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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

U.S.-Iran Ceasefire On Shaky Ground Days Away From Talks; Vance, Witkoff & Kusher To Take Part In Iran Talks In Pakistan; Hungarians To Vote In Parliamentary Election This Weekend; Lebanon Reeling After Israel's Largest Coordinate Strikes. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:26]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Erica Hill in New York.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Eleni Giokos live for you from Dubai.

Here in the UAE and frankly, across the Gulf states, there are no reports of strikes for the first time since the war with Iran began. And still the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran remains fragile.

Earlier, President Trump posted on Truth Social that U.S. military personnel will, quote, remain in place in and around Iran until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with.

Those comments, as Iran says new Israeli attacks on Lebanon are a ceasefire violation and that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a halt. Data showing vessel traffic remains negligible.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is warning the ceasefire will end if Iran does not follow through on promises to reopen the critical waterway. Despite all of this, he says negotiations are still progressing.

This weekend, Vance is set to lead a negotiating team for talks in Pakistan. That team includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan says the Iranian delegation will arrive in Islamabad tonight for the talks.

I want to take you now to Beirut. These are live images we're getting. It's a national day of mourning that is underway, and that's after Israel carried out what it calls the largest coordinated strike on Lebanon since the war began. More than 100 sites in just 10 minutes. Nearly 200 people were killed and almost 900 others wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The U.N. human rights chief calling the bombardment of a horrific moment an amount of carnage that defies belief. And these are some of the images of the aftermath of that bombardment. Now it comes despite the fragile ceasefire with Iran, the U.S. and Israel insist the truce does not include Lebanon. But Iran says that it does. And now word on that from the Iranian proxy militia, Hezbollah is firing back at Israel for the first time since that ceasefire deal was reached.

We've got CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us now live from Abu Dhabi. And just seeing some of the pictures there of these Israeli strikes, extensive strikes in the heart of Beirut.

Paula, many are questioning whether this could potentially derail this already fragile ceasefire. What are you hearing?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, it certainly seems to be the most significant hurdle to this ceasefire staying in place at this point. As you say, the Iranians say that they believed Lebanon was part of this cease deal. And important to point out, Pakistan also believed it was part of the deal. We heard that from the prime minister, but we've heard from the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, saying it sounds like a misunderstanding.

Now, clearly, all that will be on the agenda as well as this ceasefire on Saturday when all those leaders meet in Islamabad.

But what we have seen on Wednesday in Beirut and across Lebanon with these 100 sites being hit in the matter of 10 minutes, resulting in a very high death toll is a lot of condemnation about Israel's strategy here and the tactics in targeting this area. Some of this was in central Beirut.

It's worth pointing out this is where there were Sunni Muslim neighborhoods, Christian neighborhoods, not a Hezbollah stronghold, as we have seen in the past, although there were also strikes in southern Lebanon and Bekaa, now the Belgian foreign minister says that he was just about a couple of hundred meters away from these strikes when they happened. He was in Beirut. And he said that this has to stop pointing out that Lebanon does have to be part of this wider ceasefire deal.

We also heard from the French President Emmanuel Macron. I want to read you part of his statement.

He said, quote, "I expressed France's full solidarity in the face of the indiscriminate strikes carried out by Israel in Lebanon today, which resulted in a very high number of civilian casualties. We condemn the strikes in the strongest possible terms. They pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire that has just been reached. Lebanon must be fully covered by it."

So, we are hearing condemnation further afield of this particular strike.

[05:05:00]

Now let's listen to the reactions of some of those in Beirut who were on the ground when these strikes hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RASHA FARRAN, RESIDENT OF DAMAGED BUILDING (through translator): We were sitting on the balcony when we heard three very loud booms, more than just a sonic boom, and then all the smoke started coming into the house. That's when we knew it was a strike, a major strike.

ALI ISMAIL, OWNER OF DAMAGED STORE (through translator): We went outside and found them bringing down injured children, an elderly man and an elderly woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, Israel says that Hezbollah does hide within the civilian population, and they were targeting Hezbollah at these at this point. But, of course, this does seem to be one of the potential tripping points in this very fragile truce -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much for your reporting there.

Now, joining me is Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history and founding director of the institute for Iranian studies at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland.

Ali, great to have you with us.

We have seen some of the most devastating images coming through from the heart of Beirut. After those extensive Israeli strikes, Iran saying, look, were not going to open the strait. We're going to halt traffic through the strait. We know that the ceasefire is contingent on the opening of the strait. Americans are feeling that this was a miscommunication. Pakistan says Lebanon should be included.

So, what's your take on these latest developments and how that could impact talks over the weekend?

ALI ANSARI, PROFESSOR OF IRANIAN HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS: So, I mean, the first thing, whenever you get involved in negotiations of this nature is you need absolute clarity on, you know, what you mean. And the sort of the lay of the land, the sort of the definitions you're using as you go forward.

And at the moment, we've sort of entered this situation where actually there are various versions of the various of the point and the -- and the 15-point plan, certainly the 10-point plan, the Iranian 10-point plan, those Persian version and the English version. And there are various different expectations.

So, this needs all to be clarified really, and perhaps we'll get something like that on Friday, we know the delegations have gone and we'll have to see what happens. I certainly also hope that there will be direct talks and not indirect talks, as the Iranians have had in the past.

GIOKOS: Yeah. You spoke about the discrepancies between Iran's 10- point plan, the United States 15-point plan. It seems that they are far apart in terms of outcomes of this war. Iran wants to keep control of the strait. It's the lever that they have on President Trump. And frankly, the global economy.

Where do you think they could see eye to eye?

ANSARI : At the moment, it's very difficult to see where they're going to cross over. But, you know, you have to bear in mind, and I want to stress again, the there are two versions of Iran's ten point plan, one Persian and one English, and the English one does not include the notion of enrichment, the right to enrich uranium, whereas the Persian one does.

And I think all these things need to be ironed out. I mean, they need to be ironed out. Certainly, I think if the first meeting is going to be even remotely successful, they have to clarify on what terms they are moving forward. And at the moment, we're not even at first base, so to speak. I mean, we're really trying to sort of define and prepare the ground. And given that President Trump has given two weeks for this, I mean, two weeks seems extraordinarily unrealistic for getting anything like this done

GIOKOS: Do you believe that the -- I mean, we've been talking about the fragility of the ceasefire. Do you think it's going to hold for two weeks so that there's some kind of diplomatic opportunity

ANSARI: At the moment, I -- at the moment, I have to say I'm fairly pessimistic about it, partly because they're obviously been attacks going in either direction.

The -- you know, one of the problems with Iran's mosaic defense is that they haven't really been able to communicate the ceasefire to many of their local commanders. So that's a problem. But then also, there seems to have been some attacks, not Israeli or American as it happens, but it's been suggested that the UAE have launched an attack on Iranian oil refineries separately.

So, you know, it. The ceasefire as we would like it to be, has not actually taken place yet. I mean, we're moving hopefully in that direction, and we'll have to see what happens on Friday. But if for the sake of argument on Friday, you have a situation where the American and the Iranian delegations are sitting in separate rooms and the Pakistanis are shuttling between them, it's not a good start. I mean, it's going to be -- it's not a good sign for things going forward.

GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, look, President Trump was posting on social media again saying that the military buildup will remain in -- or around Iran. We don't know what that means in terms of boots on the ground, but he's also using highly inflammatory language, specifically threatening Iran as a civilization. How do you feel that that is being perceived internally within Iran at this point?

ANSARI: I mean, not well, I mean, I think -- I think there's a certain lack of message discipline, to give you a sort of a bit of British understatement there. It needs to be, you know, much more measured. Unfortunately, they're all doing it, by the way.

We tend to ignore some of the rhetoric coming out of Iran, but it's pretty similar in terms of some of the -- in terms of some of the volatility of that sort of message. We obviously are expectation of the White House is for very obvious reasons, higher. And, and clearly that's what messaging doesn't really work. I think it goes down extremely badly, not only with Iranians in Iran, many of whom don'-t like the regime, but obviously with many elements of the diaspora who Trump would really need to keep on board.

GIOKOS: Right at a critical moment, we are anticipating those talks over the weekend in Islamabad. There's a lot of hope around things going well. So, I thank you for your insights. Ali Ansari, much appreciated for your time.

All right. I'll be back later in the hour with more Iran coverage. For now, I want to take you back to New York and Erica Hill.

HILL: All right. Eleni, thank you.

We have some new details on President Trump's meeting with NATO, Chief Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday. He was there, of course, discussing the war with Iran.

According to the White House, Trump said NATO allies were tested and failed when they did not join the conflict in the way Trump wanted.

As for the NATO chief, he says he understands Trump's disappointment, but also noted many European nations helped the U.S. in other ways. President Trump, however, continued to lash out following their meeting, posting in all caps. As you see here, NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them again. Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run piece of ice.

The NATO chief described the situation to CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: He is clearly disappointed and -- with many NATO allies. And I can see his point. But at the same time, I was also able to point to the fact that the large majority of European nations has been helpful with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they live up to the commitments. And there is also widespread support for the fact that degrading the nuclear, and the ballistic missile capacity from Iran was really crucial and that only the U.S. was able at this point to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Still to come here, the Trump administration hoping its endorsement will help reelect Hungary's right wing prime minister in Sunday's vote, CNN reports from Budapest, next.

And still to come here from New York, the accused Gilgo Beach killer -- serial killer pleading guilty. What Rex Heuermann admitted in court that is helping the victims' families finally get some answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:17:08]

HILL: Voters in Hungary will head to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election that could determine the country's next leader. Right wing prime minister Viktor Orban is hoping to extend his now 16- year grip on power with the help of J.D. Vance and the Trump administration.

But as CNN's Melissa Bell reports, he's currently lagging in the polls

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. President, you are on with about 5000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orban.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (on the phone): I love Hungary, and I love that Viktor. I'll tell you, he's a fantastic man.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But on Sunday, MAGA's European darling will face his toughest election in 16 years.

BELL: That speech and J.D. Vance's presence in Budapest at all, just days ahead of this critical poll, is nothing short of foreign interference, according to the man standing against Viktor Orban. For Peter Magyar, this is an election that can be decided neither in Washington, nor in Moscow, nor in Brussels, but only in the streets of Hungary itself.

BELL (voice-over): In fact, Magyar has largely stayed clear of foreign policy altogether on the campaign trail, with his Tisza Party focusing on the bread-and-butter issues that they think matter to most Hungarians.

BELL: What are people worried about? What are the things that matter to voters?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The economy that is stagnating. One can say corruption is extensive. We see that on the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Those behind the current government are worried about the war in Ukraine, while Tisza supporters are worried about the economy.

BELL: It is those kitchen table issues and the economic dissatisfaction felt by many Hungarians that it is suggested has allowed Peter Magyar to get to where he is in the polls, and that in itself, they say, is remarkable given the grip that Viktor Orban's party has on the state's institutions.

CARSTEN J. SCHNEIDER, INTERIM PRESIDENT, CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY: I think the regime he has built since 2010 is trying to achieve this, to make the elections free but not fair, to stack the odds against oppositions, to provide advantages to his own party, the Fidesz party, and also to shield several institutions that are very important for collective decision-making in the economy and society from the outcome of elections.

BELL (voice-over): But in the public baths of Budapest, the war in neighboring Ukraine or the American Vice President's visit so central to Orban's electoral pitch seem distant concerns, even if Orban still has many diehard supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orban is also a very good friend of Trump, very satisfied with him, and of course, it's a great help if a big lion helps this little ant, but they have realized that they are good friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the last 16 years, we live under a regime which is not the future but in the past, because of the Russian connections, because of the Chinese connections, so we don't have a real future if this regime goes on.

BELL: By moving his pawns and his people into position, Viktor Orban has, over the course of the last 16 years, fundamentally changed the lay of the land, turning this democracy here in Hungary into an illiberal one. The question now, whether on Sunday, the world finds out what happens after that ends.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Budapest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Well, the U.S. Justice Department says since Pam Bondi is no longer attorney general, she doesn't need to testify before Congress about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The department arguing Bondi was subpoenaed in her official role as A.G. And since President Trump fired her last week, she doesn't need to appear.

It's just the latest roadblock to securing Bondi sworn testimony about the Justice Department's public release of its files into the late convicted sex offender. The Republican chair of the House committee, though, says for now, he plans to move forward with the subpoena.

Ahead here, a massive wave of strikes in Lebanon and confusion over just what is in this cease fire agreement. We have the very latest from Beirut.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:31]

GIOKOS: Welcome back.

Now the U.S. and Iran's fragile ceasefire is being tested just days ahead of talks in Pakistan. Iran says Israeli attacks on Lebanon Wednesday marked a ceasefire violation and now claims shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a halt.

The U.S. and Israel say the ceasefire does not include operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is warning the ceasefire will end if Iran does not reopen the waterway.

Iran is threatening further attacks if Israel does not stop its assault on Lebanon, which caused tremendous bloodshed on Wednesday.

CNN's Nada Bashir shows us the devastation in Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homes destroyed, the air filled with smoke -- the site of yet another deadly attack.

BASHIR: This is the aftermath of an enormous Israeli military strike here in Beirut. This is one of the more than 100 targets, according to the Israeli military, that they believe to be Hezbollah targets struck today. But you can see behind me, these appear to be residential buildings, apartments. This is a very busy area full of shops and a busy roadway.

There would have been many people at this site and around the area at the time of the blast, and now emergency services are working to dig through the rubble for victims.

BASHIR (voice-over): The Lebanese health ministry says hundreds have been killed and wounded, adding to the more than 1,500 people, the ministry said Tuesday, have been killed in Lebanon over the course of this war.

Hopes that the ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran would extend to Lebanon were quickly dashed just hours after it came into effect.

RASHA, LOCAL RESIDENT & EYEWITNESS (through translator): We were sitting drinking coffee like normal, and then we heard a very loud noise, three blasts at the same time. And then we saw the smoke, but we couldn't tell where it was coming from.

What kind of life is this? We don't know what will happen in the next hour. The last thing we could imagine is this kind of attack occurring in the center of Beirut.

BASHIR (voice-over): In the neighborhood of Talet el Khayat, first responders attempt to rescue survivors after a section of a residential building was completely leveled. Both the U.S. and Israel have claimed Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire agreement, despite claims to the contrary from Pakistan's prime minister who helped broker the deal.

Now, fears of a further escalation, including a possible retaliation from Hezbollah ally Iran, has left many fearful over what now lies ahead for the people of Lebanon.

Nada Bashir, CNN in Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HIL: Maha Yahya is the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and she's with us now live from Beirut.

Maha, great to have you with us. I mean, you know, 100 sites in ten minutes in central Beirut. You're in Beirut right now. Give me an idea of what it's been like in the last 24 hours.

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

It's -- look, it's been exhausting. It's been terrifying. It's been draining. It's not just the absolute fear of bombs dropping around us. It's also the panic that follows as you scramble to get in touch with family and friends to make sure that they're fine.

It's just been horrible and, and quite shocking, uh, because many of the areas that were targeted were areas that people felt were rather safe. Um, in the sense that these are not areas that are predominantly Hezbollah. These are very mixed areas. You have people from very different backgrounds.

And to this moment, there's frankly no rhyme or rhythm except for absolutely terrorizing the Lebanese for what happened yesterday. It just makes --

GIOKOS: Yeah. And we're seeing some of these images of the aftermath, Maha. It looks absolutely devastating. You know, Israel and the United States are asserting that Lebanon was never part of the two-week ceasefire agreement. Pakistan doesn't agree. Iran is saying that it is part of the ceasefire. Give -- give us an understanding of what people in Lebanon were thinking when the two-week ceasefire was announced.

YAHYA: Well, I mean, I think the Lebanese were hoping we were. There was a big sigh of relief when the prime minister of Pakistan said that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire.