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Sources: U.S. Military Developing New Plans To Target Iran's Capabilities In Strait Of Hormuz If Ceasefire Fails; Trump: "All The Time In The World" To Reach Iran Deal; Trump: Israel-Lebanon Truce Extended Three Weeks; U.S. Soldier Arrested For Allegedly Betting On Maduro Raid. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 24, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:29]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Danny Freeman in New York.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East headquarters here in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, where it is 1:00 in the afternoon.

We begin in Washington, where the U.S. military is making plans in case the ceasefire with Iran falls apart. Multiple sources now telling CNN that the Pentagon is working on ways to target Iran's capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz. They include potential strikes on smaller fast boats, mine laying vessels and other Iranian assets.

President Trump is talking about the prospects for a peace deal. He says he has all the time in the world to make that happen, and that he won't be rushed. But he expressed some skepticism over who is actually in charge in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're not doing well economically, financially. They're not doing any business because of the blockade. They want to make a deal. We have been speaking to them, but they don't even know who is leading the country. They're in turmoil.

I don't want to rush myself, you know, because every story say, oh, Trump is under time pressure. I'm not -- no, no. You know who's under time pressure? They are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Mm. Well, Iran's president and parliament speaker fired back on social media saying, "In Iran, there are no o radicals or moderates. We are all Iranian. And revolutionary. And with iron unity of the nation and government, with complete obedience to the supreme leader, we will make the aggressor criminal regret his actions."

Well, President Trump has announced a three-week extension meantime of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Diplomats from both countries met at the White House on Thursday. Israel's ambassador to the U.S. says the deal shows peace between Israel and Lebanon is not a pipe dream. Well, the talks at the White House didn't stop the two sides from trading fire. Hezbollah says it launched rockets towards northern Israel, and the Israeli military says it retaliated by striking Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

All right. Two big files here. The U.S. Iran file. And, of course, you know, a twin track, the Israel-Lebanon file.

Eleni Giokos with us this hour in Dubai, keeping a keen eye on what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz.

We begin, though, with Paula Hancocks, who is with me here in Abu Dhabi. Keeping a keen eye on what is being said in Washington and out of Tehran, and what we know about diplomacy, sort of at this point, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Becky, at the same time as you have President Trump saying, "Don't rush me, I have all the time in the world," we are also seeing a lot of messaging about the military moves that the U.S. is doing at the moment. We've just heard from or we heard on Thursday from the U.S. that a third aircraft carrier is now in the Middle East.

They also gave us numbers of the ships in the Middle East, which is fairly unusual. There was a U.S. official telling CNN 19 ships in the Middle East, seven ships in the Indian Ocean showing the extent of their presence here, and also the fact that they are developing these new plans in case the ceasefire doesn't work, according to officials.

Now, the fact that they're developing these plans to focus more on what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz, these small ships, these small speedboats that Iran is using at the moment is not a surprise. But the fact that they are telegraphing this to Iran is showing that they want to try and put more pressure on them.

ANDERSON: And from the Iranian perspective, the use of social media sort of, you know, to kind of ape what we would normally get from Donald Trump, what we expect on a daily basis this day these days from Donald Trump. Really, really interesting.

HANCOCKS: Yeah. It's definitely a -- you have a battle of narratives in any war. But in this particular one, we really have seen Iranian officials step up to the social media plate, if you like, and they are countering what were seeing from the U.S. president. Also, the White House narrative that they are fragmented. This is what the White House is saying at the moment. They're waiting for this unified response from Iran.

And we've heard from a joint statement from the president and from the parliament speaker, saying that Iran, there's no such thing as hardliners and moderates, which is what the White House is trying to push, saying that we're all Iranian and revolutionaries.

[05:05:10] So, they're really countering well on social media at this point.

ANDERSON: Israel, Lebanon talks a second round of talks at ambassadorial level. Of course, in Washington. Where do we stand here?

HANCOCKS: So, this is crucial because this obviously feeds into to what were seeing with U.S., Iran as well. There has been three weeks more of ceasefire agreed to. We know that it was an ambassador level meeting, but the U.S. president got involved as well. He's shown photos of him sitting with the meeting, trying to put his personal input into it to make sure that it actually happened.

We heard from the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. saying, peace is not a pipe dream. This could actually work between Israel and Lebanon. But we have heard from the U.S., the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, who sounded more cautious. I just want to play some sound for you here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The Lebanese government have no control of Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is sending rockets, trying to sabotage the ceasefire. And Israel, we have to retaliate every time we see a threat, we take action. And I think the main question is whether the Lebanese government is capable of enforcing a ceasefire or a peace agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And of course, at the same time as you have those talks, you still have the violence on the ground. You have Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel and then Israel firing against the rocket launchers. So, this is ongoing.

ANDERSON: Good to have you.

Thank you. All right, lets get to Eleni. She is in Dubai.

What are we seeing on the street?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, I mean, we actually saw so confused and just listening to you and Paula there gives you a sense of the enormous amount of uncertainty, Becky, since the start of the war, you know, the questions that were asking is, you know, how long this is going to last? When is it going to end? What happens with the Strait of Hormuz? And President Trump says there's no rush.

When I look at WTI and Brent crude, while the United States says they've got all the time in the world, the markets frankly do not. And you're already seeing so much pressure in Asia and other parts of the world. WTI, as well as Brent crude up around 1.5 percent. And the big question now becomes what happens with the pain threshold of Iran. It seems to be based on what happens with regards to the United States, you know, squeezing out the revenues that Iran would normally be making. But I just want to point to some data. And I remember when you and I

at the time, at the beginning of the war, we were looking at a daily basis in terms of what was happening in the streets and the massive drop and decline in traffic. Now we're looking at -- we're in the eighth week, Becky, and look at this drop. I mean, it is absolutely enormous. And this is from Lloyd's list.

And they were giving sort of numbers about what happened between the 13th of April, which was when the U.S. naval blockade was enforced until the 19th. And we saw 75 transits. What's interesting is there's been a relative surge in non-Iranian linked traffic. So, in other words, boats and vessels that are not linked to Iran accounted for 39 percent of the trade. That's up 19 percent from the week prior.

This includes MSC vessels as well as one U.S.-owned vessel. So, we're seeing some kind of incremental movement, and it basically shows that the U.S. naval blockade is changing the dynamics, as Iran is still trying to assert control by using these speedboats. And, of course, firing towards vessels and even allegedly seizing vessels in the strait.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Eleni. Thank you.

All right. Youve heard from Paula and Eleni. Let me get you live now to Dina Esfandiary, who is the Middle East geoeconomics lead at Bloomberg Economics, author of the books "Triple Axis" and "New Order in the Gulf". She joins us now from Geneva.

You and I will, I hope, in the weeks to come talk about a new order in the Gulf. I'm fascinated to get more of your thoughts on that. As we look at a long tail in all of this. But as we, focus on what is going on today, you've coauthored a piece in Bloomberg, Iran war and America's gamble on global economic shock, economic and political consequences will help determine the U.S. end game.

Can you just -- develop that for us based on the sort of tit for tat ship seizures that were seeing in the strait? What are the possible end games here? I think you laid out three.

DINA ESFANDIARY, MIDDLE EAST LEAD, BLOOMBERG ECONOMICS: I think there are several indicators for what might happen next. I think the one -- the -- that everyone is watching and that you've referred to really is the impact on the global economy. So, the worse it gets, the worse it pressures President Trump to find a way out of this conflict.

[05:10:02]

And I think this is kind of the tipping point that we're at today. There are other factors like domestic politics inside the United States, given that it's an election year, the price at the pump in the U.S. is also a big factor.

Domestic politics in Iran. Are they going to be under pressure to walk away from this conflict at some stage? And of course, both sides ability to continue waging this war -- and by that, I mean the weapons that they have. Is anybody running low? The key thing about this last indicator is that for Iran to wreak

havoc in the Strait of Hormuz, it really doesn't need much. As you laid out earlier, it needs some boats. It needs some guns, maybe some explosives. That's really all it takes to prevent shipping from getting through.

ANDERSON: Dina, as we consider oil prices spiking again, Brent back into double digits, we have to ask ourselves how long the global economy can sustain this conflict, potentially expanding and certainly sort of grinding on, perhaps at a lower intensity, but grinding on nevertheless.

Donald Trump, I mean, just occurred to me that we should remind our viewers in a, in a sort of briefing with, with the press or taking questions from the press yesterday, he said, look, I thought oil might go as high as 200. And he said, so what the numbers that we've got are sort of, you know, seem to be suggesting this is perfectly adequate.

I mean, the impact on the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh, many of these Asian economies, Europe, not least before we start talking about U.S. and gasoline prices, the impact is real and it's getting worse.

ESFANDIARY: Absolutely. But I think you've alluded to the key issue. The impact isn't felt equally across the globe. And if we continue at the current level that we're at, which is a low intensity, protracted conflict, which I really think is where we're headed, at least for the foreseeable future.

And if we end up in that scenario with oil prices hanging around where we are right now, around about $100 mark, then for some of the world, it's manageable. It's not ideal, but it doesn't mean global economic collapse. So, from the perspective of President Trump, that's better than what some were forecasting when they were talking about, as you said, oil at $200.

Now, he's not referring to the impact it's having on economies in Asia. Or, as you mentioned, Europe with the price of gas. He's really referring to the global economy and the U.S.'s ability to muddle through. And at $100 a barrel, I think they can do that.

ANDERSON: You've also been watching the violence we've seen in Lebanon. Technically, there is still a ceasefire and it's been extended. What do you expect to see happen next in that theater, and how likely do you see that as affecting the wider regional situation?

ESPANDIARY: Well, I think its welcome news that Lebanon and Israel have been able to extend their ceasefire and are talking. But there are some real hurdles to ensuring that the ceasefire is fully implemented and that it becomes a permanent, lasting peace. And the main hurdle, of course, is the disarming of Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government doesn't really have the means to do that unilaterally. It has to work with Hezbollah. But if Hezbollah refuses, then the Lebanese army is underfunded. It's underequipped. It cannot force Hezbollah to disarm, which means that it will continue to pose a problem to Israel and mean that this ceasefire really is just very fragile and very shaky. And naturally, that will then impact the course of the discussions between the us and Iran, because Iran has made it a key feature of its asks.

ANDERSON: Mm. Fascinating to observe what is going on around this region. Painful for so many, of course.

Dina, thank you very much indeed for joining us. Dina Esfandiary is in Geneva.

And a little later in the hour, I will speak with the former Italian foreign minister and former European Union high representative Federica Mogherini. You'll get her take on what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz and what role Europe might play in reopening that.

For more, let's get you back to Danny in New York.

FREEMAN: Thanks, Becky, very much.

All right. Moving to some news here. Domestically in the states. A large, slow moving tornado tore through Enid, Oklahoma. Take a look at this on your screen right here. Overturning vehicles and leaving behind widespread debris. Nearly a dozen people were reportedly injured. Heavy rain and gusty winds have been complicating search and rescue efforts, of course, as well. The tornado was part of a broader severe threat in the plains, where more than 15 tornadoes were reported across Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa on Thursday.

All right. Keeping with the weather theme here, extreme drought conditions have fueled dozens of fires across the state of Georgia. 36,000 acres have burned in the last 30 days. One fire in Brantley County intensified on Thursday due to shifting winds, and at least 87 homes have been destroyed.

Like this one right here. Now, the family of this home grabbed everything they could before evacuating back on Tuesday, just 30 minutes after leaving, they checked their surveillance cameras to find their home up in flames.

Meanwhile, in nearby Clinch County, a wildfire is still growing out of control. The blaze is close to the border with Florida, which is also expected to face above average fire activity for at least June.

All right, coming up in just a moment, a U.S. soldier is facing federal charges after allegedly placing a bet on Polymarket. We'll tell you what he's accused of wagering on after the break.

And later, we'll return, of course, to Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. For more on what sources are saying the U.S. military is planning. If the cease fire with Iran falls apart.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:34] FREEMAN: A U.S. special forces soldier involved in capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is now facing federal charges for allegedly betting on that top secret mission. The soldier is accused of misusing classified information after allegedly betting on Polymarket that Maduro would be out of power by January. Now, prosecutors say his long shot bet made him $400,000 in profit.

CNN's Kara Scannell explains how these prediction markets are coming under scrutiny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A major arrest tied to a suspicious $32,000 bet that paid out in January by a trader who used the name Burdensome Mix. The bet was a long shot that longtime Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be out by the end of January.

Shortly after it was placed, a covert U.S. military operation ensued, extracting Maduro.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump says the U.S. carried out large scale strikes on Venezuela overnight.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arriving in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is unprecedented. This is history in the making for Venezuela.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Law enforcement now alleging that the trader who made over $400,000 is U.S. Special Forces Soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, and that he was involved in the planning and execution of the Maduro raid. Van Dyke is alleged to have misused classified government information for personal gain.

And more bets and trades timed suspiciously around major news developments are in question.

Fifteen minutes before President Donald Trump posted on Tuesday that he would extend a ceasefire with Iran, traders placed a whopping $430 million bet that oil prices would drop. The trade is one of four massive bets that preceded major announcements in the U.S.-Iran conflict since late March, according to "Reuters", raising concerns about potential insider trading.

Last Friday, investors bet $760 million that oil prices would drop. Twenty minutes later, Iran's foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen. After the post, oil futures fell 11 percent.

And earlier this month, less than three hours before President Trump announced on truth social a U.S. ceasefire with Iran, traders had bet $950 million that oil prices would fall. That bet paid off as well. Oil futures fell 15 percent after the post.

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This is corruption. This is just astounding corruption.

SCANNELL (voice-over): These are not isolated incidents. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called out a $580 million bet, placed 15 minutes before Trump posted on Truth Social he would delay striking Iran's energy infrastructure. It was another winner. Oil futures plummeted 15 percent.

MURPHY: That kind of scale never happens on a Monday morning at 6:50. But it was happening for a reason, because people that were making those bets knew that a few minutes later, Donald Trump was about to post something on social media.

SCANNELL (voice-over): There are no obvious ties between the trades and White House officials, and a White House spokesman told CNN, "Any implication that administration officials are violating the law is, quote, 'baseless and irresponsible'."

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The key phrase that makes something insider trading under the law is if somebody is trading based on material, nonpublic information, the question is essentially, is this information that was known to the general public outside the halls of Congress, outside of the White House, outside of government itself.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Last month, the White House sent a memo to staff reminding them that, quote, "The misuse of nonpublic information by government employees for financial benefit is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCANNELL (on camera): President Donald Trump, reacting to the arrest, saying, "It seems unfortunately, that the whole world is a casino." He said, "I'm not happy with it."

Van Dyke is expected to make his first court appearance Friday morning.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

FREEMAN: Kara, thank you for that reporting.

Coming up in just a moment, short term relief comes to Cuba after Russian oil begins to provide power to the island. We'll tell you how Cubans in the --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREEMAN: As Cuba struggles with an ongoing energy crisis, Cubans living in the United States are still trying to help deliver much needed aid to the island.

CNN's Carolina Peguero talked with Cuban expats in Miami who sent supplies back home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Aiza opens her trunk packed with boxes and bags of goods. Everything inside has one destination, Cuba.

For Aiza, and many Cubans coming to this type of agency, is part of their routine in south Florida. They arrive, stand in line, sometimes for hours, and send off their shipments.

She claims to always include something essential for Cubans.

AIZA CRUZ, MIAMI RESIDENT (translated): The typical Cuban breakfast is coffee with milk. Any Cuban who doesn't get their coffee and milk hasn't had breakfast.

PEGUERO (voice-over): This isn't new. For decades, the Cuban diaspora.