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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Trump on Ukraine; Trump and Sharaa Meet on Sidelines of NATO Summit; Shipping Group Urges Halt to Hormuz Transits. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 08, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Time here is just after 6:00 in the evening.
Anytime now, U.S. president Donald Trump will hold a news conference, an official news conference wrapping up his appearance at the NATO summit in
Ankara in Turkiye. Now that follows a meeting on the sidelines of the summit with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
President Trump told reporters ahead of that meeting and while in the same room as president Zelenskyy that he's going to give Ukraine a license to
make Patriot missiles, while president Zelenskyy said he thinks Russia's conditions to end the war are shifting as it struggles on the battlefield.
Here's more of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I think, yes, we understand what to do.
It's our estimation, what to do, how to bring this. And I hope that we will do. I'm sure that you will do everything to solve this war. Yes, and I'm
very happy that our sides began to work on a drone deal. And it's very good beginning. And I hope that today I will have possibility to also to discuss
with you some very important details.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, earlier, president Trump declared the U.S. memorandum of understanding or the MOU with Iran as over, following Iranian attacks on
vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. hitting back at Iranian ports, coastal areas of -- coastal areas of Iran overnight.
During the meeting with Zelenskyy, president Trump threatened to attack Iran again tonight. We've got a lot to talk about as we wait for this news
conference, this official news conference. Nic Robertson back with us this hour from Ankara. Stephen Collinson is in Washington.
Sina Azodi is the director of the Middle East studies program at George Washington University, all right, back with us live.
It's good to have all of you.
Nic, let's start with you. You're on the ground there. Trump's comments on Iran are frankly overshadowed this summit, even as president Zelenskyy
tries to put the war in Ukraine back on the agenda. And it's certainly front and center there.
But what have you taken away from Donald Trump's comments today?
And what's the talk amongst European leaders there in Ankara?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. European leaders are saying that let's solve the Strait of Hormuz. Let's solve the Iran issue
through diplomacy. I mean, that's the clear, clear message that president Trump is getting here.
Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, said, yes, the United States had to strike forcefully because of what Iran had done. Yes, it was going to
take up time on the agenda. And yes, it has taken up a lot of time in these what would have been bilateral meetings.
But almost become bilateral armchair sessions with a group of journalists for almost as long as the bilateral meeting itself behind closed doors was
actually supposed to take.
So that's where we learn our information with president Trump yesterday, where President Erdogan very clear he was aggrieved that NATO allies were
not supporting his war with Iran more. And that has been the issue that's followed through today.
We heard the president -- my take away from what we've heard is he is positioning himself very clearly. I don't trust the Iranians. They cheat.
This should have been dealt with a long time ago. No point in having a deal. I might bomb them again tonight. I might close the Strait of Hormuz
and put a blockade on again.
He hasn't been absolutely, 100 percent clear. Was a bit clearer this morning that the MOU is over as far as he is concerned. He said he talked
about his media. He talked about his negotiators.
We know the Qatari Pakistani mediators will be wanting to try to keep their efforts going. This is what they've done. Got through these types of
problems in the past. They'll be trying to do that again. All of that said, I think the gap in space is still open for that deal to survive this
particular moment. It still doesn't look good.
And president Zelenskyy coming out a clear winner here. He has defined the future of the war in Ukraine as a war in the skies. Quite simply, he's
projecting a huge amount of pain on Russia by his long-range, accurate drones and Russia's inflicting pain on him through its ballistic missiles
because he doesn't have enough defenses.
Guess what?
Against what we were hearing from briefings by U.S. ambassadors last week, president Trump has agreed to give a license to Ukraine to produce Patriot
missile defense systems. That's a huge win for Zelenskyy.
[10:05:00]
How quick can he get them coming?
How many can he make?
That is going to try to turn off the tap of pain that Russia, that President Putin is inflicting on him. And I think perhaps president Trump
now sees that that is the path for getting peace with Putin, that, if he finds a stalemate in the skies as well as on the battlefield, then things
change maybe.
ANDERSON: I was fascinated to hear Marco Rubio weighing in, suggesting that the dynamic had changed when it came to Russia being able to defend
its airspace, which I thought was a fascinating line.
And Donald Trump deferring to the U.S. secretary of state in -- to take on a question that he was asked.
Sina, let me bring you in here. we are seeing a huge display of solidarity by pro-government Iranians at the funeral for the late supreme leader this
week. And we are seeing images out of Najaf in Iraq today as supporters of Iran pay their respects.
This as we see a new exchange of strikes in the region. These new threats from Donald Trump, about what happened last night and the fact that there
may be more to come in attacks on Iran tonight.
You and I spoke last hour about where we are at with this crisis. And you agreed, I think with Nic, in suggesting there's still some room here for
negotiation. I have to say that isn't necessarily the prevailing view from those I speak to around this region. But there's certainly those who do
agree with you at this point.
What do you think the biggest risks are at this point?
SINA AZODI, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: I think there are two major risks. One is the language of MOU
itself, which is vague. It's not explicit. This is inherently wrong with what president Trump prefers and that is short bullet points, avoiding
technical details and so on and so forth.
And also, I think, relatedly, it's the issue of just losing the momentum. The president by signing the MOU with Iranians started a positive momentum
in finally ending the war. But I'm afraid that we might be losing it. We started losing it even before the recent exchanges.
And so I think it's better for everybody if they want to reach an agreement to do it sooner. And relatedly, I think it's the role of spoilers that are
trying to undermine negotiations. We have them in Iran, the people who are chanting them in front of the Iranian foreign ministry, death to Araghchi.
That's the foreign minister there to Ghalibaf.
How dare they negotiate with the Americans?
The same people who killed our leader. So the same people who have always opposed diplomacy with the United States.
We also have opposition groups in the United States. Democrats and Republicans, some of them opposed engagement between Iran and the United
States. So I think these are some of the major threats that we are seeing, to the agreement.
ANDERSON: I want to bring Stephen in at this point because you contributed to the live posts, CNN's live posts on this story today, posing the
question, can the U.S.-Iran ceasefire survive a new round of strikes?
That MOU now does look totally out of touch with reality.
So what is the next move for president Trump?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So he's back in this position, I think, where he's going to find it very difficult to
extricate himself from the war that he started, with no exit route and no apparent strategy. You know, the MOU looks completely out of touch with
events now.
But to many people, apart from president Trump, it looked completely out of touch with events when it was started just because of the language which
you were talking about now, just now, which doesn't really, stand up to any kind of pressure.
So what does the president do?
Does he now escalate and fight a second war over the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before he started his first war?
He spoke a couple of weeks ago, the last time he was across the Atlantic at the G7 summit, saying that the reason he was calling an end to all this is
because he didn't want to start a great depression.
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And it was pretty clear that the political impact of the global economic pressure caused by the war was causing him to end it.
What does he do now?
Is he now willing to pay the price politically, even closer to the midterm elections in November for continuing the war?
So I think ever since the end of February, when the first U.S. strikes hit Iran, the president has got himself into a corner. He finds it very, very
difficult to get himself out of a corner. And one of the reasons is because he's handed so much leverage to Iran, whether it's war or it's peace. that
situation still seems to be the status quo.
ANDERSON: Sina, let me bring you back in. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash saying, quote, today that "Tehran remains incapable of committing
to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on the war."
The UAE had a different position than some around this region of the Gulf when it came to what should or might happen next. It has, though, certainly
thrown its weight behind the file that says regional security on it and supports an effort, you know, around the GCC, to ensure that regional
stability and security is.
Or regional security at least is tantamount here. You know, this war with Iran, you know, for these Gulf states, certainly the small ones, certainly
Bahrain, Kuwait, you know, the -- Qatar, I mean, these economies have been hitting so hard.
You could just describe these as existential going forward. I just wonder what the calculus is as far as you see it from these Gulf states as we
speak. I was trying to get a measure of whether, you know, Qatar was still prepared to mediate, given it was one of their vessels, their LNG vessels,
that was hit by the Iranians yesterday.
You could probably expect that they will continue to mediate. It's part of their foreign policy pillar.
But I just wonder, when you step back for a moment and you look at how these Gulf states calculate what happens next, what are your thoughts?
AZODI: I think their biggest concern would be how to live with an Iran that had just finished a war with the United States and Israel. And what I
mean by that is that from Iran's perspective -- and you and I have discussed this before -- from Tehran's perspective, they won the war.
That's their view, whether we like it or not.
That's their perspective. This is how they're operating. This is how they're thinking. And this means that Tehran will be behaving and acting in
the Persian Gulf region with more confidence and with more confidence and more assertion in their regional policy.
It could be a potential threat to the Emiratis, which, by the way, absorbed the brunt of the Iranian punishment in the region. The Emiratis
were attacked in most compared to the other countries.
So I think it's really the reality of how to live with Iran. They're, as you pointed out, their economies will be always under the threat of Iranian
strikes. And this is what the Iranian strategy at that time was. They wanted to make sure that the GCC countries realized that hosting American
bases on their territory is not an asset but rather a liability.
This is what Iranians wanted the GCC to understand. And now these countries are facing this reality, that not only their economies have been, will be
always under the threat of Iranian strikes but how to deal with Iran.
Now, are they going to put everything behind all these hostilities aside and reach a regional security framework or continue business as usual?
ANDERSON: It's fascinating, isn't it?
There is a new normal, of course, in this region. We get on with life; business moves on. These economies, you know, are in good shape and moving
forward. But, you know, the idea that this frozen conflict is one that is good for anybody in this region is, you know, is ridiculous.
Stephen, you've had a busy -- Donald Trump had a busy morning, including a meeting with president Zelenskyy. He also does seem to be shifting his tone
on Ukraine.
What did we hear on that topic when Donald Trump stayed on that topic?
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COLLINSON: Yes, I've actually been a little surprised that the administration has not moved back into the Ukraine situation a little bit
before now, simply because of the increased duress that the Russians seem to be feeling -- reversals on the battlefield, raids into Moscow and other
cities by the Ukrainians from the air.
It seems like the strategic balance has shifted there. Perhaps the administration, which is always looking for a win, always trying to bolster
this rather ragged now claim of president Trump, that he's one of the world's great peacemakers.
Do they get into this now?
Of course, it would be ironic since most of the shifting has taken place at a time when the U.S. has absented itself from the whole Ukraine situation.
But potentially coming in, could it be a positive influence in trying to convince Putin, in these different circumstances, to move toward a deal?
Perhaps that's a possibility. You do have to wonder, however, you know, the president has given the license for these Patriot missiles to be produced.
The president could always take away a license for Patriot missiles to be produced if something happens to anger him.
I think what I've been struck with at this summit is that president Trump's mood and personal prejudices now seem to be driving American foreign policy
in often volatile and contradictory directions at any moment.
So for now, he's hot on Ukraine. Perhaps he won't be in a few days. In his first term, president Trump was equally angry and unpredictable at a lot of
these summits but there was a foreign policy structure around him in the White House and in the State Department and the Defense Department.
Now none of that exists. Everything exists just to act in accordance with president Trump's moves in any moment and to create almost a strategic
architecture around them.
In retrospect, to suggest that he knows exactly where he's going. But there doesn't seem to be a lot of a plan in any American foreign policy right
now. And I think that means, however, we see progress on some fronts and backstepping on others. This is going to be a very volatile two years, 2.5,
years while he is still president.
ANDERSON: I just want to, finally, before I let you go, what tangible wins can Donald Trump realistically, realistically bring home from this summit,
do you think?
COLLINSON: Well, if he's coming back from the summit, with the war with Iran restarting, that's not really a tangible win for him politically.
Often with Donald Trump, the very act of resistance, of disruption, is seen as a political win by his supporters.
So going over to Turkiye and, you know, criticizing a bunch of Europeans in public in some ways that may be a satisfactory moment for the MAGA movement
and for the president himself.
But in the end, further tearing apart the European alliance in American foreign policy interests in the long term doesn't seem, you know, a very
positive achievement.
But I think in the Trump administration, we're in the business of trying to get wins each day and by the minute. And I thought it was interesting that
Nic was saying that, you know, much of this summit has been president Trump venting publicly to the press as much as it has been with behind the closed
doors diplomacy.
And I think that tells you very much about the complexion of this presidency right now.
ANDERSON: Yes. Finally, I just want to bring Sina back in.
Sina, we heard from the E.U. foreign policy chief earlier on today, suggesting that the Europeans and their Gulf allies would talk next week
about how to press on with an agreement to open up the strait and ensure that some comprehensive deal is struck down the road.
What do you make of the Europeans' position in all of this?
AZODI: Look, Europeans, I think, played a major role in diplomacy with Iranians because they've had their diplomatic relations with Iran. Goes
back to 16th-17th century whereas, with the United States, it's much younger.
They still have embassies, they still have diplomatic relations, which is a good thing. The problem is they lost that in 2018 when they failed to
deliver on their JCPOA commitments.
[10:20:02]
And with the start of the Ukraine war and Iran's support for Russia, the relationship between them really soured. They have, based on the
conversations that I've had with the Europeans, they do support -- they supported the maximum pressure campaign of the second Trump administration.
But they also supported this MOU. However, I don't think that they can play a role with diplomacy with Iran because they lost their credibility with
Iranians in terms of delivering on their promises.
So we are now seeing president Trump, who is more effective in engaging with Iranians than the Europeans have traditionally had better relations
with Iran.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it.
Good to have you. I just want to bring in Nic, who's available to us on the ground. I know he's just finished an interview, which we're going to play
part of.
Nic, you've been speaking to European ministers there.
Who have you spoken to and what have you heard?
ROBERTSON: Yes. In the last few hours, speaking with the Polish foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski -- sorry. I don't know why I'm blanking on his
name -- Sikorski. long time foreign minister.
In fact, this has been doing the job. for many, many years. Speaking about the threats that Poland feels are coming from Russia at the moment -- and
this is something that he was telling me Poland has been trying to tell its Western allies and friends.
But in recent weeks, we've understood that intelligence sources, Western U.S. intelligence sources have been providing information to the Poles
about a credible possible armed type threat to Poland. So this is what I asked him about. Here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADOSLAW SIKORSKI, POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, Russia has been waging hybrid war against us for years. The West didn't recognize it. I think we
now all do. But it's arsons. It's assassinations. It's interference in our politics. It's massive disinformation and state terrorism.
You know, they try to blow up a bomb under a moving train with people on it but they failed. And we think they're planning something again. They are
not capable of invading NATO. They just don't have the forces for that. But they could do some kind of false flag operation.
ROBERTSON: What thing could they be planning here?
I mean, give us some idea.
SIKORSKI: Whatever it is, our message to Vladimir Putin is, we know what you're up to. Don't do it.
ROBERTSON: How serious is he in this intent?
I mean, you clearly have intelligence. You clearly have some specific idea of what's going on.
How serious is he in doing this to you and why you?
SIKORSKI: He is, after 4.5 years of war, it's clear he's not winning. He's desperately seeking for some way to regain the initiative. But attacking
NATO would be a really bad idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, that's the foreign -- the Polish foreign minister speaking to Nic.
I want to get you back into the building there in Ankara. U.S. president Donald Trump meeting with the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on the
sidelines of that NATO summit. Let's listen to what they are saying to reporters.
TRUMP: It's really been stabilized and we're proud of that. And it's a big part of the Middle East. Syria had one of the great cultures, the
professors and lawyers and doctors. It had one of the great cultures of any country, not just Middle East.
And then it went through this terrible period of time. But it's a country that a lot of people are very proud of and they're proud of the job he's
done.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Thank you.
Like to say something?
AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We have made a great achievement in the toppling of the former regime. And as president
Trump said, in 1.5 years, we made an achievement in bringing the country together, unifying the country and put it back on track. That from the
(INAUDIBLE) under Tehran.
Of course, this is due to our strong people, the strong Syrian people, that president Trump talked about. And then the historic decision that president
Trump has taken by lifting the sanctions on Syria.
As well as the help of friendly countries and loving countries in the region, Turkiye and other countries in our neighborhood. The entire people
thanks president Trump.
[10:25:03]
Thanks, President Trump.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Pretti do you have any questions.
Mr. President?
Are you going to remove Syria from the state sponsor of terrorism list?
I think I will.
Yes. I think I will.
Why wouldn't i?
He's done a great job, maybe he would have brought that up in a little while. But that's a good question. Yes. Any problems with that?
I think we should. Yes I will.
Do you still want Syria to help with Hezbollah in Lebanon?
They could help. We'll find out. I think we're making a lot of progress. Mr. President, Mr. President, you would do a very good job, prime.
Minister Netanyahu has been critical of aspects of your relationship in the last couple of days with President Erdogan of Turkiye. He said that, that
Erdogan has imperial ambitions on neighboring countries. You know, presumably including Syria.
Well, he hasn't been involved with Syria. You know, if you think he hasn't been involved with Israel at all and he's left it alone, I wouldn't say
he's a friend because he's not a friend of as you know, of Netanyahu or Bibi. They don't get along, I think. But you know, for me, he's been great.
Look, turkeys been fantastic and a fantastic ally. They're also a NATO country. And Israel, we've done no president has done as much for Israel as
I have. Nobody even close. If you look at I mean, just look at all the things with Jerusalem, all the different things that we've done, the Golan
Heights, I did things nobody has ever done anything for Israel like me. And we've made tremendous progress. And we're going to we've made a lot of
progress with Iran, too, wiped out their military but they should have been done 47 years ago.
And if I could, do you think that, that prime minister Netanyahu should be reelected?
There's an election coming in Israel or would you like to see new blood?
I'll tell you this. He's been a great wartime president. We worked out prime minister. He. So we worked with each other very closely. And we went
through a very big thing. We did a big thing together. And in my opinion, he's been a great wartime prime minister. I don't know anything about his
politics. I'm not sure. I would think he should be popular because he did a very good job. We had a we had and have a very good relationship. But he
was a great wartime prime minister.
President Trump.
You had other prime ministers. You know what?
There wouldn't be an Israel right now. You know that. There wouldn't be. It would have been blown to pieces by Iran if you had a different if you had a
weak prime minister, you wouldn't have. And if you had a different president, I guarantee there wouldn't be it wouldn't Israel wouldn't exist
today if you didn't have me as president.
QUESTION: Mr. President. Mr. President, new data from the Energy Information Administration revealed that U.S. crude oil production set a
new record in the month of April under your leadership.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's right.
QUESTION: Why is it important to keep hitting numbers like this at this moment in time?
Why is it important that you were able to get this done and keep it on this trajectory?
TRUMP: Yes.
Well, we -- when we decided to do this, it's called the denuclearization of Iran. We have to do it. We have to have -- they're not -- they're never
going to have a nuclear weapon. And they admit they're never going to have it but they behave badly, always behave badly.
There's something wrong with them. But when we did this, we thought oil would go much higher. And it didn't go very high and now it's coming way
down and you're going to see oil drop very low. Now maybe we'll do some other things that could lift it a little bit but I don't think it's going
to lift it a lot at all.
I think oil is coming down. There's tremendous amounts of oil. Scott, what would you say about that?
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Yes, so record production under President Trump in his first term, now in his second term. The U.S. is an
energy superpower. It's why we weathered the conflict better than anyone else.
And there -- just this weekend, Bloomberg wrote that there is an oil glut out there. And we think that safe, secure American oil maybe even should
trade at a premium to the rest of the world.
TRUMP: So we have -- if you add it up, you take Saudi Arabia and take Russia, two big oil producers, we do more than twice as much. We do more
than -- think of it.
Saudi Arabia, Russia put together, we do more oil. And that's not including Venezuela. That's pretty amazing. And this all happened during my term. We
started it at the first term. Biden blew it, because he had no idea what he was doing.
But we are making -- we are producing more oil right now than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined by almost double.
OK, any other questions?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes. Yes, ma'am.
QUESTION: You said that dealing with the Iranians is a waste of time. How do you plan to get the nuclear material and the nuclear assurances that you
want?
TRUMP: Well, we have already got the nuclear material because it's so far underground, nobody's going to be able to get it except us.
[10:30:00]
Because we have the equipment that can get it.
But the -- I call it the nuclear dust. The nuclear material is so far down underneath a mountain and now it's -- that's been determined -- that it
would take massive machinery that we have that no other country has. They can't get it.
QUESTION: Mr. President, so you have you have no plans to go in, boots on the ground?
TRUMP: Why would I go in now?
I go in when they're completely either eliminated or whatever happened or an agreement's made.
QUESTION: Mr. President.
TRUMP: Yes.
QUESTION: . if you cut off trade with Spain, does that mean that you're going to have to renegotiate trade agreement with the E.U.?
TRUMP: With who?
QUESTION: With the E.U. -- with the E.U., any (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: We're going to see what happens with the E.U. They have treated us very badly for years and they took advantage of us.
Look, we're very close to those countries, right and to everybody in the E.U. The problem is, they took advantage of the United States for years.
It's like him. They took advantage of Syria. He's bringing it back. And I'm bringing the United States back.
We have the greatest economy we have ever had. We have the biggest investment; $19.2 trillion is being invested right now in the United
States. And $3 trillion was the number, the record. Under Biden and under the past administration, they had less than a trillion for four years.
We have $19.2 trillion in 12 months. Think of that. We have the largest amount of money being invested in the country in history, pretty amazing,
$19.2 trillion with a T. So -- and they're building factories all over the country. I think yesterday Toyota announced they're leaving Mexico to. And
they're coming.
Not that Mexico's thrilled about it but they're leaving Mexico and they're coming to the United States to build what will be, I believe, the largest
automobile plant either in the world or at least in this country.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Quick domestic question. You announced on Truth Social a couple of days ago that Walmart was cutting the price.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes.
QUESTION: . by 15 percent. How big of a deal is that for American customers this summer?
TRUMP: So Walmart has agreed to cut their prices very substantially because things are going down. We're getting it down. We inherited very
high prices. We inherited the highest prices in the history of our country or 48 years, to be exact but I don't believe that. I think it's in history.
So under Biden, they had tremendous inflation. Under the dumocrats, we had tremendous inflation, record-setting inflation. And now inflation is way
down. Everything is great. We have -- the prices are coming down. But we inherited -- they talk about different -- they use different words to
describe it.
They had very high prices. The prices are coming down. And when the oil comes -- the oil is coming way down. The oil dropped by 50 percent in the
last month. And when that comes down, it brings everything else down. It's affordability. And they came up with the word affordability.
Like, I take over, I'm there for one day and they say affordability, affordability. I said, I've been here for one -- remember with the eggs,
the first day or two days later. I have my first news -- and they talk about eggs. They said the eggs have gone up five times.
I've been in office for one day. And I said, well, we'll have to do something. In fact, they told me not to order eggs for the Easter egg hunt
at the White House. I should use plastic. I said, we're not doing that. And by the time we came, that was a couple of months later that happened and we
ordered thousands of eggs.
And, right now, eggs are way down. The prices are way down and they're coming down further. So they made up a phony word that they used. They said
affordability. They're the ones who caused the affordability prices. I didn't. But I brought it down. And the oil is coming down very big.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Brent crude is up slightly today on the announcement that.
TRUMP: A little bit, yes, because we hit them. Any time we hit them, it goes up a little bit, $2.
QUESTION: Is that what you mean -- is that what you meant when you said that we might see oil prices lift a little in response to.
TRUMP: A little bit, yes, $2, very little. It's down from, let's say, $135 down to $69. It's dropping. And everything else drops when -- as oil goes,
so goes everything else.
But any time we hit, if we hit Iran, oil goes up a little bit. It's all right.
QUESTION: And do you think Israel.
TRUMP: We're denuking it. We're denuking Iran. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon.
All right, one more question.
QUESTION: Sir, do you think Israel should withdraw troops from Southern Lebanon?
TRUMP: Well, I talked to Bibi about that. Yes, I think they're going to. I think they want to. I don't think it's a question of me. I think it's a
question they want to.
And they're getting along with Lebanon. They're signing deals with Lebanon, first time ever.
Marco, talk about that if you would.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, we have an agreement that. And it calls -- that's the goal at the end. Obviously, this -- Israel is
concerned about their security.
But the president did a great job bringing those two countries together for the first time.
[10:35:00]
It's a big thing.
TRUMP: Ever, first time in many years, right?
So we have a deal with Israel and Lebanon. And, yes, they will leave. And I think it's going to work out very well.
But we're here for this, because Syria has turned around as fast as I have ever seen. Well, actually, I turned the United States around very fast too.
I inherited it from a man who was not smart, not a smart person. We inherited from the man where they were running this country so badly with
the open borders.
Think of it, 25 million people allowed into our country. And that includes 11,888 murderers, most of whom murdered more than one person, OK?
We got most of them out or we have them in jail and we have done a great job.
Washington, D.C., now is considered one of the safest cities in the country. If he came to Washington, D.C., a year-and-a-half ago, he'd fear
for his life, even though he never feared for his life before, because it was very dangerous. But somehow his territory might have even been a little
more dangerous.
I joke because he comes from a rough environment. Would you say that's right, Tom Barrack?
It's funny to think. I don't think he would be too concerned with Washington a year-and-a-half -- but we had a very, very unsafe Washington,
D.C., and now it's one of the safest cities in the country.
We put the military in. We brought the -- it's -- Washington went from being an unsafe to one of the safest cities. And crime is down 94 percent.
We don't play games. And we removed over 5,000 career criminals, many of whom came in through the open borders of Joe Biden. We did the same thing
with Memphis, Tennessee.
We did the same thing with -- in Louisiana. You have to speak to the governor, because New Orleans, the crime rate is down 78 percent in a
little while. And they had the best Mardi Gras they have ever had. So we're doing a good job. And he's done a great job too.
And I thank you very much. Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys. Thank you, press. Thank you. Thank you, guys.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, you heard mostly there from the U.S. president, sitting beside the president of Syria there. He was asked a number of
questions about what was going on in Syria at present.
And it is important to underline that Donald Trump did say there that he thinks he will remove Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism,
as he once again threw his support behind the Syrian president, describing the country as, quote, "very stable."
Donald Trump says Syria could help with Hezbollah in Lebanon. He said, we'll find out. We're making a lot of progress, he said.
Well, in turn, al-Sharaa thanked president Trump for the U.S. support. He also praised Turkiye and other countries in the region.
All right, what are we going to do?
Are we going to take a very short break at this point?
OK, let's not do that. Let's go straight to our panel who is still standing by.
And very much appreciate your patience. Nic Robertson and Stephen Collinson back with us. And we are joined this hour by CNN's Anna Stewart, who is
live for us this hour in London.
And, Anna, I'm hoping that you can sum up what was discussed there on the oil price. We will bring those numbers up for you momentarily.
Nic, just your takeaway, your key takeaways, if you will, from what we just heard in Ankara, some of the same rhetoric on Iran. But there was some
quite important messages there on Syria.
ROBERTSON: Against all the noise we've heard here, just let's put this in perspective, because I'm going to get to that very point.
But president Trump arrived here and he agreed to give F-35s to President Erdogan of Turkiye -- huge. No one really quite expected that to happen.
Then just a few hours ago, he agreed to allow president Zelenskyy to produce Patriot missile defense systems in his own country. No one expected
that. Huge, big.
And now he's just told Ahmad al-Sharaa that he will promote -- probably lift the state sponsor of terror on Syria. That's been in place since late
December 1979. It's a range of financial restrictions.
And a lot of analysts have been kind of looking at Syria and saying, look, if the United States lifts that designation, then that will allow for all
range of investment over time in Syria, whether it's oil sector, whether it's the banking sector, whether it's the tech sector, whether it's the
real estate sector.
So for Ahmad al-Sharaa, that is a pretty big deal. I'm sure he would have other things he'd like the president to do for him. But that one is
something that potentially allows a sea change.
[10:40:00]
An economic sea change to wash into Syria that wasn't there before. If that happens, it gives him, the president, a chance of trying to bring some more
stability to Syria, because, let's face it, it's fragile.
President Macron was there yesterday. There were explosions as he left his hotel in the center of Damascus to go to see the Syrian president.
So I think the messaging is very, very clear. There's a lot of discontent with president al-Sharaa still in Syria and a lot of work to be done.
President Trump referenced that. But this would be big.
We have the other countries in the region, just to expand this thought out, for al-Sharaa and what it means. Other countries in the region that are
kind of wanting to see him stabilize Syria, bring it into a more -- the situation where it can deal more with its neighbors.
But that could potentially become a conduit for an oil pipeline coming from the Gulf, which as we see the Strait of Hormuz in the state it's in now?
That's hugely attractive. So there is a lot in play here. That was a big moment for Ahmad al-Sharaa.
ANDERSON: I want to bring Stephen in at this point.
I have to say, Donald Trump there talking about a huge variety of topics -- eggs prices, crime rates in Washington, D.C., and in New Orleans, while
sitting next to the Syrian president. This is typical of Donald Trump's approach to these summits, freewheeling.
It's not his fault necessarily that the questions are being asked of him and not of the other sort of -- the other leader who's sitting next to him.
But I just wonder how you believe, if at all, this all impacts these relationships. These are, after all, you know, opportunities for bilateral
conversations between the two in the chair.
COLLINSON: Yes, I think it shows that when the president takes a shine to a person, as he has to president al-Sharaa, lots of openings become
possible.
I think what the president was saying there about lifting the sanctions against Syria, following, as Nic was saying, the F-35 conversation with
Turkiye, is going to further alarm Israel because they have been for weeks registering concern about the U.S. rapprochement toward Syria.
And they don't take very seriously the president's idea that Syria could help with Hezbollah in Lebanon, as the president refers to it.
So while I think the Israeli government will have been cheered by the collapse, if that's what it's going to end up being, if the MOU with Iran,
because they never really believed in it in the first place. there are plenty of reasons for worry about the direction the president is going.
I think a lot of it is driven by the potential for economic opportunity, which is the frame through which Trump sees American foreign policy. If you
look at a lot of his initiatives, there is a commercial deal in the background.
And no doubt he sees the potential in Syria, for not just economic investment and opportunities for U.S. companies but potentially looking at
what kind of natural resources Syria has that the U.S. could exploit.
We heard him talk about Venezuela's oil, for example, as well in that press conference. But on the more general point about what he talks about, I
think reporters in these sessions ask him anything because they know that he will answer anything.
And he's, you know, bizarrely, in many ways, as obsessed with issues like security in D.C. or the reflecting pool or various things he's building in
Washington as he is about the far more intricate things of Middle East peace. It, it all seems to be of equal importance sometimes in the
president's mind.
ANDERSON: Anna, he was asked about the spike in oil prices that we have seen on the back of the escalation in this Gulf region. He kind of, knocked
it back but he did, get Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, involved, who said, quote, "Maybe U.S. oil should trade at a premium."
Just explain what we heard from Donald Trump and Bessent there on global energy prices.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So there are a lot of questions about oil. Unsurprisingly, given the last 24 hours and the impact we've seen on
oil prices, which were up around 6 percent earlier today.
People questioning whether he is concerned by the actions of the U.S. and Iran, what will happen going forward. Now that was very much shrugged off.
President Trump said oil prices dropped by 50 percent in the last month, which doesn't really fact check for me.
But yes, prices are down significantly from where they were at the highest since the conflict in Iran began, say, $120.
[10:45:00]
We're now looking there at prices around $75. So yes, we have seen a major lowering in terms of prices. And yes, he is correct. There is quite a big
supply on the market. Lots of oil waiting to go. But, of course, it can't actually get where it needs to be due to the Strait of Hormuz and all the
conflict we're seeing there.
The interesting bit you mentioned was when he brought in Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He affirmed that there has been record production under
president Trump's first term. He says they have weathered the storm better than anyone else.
And as you say, he writes that perhaps safe, secure American oil should even trade at a premium to the rest of the world. How that would work as
all of these press conferences raises more questions than it answers.
And I've done a lot of scribbling down, trying to make oil calculations. But the gist of it is they're not concerned by the oil price today.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Thank you. I'm glad you did that scribbling. It wasn't any point me doing it because I just couldn't work out what was -- what was being
discussed there or certainly what they were -- where they were trying to get to. So thank you for that.
And it's good to have you all. Thank you so much.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, folks. There's a lot more news ahead. Stay with us
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, I want to get you some headlines at this point.
On the sidelines of the NATO summit, president Trump announced that the U.S. will give Ukraine the capability to make its own Patriot missile
defense systems, signaling his continued military support for Kyiv, despite his calls for a negotiated end to the war with Russia.
New York officials say they are confident that a Manhattan high-rise on the brink of partial collapse is now stabilized. The office building was being
converted to apartments when its structural columns buckled on Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders. Officials have since lifted some of those
orders.
Well, in Iraq, thousands have been gathering to pay their respects to Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Top officials from Iraq and Iran
were among those in attendance. Today's procession took the coffin to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala before it returns to Iran for burial later
this week.
Well, Fred Pleitgen is on the ground in the Iranian capital. It's important to note CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government.
But we do maintain full control of our reporting. And this is Fred's report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Iranians are lashing out at President Trump after the U.S. president said he
believes that the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States that, of course, guarantees a ceasefire between the two countries
is, as he put it, over.
One Iranian official that I spoke to said that he believed that President Trump's words as he announced all this were, quote, disgusting.
Other Iranian officials also ripping into the United States and into President Trump, especially after those overnight U.S. airstrikes.
[10:50:00]
And, of course, the U.S. also revoking those sanctions waivers for the export of Iranian oil.
In fact, the chief negotiator for the Iranians with the United States said that the time, as he put it, of bullying and extortion by the United States
is over.
As you can imagine, a lot of folks here on the streets in Tehran speaking about the events that have been unfolding over the past hours. Here's what
they told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm criticizing the authorities of my own country. When they were supposed to give the right response to those people
overseas, they didn't do so. Negotiations were against the will of the nation. They will have wasted all the efforts of our armed forces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the last 47 years, we have seen this type of threat so many times. And on the basis of these threats, day by day, we are
getting stronger and more experienced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: It was a very kinetic night in the Persian Gulf area with the U.S. accusing Iran of targeting several ships looking to transit the Strait
of Hormuz.
The U.S. then hitting several Iranian targets, they say around 80, around the Strait of Hormuz area, for instance, in the port town of Bandar Abbas.
The Iranians themselves then saying that they hit back at U.S. military assets in this region themselves, striking 85 targets, that according to
Iranian officials.
But one of the other things that makes all of this even more difficult is that right now, Iran is still very much in a period of mourning as the
funeral commemorations for the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are still going on.
In fact, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's body is set to be laid to rest in one of the holiest cities of Shia Islam in Mashhad in eastern Iran on Thursday.
And so therefore, the Iranians are saying this standoff at this point in time for them makes everything even more egregious -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN,
Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, before today's funeral ceremony, top officials from both countries received the remains of Khamenei Tuesday night at the Najaf
International Airport in Iraq.
This reception is a political message that Iran's regional alliance or so- called axis of resistance is still resilient to a degree, which was a key part of Khamenei's foreign policy.
But it's not only about politics. Najaf is considered the third holiest site for Shia Muslims, after Mecca and Medina, because it is home to the
shrine of imam Ali, the first Shia imam. Right now, Khamenei's body is in the Iraqi city of Karbala, also central to Shia faith, as it hosts the
shrine of Imam Hussein, the third Shia imam.
Well, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. A couple of minutes left. Going to take a very short break before we do just a little bit more before the
top of the hour for you. So stay with us.
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[10:55:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, the head of the International Maritime Organization, the IMO, is condemning what he calls reckless attacks on commercial ships in
and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The warning after the U.S. said Iran fired on three vessels near the critical shipping lane. Now the IMO is urging ship owners to halt transits
through the strait as nearly 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf amid growing fears of further escalation.
Well, I want to see how stocks are getting on about 1.5 hours after opening, because we have seen a spike in oil prices today on the back of
this escalation in this region. The Dow off 1.5 percent and the other two off slightly less than that. And you see that oil prices are still
significantly higher. Hold that thought.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD "ONE WORLD" up next. And we are expecting that Donald Trump news conference, the official news conference, to begin
in Ankara at any moment. Stay with CNN.
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