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Trump Touts Iran Agreement to World Leaders in France; Trump Meets with Zelenskyy on Sidelines of Gathering in France; Centuries-old Monastery Burns After Deadly Russian Attack; Zelenskyy Pushes for Air Defenses as Russia Ramps Up Attacks; Shipping Industry Wary as Trump Says Hormuz Reopening. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired June 16, 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)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: World leaders are gathered at the G7 summit hosted by French President Macron in Evian-les-Bains. It is
03:00 p.m. there, it is, 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This is "Connect the World". Coming up on the show, a source says the U.S.
Justice Department is investigating people connected to California Governor Gavin Newsom, including his wife.
Tens of thousands of Albanians are back in the streets for a third week of anti-government protests. And all the World Cup action, from Iran's draw
against New Zealand to the matches in the coming hours. In the meantime, let's quickly check in to see how stock market futures are faring in New
York.
Markets open around 30 minutes from now, not much on of a move on the S&P and NASDAQ, slightly lower, and as you can see, the Dow Jones up around a
quarter of a percent of the closing record highs yesterday on the prospect of a deal between Iran and the United States, and of course everyone
focusing on the details of that memorandum of understanding.
Markets, of course, responding quite aggressively to that. We'll check in on those numbers a little later. In the meantime, as the leaders of most of
the world's top economic powers stand shoulder to shoulder for a photo op in France. They're also united in seeking some clarity on the Iran
agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump telling them that the next phase of talks with Tehran would be easier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It goes to a second stage, which I think will be actually easier. I didn't want to
attack them last week, but we had no choice, and we did it twice actually. We were doing it a third time, and we were able to not have to do that. But
we have a deal that's a fair deal. It's a good deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, President Trump has been touting that framework agreement, and he says it will prevent Tehran from having a nuclear weapon. I want to
bring in CNN's Melissa Bell, who's standing by at the summit in Evian, in France. Melissa, good to see you.
And, of course, as we come to you, we're watching that photo op, of course, world leaders, and importantly, the big flash point at the G7 has been the
MOU, and the details, which still have not been released. What are you hearing right now?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I think there was a lot of efforts on the part of these G7 leaders that you're
seeing there for that family photo as they gathered round for that working dinner last night to try and get more clarity what was inside the text,
when exactly its contents would be published.
There's so much at stake here. And G7 leaders have been working. You remember their foreign ministers met just a few weeks ago to try and get
through some of the tensions that might have made this summit difficult, and really the Hormuz Strait blockage had been at the heart and center of
all of their concerns, given its impact on the global economy.
So, all of them were united, all six of them at that working dinner last night, and trying to get some clarity, they didn't get a great deal. I
think the best we can say at this stage, Eleni, is that we have a vague idea that it involves the lifting of the U.S. blockade, the reopening of
Hormuz, and the beginning of the 60-day period during which these nuclear discussions and other discussions will take place between Iran and
Washington.
With all of the potential still that there is for this, of course, to be derailed given all of the difficulties in the region that we're talking
about. What we understand in terms of the timing as well. And that initially there had been a bit of back and forth, some American officials
suggesting that details, some of them would be released within 24 to 48 hours in the name of transparency.
In the end, President Trump has been clear he doesn't. We said it now several times over the course of the day. The text will be published
because he wants a formal setting for it after that signature on Friday. That's expected to be in Geneva, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah. And Melissa, another important part of the agenda is what's happening in Ukraine. President Trump meeting with President Zelenskyy on
the sidelines. What do we know about that meeting?
BELL: That's right. This was a G7 + President Zelenskyy meeting that began. It kicked off the day earlier today. We saw President Macron really go out
of his way to go and fetch, meet President Zelenskyy, showing lots of warrants towards them on their way back. We kind of overheard snippets of
their conversation.
It seemed to be that they were suggesting and trying to find and hoping that this bilateral meeting with President Trump might be arranged. You'll
remember that the bilateral that was organized on the edges of the pope's funeral last year had been a crucial turnaround moment.
[09:05:00]
And the president's relationship between President Zelenskyy and Trump after that catastrophic meeting, we'll remember from the Oval Office. So, a
lot of hopes were hanging on that because the Ukrainian President believes that the United States needs to be involved in any peace negotiations.
Europeans really looking to kind of ensure they get a place at the table if any of these negotiations get kick started again, unlike what they had at
the last round, and it did seem to go about as positively as the French President, who's hosting all this, could have hoped.
Not only the moment when the G7 leaders were with President Zelenskyy, and what was discussed, we understand was the need. We heard this from the
American President himself. He suggested that Moscow needed now to work towards peace. The idea that G7 countries might look at further ways of
pressuring him.
Europeans are looking at their 21st round of sanctions on against Russia, and so there was a fairly united message of the need to put whatever
pressure could be brought made to be bare on Russia at this stage. How that will translate into actual peace talks is yet unclear, but there is an
understanding that President Zelenskyy and President Trump will yet have another meeting later today, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, and Melissa, very quickly, look, you know, G7 leaders, most industrialized nations in the world meeting at a very consequential time,
we're seeing the largest disruption to energy security in the history of markets. What is the general atmosphere would you say while we're dealing
with these massive crises that are playing out in tandem?
BELL: I think you're right, the amount of pressure on all of their shoulders to get this right was huge, but I think they were extremely
fearful this G7 would go the way the last one. When you remember, President Trump less left early. The fact that he should have arrived slightly more
chipper and optimistic as a result of that memorandum of understanding does appear to have made this whole thing go about as smoothly as could have
been hoped.
Whether you're talking about Ukraine or some of the other meetings that have taken place, it certainly seemed to smooth the wheels of the
relationship between the American President and his 67 counterparts that has been so fraught over the years, and I think that is probably enough.
We've seen it to settle the markets, the idea of the memorandum of understanding, the fact that these countries have come together and appear
to be working together better than they have these many months, certainly a strong signal of hope that the world would be looking to Friday to see
really take shape in that signature, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah. Right, Melissa Bell, good to have you with us. Thanks so much. Right, Ukrainian forces, it's an oil refinery in Russia's Moscow
region today, it is the latest long-range targeting of Russian energy infrastructure, far from the front lines. The attack comes as President
Zelenskyy says his top priority at the G7 summit is securing more air defense capabilities.
This after a Russian strike set fire to a nearly 1000-year-old monastery that was in Kyiv. More now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russia's savagery against Ukraine always seems to find new depths to sink to. Last night, one of Ukraine's oldest churches, the Kyiv-Pechersk
Lavra, founded nearly 1000 years ago, rocketed.
Almost certainly the target here, it sits quiet and alone on Kyiv's woody river bank. Ukraine's plight getting less attention during the U.S. war
with Iran, but raging still. Nightly attacks across Ukraine, as fierce as Moscow can manage, but not massively more effective, instead becoming more
grotesque against the people and culture their invasion falsely claimed it wanted to save.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We go now to G7 meeting. First topic, you see what is the priority. The priority is air defense.
WALSH (voice-over): Russian officials have claimed U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a congratulatory 80th
birthday call, in which Putin called him such a bright, remarkable person that he will pressure Ukraine and Europe at the G7 to agree to Russian
terms for a deal.
But European officials see Russian desperation and weakness amid their outrage at these strikes and an opening as Russia stalls on the front line.
JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: For us French, this would be the equivalent of bombing Notre Dame or Saint Denis, something that is
obviously unacceptable.
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: Ukraine today finds itself in a new position of strength. Russia cannot win militarily, and moreover, its
economy is in dire straits.
WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, like those we witness here, have caused huge damage and embarrassment. Some Kremlin
allies have suggested Putin may now realize the war is going badly, or at least slowly, with a Western estimate of half a million Russian dead.
[09:10:00]
Even Putin, whose home town was hit in early June by drones during a key meeting, briefly admitted to economic damage last week.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: As for the economy, yes, we suffer some damage, but everything is recovering quickly. They will not be able to
create serious problems for us, but keeping in mind what they are doing, we should retaliate appropriately.
WALSH (voice-over): And so, the strikes across Ukraine keep coming, even as Ukraine's defenses improve against drones, but struggle with the ballistic
missiles Moscow is throwing at them to make the desperate point it is not losing. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, I want to take you to live pictures now from the G7 meeting. World leaders are calling in next to each other for a family photo
at that summit that's happening in France, so you can see President Donald Trump, as well as all the G7 members, and you've also got the President of
Kenya, President Ruto, you have Egyptian President Sisi there as well.
Not only the largest industrialized nations, but importantly leaders right now that all facing the massive existential threat of what we're seeing
right now because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and all waiting to hear more details on that memorandum of understanding between Iran and
the United States.
President Trump says those details will, of course, be released. He says as soon as possible. And as you can see, leaders there walking away. We've got
Kevin Liptak standing by for us. Kevin, a lot happening over the past day and a half, and you can see world leaders there gathering for that family
photo, the class of 2026.
Take me through some of the most important elements, because the flash point has been the war with Iran. And of course, Europe's position as they
wait to hear more detail on that MOU.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, it is that MOU that I think has really been at the center of most of the discussions between the
president and his counterparts here at the G7. You know, they have not actually read this document, they haven't seen the text.
They're sort of like everyone else who is trying to ascertain based on what each side is saying about what precisely the president has signed on to. It
was a topic of discussion at a dinner last night. You know, they were sitting around this round table for more than two hours.
I'm told it was a pretty frank conversation, got in depth about some of what this deal actually prescribes, but still many of them walked away,
still having a number of questions about what exactly has been agreed to here, same too with the lunch that they wrapped up about an hour ago, more
than 90 minutes with the leaders from the Middle East, from Egypt, from the United Arab Emirates in Qatar, who were invited to the summit to kind of
focus attention on Iran.
The real point of discussion in that lunch, I'm told, was the Strait of Hormuz. And what actually this deal states about what the future status of
that waterway is going to be, because you've heard different things from each side. Iran has said that they retain the right to charge fees.
President Trump saying that it won't be told, whether they got any clarity in that lunch, we don't know.
GIOKOS: Yeah, it's a really important point, and we saw those images, and we heard some of the conversations with the Emir from Qatar, as well as the
President of the UAE. But President Trump is also making not only a lot of time for allies, but also I want to talk about what's happening with
Lebanon, and he made some really interesting comments there as well. I want you to take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they do a better job of doing it. And I
didn't like Syria. I didn't like where two hours before we're signing the agreement that there was an attack in Lebanon, in Beirut, it wasn't like in
the southern side, and you know it was in Beirut.
I did not like that. If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, he'll do the job. Syria will do the job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And look very open about, you know, his frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu. But what does it tell us about the state of his relationship
with Netanyahu at this point?
LIPTAK: Well, I think he's clearly losing patience, and he clearly views Netanyahu as someone who is both opposed to this deal, you know, Netanyahu
has not really made any secret of that, but also in the president's mind seems to be actively trying to undermine it by targeting Hezbollah in
Lebanon at a very fragile moment in the deal making over the weekend when it seemed like the deal was either going to be reached or was going to
collapse entirely.
[09:15:00]
And so, the president making pretty explicit, what we know had been happening behind the scenes, you know, the president has had now multiple
expletive-laden phone calls with Netanyahu, asking him to ease up in Lebanon in the purposes of getting this deal across the finish line.
When it comes to the idea of asking Syria to go in after Hezbollah, you know, there are a lot of reasons why that's not going to really work out,
chief among them Syria's decades-long occupation of Lebanon, so a lot of historic problems with that idea. It also gives you an idea of the
president's affinity for the new leader of Syria, who is a former jihadi, but the president seems to believe that he would be more effective in going
after Hezbollah than Benjamin Netanyahu has been.
And I think it just gives you a sense of the president looking for some other way to get that conflict resolved. The way he was talking about it in
that meeting today was sort of this underlying conflict that will never go away. I think it's evident he's looking for a way to make some sort of
final resolution to a conflict that has been going on for so long.
GIOKOS: Yeah. All right. Well, Kevin Liptak, we appreciate your insights. Thank you so much. Right, but still to come on the show, the new scrutiny
surrounding California Governor Gavin Newsom, the source says the Justice Department is investigating people connected to him, that includes his
wife, over possible tax-related crimes.
And the Flamingo Revolution, the protests that started as opposition to a luxury resort development in Albania have transformed into a nationwide
movement against corruption. That's all coming up after this.
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GIOKOS: The U.S. Justice Department is investigating people connected to California Governor Gavin Newsom, including his wife, over possible tax-
related crimes, according to a source, the Democratic governor says he's also a target of the investigation, but our source tells us that Newsom
himself is not under investigation.
Listen as Newsom blasts President Trump and his administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSON (D-CA): If they can't intimidate me, they'll go after the mother of our children. Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have
nothing to hide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: CNN's Katelyn Polantz is following this story for us from Washington and filed this report a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We're still trying to figure out the condors of this investigation, but it appears to be around
Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Newsom, someone who has been very active in nonprofits, is also a documentary filmmaker in California.
And indeed, the amount of information we've gained about this so far is that Gavin Newsom himself is not being investigated, and he himself has not
received any subpoenas for information regarding an active grand jury investigation.
[09:20:00]
However, the governor's office yesterday did tell us that both FBI and IRS agents, so that would be a tax probe indicating some sort of tax inquiry,
that they were approaching contacts around the Newsom family, asking them questions. And when they were asking those questions, it became apparent to
the governor's office that those questions were about money that the federal investigators must have seen in Newsom's accounts or somehow
obtained information about Newsom's accounts.
Potentially indicating that there were subpoenas to banks or subpoenas around bank accounts of him and his family. Now, Gavin Newsom, he is saying
publicly that he feels he is being targeted. He and his family are being targeted because he is considering running for president.
And he says he is adding himself, at this time to the Trump retribution lists, the people who have been targeted by the Justice Department because
they are political enemies of Donald Trump. We don't exactly know if this is that type of investigation like the ones we have seen into others.
Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, James Comey, the Former FBI Director, but this appears to be an investigation that started --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, eight people, including two Boeing employees, were killed when a B-52 bomber crashed in California. The plane was on a routine
test mission at Edwards Air Force Base when it crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday. It is the deadliest crash involving a B-52 bomber since
1982.
Military officials say an investigation will be launched, but it could take six months for details to be made public. CNN's Military Analyst Cedric
Leighton weighs in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You have a situation where the engine failure could be one cause. There could be, you know, something
with, you know, some of the, you know, wing failure could be part of it, part of the mechanics in that part of the aircraft.
There could be an avionics failure, so those are all things that could be part of the cause of a crash like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well tens of thousands of Albanians are back in the streets for a third week of protests. The movement began over Ivanka Trump and Jared
Kushner's plans for a luxury resort, but has since grown into a nationwide anti-corruption campaign. CNN's Isa Soares has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tens of thousands of people on the streets of Tirana demanding a new Albania. The largest anti-government
protest the country has seen since the fall of communism in 1991.
GERALD XHARI, PROTESTER: So, we don't have to sell our country, we don't have to sell our land to other investors.
SOARES (voice-over): The Flamingo Revolution, as it's dubbed, started in response to a proposed luxury development linked to President Trump's
daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, and one of his chief negotiators, Jared Kushner. The real estate project includes two areas, Sazan Island on
the country's Adriatic coast, and some of the beachfront near the Zvernec Wetlands and the Narta Lagoon.
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We were on a friend's boat, and we stopped for a swim. We swam to the islands, we went
on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.
SOARES (voice-over): The coastline is a protected area, home to several endangered species, and a nesting site for thousands of flamingos.
Protesters fear the project will destroy the habitat, despite what Ivanka Trump has said previously.
I. TRUMP We developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care, because the land is so
beautiful.
SOARES (voice-over): Preliminary project documents seen by CNN show the project is intended to be massive in scale, with luxury villas, hotels with
hundreds of rooms, a marina, and even a golf course, a casino, and a water park. They also reveal one of Kushner's partners in the Sazan development
is the Qatari-based Assets Group, owned by Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, Syrian-born Qatari-based billionaires with deep ties to the Qatari royal
family.
Both were at President Trump's inauguration. Their other brother, Mohamad, not a stranger to Washington either, he lobbied Congress to lift sanctions
on Syria, proposing to build a golf course with President Trump's name in Syria. Sazan Real Estate Development LLC confirms Ramez and Moutaz are both
involved but said the project is still in its design phase and that they are prioritizing environmental stewardship.
Their partnership very important for the Kushner's, as was that of Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama.
JARED KUSHNER, SON-IN-LAW OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We were on our friend Nat Rothschild's boat one of the nights there, Prime Minister Rama
came to the boat. I had not met him when I was in government.
[09:25:00]
SOARES (voice-over): His and his government support key, according to Kushner.
KUSHNER: And we felt. Like the environment was perfect, but without the great work of the team on the ground, our partners on the ground, and the
government really creating a very pro-growth environment, we would not have engaged in the project.
SOARES (voice-over): It is that so-called pro-growth environment demonstrators are now questioning, with protests demanding more
transparency in other areas, accusing those in power of corruption and calling on Prime Minister Rama to resign. The Albanian Prime Minister has
denied the accusations, and in his weekly podcast rallied against protesters.
EDI RAMA, ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER: The fascist spirit is the spirit that says Albania belongs to the Albanians, so all the others outside are not
welcome. Just as Germany was for the Germans and became the black sheep of Europe for years and years.
SOARES (voice-over): Rama has vowed to push past the concerns of the thousands of Albanians who have come out in protest, claiming the project
will transform the country for the better, but with demonstrations going into their third week, it's hard to see this flamingo revolution bucking
down. Isa Soares, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And still ahead, Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is open, but it's not that simple for shippers. Details on that right after the short break.
Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". These are headlines, U.S. President Donald Trump is at
the G7 summit in France, telling world leaders the next phase of the talks with Iran would be easier than the initial round.
Those leaders are looking for more clarity about what's been called the memorandum of understanding. President Trump says he will release the text
of the Iran agreement soon. Mr. Trump also made a surprise suggestion at the G7 meeting. He says Syria should take over fighting Hezbollah in
Lebanon and suggested that Syria might quote, do a better job than Israel.
He went on to say that Israel's years long campaign against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has resulted in too many deaths. A source says the
U.S. Department of Justice is investigating individuals connected to California Governor Gavin Newsom, including his wife, over possible tax-
related offenses.
In a social media video, the Democrat claims President Donald Trump is targeting people in his orbit because Newsom might run for president in
2028. Right, we're a few seconds away from the start of trade in New York, and of course, we've had quite a run this week.
[09:30:00]
There you have it, always excitement when the bell rings on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones yesterday closing on a record
high. A lot of optimism about the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the U.S. And in today's trade we have futures that we're pointing to a
pretty muted stance, but right now, let's take a look.
Right now, the Dow Jones is up almost half a percent, of course, really strong performance there. It seems that markets are taking it in their
stride in terms of the possibility, the optimism around the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And of course, we've also been seeing quite a strong
performance on the oil price front, where you've seen oil prices coming under significant pressure on the back of the news regarding the potential
reopening of the straits.
Oil prices down around 3, 3.5 percent, as well as you can see the S&P and NASDAQ pretty much flat with a negative bias at this point. All right,
we're going to check in on those numbers a little later, but the Strait of Hormuz may be on course to reopen, but most ships aren't moving just yet.
While President Trump says traffic is starting to flow again, shipping groups warn the security picture remains unclear. Hundreds of ships remain
stranded in the Persian Gulf as questions remain over sea mines, insurance costs, safe passage routes, and Iran's plans to charge maritime service
fees.
Dimitris Maniatis is CEO of Marisks, and he joins us now live from Athens, Greece. Dimitris, really great to have you with us. You know, there's been
sort of a lot of excitement about the prospect of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Here's the reality, we've heard this time and time again.
Are you optimistic that this might actually be the moment where we start to actually see traffic going back to perhaps pre-war levels, or at least
increasing from what we're seeing right now?
DIMITRIS MANIATIS, CEO OF MARISKS: Hello, Eleni. Nice to see you. Indeed, we are all very optimistic that the announcement of the MOU and the return
to some kind of normality of safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will become soon to be a reality.
However, currently there is still a lot of caution from all sides. Vessels are going through, most of them are following the known tactic of going
dark or seeking the support of NCAGS, the U.S. Navy, in order to transit only the southern route, which is hugging the territorial waters of Oman.
GIOKOS: So, when you know Iran was talking about a toll, and frankly, it's been talking about the stall for a very long time. It now says it's not
going to be a toll. it's going to be a fee that seems, of course, to not sit very well with President Trump. The U.S. Administration wants to see it
become returned back to an international waterway. How are shippers responding to those mixed messages?
MANIATIS: So, we've heard, interestingly enough, yes, if Iran moves into a condition where it's seeking to receive payment for maintenance fees or
environmental fees from vessels that are transiting the Strait of Hormuz, then this may become a legal process. However, a toll, as we've said before
many times, is entirely illegal on a natural waterway.
It's interesting that recently we heard from U.S. officials that Oman, Iran, and the U.S. combined may be applying this methodology in the Strait
of Hormuz. However, there are some ship owners that would agree to that immediately, because the cost is low in comparison of everything that we've
witnessed these past months, but most will not be willing to pay such a fee.
GIOKOS: Yeah, that's a really important point. In fact, Evangelos Marinakis, who is one of those shipping tycoons in Greece, said he's open
to paying that, and really relating to the fact that the insurance costs are much higher. What are you -- what sort of -- what sense are you getting
from shippers right now?
What's the communication you're having at the moment? Because there are still over 600 vessels that are currently sitting in the Persian Gulf,
unable to get out.
MANIATIS: Yeah, there's a lot of ambiguity, depending on which side you're looking at, the whole environment, if you're a charterer, you have a
different point of view. You want your cargo to move out. You want the trade to commence. If you're a ship owner and have the legal liability of
the crew, the vessel, and the entire operation, then again, you have a different point of view.
[09:35:00]
We're still seeing a lot of restraint, a lot of caution. And one thing that I would like to touch upon is that even if there are plenty of guarantees
that we're back into a normal situation and safety of vessels is guaranteed, many of the crews of the vessels will have serious doubts about
that until it's proven in practice.
GIOKOS: Yeah, OK, so let's talk about the safety situation right now, in terms of the potential of mine mines that are, you know, within the sea
bed, the danger of that, that southern route versus the Iranian route. What trends are you hearing? What are you seeing right now in terms of those
risks? How are you assessing those risks, Dimitris?
MANIATIS: So, we know that the Northern Passage through Iranian territorial waters is free of any mines. We also know, and it's been verified by the
U.S. navy, that the southern route through Omani territorial waters is also clear. There is still speculation that there are mines in the central body
of the Strait of Hormuz, the traditional transit separation schemes, transit separation scheme corridors.
But again, we don't really have any tangible evidence that it is mined. Many analysts, including myself, think that it's highly unlikely that it is
actually mined.
GIOKOS: I want to fast forward to Friday. President Trump says, come Friday, Strait of Hormuz is going to be fully open. He's talking about
lifting the U.S. naval blockade. He's saying Iran is going to play ball with that. Is that wishful thinking? Do you think by Friday?
MANIATIS: Well, it's a political decision. There's nothing hindering the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the full opening, other than a political
decision that there won't be any hostilities, and vessels will not be targeted. So, if indeed President Trump and the Iranian side come to an
agreement of opening the Strait of Hormuz without any hindrance to vessels transiting, then certainly we're seeing a grand opening of the Strait of
Hormuz.
GIOKOS: All right, Dimitris Maniatis, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your time, much appreciated. In the meantime, we are tracking
how SpaceX is doing, and that's after its blockbuster Nasdaq IPO -- Quickly check in on that price. As you can see, it's up 8.5 percent, which is
pretty phenomenal at this point.
The company has been seeking a stronger foothold in the AI coding market. And today announced that it will acquire any sphere, that's the software
firm behind the popular coding agent cursor, for $60 billion. And now, speaking of returns, some big names set to take the pitch later today, as
well as Lionel Messi, as and Argentina get to defend their crown.
We'll check in on everything, football and soccer, right after the short break. Stick with CNN.
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[09:40:00]
GIOKOS: Iran draw against New Zealand and California in their tournament opening and trailing twice to battle for the equalizer. Iran's first
appearance on the pitch was marked by politics as spectators unfold a sign reading Minab 168, that was in reference to the deadly U.S.-Israeli strike
in Iran that killed dozens of school girls in February.
Shortly after the match, Iran were forced to leave the U.S. for their base in Mexico. And here's what the Iran coach had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMIR GHALENOEI, IRAN COACH: I want to talk about the unfair treatment of Iran's national team. We spent so much time in the air that I think we were
hardly ever on the ground. Even tonight, immediately after the match, we were told that we had to leave here, the most important time for our next
match, when we need to recover and prepare ourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, we're only a few days in, and the World Cup has already delivered, and maybe you can expect it, and of course, can get some get
better when huge star names take to the pitch later on today, including Lionel Messi. We've got Amanda Davies joining us now to take us through all
the anticipated action, Amanda.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, it's a big, big day in terms of the stars hitting the pitch, we've got the Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele,
as France makes their tournament debut, looking to go one better than last year. Lionel Messi with Argentina, of course, the defending champions,
their boss Lionel Scaloni, saying he thinks not only the entirety of Argentina, but the whole planet anticipating Messi's 200th appearance for
his country.
And then it seems hard to believe Erling Haaland has never represented his country at a major international tournament. He will do today for the first
time.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
DAVIES: And I hope people will stick around and join me for just a couple of minutes for "World Sport". We're live to Norway as they look to return
to the biggest stage for the first time in 28 years.
GIOKOS: All right, Amanda, I think you're right to say the whole planet is going to be watching Messi, absolutely. All right, good to see you. We'll
see you right after the break. I'll be back at the top of the hours. Stick with CNN.
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[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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