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Iranian Media: U.S. Strikes Increase, Hit Further Inside Iran; New Syrian Parliament Meets For First Time In Damascus; U.S. Representative Ro Khanna Blockaded By Israeli Settlers And IDF Soldiers; U.S. Senator's Death Marks End Of A Political Era; England To Battle Argentina For Spot In Final; United Kingdom Counterterror Police Now Leading Widdecombe Investigation. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 13, 2026 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:32]

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And Welcome to the second hour of the show, this is from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu

Dhabi, in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson. Time here is just after 6:00 in the evening, and we are following escalating strikes and rhetoric between the

U.S. and Iran.

U.S. President Trump now saying his military is going to keep hitting Iran very hard, his words after an overnight onslaught of 140 attacks, as Iran's

military warns of the risk of regional war growing.

And we'll take you to the West Bank this hour, where our CNN crew was attacked by Israeli settlers as they covered the one-year mark of the

deadly beating of the Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet.

Plus, a stunning new development in the suspected murder of former U.K. lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, British counter-terror police are now leading that

investigation after police previously said there was no evidence of political motivation.

Well, after another night of attacks between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. president now speaking out, telling Fox News in the past hour or so that he

is going to hit Iran, "Very hard." Donald Trump adding that the U.S. would become what he calls the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz, and that he

expects the U.S. in his words to get paid for guarding it.

Meanwhile, Iran says the waterway is closed. The U.S. says it's open. A new data from Kepler says 14 vessels, half of them Iranian, transited the

Strait on Sunday.

Contradictory claims flying after fresh wave of what can only be described as tit for tat strikes over the weekend. Tehran now says its forces

launched new attacks aimed at U.S. bases in the region. American allies Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan all say they responded to aerial threats

earlier today.

Danny Citrinowicz is a senior researcher in the Iran and the Shi'ite Axis program at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies. Danny is also

the former head of Iran analysis for Israel Defense Intelligence. He joins me now from Tel Aviv.

You've been a regular guest on the shows and hours that I have anchored on this regional conflict. Your analysis and insight is always extremely

useful, Danny. So, thank you.

I just wonder what you make of what we've seen over the past what 72 hours.

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Well, again, thank you very much, Becky, for having me again to your

important show.

I think that in general terms, the real question that we need to ask ourselves is what is the U.S. end goal regarding what we're seeing right

now, because the Iranians won't capitulate, they won't forego the control over the Hormuz Strait, and if the U.S. wants really to control the

Straits, as the president said, they have to bring more resources. They need to actually to conquer the Iranian side of the Straits.

So, I still think there is a room for diplomacy. I think, despite the expanded attacks of the U.S. against Iranian retaliation, still both sides

I still think that they prefer to have the political route, but things can get out of control and escalate because when you have back and forth

attacks every day, every night, definitely it's hard to preserve the rule of the game.

So, the bottom line of it in that regard, I think that both sides, I think they're still interested in finding a way to turn back to political

solution. But if this escalates, then eventually we'll find ourselves returning back to much wider war that I'm not sure that each side wants

right now.

ANDERSON: So, what about this line from Donald Trump in the past hour or so to Fox News talking about being the guardian of the U.S. Strait -- sorry

the Strait of Hormuz going forward and being paid to guard it? Do you genuinely think we should just -- you know, we shouldn't take Donald Trump

at his word literally at this point?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, he made some statement in the past and then contradicted them, so I'm not sure the U.S. is actually the U.S. policy. We have to

remember one important thing about that, that the U.S. was against Iran charging money for ships going back and forth in the Strait, so now the

U.S. is intending to do the same thing that that he wanted to prevent Iran from doing.

So, I'm not sure it will be the U.S. policy, but if it will be, then the attacks on the Iran won't suffice. (AUDIO GAP) attack every ship that's

trying to pass the Strait that are not going through the Iranian route.

[10:05:11]

Yes. So, if President Trump really means that, then we are going to fierce escalation in relations between Iran and the U.S.

ANDERSON: Look, I mean, there's no doubt that the Strait is absolutely key here, and I hear what you're saying about both sides you think likely still

looking or seeking diplomacy on this.

But I do think it's important when we're talking about diplomacy, if indeed that track is still open, to talk about the fundamental tension between

Iran and the U.S. laid bare in this MOU, which even if we take it to be sort of, you know, dead on arrival, which is sort of how it feels at

present, it was quite revealing.

I want to read part of Article 5 for our viewers. I mean, you'll be keenly aware that it reads, "Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts

for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days, from only -- from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa."

That reads to Iran likely they control the Strait, and to the U.S. like Iran must open up the Strait. The problem is, you know, with all that

ambiguity, you know, it really feels when you read a point like that, which was one of only 14 that was supposed to be this sort of handrail, sort of,

you know, steering people towards a deal, that it's, you know, the ambiguity here is, you know, provides sort of little kind of, you know,

provision for leading us to a conclusion at this point, do you agree?

CITRINOWICZ: I definitely agree with everything that you said, and this is an MOU that U.S. was rushed to because President Trump was scary from the

fact that the price of oil would be increased dramatically. So, they closed everything really in a maturistic way. Ambiguity in terms of each side,

understand different things.

And from the Iranian standpoint, it was obvious they won't -- they won't acknowledge any withdrawal from their controlling of the over the Straits.

So, definitely, the origins of the problem that we're seeing right now, we're telling back to the MOU and the chapter five. But regardless of that,

in general terms, it was so hasty and amateuristic that we're encountering the same problems, by the way, Lebanon-that we have contradiction terms

between -- the agreement between the Lebanese government and Israel, and the agreement between Iran and the U.S. on Lebanon.

So, definitely, those two spoilers are there. And even worse than that, I think once you are focusing on the nuclear on the Hormuz Straits, you are

forgetting the nuclear issue. And as you showed in the CNN, the advancement by the Iranians being made on the nuclear route, so you are focusing on

almost trade, a Strait that was opened before the war, and neglecting right now the chances of reaching agreement that will block the path of Iran

towards a nuclear bomb.

ANDERSON: And Danny, understandably, we're all focused on the Strait, and that's really important. I also want to underline this hour what is going

on to the west. Iran-backed Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out strikes on the capital's airport today. They are threatening,

"Punishment." We've seen some activity off the coast of Aden. I mean, there is and has been clear concern about the potential for escalation there on

to the west of Saudi Arabia that could shut down the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, choke the region's oil output even more.

I wonder, as you and I sit here having this discussion today, how concerned are you as this new news on the Houthis comes in?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely, we're in a dramatic day in terms of the Houthis. You know, they were interested together with the Saudis to

implement the roadmap that agreed almost three years ago in terms of finding a peaceful solution to the two relations between Saudi Arabia and

the Houthis, and what we have now is the Houthis trying to break the bloc, the air bloc that the Saudis imposed on them by sending two Iranian flights

to Sana'a, and the and the Saudis retaliated.

Now, the Houthis are threatening to retaliate towards Saudi Arabia, but also, like you mentioned, they have the possibility of block Bab el-Mandeb,

and actually will serve the Iranian interest by increasing the price of oil.

So, I think what's happening now in Yemen is extremely important. Maybe equally important, what happened in the Straits, because the potential for

international markets in terms of Houthis blocking the Straits is significantly high right now, given the fact that the Houthis are

threatening to retaliate to the Saudi attack in Sanaa.

[10:10:07]

ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, as we sit and talk, I have to say it does for the first time in some time feel as if we're headed nowhere good at this point.

Tehran has not hit Israel. Israel has so far been on the sidelines, you know, sort of sitting out this sort of current escalation, if you will, or

at least you know that's what it looks like.

I just wonder what you believe the Israeli government's calculations are right now. What is the thinking in Tel Aviv?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely, I don't think that in Israel you can find sad faces regarding the escalation between Iran and the U.S. I think from

the Israeli standpoint, first and foremost, is preventing any agreement between Iran and the U.S. so that we block the path of Israel to strike

Iran in the future or to increase the pressure on Iran.

So, in that regard, I think that what we're seeing now is actually serve the Israeli interest.

Even more than that, I think regarding the Houthis, you can see that you know Houthis were a fifth enemy of Israel, and while the attacking Saudi

Arabia, maybe it's opening up some sort of ability to cooperate with the Saudis against the Houthis.

So, I think that these developments are important. Having said that, I don't think that the U.S. administration has the interest that Israel will

intervene in the war right now, because if Israel will intervene, it will return back to a very large war that will be very hard to control by the

U.S. administration. It will be very hard to return back to some sort of political route.

So, I think from the U.S. standpoint, it's better that Israel will stay out. Also, in terms of the Iranians, they're not retiring against Israel

because they want to focus on the Hormuz Straits and focus on the U.S. bases and not expanding the war.

But again, having said that, while escalation is continuing, then we can find ourselves again with returning back to the 39 days of war, despite the

fact that nobody wants that to see that happening, maybe in Israel, some people, but definitely in the U.S. and Iran, I don't think there is an

appetite to turn back to a full-stage war.

ANDERSON: Well, finally and briefly, Tehran has said today that what is going on does risk a return to a regional war. What do you make of that?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, definitely in terms of things that can happen, I think that the Iranians are -- I think that they are absorbing the attacks of the

U.S. right now because for them, that the prices they need to pay in order to control the Straits.

Now, if the U.S. will change this calculus and will expand the attacks going on infrastructure in Iran or trying to hit the Iranian leadership,

then the Iranians won't hesitate to expand, and then we really can find ourselves in regional wars.

I think what the Iranians are trying to do is trying to say to the U.S., we have our own cards, we can escalate as well if we escalate. So, they're

trying to prevent the U.S. from escalating the situation right now by increasing the threats over the U.S.

ANDERSON: Danny, always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed.

And folks, I want to zoom out a bit to the wider region here and bring you other important updates. Starting with Iraq, Baghdad has been seeking to

rebalance its ties with neighboring Iran and the U.S. as those two sides escalate attacks.

And now, in the latest sign of his alignment towards Washington, the Iraqi Prime Minister, new Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, is headed to the capital.

He posted on X that he is leading a government and business delegation to strengthen relations and economic partnerships across different industries.

He also said, "Our objective is to clear, to attract investment, transfer expertise, diversify the economy, and create jobs, advancing development

and reinforcing Iraq's position as a trusted partner and an active contributor to regional stability and prosperity." More on that trip as we

get it.

And in Syria, President Ahmed al-Sharaa convened the country's new parliament for the first time on Sunday. That is a significant milestone

for Syria's political transition. More than a year and a half after the fall of the Assad regime, two thirds of the chamber were chosen by regional

electoral colleges, and a third by al-Sharaa, as you see here himself. Officials say a popular vote would have been impossible, given that years

of war and displacement have made accurately counting the population virtually impossible.

While the opening of Parliament follows a whirlwind week of diplomacy for Syria's leaders that culminated in Donald Trump moving to lift the last

restrictions on doing business with Syria.

Well, I spoke with Syrian analyst Ibrahim al-Assil, who underscored that for investment to follow, institutions like this parliament are crucial,

and they must prove to the Syrian people that they can deliver results. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:15:01]

IBRAHIM AL-ASSIL, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW , HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL'S MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE: You go out of Damascus and you see -- and you see more

destruction across the country, and people are asking about if this government is building institutions that will be capable of delivering

services, and if those institutions will be accountable, they want to see if this parliament institutions that will be capable of delivering

services, and if those institutions will be accountable. They want to see if this parliament will actually monitor the performance of the government

and establish new habits in Syrian politics, rather than just regenerating the older habits that Syrians got used to over the last six decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And you can see more of that interview and a closer look at exactly what is going on in Syria on my social channel @BeckyCNN.

Well, now to the occupied West Bank, where Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna says that he was blockaded for more than an hour by Israeli settlers. He

also claims Israeli soldiers refused to help. Khanna says he only got through after the U.S. embassy contacted senior Israeli officials. CNN's

Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): Congressman Ro Khanna visited Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, a village with

thousands of Palestinian Americans who have come under repeated attacks by Jewish settlers. Khanna says he became a target as well, detained by

settlers and the Israeli military for more than an hour, according to Reuters.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I'm certainly probably the first American politician who's been detained by the IDF and Israeli settlers. I mean, we were at a

village that Israeli settlers had destroyed. They had destroyed the school. They had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it.

And these hoodlums come in with machine guns, an M4, an American-made machine gun, and they detain us. They block off the road, and then they

call the IDF, and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Khanna is on a three-day trip to the West Bank as he weighs a potential presidential run in 2028. Support for Israel in the

U.S. has fallen significantly, especially among Democrats, where a progressive young wing of the party has been highly critical of Israel.

KHANNA: I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21 and 22-year- olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us. The arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding, having no respect for

the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told

them that there are Americans there and the American embassy is concerned.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Khanna says the issue of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank will be a moral test for his party.

KHANNA: It is the arrogance of power, of a power that has had no accountability, total impunity, and has created a toxic culture of

oppression.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Oren Liebermann reporting there in a statement, the IDF denied that soldiers took part in blocking the road, saying, and I quote,

"Upon receiving the report, IDF troops were dispatched to the scene, quickly dispersing the Israeli civilians and reopening the blocked road."

Well, just days after that incident involving Congressman Khanna, a team of CNN journalists experienced similar harassment in the West Bank. My

colleague Jeremy Diamond accompanied the father of an American citizen killed by Israeli settlers back to the site of his son's death, and their

journey quickly turned dangerous. Here is Jeremy's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kamel Musallet hasn't been able to reach this land in over a year. This is the hillside

where his son, Saif (ph), an American citizen, was killed.

DIAMOND: It's like it's down here if you want to walk.

DIAMOND (voice over): Beaten to death by Israeli settlers exactly one year ago. Since then, settlers have illegally occupied the area, preventing this

father from getting the closure he so desperately seeks.

KAMEL MUSALLET, FATHER OF AMERICAN KILLED BY SETTLERS: We have to keep an eye because usually they'll come down that way.

DIAMOND (voice over): We've come here in an armored vehicle, wearing bulletproof vests because of how violent these settlers have been, but

we've made it.

DIAMOND: What does it feel like to finally be here after a year.

MUSALLET: It's just like I'm -- honestly, I'm imagining -- like, just imagining him. You know, like so, it's just thought a lot going on my head

right now. Like, just what he went through at that moment.

DIAMOND: I'll let you take a moment, Kamel.

DIAMOND (voice over): But this solemn, sacred moment won't last. Within seconds, we spot a car speeding towards us. We start to leave, but as we

drive away, we see that four settlers have set up a roadblock. Armed with clubs and rocks, they try and block our way. First with their bodies, and

then --

[10:20:11]

DIAMOND: And now it looks like he's trying to slash our tires. He's trying to slash our tires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he's got a knife. He's going for tires.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.

DIAMOND (voice over): A group of independent journalists and activists are in the car behind us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move. Move (EXPLETIVES DELETED).

DIAMOND (voice over): But their vehicle isn't armored.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out. Watch out.

MUSALLET: Without an armored car, without a bulletproof vest, how do I get to my land? The Israeli army should, right now, should be here and kicking

them out. It's illegal for them to be there. It's frustrating. You're so angry, and you can't do nothing about it. It just kills you from inside.

DIAMOND (voice over): But the settlers aren't done. More arrive, blocking another road before chasing us and attacking us again.

DIAMOND: No, they're trying to stop our car again. They're hitting us.

DIAMOND (voice over): We finally make it back to safety, where I get on the phone with the Israeli military, which is responsible for security in this

area.

But settlers have also called the military, and these soldiers are only interested in harassing us, refusing to take action against the settlers.

Minutes later, the commander of a different battalion arrives, sends his soldiers after the settlers, detaining them until the police arrive.

The Israel police said they arrested four suspects and seized clubs and a knife. They vowed to, "Bring them to justice accordingly."

A full year later, Kamel Musallet is still waiting for his son's killers to be brought to justice.

MUSALLET: No one's been arrested. No accountability.

DIAMOND (voice over): Saif was just two weeks shy of his 21st birthday when he was killed. A Florida native, he had been visiting his family in the

West Bank.

At the time, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned Musallet's killing as a criminal and terrorist act and vowed to pressure Israel to

bring his killers to justice.

DIAMOND: I reached out to the U.S. embassy. I sent them a list of questions, and this is the response they gave me. They said the Trump

administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further information to

provide at this time.

MUSALLET: If that was true, you know, they would do something about it. You know at least an open investigation. You know that's the least that they

could do. If it was anywhere else in the world, an American citizen was killed by a mob of extremists of terrorists, what kind of outrage would

there be? You know, how disappointed would Saif would be right now that, you know, his U.S. passport did nothing for him?

DIAMOND (voice over): Saif believed in that blue passport.

SAIF MUSALLET, BEATEN TO DEATH BY ISRAELI SETTLERS: Blue is blue. Not because he's Palestinian-American. He's just American.

DIAMOND (voice over): But his family is still waiting for it to mean something, anything, in their pursuit of justice.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Sinjil, the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You can read more about the details of what that CNN team experienced on CNN Digital, and there is a lot more to come on this show

directly linked to this region.

Lindsey Graham was an influential voice in the U.S. on the Middle East, he often had President Trump's ear on the subject and advocated for strong

support of Israel and other traditional U.S. allies. We're going to discuss the late senator's legacy, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:48]

ANDERSON: Well, the passing of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham serves as a poignant reminder that no political career, no matter how powerful or long-

lasting is immune to time. The South Carolina Republicans' death on Saturday also comes at a moment when American politics itself is entering a

period of profound change. As my colleague Stephen Collinson writes for CNN Digital, "The tectonic plates of U.S. politics are shifting as postponed

generational change beckons, battles rage over the ideological futures of both parties, and leaders struggle to ease voter anxiety over eroded

economic security and war abroad."

A timely piece. Stephen Collinson joining me now from Washington.

And Stephen, can you just expand on your analysis that this moment represents a changing of the guard, as it were, in U.S. politics entirely

for both Republicans and Democrats alike.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I think we're at a very interesting moment. You have an exceedingly powerful president who is

really trying to slow down the political clock. By this time, most presidents are lame ducks because everybody knows they can't run again, and

thoughts start to turn to the next presidential election, which in this case will be in 2028.

So, you have that dynamic on the Republican side. You have the shifting from the stage of people like Lindsey Graham, who's been a fixture in

American politics for 25 years.

Mitch McConnell, the former Senate Republican Majority Leader, was a massively powerful figure through the first 25 years of the 21st century.

He's been in hospital for a month, and he is retiring after the midterm elections in November.

Then, on the Democratic side, you have increasing tumult. There is a ideological battle for the soul of the party that is just starting up

between progressives and democratic socialists and establishment figures in the center who fear that the party could go too far left in the midterms

and the next presidential election. That, in some ways, mirrors the anti- establishment fervor that Donald Trump was able to conjure in the Republican Party. And I think a lot of this is to do with the fact that

successive administrations have failed to tackle the key affordability questions that have been haunting voters.

So, I don't think the moment of change is yet upon us. But the next couple of years in American politics are going to be very interesting, and I don't

think there's a clear path for where America ends up after the kind of Trump decade.

ANDERSON: And it really does occur to those of us who are watching this from the outside, as it were, that this is the end of an era to in terms of

foreign policy. Certainly, feels like a sort of inflection point, right? Let's just here how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remembered

the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: He was a wonderful, wonderful friend, a great American patriot, and a great champion of the Israel-

American alliance. And I'll miss him personally a lot, a lot. I really, really thought the world of him, and I think the world has lost a great

human being. America has lost a great senator, and we have lost a great friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Graham was the last of the so-called three amigos that included fellow sort of interventionist hawks John McCain and Joe

Lieberman, both of whom, of course, had already passed away.

And we had this discussion in our editorial meeting today here about whether America is really turning the page on the staunch support of Europe

and Israel, very specifically that these figures represented.

COLLINSON: Yes, I think in many ways it is. I think one of the constants in the 25 years I've been in the U.S. working is that support for Israel was

bipartisan.

[10:30:05]

It was as strong in the Democratic Party as it was in the Republican Party. But the events of the last three years or so have really changed that

equation. Not just among liberal Democrats, hostility to Israel, and the issue of Gaza is a driving force for those democratic socialists I

mentioned in primary races to get the nomination to run against Republicans in the Midterms in November. I think it's going to be a key issue in the

presidential race.

You saw Ro Khanna, a California congressman earlier in your show. He is a progressive who has some ambitions potentially to go higher than the House

in American politics. He is a staunch critic of Israel, but we are starting to see it emerging on the right too, from the far right of the Republican

Party. Among Trump's base, there is hostility not just towards Israel, but in some of the more fringe cases are clear cases of anti-Semitism emerging.

So, while the Netanyahu project has been successful in terms of electoral politics in Israel, and you could argue about its strategic impact in the

region, it really, I think, has started to fray the support in the United States, which has already been taken advantage from Israel's supporters

here, and that has to be, I think, worrying for Israeli foreign policy.

And as you are saying, we've seen a parallel pattern emerging in Europe, where the Trump administration is turning away from Europe. It's almost

behaving like an adversary to Europe in many ways, and it's supporting far- right populist parties that are challenging the status quo.

So, certainly, somebody like Graham, a throwback to the neoconservatives, and even Ronald Reagan's robust pro-Europe, pro-democracy foreign policy,

is starting to look like someone of a past age, despite his support for Trump.

ANDERSON: Yes. Good to have you on, Stephen. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. And you can find more of Stephen's writings on CNN

Digital, of course.

We are going to take a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you. These are your headlines this hour.

U.S. President Donald Trump tells Fox News, "We are going to hit them very hard," after the U.S. attacked dozens of military targets in Iran during

another strike.

[10:35:01]

Tehran, meantime, says its forces responded with aerial attacks towards U.S. bases in the Gulf region.

Politicians in the U.S. and around the world paying tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham as we learn new details about his sudden death. A

preliminary finding from the Washington D.C. medical examiner shows that the 71-year-old died on Saturday, following a tear in his aorta, medically

known as an aortic dissection.

The World Cup taking a rest day as the last four teams prepare for the semi-finals. The star-studded French offense will battle for a spot in the

final against European champion Spain. That's tomorrow. And on Wednesday, an historic rivalry takes the pitch in Atlanta, as Argentina meets England.

Well, after a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Norway in the quarter-finals, attention now shifting towards the three lines, and whether Thomas Tuchel's

team can clinch World Cup glory for the first time in 60 years.

Our next guest, well, he's ambivalent at best, it seems. Writing for the Financial Times, Simon Kuper sees quote, England as a mediocre team with

two brilliant individual goal scorers.

To discuss how good England's chances then will be, or not, as the case may be, against defending world champions Argentina. Financial Times columnist

Simon Kuper, joining me now live from Miami. He is also the author of Soccer Economics -- well worth a read.

And Simon, look, I get your argument that Bellingham and Kane are, to a degree, the saving graces of this England team.

I do wonder, though, whether you saw anything in that performance, or indeed against the performance against Mexico that makes you in any way

rethink your sort of "mediocre line" there.

SIMON KUPER, COLUMNIST, FINANCIAL TIMES: I thought it was better, a safer performance than against Mexico. I thought the center backs, Marc Guehi and

John Stones were excellent in marking Erling Haaland out of the game. That bodes well.

Jordan Pickford didn't bode quite so well on the one big save he had to make, and is not -- England does not have the best keeper in the

tournament.

What I liked at the end of the game, Thomas Tulhel, the coach, has not found his ideal formation. So, every match has an improvised quality.

Formation changes quite heavily during the match.

But what I liked at the end is they arrived at a midfield with three guys who can hold the ball and pass securely, which they hadn't really had

before: Morgan Rodgers, Elliott Anderson, Reece James, and that really made England look a much more secure team than they had before.

ANDERSON: How do you fancy their chances then against Argentina?

KUPER: I mean, in some ways, the two teams are quite similar. They both are defensively vulnerable. I mean, Argentina has conceded five goals in three

games against Egypt, Cape Verde, and Switzerland, which are not world- beating teams.

Argentina have a lot of trouble winning the ball. Both teams are heavily reliant on individual brilliance. In Argentina's case, it's Leo Messi, a

good guy to be individually reliant on because he is the best footballer in history. He is 39 now. He's lost the acceleration in his dribble, but he

has everything else.

And then, for England, what helps them is they are unusual. They have two brilliant individuals. So, the Norwegians are very good at marking Harry

Kane out of the match. But Jude Bellingham is almost impossible to pin down, because he is always in motion. He makes surprising runs. He comes

into areas you don't expect.

He operates on the ball twice as quickly as the average top footballer, and he really is very secure in front of goals.

So, Jude Bellingham has been exceptional, and will be very difficult for Argentina to shut down, just as England will not shut down Messi. I

believe.

ANDERSON: I really want to get your -- Yes. No, I agree with you there. I really want to get your take on Argentina sort of emerging as the villains

of this World Cup. I mean, I don't know whether you share the global outrage over the controversial Egypt-Argentina game. There are a few

controversial calls in their game against Switzerland. So, what do you make of, you know, the suspicion and let's call it conspiracy sort of narratives

around Argentina and FIFA and the referees' decisions?

KUPER: I mean, I would agree that refereeing decisions are tended to favor Argentina. I don't see any evidence for people saying that there's a

conspiracy by FIFA to favor Argentina. An evidence-free conspiracy theory is always a bit suspect.

I mean, I would see it in slightly simpler terms, there is a well-known phenomenon among referees called big team bias.

[10:40:06]

Which is when you're refereeing superstars, whether in basketball or soccer, or soccer, or baseball, you are inclined to be impressed and

influenced by the superstar.

So, if Leo Messi goes down and claims a foul, well, it's Messi, and we are all in awe of Messi, and the referee is also in awe of Messi.

So, Argentina benefit consistently from the big team effect. The Egyptian goal that was ruled out, arguably correct decision. I don't think that

decision would have happened if it had been an Argentinian goal and started with a foul more than 10 seconds before. So, big team bias is important.

I think, was very important in Argentina, Egypt is FIFA, in their brilliance and wisdom, had appointed a French referee. There is a big

rivalry now between France and Argentina. So, the Argentinian media were complaining for a week about this French referee is bound to be biased

against us, and that put enormous pressure on this man, Letexier, to show he was not biased against Argentina. And I think he went bent over

backwards to do the opposite.

So, I don't see a conspiracy, but I understand the miasma of conspiracy theories that have grown up around the World Cup since Donald Trump

intervened openly and blatantly to get a U.S. player who had a red card back in the team, Folarin Balogun. Everyone can see that FIFA is not a

straight dealer.

So, why would it be a straight dealer on Argentina or anything else?

ANDERSON: Got you. And I just want to have our viewers enjoy one of the lines that you wrote recently in the F.T., "Football is a dance in space,

and Europeans have best mastered the geometry. The rest of humanity in that period has produced just one team that can match them: Lionel Messi's

Argentina." I thought it was just a classic, classic line. A couple of lines from you. Thank you for those.

Tomorrow's game is France against Spain: Mbappe and Dembele versus Yamal Lamine plus, plus. What are your expectations?

KUPER: Well, only fools predict the outcome of football matches. I would say these are probably the two best teams in the World Cup. Both of them

better than Argentina and England. So, this, in a way, is really the final.

It's almost impossible to score against Spain. It's almost impossible to stop France from scoring.

ANDERSON: So, 60 years on, hand on art, do you see -- you don't see this coming home for England?

KUPER: Look, anything can happen. The match is a one-off. Kane and Bellingham are unstoppable. I think, there are also unstoppable by

Argentina. I'm not sure. I think, Spain might have the best chance at stopping them because Spain just don't give you the ball, so you can't

score.

But no, if I had to bet right now, my favorites in order would be France, then Spain, then Argentina, then England.

ANDERSON: Got you. All right. Well, we'll see.

Sunday can't come quickly enough. It's been amazing this World Cup. It really has. Thank you, Simon, for joining us.

Still to come, a major shift in the investigation into the death of the former U.K. lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, as authorities say they are following

new information and new evidence in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:23]

ANDERSON: Well, it's been a busy morning for President Trump. We have just heard this hour from him on social media about the conflict in this region,

and he says, and I quote here: "The Hormuz Strait is open and will remain open with or without Iran."

Goes on to say, "We are reinstating the Iranian blockade, so named because it is only stopping Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving. All

other countries will have fair and open use of the strait. The USA will be, from this point forward known as 'The guardian of the Hormuz Strait', but

as such and as a matter of fairness, will be reimbursed at the rate of 20 percent on all cargoes shipped for any and all costs necessary to do the

job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the world. The process and formation will begin immediately."

We will continue to follow this story, of course, for you.

Well, new today: British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the suspected murder of the former U.K. lawmaker Ann

Widdecombe.

This comes after, "new information" and evidence emerged, according to the country's home secretary, who says police are now considering multiple

possibilities as they try to determine a motive for the attack. They had previously suggested there was no indication that the killing was

terrorism-related or politically motivated.

Well, there is been a lot of consternation about sort of what really happened to Ann Widdecombe. And let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson. He is

covering the very latest for us from London.

Nic, what more are we learning at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the 28-year-old man who the police had arrested over the weekend was re-arrested again

today on suspicion of commission preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

So, very clearly, this falls under the ambit of counter-terrorism investigation, and that's really what has sort of given a new perspective

on what the home secretary has described as Ann Widdicombe, the former M.P.'s horrific murder, serious injuries, or how she was described as

suffering in an attack that appeared to take place, Wednesday last week.

Her body discovered Thursday. It being announced publicly on Friday. An arrest on Friday, an individual, a 26-year-old man released the following

day, and then, the police arresting this white British national, 28 years old, in a town 270 miles from where Ann Widdicombe lived in a small village

in the southwest of the U.K.

It is, as the police are saying, an investigation that's dynamically changing. But I think this will add further shock and consternation to the

-- to the -- to the utter shock and horror at her death in the first place, the brutal nature of it.

But now that it seems to fall under the ambit of counterterrorism officers, people will be looking to see what exactly is known, and they won't have to

wait long. It seems the home secretary is going to speak in Parliament within the next couple of hours. That's when it's expected for Shabana

Mahmood to make more details about this investigation known.

No name given by the police or locals to where this 20-year-old white British-born male lived in the -- in the north center of the U.K. in a city

called Rotherham.

But the fact, again, and I go back to this that counterterrorism police are involved puts this in a wholly different light, because she was an M.P. for

the Reform Party, the populist right wing Reform Party, and had been speaking to the media, on television, only that morning, about four five

hours before she was murdered, and had been due to speak again, had engagements later in the day to speak again on issues -- political issues.

[10:50:01]

ANDERSON: Well, more as we get it, of course. Nic, for the time being, thank you very much indeed.

Well, fire crews have been scooping water from the River Seine in France to tackle a wildfire south of Paris. So far, more than three square miles,

which is about 800 hectares, have burned in the Fontainebleau forest. The fire is not uncommon in Europe, but experts say conditions this year have

led to a spike.

And CNN's Melissa Bell on the scene. She is in the historic Fontainebleau Forest. And just describe what you are seeing and hearing there, Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have come as really as close as we can to, but to give you a little perspective, those

are not clouds that you see behind me. That is the fire coming from that fire, still not fixed, say authorities. So, they still haven't managed to

contain it.

And what we understand, as authorities have spoken about what has been happening here since last night, we are about 60 kilometers to the

southeast of Paris. This is most unusual to see wildfires this far north. What we understand is that this fire started last night. There were two

different fires that started on either side of this main motorway, the A6, that leads south out of Paris, right by Orly Airport.

Those two fires have now, say authorities, become one, and it is raging out of control. As you say, 800 hectares already burned. It's about a fifth of

the forest of Fontainebleau, this very ancient forest here, to the southeast of Paris.

And just behind me, near where that fire is currently raging, of course, the famous Chateau of Fontainebleau, the royal residence here in France,

and one of the most famous royal residences there are.

So, still not contained, and what we are hearing is that this nearly thousand-hectare fire now is likely to continue being pushed on by the kind

of winds that we've been seeing. But it is also very dry conditions, we are now in the middle of our third heat wave in just a month and a half.

Already across France, it is 32,000 hectares that have burnt. That is more than the entire season of the wildfires of heat of 2025, and it gives you

an idea of just how dry the Earth is and just how hot the air is. Becky.

ANDERSON: Melissa, thank you.

We are going to take a break for you. Back though, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM NEILL, FORMER ACTOR: His visual acuity is based on movement, like T- Rex, and he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack

comes-not from the front, but from the side.

From the other two Raptors, you didn't even know were there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Seems like yesterday.

Tributes pouring in for legendary film and T.V. actor Sam Neill, who has died at the age of 78. Best known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the

Jurassic Park franchise. The New Zealand native died suddenly on Monday in Sydney, in Australia.

He revealed in April that he was cancer-free after battling a rare form of blood cancer back in '23.

Neill spoke with CNN's Linda Kinkade about his career spanning more than five years.

NEILL: I think, I've made close to a hundred movies and maybe 50 T.V. shows or something. I've lost count.

[10:55:08]

And, I think, the highlight for me has been I never expected to have a career in film at all or even as an actor, but it kind of happened, and no

one is more surprised than me, and it's been a very happy, surprising life.

ANDERSON: Well, family members have asked for privacy, but say they will share more details at a later date.

Well, Qatar is remembering the former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has died at the age of 74. He led the Gulf nation from 1995

until 2013, transforming Qatar into a major regional and global player before abdicating to his son. The Qatari Royal Court announced his death on

Sunday. May he rest in peace.

And that's it from us. Very good evening.

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END