the Americans or the Gulf States, but writ large, nobody wants to see tolls paid.
This is economic terrorism as far as this region and others around the world are concerned. But we're seeing the emergence of this narrative that
suggests that there could be some sort of charge for services rendered, be that sort of tugboat services right through to environmental services.
Is that a workable agreement, do you think that could be signed off on?
YOUNG: Well, it's definitely not what anyone wants, but we're getting to the point where we understand Iran continues to -- this leverage, and they
know they can do this, and their pressure point is that they want an influx of cash, they need revenue generation. Now, you know the antics of how that
would actually happen, and the legality as long as sanctions remain in place.
It will be very problematic for them. But we're already seeing certainly exporters in the region, you know, willing to compromise to find some sort
of accommodations with Iran, you know, the Iraqi oil producers even offering discounts on their barrels to try to get traffic and containers to
come through -- and make the attempts to exit, so you are going to see these attempts at workarounds.
I think in terms of a long-term solution, absolutely not tenable, you know, not a workable solution at all, but in an interim period, Iran may get away
with it, and that's what's, you know, I think so difficult about this period, that Iran continues to really hold a lot of leverage, time has been
more on Iran's side.
And from the U.S. perspective, in terms of managing and thinking about the impact of this crisis on the global economy.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
YOUNG: Number one is like let's get movement, and if that costs a couple of extra dollars per barrel, you know, let it be.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
YOUNG: And just let movement start to occur, because otherwise we face a much greater risk in terms of global recession, inflationary pressure.
ANDERSON: Yeah, Karen, I think your insights really important there. Very quickly and briefly before I let you go, BP Chairman Albert Manifold just
been removed from his position following serious concerns related to important governance standards to oversight and conduct.
At a time when BP is making massive profits, I just wondered whether you got any thoughts on that news.
YOUNG: Well, I think you know BP has had a number of management changes over the years, you know, maybe this is a company culture issue, I don't
know. But certainly, the industry is, yes, you know, doing well, and we've seen a lot of movement from international oil companies willing to go and
explore and produce in places where two years ago they would have considered too high of a political risk.
So, it is sort of a golden opportunity for these companies to expand their operations, and any kind of management tension is, of course, unwelcome.
ANDERSON: Right. Good to have you. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. Right, New York Knicks fans partying like it's 1999. Their historic
run continues as they clinch a spot in the NBA finals. More on that after this.
[09:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Long time coming for New York basketball fans, but the wait is finally over. The Knicks heading to the NBA finals for the first time since
get this 1999. Andy Scholes joining me now. Do you remember the last time they were in the finals?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, I actually do, Becky. I remember I was in high school, you know, big NBA fan, but you know, there's
a whole generation of Knicks fans, Becky, that have just gone through just misery after misery.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
SCHOLES: They've never experienced anything like this. So that's what makes these moments just so much more special, right? As sports fans, you go
through so many years of misery, finally break through, going to the finals, and this Knicks team, I mean, I tell you what, they're inspiring a
lot of confidence, Becky.
They were just blowing people out game after game after game, and you know they're expected to be the underdogs in the finals, whoever they face, but
a lot of people starting to believe that this Knicks team may be a team of destiny, you know, we'll show you how they blew out the Cavs to clinch a
spot in the finals, coming up here on "World Sport", but it's certainly been impressive basketball from these New York Knickerbockers.
ANDERSON: Listen, I'm a long -- suffering Spurs fan, as you know, North London, that is Spurs, not the American Spurs. So, I know what the Knicks
fans feel like, and good on them, and good luck to them is what I say. More on "World Sport" after this.
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