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President Trump Orders Blockade on All Traffic Entering and Exiting Iranian Ports in and Around the Strait of Hormuz; Oil Prices Rise After Trump Announces Hormuz Blockade; Israel and Lebanon to Engage in Direct Talks on Tuesday. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

BRIAN ABEL, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Brian Abel in Washington D.C., where it is 5:00 a.m.

BECKY ANDERSON, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: And I'm Becky Anderson live from our Middle East programming headquarters in Abu Dhabi. It is 1:00 in the afternoon here, and we begin in the Middle East, where U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade on all traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command says it will begin enforcing the blockade in about five hours' time, around 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Markets have already reacted to the news, oil prices surpassing 100 bucks on the barrel.

The future of the Strait of Hormuz and the war still unclear after U.S.-Iran talks ended with no deal in Islamabad. But President Trump says the temporary ceasefire is still valid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's holding well. Their military is destroyed, their whole Navy is underwater. You know that 158 ships are gone, their Navy is gone. Most of their mine droppers are gone.

We have a lot of people, as you know, at 10 O'clock tomorrow, we have a blockade going into effect. I think they're very desperate. We had a meeting that lasted 21 hours. We understand the situation better than anybody, and Iran is in very bad shape.

And just so you understand, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. Will not have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, speaker of Iran's parliament posted this warning about the blockade, quote, "enjoy the current pump figures with the so-called blockade. Soon you will be nostalgic for $4 to $5 gas", meaning gasoline, of course. Well, joining us now is CNN's Oren Liebermann, he is live for you

today out of Tel Aviv. What is the perspective there this Monday morning, Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Becky, the Israeli military, the Israeli government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are ready to resume the war with Iran, to continue carrying out strikes across the country in coordination with the U.S.

But it's that coordination that's the key part of this. It takes President Donald Trump to allow Israel to carry out those strikes, and to say the ceasefire is officially over for Israel and for the U.S., of course, to continue carrying out strikes in Iran.

So, that at this point is what Israel is waiting for. What is Trump's decision now that at least, that first round of talks fell apart between the U.S. and Iran. Israeli officials had always expected the talks wouldn't lead anywhere because of what they viewed as unbridgeable gaps between the U.S. and Iran.

It's effectively the same position they held on the talks that happened some 40-plus days ago, before the war began. That hasn't changed. Israel doesn't see the gap between the U.S. and Iran as somewhere where Trump is willing or able to find compromise.

So, from that perspective, Israel expected the talks would fail. But now, what happens from here? What does Israel do from here? That depends very much on Trump. If he says the ceasefire holds, then from Israel's perspective, it certainly holds.

The Israeli military's shift focus right now has shifted to Lebanon, where they have seized greater parts of land and territory in southern Lebanon, focusing on the town, according to the Israeli military. Bint Jbeil right across the border there as they have pushed further in and evacuation warnings for more than a million people who are now displaced.

Israel has scaled back, it seems a bit, certainly from major strikes last Wednesday. And that's important because there are talks between -- direct talks, I should say, between Israel and Lebanon scheduled to take place tomorrow in the United States.

But just like the talks between the U.S. and Iran that happened in Pakistan, Becky, it's unclear that these talks between Israel and Lebanon will lead anywhere.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Oren. You are up-to-date, folks on the Middle East as we understand it more as we move through this hour. Let's get you back to Brian in Washington with some of the other stories we are following today.

[05:05:00]

ABEL: And there are quite a lot of those stories, Becky, thank you. Thousands of Hungarians, for example, pouring onto the streets of Budapest to celebrate Viktor Orban's crushing defeat. The outgoing Prime Minister, a key ally to both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, was ousted in a parliamentary election on Sunday.

He congratulated opposition leader Peter Magyar, calling the result painful, but clear. Magyar told his supporters that together, they liberated Hungary from the Orban regime. Let's go now live to CNN's Melissa Bell joining us from Budapest.

And, Melissa, you were in the streets there as this election really came into focus. Tell us about that and the reaction from world leaders to this changing of the guard.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just to the feeling on the streets here last night, it really was an amazing moment. Lots of young people, the demographics were fascinating. They'd come out because they couldn't quite believe not just the democratic change had happened.

So strong was the grip of Viktor Orban and his regime over the course of the last 16 years. For many of them, most of their lives. But they couldn't quite believe that they'd been part of that democratic change, that it had worked, that Peter Magyar had not only one, but secured this super majority, which they believe will allow him now to return the country to the rule of law.

Now, we expect to hear from Peter Magyar later today, but we had this speech from him yesterday. He walked up onto a stage through the crowd to the sound of Frank Sinatra's "My Way", and then delivered the speech, really congratulating the people, thanking the 3.3 million Hungarians who voted for his party at Tisza, handing them that two- thirds majority in parliament.

And he said that this had been a victory for Hungary, not just a small one, but a very large one. And really, the enthusiasm that we heard here yesterday really reflected that. And one of the interesting things over the course of the last week has been following this, trying to get to people to speak to us in Hungarian or in English these last few days about Viktor Orban and his government and the election.

A lot of people very reticent, really giving you the impression that they did feel they were living under a sort of an authoritarian regime rather than a democracy.

Last night, that changed very suddenly, and they could not tell us enough of their joy, their feelings, their enthusiasm, their hope for the future, and the fact that many of them believe that this is nothing short of a revolution, certainly from their -- the point of view of their young lives, the change that this signals in Hungarian politics is seismic.

Then there is the reaction of the rest of the world, European leaders really lining up very quickly to congratulate Peter Magyar, hoping that this is a signal that Hungary will return to the European fold, which would transform Europe's ability to do things like help Ukraine vote against Russian interests, vote for its own. But then, of course, the big question how the American administration

reacts very little so far in the way of concrete reaction. The question is for MAGA, what this represents. This was, after all, the cradle of so much of MAGA's ideology and its plans for the second President Trump term.

What does this signal? What does it tell us about what happens when a regime or a liberal democracy has been created, when so much power has been concentrated in the hands of the executive? What happens when that changes? And we hope to hear more about Peter Magyar's plans a little later today.

ABEL: Melissa Bell in the middle of it all for us in Budapest. Melissa, thank you. Coming up, Eric Swalwell says he will no longer run for governor of California after allegations of sexual misconduct, but several of his fellow Democrats in Congress are demanding more. That's ahead.

Plus, we'll bring you the latest developments on our top story as the U.S. gears up to blockade ships from Iranian ports in the coming hours. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:10:00]

ABEL: Pope Leo has just arrived in Algeria. He is the first pontiff to ever visit the Muslim majority nation. It is his first stop in a ten-day tour of African nations. He'll also stop in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Now, this trip comes as the first American pope is increasingly speaking out against the current conflict in the Middle East, and American President Donald Trump is taking umbrage with that, hitting back against the leader of the world's Roman Catholics this weekend.

In a social media post, Trump said Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. Later, he told reporters, he's not a big fan of the pontiff. The Vatican then issued its first response to Trump's criticism. The post on X, it reads, "Trump does not argue with Leo. He implores him to return to a language he can control.

But the pope speaks another language, one that cannot be reduced to the grammar of force, security or national interests." It adds, "in this sense, the attack is a declaration of impotence". And just moments ago, the pope on the papal plane also saying, "I will not enter into debate.

The things I say are not meant as attacks on anyone." He also added, he has no fear of the Trump administration. We turn now to Democratic U.S. House Representative Eric Swalwell, who has withdrawn from the California governor's race as he faces numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.

Now, lawmakers, including many Democrats, are urging him to resign from Congress or face expulsion. This comes days after CNN and the "San Francisco Chronicle" published separate reports in which women accused him of sexual misconduct, including rape in one case.

[05:15:00]

In his announcement on X, he apologized for, quote, "mistakes in judgment I've made in my past." He also said, "I will fight the serious false allegations that have been made, but that's my fight, not a campaign's." To discuss this more is Natasha Lindstaedt; Professor of Government at the University of Essex joining me from Denver, Colorado.

Natasha, thank you for being with us. The allegations certainly disturbing, and CNN has been able to corroborate much of the story details from multiple women. So, Swalwell has now ended his campaign for governor. But given the details and the pressure, how can he hold on to his congressional seat until his term is over?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I mean, that's a really good question. He's already been pressured by Democrats like Katie Porter to step down, that he no longer should be serving.

So, he's probably going to face increasing pressure from other Democrats to do so. And he claims that he is not responsible for this, that there were misunderstandings and that he is going to fight this. So, given that that's the case, that's probably what he's going to do and not step down immediately.

But there may be more of a groundswell as more of these allegations come to light, to pressure him to step down. And we've seen other Democrats in the past when they've been accused of these types of allegations, they have stepped down amid this type of pressure.

ABEL: And, Natasha, I'm curious to know what in your estimation, you believe this says about the Democratic Party at this moment when they're trying to regain footing, trying to create momentum for the midterms? Was there a vetting failure here by the party, and where does this leave it?

LINDSTAEDT: So, I think there's been vetting failures by both parties. But this definitely puts the Democrats in a huge mess in the state of California, where, you know, you would probably have two- thirds of the state, would probably vote for a Democrat.

And they're in a situation now that could be really dangerous because the top two vote-getters of the primary doesn't matter if it's a Democrat or Republican. It could be both Republicans. In this case, if it were held today, that's basically what would happen.

It would be two Republican candidates that would be going against each other. And that would mean that there would be a Republican governor of California. And of course, the governor has a lot of power. We've seen the current or outgoing Governor, Gavin Newsom, exercised that power through redistricting efforts to counter the redistricting efforts in Texas and so on.

And so, for Californians, this would be -- or California Democrats, this would be really catastrophic, something that they should have, at least for -- had more foresight about and tried to vet candidates a little bit better.

Swalwell was clearly the leading Democratic candidate, but they failed to look into his background deeply enough, and to understand what maybe his vulnerabilities are and what his weaknesses are. This puts Gavin Newsom in a little bit of a pickle as well as he doesn't want to endorse a candidate as of yet, because he has his eyes on presidential ambitions.

And if he endorses a candidate that loses, that doesn't look good, but he's going to look even worse if California ends up with two Republican candidates vying for that position.

ABEL: And I guess maybe it's looking better that he didn't endorse Swalwell, given all that's happened now. There has been a really strong show of support for the former staffer who alleges Swalwell sexually assaulted her.

The letters from senior staff, for example, in his congressional office and now suspended campaign, but also those 50 former staffers of his that are calling on his resignation. There's also the investigation opened by the Manhattan D.A. now.

So, what do you believe was the tipping point for him to step out of this race, and where does all this go next?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, it's hard for me to identify what the actual tipping point was. You started to see top Democrats calling for him to resign, to step down. Adam Schiff, one of the top Democrats from California, had called for him to step down out of the race or he withdrew his endorsement.

And he had originally endorsed Swalwell. So, that might have been an important tipping point. But, you know, as more of these allegations have surfaced, as more information has come to light, that makes it very difficult for him to have stayed in the race, particularly when it's a race that has so many different candidates.

It's a very complicated race where it wasn't as if he had loads and loads of support, but he was the top Democrat, and so, there were a sea of other Democratic candidates that were vying for a place here. And without really a strong backing of Swalwell, he was going to put the Democrats in a really vulnerable situation if he had stayed in the race, and then was not able to get the top two votes.

[05:20:00]

ABEL: All right, Natasha Lindsteadt, appreciate your insights as always. Thank you.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

ABEL: Still to come for us, with a new blockade expected in the Strait of Hormuz, and still no U.S.-Iran peace deal, we will discuss with an expert if this fragile ceasefire will hold. Plus, an update on how global fuel markets are reacting to the looming U.S. blockade of the strategic waterway. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. is making a play for the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of what are these failed peace talks with Iran. In less than five hours, U.S. Central Command says it will begin enforcing President Trump's blockade on all traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports.

[05:25:00]

Now, President Trump also said the U.S. will prevent passage of any ship that has paid a toll to Tehran. Well, oil prices are on the rise again as global markets brace for the potential blockade in maritime traffic near the Strait of Hormuz.

Let's have a look here, both U.S. crude and Brent crude, the global benchmark of course remain high after climbing above a $100 a barrel on Sunday. Let's get you a closer look at this. CNN's Eleni Giokos joining us live from Dubai.

You've been monitoring exactly what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz and the waters around that. Just get us up to speed on the status of shipping as we understand it now in those waters, and what we can expect at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time today, which of course, is around 6 O'clock Abu Dhabi time.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, the big question is what happens? You know, how is the United States going to implement this Naval blockade? Is it going to be, firstly, with the assistance of gulf states and perhaps other allies like President Trump has alluded.

And importantly, what kind of military build-up would it require to blockade the Straits even further over and above what we've seen from the Iranian side. The shippers are saying that they face a twin dilemma now.

Do they negotiate directly with Tehran, which has been the status quo since the start of the war, Becky? And do they also need to negotiate directly and coordinate safe passage with Washington? That is what they're facing right now.

What's interesting is that over the weekend, we saw about 30 vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. We've also seen since the announcement of the blockade, some vessels turning around, worried about legal ramifications, and also what a Naval blockade from the U.S. side would ultimately mean.

President Trump said it is all or nothing. Either, all vessels can go in and come out, or absolutely no vessel. However, U.S. CENTCOM posting this on X, and saying that it's only going to be looking at vessels that come from Iranian ports and that transit through Iranian territorial waters.

So, perhaps just putting in a little bit more of a narrow focus on what that could ultimately mean. Interestingly, President Trump says that any vessels, any shippers that have already paid that toll fee to Iran could be indicted.

Now, speaking to some experts, they say, you know what if the United States decides to seize one of the vessels that perhaps is linked to China, what kind of political fallout could we see? But again, it's implementation.

The other thing we're going to be looking at very closely is how Iran is going to respond. There is concern that there's going to be some kind of maritime confrontation here with this blockade. Of course, Iran digging in its heels and saying that they have de facto control right now, that safe passage can only be approved by them, which, of course, was also the case since the start of the ceasefire.

And then also, the countries that have been friendly to Iran have been able to secure safe passage, and its Pakistan-flagged vessels, its Indian-flagged vessels as well as others. Perhaps, they didn't pay a toll fee, but how those countries are going to respond at a time where we're seeing countries reeling from fuel shortages, Becky, as well as price increases.

As you say, Brent and WTI really increasing dramatically there. And Iran also coming out with a new threat that if this Naval blockade does go ahead, that they're going to be using their proxies, the Houthis, for example, to block Bab al-Mandab, which is of course, another critical choke-point that leads into the Red Sea.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Eleni's got you up to speed on what is going on there, what we might expect. Joining us now from Berlin is Hamidreza Azizi; he's a Visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

I want to start Hamidreza, if we can, on the Strait. CENTCOM clarifying what the U.S. President first announced, posting the blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports.

CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Look, firstly, it's not clear how this blockade will actually work, but on the face of it, what's your assessment of its significance and likely consequences?

HAMIDREZA AZIZI, VISITING FELLOW, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL & SECURITY AFFAIRS: Well, what we are seeing right now is, on one hand, Iran trying to create new realities on the ground and formalizing its control over the Strait of Hormuz, something that it has been implementing actually, since the start of the war.

And the United States, of course, trying not to allow Iran to do that, especially given how much of a leverage it has become for Iran, especially in the negotiations.