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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump "Out" Of Patience With Iran, Calls Situation Room Meeting; Bunker-Buster Details; Tucker Carlson Ridicules Ted Cruz On Iran: "You Don't Know Anything". Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 18, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:23]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, the president just wrapping a Situation Room meeting up as Trump warns Iran his patience is, quote, already run out. And the supreme leader, the ayatollah, saying the battle begins.
Plus, America's bunker buster, 30,000-pound bomb, the only bomb in the world that could, could possibly destroy Iran's key nuclear facility. We have new details tonight about the likely flight path and preparations to deploy this bomb.
And Ted Cruz versus Tucker Carlson. Trump's war talk has ripped MAGA apart.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
And OUTFRONT tonight, we begin with the breaking news. Trump says he's out of patience, but he still insists that he has not made a final decision on whether U.S. troops will be attacking Iran.
Moments ago, Trump wrapped up a meeting with his security team in the Situation Room. And we have new video into CNN tonight showing an Iranian missile flying over Jerusalem. The pace of that barrage has changed.
We are learning that a third U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Ford, will now be making its way toward the conflict between Israel and Iran. What is clearly already an air war. The Ford is the newest, largest, and most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier.
Trump saying tonight he hasn't yet decided how involved the U.S. will become in this war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final. I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other. War is -- war is very bad. There was no reason for this to be a war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He said there's no reason for this to be a war.
But Trump made it clear today to Iran that when it comes to the U.S. involvement, time is of the essence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, have you given the Iranians an ultimatum?
TRUMP: You could say so. They know what -- they know what's happening. Maybe you could call the ultimate -- the ultimate ultimatum, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: But Iran today sent this letter to the U.N., three pages, an Iranian source shared it with me. It says that there is undeniable evidence of direct United States involvement in the war against Iran. Those are the words they use.
And the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seemingly unfazed by Trump's ultimatum. Instead, he issued this threat to Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN (through translator): America's involvement in this matter will be 100 percent at their loss. The loss they receive will probably be much more than the damage Iran will bear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The ayatollah also saying Iran will not surrender. So, when you have ultimate ultimatums, responding and then they respond with will not surrender. Obviously that's not a good place to be.
Trump was asked by our Alayna Treene about the ayatollah;s refusal to surrender. He said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Say good luck.
REPORTER: When does your patience run out?
TRUMP: It's already running out. That's why we're doing what we're doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And tonight, we have exclusive video into OUTFRONT. I'll show you what this is. This is from the Iranian filmmaker Pouria Nouri. She is in Tehran. Not many images coming out of Tehran and certainly not many from state that aren't state media. So, this is important.
This is from a real person who tells us, quote, "I hear and witness numerous explosions throughout the day and night. I wake up each morning to the shaking of walls and windows in my home. While the shadow of war looms over the lives of Iranian citizens, the solidarity among the people of Iran has grown stronger than ever."
And that is a crucial question, because after a bomb is dropped, if one is, you then deal with, well, is it going to be a civil war in a country with 90-plus million people? And does the U.S. own it?
We're going to take you to the ground in Tehran in just a moment where Fred Pleitgen and his team are now the first Western journalist to enter Iran since this latest conflict with Israel began.
We begin, though, with Jeff Zeleny. He is at the White House tonight.
And, Jeff, we know Trump just wrapped up that security meeting just moments ago. What are you learning happened there? And as to whether any decisions have been made?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Erin, tonight, President Trump is no longer in the West Wing of the White House. We know that because the Marines standing at his post right outside the West Wing doors is no longer there. That means the president is in the residence of the White House. And of course, still contemplating all of this.
But that meeting in the Situation Room is just the one of a series of meetings and conversations the president had all day long.
[19:05:06]
He started this day here at the White House, as we all well know, saying, I may do it. I may not do it. No one knows what I'm thinking.
That was a message to his supporters and detractors alike, of course. But even as I am speaking to you right now, Erin, I can hear some protests on Pennsylvania Avenue in the distance urging the president to not go to war. But of course, he is hearing from a variety of advisers.
And I am told that even as plans are being made across the government, we've seen the military, of course, fall into a line to fortify U.S. troops in the region should there be an attack.
But also the discussion is on the aftermath of an attack, not simply the idea of striking the nuclear program in Iran. It's on the aftermath of that.
And that is what is really hanging over. I am told the entire question here that the president is really trying to wrestle with, is he going to engage in a protracted war, something he has long campaigned and waged against?
He's been such a critic in all of his time in public life, as a candidate of the Bush administration's decision to enter, of course, the Middle East war in such different circumstances there.
So, I'm told he is thinking about the aftermath, and he does believe, I'm told a strike is possible without getting involved in a long entanglement, Erin. But that is very, very much an open question.
We all remember back some two decades ago when it seemed military strikes and an ouster of a leader would be quick and easy. It was anything but that -- Erin.
BURNETT: We all remember, right? The statues toppled and everybody thought, okay, great, now you go home. The victor and well, God knows we all saw what happened then over the next two decades.
Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.
And I want to go to Fred Pleitgen, as I said, incredible work here. He has just arrived on the ground in Tehran. Fred's team is the first team of western journalists to enter Iran since this latest conflict with Israel began.
And, Fred, what are you seeing there tonight?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've been hearing and seeing anti-aircraft fire in the skies over Tehran. Also, some pretty loud thuds could be heard as well. It's unclear whether or not those are possible airstrikes or maybe even interceptions by the air defense forces here.
But one thing that is clear going through the streets of Tehran is that they are pretty empty, and most of the shops are also closed. As we were driving into the city, we did see a decent amount of traffic going in the other direction, trying to get out of town, and we know that a lot of people have left town since the Israeli airstrikes began here.
But at the same time, the traffic was still somewhat flowing. One of the other things that we noticed as well, and we did drive through a substantial part of Iran to get to this place, is that in many other places, it appears to be almost business as usual. There were a lot of cars on the road. There were factories that appeared to be working. Also, a lot of trucks that were driving on the street as well.
And folks that we spoke to on the ground were basically saying they were just trying to get by and continue the way that they had been before. Nevertheless, of course, people here in Tehran understand that the situation for them could be dangerous and many have actually left the city.
And this comes as the Iranians are vowing to fight on the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He came out and said that Iran and the Iranian nation would never surrender.
Of course, what the Iranians have been doing is in the face of the airstrikes that have been coming in, have been lobbing their missiles towards Israeli territory.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All right. Thanks so much to Fred.
And I want to go now to the former Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett.
Prime Minister, I appreciate your time. And I know you're in central Israel tonight. You just heard Fred Pleitgen talking about some of the traffic going out of Tehran. And I know we've all seen the images right over the weekend of the bumper to bumper traffic.
From where you sit right now, it would it be the right thing for Tehran to be essentially evacuated? Would that be the right thing to do?
NAFTALI BENNETT, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, in specific areas that we're targeting, which are military facilities or regime apparatus, facilities, we notify that in advance in order to minimize civilian deaths and allow people to evacuate. So, from those particular areas, it's a good idea. Yeah. We recommend and we're telling the citizens to move out for the time being.
BURNETT: So, I want to play again, Prime Minister, I know you heard this, but for anyone who is not what Trump said today because he talked about the Fordow nuclear site, obviously the crucial one where we understand that a lot of the nuclear apparatus is buried, potentially 300 or more feet underground. Here's what he said:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it at all. I haven't made a decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Prime Minister, I'm actually curious about something specific.
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I know that that the -- what we understand is that when it comes to an actual bomb to do it, that the that the United States is the one with the capability to do that. That's what he's referring to.
But I'm curious as to whether Israel has other ways. I mean, whether that could be commandos or something else. But do you believe that Israel has the capability in any other way to take out the Fordow nuclear site without American help?
BENNETT: Well, obviously, I'm not going to get into operational plans, but I will say that as the war progresses, as the Iran's air defenses diminish and that weakens, obviously that presents new possibilities that didn't exist before.
BURNETT: So, okay. And I can't fully read between the lines, but I think we can all understand in part what you are saying.
So, then -- I then am curious as to what you think the end game should be. There has been a lack of clarity from Israel on this, right? Is this eliminating the nuclear program altogether? Current Prime Minister Netanyahu has obviously said that that you have already been successful in setting it back many, many years.
So, is the goal full elimination? Is the goal regime change or you fail? Do you know what the goals are?
BENNETT: Absolutely. The goals are elimination of the nuclear program and an ongoing elimination. So not to have a situation where the day after the end of the war, they rebuild it and continue enriching uranium. And secondly, neutralizing their ballistic missile capabilities because we're seeing them lob all these hundreds of missiles towards Israel, by the way, for the past year.
So those are the two specific goals. We don't have a goal of regime change, though. I have to say, honestly, we'd be thrilled because it's a horrible regime, despised by its own people, corrupt, old, disconnected, violent, radical.
But that is not an objective. But as I said, you know, if that happens, that's great news for the world.
BURNETT: So, can I ask you? Netanyahu said this week he hasn't ruled out killing the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. What is your understanding, Prime Minister, of the ayatollah, the supreme leader's health right now, both physically and mentally?
BENNETT: Look, I'm not a doctor, but the situation he's in is one where I believe he's in his 80s. He doesn't seem very vigorous. And I wouldn't be very optimistic when all of your inner circle of these horrible people have been killed.
So, you know, at this point, we're trying to achieve our two objectives. And I believe that we have a good chance to do it.
I can tell you that the Israeli people, everyone, the opposition, the coalition, left and right, we all stand behind this action for a very simple reason. If we don't bear the pain now, when we are paying a price now in lives, we would face in a very short time frame, an existential threat.
And these guys mean business. He actually, ayatollah said that just a month ago. He said -- he reiterated that Israel is a tumor, a cancer tumor that has to be removed. I mean, we got to believe these guys, they have very advanced capabilities. They already have enough uranium for ten nuclear warheads. It would take them about 15 days to spin it, the uranium in centrifuges and reach the final destination.
BURNETT: All right. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, I appreciate your time and thank you so much. BENNETT: Thank you very much.
BURNETT: All right. I want to go to retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, former deputy assistant defense secretary for the Middle East, along with Seth Jones, who advised U.S. Special Forces, Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan.
So, thanks very much to both of you.
Seth, you just heard what the prime minister said, right? He said, you know, he didn't want to get into commandos or anything, but the implication was now that they've taken out a lot of the defenses and the capability of Iran, that that may open the door to other things that Israel could do. Perhaps that is to actually put more boots on the ground around Fordow and to do it themselves if the U.S. didn't drop the bomb, I don't know. Maybe you heard it differently.
I am curious what you heard and how you interpret that, given that Fordow is certainly at the -- at the center of whether the United States is now in this war.
SETH JONES, PRESIDENT, DEFENSE & SECURITY DEPARTMENT, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Yeah. Erin, Fordow is in the center of the war, particularly the nuclear side, partly because Isfahan, for example, has taken such a beating so far. I think that the challenge for the Israelis is if the United States does not use its B-2s GBU-57s seconds for strikes against the facility, then I think the Israelis are going to have to use commando forces.
[19:15:02]
Now, it's worth noting in September of 2024, they did use commando forces in Syria. They also used helicopters that came in, drones and fixed wing aircraft against a Syrian missile and probably chemical weapons facility.
So, they have done something along these lines. This is a -- this is -- this is a lot more difficult because I've heard estimates of Fordow going down to half a mile. So, there's a lot of potential territory down there. But I think I do think Israel then would use commandos. It's that important.
BURNETT: Right, half a mile, obviously, you know, more than double what some had thought, with the 300-foot number that keeps being put out there.
General Kimmitt, it is also possible that Iran has moved things or has done things, and I suppose given what Israel has successfully done and known, you would think they would know most of that, but they might not. And I guess that's the question.
Are there things that are crucial here to truly eliminating that nuclear capacity? Again, I'm putting aside whether they actually were about to have a bomb or not have a bomb, but were talking about eliminating this location. Could there be things the U.S. and Israel are not aware of, General? BRIGADIER GEN. MARK KIMMITT (RET.), FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS: Well, certainly, there could be. I mean, otherwise, we would be aware of them. But I think the most important thing to focus on is there are two different worries. Number one is Fordow, which is primarily an enrichment facility with a significant number of centrifuges.
But then there's the stockpile of enhanced uranium already, and we don't -- not sure if we fully know where that 200 to 300 kilograms of enhanced uranium is right now. So, I think it's one thing to be able to take out their future capacity. But there's some question about where is their current inventory and is any -- has anybody taken that out yet?
Because they're not going to be making a bomb coming out of Fordow anytime soon. They would be using the material that they've already stockpiled.
BURNETT: So, Seth, we -- this is the context of the U.S. military is preparing for a strike. I mean, that's what they're doing. They're preparing for a strike. They haven't been ordered to do it, right, but they're ready to do it. And then they're ready for what they would determine could possibly come next.
Now, put aside whether you have a civil war or some kind of a massive thing, you know, what's the immediate strike next, are they ready? In that capacity, they put in another carrier strike group, the USS Ford. And that is expected to be deployed to Europe next week. So that would be the third aircraft carrier near this air war.
What does doing that say to you, Seth? Is that that by nature, by the amount of force in here, all clearly offensive?
JONES: No, Erin. There are also defensive measures. The carrier strike group, including its destroyers, certainly has the capability to conduct defensive measures. For example, if the Houthis conduct missile or drone strikes against Israel from Yemen, the U.S. can shoot some of those down, as they've been doing in the Red Sea the last year or so.
It is worth noting, though, that, as you noted, Erin, the U.S. is taking defensive measures. It has forces deployed in Syria and Iraq and Bahrain and other countries.
So, if the U.S. does get involved, it has to be prepared for what either Iran or Iran partner forces do in response, in the region.
BURNETT: And, General Kimmitt, the big unknown, what happens within Iran, right. When you say, you know, regime change and do you own it? The filmmaker who said the solidarity among the people of Iran has grown stronger than ever.
Okay. That may be that person's point of view. It may expose where they stand on this issue. That's fine.
But in 90 million people, even if there is, are many people who are very happy to see this regime fall. And I've been to Tehran and I know those people exist. Ive talked to them, but there are a lot of people who feel differently.
What does come next?
KIMMITT: Well, that's a real question. I mean, we're talking now about the near term objectives, which is to take out the nuclear capability. I think that and I hope that this talk about regime change has been flippant.
Look, in '88, when the Iranians gave up on the Iran-Iraq war, Khomeini at that time said he drank the poison chalice. There was no attempt by anyone to change the regime there. I think it is only in the past 20 years that we've understood the consequences of regime change.
I don't know who's going to do it. It certainly is not going to be the Americans, probably not the Israelis. And with all due respect to the king in waiting, he sort of kind of sounds more like Ahmed Chalabi than he does like George Washington.
BURNETT: Thank you both so very much. I appreciate it. General Kimmitt, Seth Jones, thank you.
And next on the ground in Tel Aviv, as these missiles continue back and forth in this air war. Christiane Amanpour is next. She had an exclusive interview today with a top Iranian official, crucial information that only Christiane was able to get.
[19:20:07]
Plus, Americas bunker busters, the GBU-57. Is Trump about to use that explosive 30,000 plus pounds? We're going to show you exactly how this works from an expert who knows it very well.
And MAGA tonight now openly feuding over Trump's war talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, RADIO HOST: How many people living around, by the way?
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I don't know the population.
CARLSON: At all?
CRUZ: No, I don't know the population.
CARLSON: You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: We'll take you inside that fight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump just wrapping a Situation Room meeting with his top advisers, as the world waits for the decision on whether America will directly strike Iran. Sources telling CNN that the U.S. is evacuating some embassy personnel and their families from Israel.
[19:25:04]
It comes as Israel says it has carried out a series of strikes today. They say 60 fighter jets have now hit more than 20 military sites in Tehran. This, according to the Israelis.
Clarissa Ward is OUTFRONT in Tel Aviv.
And, Clarissa, what are you seeing here in this, you know, ongoing, you know, air war as there is this palpable wait for the U.S.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we can definitely say, Erin, that there's been a significant reduction in the intensity of these missile barrages.
It was about two hours ago that the sirens went off. Everybody took shelter. And then later, we learned that there were roughly three missiles that had been launched.
And just to give you some perspective on those numbers, on the first night of this chapter of this conflict, there were roughly 200 missile launches. And the last couple of nights, there have been 30. There haven't been any casualties on the Israeli side since Monday.
So, we're definitely seeing less intensity. Now, the Israeli air force is saying that's because they have, by their claim. A now destroyed 40 percent of Iran's missile launch pads. Obviously, we can't confirm that, but certainly, we're seeing a relaxing of the posture here as well.
Today, the Israeli military recommending and it's begun tonight, a phased reopening of the economy whereby more stores and shops will open, people can go to work. And we're starting to see more people out and about on the streets.
Obviously, when they hear the sirens, they know what to do. They go and they take shelter. But there is a sense of like, this is the new normal and people are starting to get back to their lives.
At the same time, obviously, the U.S. embassy announcing a total closure for three days today, tomorrow and Friday. That's pretty unusual in any circumstances, let alone when you have all these Americans, Erin, who are currently stranded here. And that's fueling speculation that there could be a significant escalation underway if President Trump decides to intervene, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Clarissa, thank you very much, from Tel Aviv.
And now, let's go to Christiane Amanpour, our chief international anchor. Christiane, you know, you've been speaking to the Iranians. You spoke
to the deputy foreign minister. What's your sense of what they you know, what they expect?
Do they -- do they really believe that the U.S. is going to get in this war directly? I know they say the U.S. is already in, but do they believe that this bomb will be dropped by Trump?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, I mean, when I specifically put that to him, and it's the first formal word that has come out of Iran since this war began on Friday, he said, well, I don't know. Dr. Ravanchi, the deputy foreign minister, but whatever it is, we will defend ourselves.
I think I also asked him -- well, I know I also asked him about the capacity to keep defending, and you just heard that there are fewer missiles landing or approaching Israel, and that they do have an issue with their stockpile and their ability. Clearly, this Israeli military action has downgraded significantly their capacity. And it's not just over the last five days.
It started back in, you know, in the fall when they had that last big exchange of missiles. And Israel went in and did quite a lot of striking and damaging, specifically of Iran's anti-aircraft and missile system, in order to be ready to be able to do what it's doing now with much more impunity. But they said the Iranians that they would defend themselves.
BURNETT: So, they say that, right? And they said, obviously, the supreme leader is warning, you know, Christiane said, if the U.S. gets involved more than it already has, because they obviously say the U.S. is already directly involved, that there will be, in his words, irreparable damage, much more than the damage Iran will bear.
Now, we've been hearing Trump talk about ultimate ultimatums, and the Supreme Leader responding in kind, right? So, the rhetoric is at a Defcon level.
I'm curious about the reality. Do you think these threats from the supreme leader are real, or is this just rhetoric?
AMANPOUR: Look, you -- we don't know. But what we do know is that they survived an eight-year war with Iraq, and they didn't crack, and they were, you know, certainly not supported. Everybody remembers that the rest of the world, including the United States, supported Iraq.
But of course, were many, many years later, the forces arrayed against them now are much, much stronger, much more sophisticated. But I think the big question is, what is the real ultimate goal, not just of Israel, but also of the United States, and do their goals align? It is clear, no matter what Israeli officials are telling you, that they are really hoping for regime change, regime destruction, in fact, you know, or at least I'm reporting to you now that they have struck not just police headquarters, but the Revolutionary Guard intelligence headquarters.
[19:30:06]
These are the institutions that keep internal order. So, they are trying to degrade, especially around Tehran, all the capacity that might, you know, crush any uprising they're trying to sow a lot of chaos and panic amongst the people. That's why quite a lot of bombing has been going on around Tehran when, you know, the order to evacuate Tehran to 10 million people is issued by the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel, that's obviously not a real thing.
Therefore, it is designed -- a psyop. It's a -- it's a panic button that is designed to create chaos. This is what analysts, and this is what those officials who I'm talking to believe.
So they're also apparently hacking or it has been hacked. The financial system which makes it much more difficult for people to access the wherewithal to do anything like to pay for anything, to buy gasoline to, you know, be able to leave.
So, there is a huge amount of pressure being put on the system in order to get the system to break and to have, you know, potentially some kind of regime change or regime destruction.
But nobody has talked about what the future might bring. And you heard General Kimmitt say, and he was around, right? I was around during the regime change operation in Iraq in 2003, and it ended up extremely badly because there were no plans, at least -- at least the plans that had been planned for the postwar were not followed. And the Pentagon did its plans, and they were a huge failure.
BURNETT: Yeah, well, that it -- the sobering reality of that, you know, when you had that conversation today, that exclusive first interview, Christiane, with the deputy foreign minister, you asked him about Trump's claim. Specifically, Trump said Iran proposed, you know, please, please, we want to come to the White House. We want to talk.
All right. So, you asked him about that. I want to play that response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Did you ask to go to the White House? Has your government asked for access --
MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI, IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: Not -- not -- Christiane, not at all. Not at all.
We are not begging for anything. What we are saying, what we are saying is that stop this aggression, then we will have time to do whatever needed. As long as the aggression continues, as long as this brutality continues, we cannot think of engaging.
If the Americans decide to get involved militarily, we have no choice but to retaliate wherever we find the targets necessary to be acted upon.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: Christiane, when you hear that, and you have talked to him in the Iranians so extensively, do you hear that they will actually come back to the negotiating table, even amidst the rubble and the chaos and the war that we're in?
AMANPOUR: Well, two things just like Naftali Bennett wouldn't tell you, the military operational, you know, with the details of the military that they're going to do. Nor would the Iranians tell me the details, but clearly, they are able to cause some havoc amongst -- with their own still proxies in some parts, like in Iraq, which are still standing.
And America has some 40,000 troops. And a lot of, you know, equipment and bases in that region. So that would seem to be one of the first targets if they did. But they said to me that they wouldn't unless the Americans come in. And they also said to your question, Ravanchi told me that, yes, they want to continue the negotiations. Obviously not while the bombs are falling and neither Trump nor Netanyahu seems, you know, predicated to wanting to continue negotiations.
But more to the point, I he spoke to me about the timing of the attacks, you know, early Friday morning, they literally and this is a euphemism, but they had their tickets booked to Oman the next round of negotiations was due to start on Sunday, and they had no idea that this was going to happen or that the negotiations were in trouble. They said, and I know this because they said to other people as well that they thought that they were going pretty well, that there was a possibility of a deal. And you remember President Trump a few days ago before that was saying the same thing.
So, what happened in the middle? What happened appears to be that Israel decided it didn't want to wait any longer, despite the fact that the U.S. intelligence and other intelligence agencies, as you mentioned, say that Iran has not made a decision to make a nuclear weapon. And even if it did, it would be some three years away.
So, there's all this, you know, here's the reality, and this is what they've chosen to do. So, the real question is, what is the end game and what is the exit strategy?
And one more thing, because you were trying to read the lines between, you know, what Seth was saying about, you know, open skies and the rest -- sources have said that since Israel does control the skies, as President Trump said, they could have the option to actually spend a lot of time with their current fighter jets over Fordow and keep bombing it.
[19:35:20]
Because their plan and their need for the American help was when they thought they would be opposed from the ground by Iran, and they are not being opposed from the ground by Iran and -- I mean by anti- missile, you know, not by troops. So that's just one issue.
BURNETT: Well, but it's a significant run, right? I mean, if you have the time to just go in and do it again and again and again, that changes the game completely.
All right, Christiane, thank you so much. I appreciate it. I know obviously, it's so late where you are. And thank you so much.
I hope everyone will watch full interview that Christiane had that exclusive conversation with the deputy foreign minister.
And next, the breaking news, we are learning right now that President Trump has reviewed Iran attack plans. We've got new details coming on that this moment.
And that massive bunker buster bomb that we've spent so much time talking about. The only bomb with the capability possibly. They don't know. Possibly. But the only one with the chance of taking out Iran's nuclear facility deep inside a mountain. It is even bigger than the so-called MOAB, mother of all bombs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, BOARD VICE CHAIR, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: The United States has never encountered a target that required a bomb of this size.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news. Were learning that president Trump has now reviewed attack plans for Iran. For now, though, he is holding off to see if Iran steps away from its nuclear program.
A White House official telling CNN, quote, "all options remain on the table". It comes as Israel is waiting to see whether Trump will attack Iran with one of Americas most powerful weapons, a 30,000-pound bunker-busting bomb.
And Brian Todd is OUTFRONT with a special report, more on this weapon that has actually never been used in combat.
[19:40:06]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a sophisticated, frightening piece of weaponry designed to hit targets like some of Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities deep underground.
JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: They're buried so deep and no other bomb would be able to certainly destroy them.
TODD: The GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator, also known as the bunker buster, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. military's arsenal, designed, the air force says to reach and destroy weapons of mass destruction in well-protected facilities. The bunker buster is roughly 20 feet long, weighs 30,000 pounds with 6,000 pounds of high explosives. The Israelis don't have them, nor the means to deliver them. Only the U.S. does. And there is no public record that they've ever been used in combat.
JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, BOARD VICE CHAIR, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: The United States has never encountered a target that required a bomb of this size. We have other very, very large bombs, such as the MOAB, which is the mother of all bombs, as they say.
TODD : That "mother of all bombs" weighing more than 21,000 pounds, was dropped by U.S. forces on ISIS targets in Afghanistan in 2017. But the bunker buster, even heavier.
Experts say the bunker buster has a thick, hard shell designed to withstand the impacts of the ground and plunged to the depths it needs to reach with explosives in a fuse that also needs to be robust enough to penetrate the ground. The bunker buster doesn't have the biggest blast area, experts say, because its designed to burrow into the ground before exploding. The only plane that can carry the bunker buster, the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber flown by a two pilot crew capable of flying about 6,000 nautical miles without refueling and eluding an enemy's most sophisticated defenses.
The likely target of the bunker buster if the U.S. were to get involved in this conflict, Fordow, an Iranian nuclear enrichment site buried deep under a mountain beneath possibly 300 feet of rock. A key question, could the bunker buster really damage Fordow significantly? Experts say the bunker buster can penetrate about 200 feet into the ground, maybe more. But if the key targets at Fordow are about 300 feet under --
CIRINCIONE: One bomb isn't going to penetrate that, you're going to have to have multiple hits at the same spot. Drop a bomb. Another B-2 comes in, drops another bomb in the crater of the first.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): Another key question is, would a strike on the Fordow nuclear facility cause a large radiation leak? Three experts who spoke to CNN say a radiation leak would likely be limited to the immediate area, and a strike would likely not pose the same kind of catastrophic consequences that bombing a nuclear reactor would -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Brian, thank you very much.
I want to go to retired Colonel Mark Cancian. He oversaw the U.S.'s development, acquisition of these bunker buster bombs.
So, Colonel, you know about these bombs more than anybody. Extensive knowledge of this bunker buster bomb. The one that could be used here, the GBU 57. I know you say Fordow was a specific reason that this bomb was developed, right? It's that this target has been out there.
What would a strike with this bomb on Fordow look like?
COL. MARK CANCIAN (RET.), OVERSAW U.S. ACQUISITION OF BUNKER-BUSTER BOMBS: It would be dropped by a B-2 as we've heard. It would happen at night because that's when the B-2s fly. They would drop it from a high altitude. It's a bomb, so it drops. It's not a missile.
And it would strike the mountain in which the Fordo facility is located. And because of its design, it would go through hundreds of feet of material. Maybe not quite far enough, but it will go a great ways. It also has a large amount of explosives, ideas that will penetrate, it will explode. And that will cause the collapse of the cavern or an explosion inside the actual facility.
BURNETT: And so when we hear that, you know, 300 feet. And then Seth Jones was saying earlier that there's been talk that some of these, some facilities could be half a mile deep, that would be, you know, more like 2,500 feet. I mean, we don't. Do you have any certainty as to whether this bomb would work, or is that essentially going to be just a who knows when they if they do it?
CANCIAN: Well, there's no certainty. But what is almost certain is that the United States will use several of them, as we heard, they might draw drop several in the same spot. The Israelis did that in Beirut to get the Hezbollah leader, Nasrallah, and the United States would probably do the same, dropping either in the same spot or on several spots looking for a weak point. Theres no guarantee they would find one. But there's a high likelihood that they would badly damage the facility.
BURNETT: So I know that these bombers, these specific bombers could take off from a few places. And the closest is the military base on Diego Garcia that the U.S. and U.K. share. And you know, but you're still talking possibly about six hours to get to Fordow.
[19:45:03]
So, is it possible the bombs are in the air and no one knows? And is the B-2 truly at this point, something that people would not know was coming?
CANCIAN: Well, the B-2 is designed to be stealthy. That's low observable to radar and to the naked eye and to a variety of other means. So, it's designed to sneak in and not be seen. And it's been quite successful at that.
They could be in the air. It's unlikely at this point because night is ending. It's 3:00 a.m. in the morning in Tehran, and the bombers would have to strike and then get out of Iranian airspace. If there were a strike, my guess would be -- would be tomorrow night. So, we'll watch for that.
BURNETT: Right. Well, interesting when you say, I think you just said something very important, 3:00 a.m., right? That even the hint of dawn is a light that that bomber doesn't want to have. So, when you talk about night, it is a very -- it is the dark of night.
All right. Thank you so much I appreciate your time, Colonel. And thank you so much for sharing what you know, as you do know more than anyone on this.
And next, Trump does say plans are in place to attack Iran as to whether he goes ahead with them or not, we don't know. He hasn't decided. Israel's ambassador to the U.N. weighs in.
And Trump is facing mounting pressure from some of his most adoring fans tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news.
we now know that Trump has officially reviewed Iran attack plans as the president and his top officials discuss whether the United States can strike key targets in Iran successfully without getting dragged into an all-out war.
It comes as Trump has spoken out several times today, revealing his thinking at the instant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. We're the only ones that have the capability to do it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT. Now, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon.
And, Ambassador Danon, you know, you heard Trump and he's also now saying he's open to meeting with the Iranians again. So, is that something you could support? If that's the direction this goes?
[19:50:01]
DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: And what I can tell you about our actions, what we have achieved in the last five days, the way we pushed back around the nuclear program and what we are doing as we speak. Regarding the U.S., it's a question for the U.S. president and his administration.
You know, we tend to believe the Iranians when they say they want to destroy us. We take that vote (ph) for that. When they say they want to send rockets, you know, we take it very seriously. And I think when you look at what they are doing, you know, chanting death to America, trying to assassinate President Trump twice, killing American soldiers all over the Middle East, it's serious. But for the -- for the U.S. to decide what they want to do and how they want to do.
BURNETT: So, I'm curious. So, Ambassador, if we've seen a dramatic decline in the number of missiles Iran is launching at Israel, Israel, you have all said that you control the Iranian skies. You have destroyed 40 percent of their missile launchers and control their skies.
I guess I'm wondering, do you need the United States, right? There's the -- we've been talking to generals there saying, okay, Israel could fly over Fordow again and again and again. If you control the skies, you're not going to get shot down. You have other options as well. Ground forces, things you could use.
Do you feel that Israel needs the United States, or must have the United States to fully eliminate Iran's nuclear program or not? As of tonight?
DANON: You know, we are a small country, you know, very committed, very determined.
When you look at the size of Israel compared to Iran, it's like comparing Cuba to the United States of America. You know, a tiny country. And Iran is 80 times bigger than Israel, population wise. You know, we have 9 million. They have 90 million people over there.
So, we have limited capabilities, but we have good technology. I'm sure that, you know, it will be much longer for us to make sure that Iran cannot threaten the world anymore. It will be much faster if other countries will intervene, but we don't tell those countries you know what to do.
But they should realize, you know, the threat of Iran is not only to Israel. Those ballistic missiles that are still flying into Israel can already reach Europe today. And give them some time, Erin, they can reach the eastern shore of the U.S.
BURNETT: So. So let me ask you, though, because I think, you know, I mean, there's so many fundamental questions here to discuss. But one of them. Ambassador, as you know, is that Prime Minister Netanyahu obviously, for many years has said that Iran is on the precipice of a nuclear weapon and it has not turned out to be true simply because they didn't get one at those times.
Now, he has said that it was weeks away. I asked you about this because United States intelligence we have reporting has concluded, and we heard this from Tulsi Gabbard, that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon at this time. And in fact, had they chosen to do so, which intelligence said that they had not, they would have been three years away for delivering one.
But Israel launched this attack, essentially saying Iran was days away. So, somebody just either really, really wrong or not telling the truth. Is it U.S. intelligence that's doing that?
DANON: Well, let's analyze it. First, you know, listen to the word of the ayatollahs. They speak about the destruction of Israel. They have a plan to do that. And they spend billions of dollars every year to make it happen.
Second, look at the U.N. level. That's not Israel intelligence. The IAEA said multiple times that they have enough enriched uranium to produce many bombs, not one. So why do they need uranium in that level if they want to build a
reactor, they don't need so much uranium and not enriched uranium in this level?
And third, you know, the ballistic missiles and the weaponization system. So, you know, people expect us to wait. But until when? Until they actually launch the missile into Israel. And then what?
So, we got the information that they are moving fast. They are ignoring the international community. You know, the IAEA spoke about the inspectors that they cannot go there. And for years they lied.
So, we cannot wait. You know, maybe other countries felt they can wait longer, but maybe they don't feel threatened by Iran, like we will, but after October 7th, we don't take any chances. And once we know that Iran has an extermination plan against Israel, we don't take chances.
BURNETT: Ambassador, I always appreciate talking to you. And thank you so much, sir.
DANON: Thank you very much.
BURNETT: And next, the schism that many didn't expect would happen. But then came Iran and Israel. The MAGA fight over this war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLSON: You don't know anything about Iran. So actually --
CRUZ: OK, I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran --
(CROSSTALK)
CARLSON: You're a senator who's calling for the overthrow of the government but you don't know anything about the country.
CRUZ: -- who claims --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:52]
BURNETT: And the breaking news of Tucker Carlson versus Ted Cruz. Which TC do you pick?
Donie O'Sullivan is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARLSON: How many people live in Iran, by the way?
CRUZ: I don't know the population.
CARLSON: At all?
CRUZ: No, I don't know the population.
CARLSON: You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple.
CRUZ: How many people live in Iran?
CARLSON: Twenty-two million.
CRUZ: OK.
CARLSON: How could you not know that?
CRUZ: I don't sit around memorizing population tables.
CARLSON: Well, it's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world of MAGA is at war over going to war with Iran.
CARLSON: You don't know anything about Iran, so --
CRUZ: OK. I'm not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran.
CARLSON: You're a senator who's calling for the overthrow of their government and you don't know anything --
CRUZ: -- one who claims --
CARLSON: -- about the country.
O'SULLIVAN: Some of the president's biggest supporters are at odds about whether the U.S. should attack Iran.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: Let's have the American people weigh in, because you're going to see the American people are 90 percent against forever wars.
O'SULLIVAN: On one side are Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, both of whom are frequent supporters of Israel but are against war with Iran and say it could divide Trump's base.
BANNON: And I'm telling people, hey, if we get sucked into this war, which inexorably looks like it's going to happen on the combat side, it's going to not just blow up the coalition, it's also going to thwart what we're doing with the most important thing, which is the deportation of the illegal alien invaders that are here.
O'SULLIVAN: Other loyalists like Charlie Kirk, are not ready to sound the alarm.
CHARLIE KIRK, TRUMP LOYALIST: It's superficially dividing some people into their corners. But I think if President Trump navigates this with prudence, I don't think this is a permanent fracture. I think all of this can be remedied and healed, especially if we don't have U.S. troops on the ground and we don't get into a prolonged conflict.
O'SULLIVAN: The prospect of war has put much of the MAGA podcast world against Carlson's former employer, Fox News.
CARLSON: It does feel like Fox News is playing, and I never criticize Fox because they were so kind to me, but they are playing a like a central role in the propaganda operation here.
MARK LEVIN, FOX NEWS HOST: They go on with their bumper stickers, forever wars, forever wars. Well, guess what? The Israelis are going to put an end to this forever war, and so will Donald Trump.
O'SULLIVAN: On Fox News, a slew of guests hoping to get the attention of one very important viewer.
CLAY TRAVIS, OUTKICK FOUNDER: We have to do it. And I know President Trump probably watching, it takes a lot of bravery.
LEVIN: If this is not a reason to defend ourselves, then give me one. An Islamo-Nazi regime with a nuclear warhead, intercontinental missiles that have threatened to assassinate the president of the United States. Gee. And we have morons, fools running around the country, this isn't magna. This isn't MAGA. This isn't what I voted for. Donald Trump is a forever war president.
How so? He's going to do what every president before him since Carter didn't have the guts to do, he's going to put an end to this damn thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): And, Erin, what's interesting here is often when we think of the MAGA verse, we think of everybody being in lockstep with Trump ideologically on everything else. Clearly in this, you can see there's a massive rift happening here.
That being said, our Kaitlan Collins asked the president today what he thought of this. He did actually say that Tucker Carlson called him in recent days apologizing, saying that he had gone a bit too far in his comments about the president. But really, this is a MAGA civil war.
BURNETT: Well, I mean, certainly. And I can't imagine he's apologizing for that conversation with Ted Cruz.
All right. Thank you very much.
And thanks so much to all of you for joining us.
Anderson starts now.
