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Isa Soares Tonight
Iran Announces The Reopening Of The Strait Of Hormuz, Although U.S. Naval Blockade Still Remains; Sources Tell CNN, The Trump Administration Is Thinking About Unfreezing $20 Billion In Iranian Assets As Part Of Negotiations with Iran; U.K. Prime Minister Faces New Pressure To Resign Over Peter Mandelson; Oil Prices Drop, Stocks Surge On Hormuz Strait Announcement; Journalist Detained In Kuwait After Posting U.S. Jet Crash Video; Rescuers Work To Save Whale Stranded Off German Island; Hunters Try "Clean Boot" Chase As Trail Hunts To Be Banned. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 17, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we begin in the Strait of Hormuz; that narrow
chokepoint that carries a fifth of the world's oil. Iran says the Strait is now fully open, a move that has already sent oil prices tumbling and
markets surging.
We'll bring you that in just a moment. There are fears this hour though that any relief could be short-lived. Let me bring you up to speed with
what has been a very fluid story. Iran's Foreign Minister has declared in the last few hours that the Strait is open to all commercial vessels, while
the ceasefire is in place.
In an absolute flurry of social media posts this morning, U.S. President Donald Trump thanked Iran, but said the U.S. Naval blockade of Iranian
ships will remain in effect until a deal between the two countries is, as you can see there, 100 percent complete.
In a response, Iranian state media report Tehran would consider that a ceasefire violation, and would once again close the Strait. Meantime,
sources tell CNN, the Trump administration is thinking about unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets as part of the negotiations with Iran.
So, plenty for us to talk about this hour. Lots of fluid lines, breaking news lines. Our Nic Robertson is in Islamabad, I'm thinking Nic is there.
And Betsy Klein joins us from Las Vegas, that's where President Trump currently is. Nic, I'm hoping you can hear me there.
Probably busy just contacting some of your sources. But let me first get a sense of what is happening, because Iran saying the Strait of Hormuz is now
fully open, the U.S. saying the Naval blockade remains in place.
And just before coming on air, I saw that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards are now laying out conditions as part of the Strait of Hormuz being
open. Just break it all down for us. What is your understanding of how -- really how open it is?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So, there is pushback in Iran over what the Foreign Minister has announced. And there are two
versions of that pushback. There's one that gives clarification to that statement that the Strait of Hormuz is open.
It's open to commercial traffic. It's open to commercial, not military traffic as long as they use the pre-agreed Iranian navigation channels. And
that appears to imply those on the north of the Strait of Hormuz, close to the border with Iran.
So, there's some conditionality on it. But the other part of the pushback is coming. We're hearing it through state media, quoting Iranian officials.
And that pushback is coming because of President Trump's reaction, because President Trump said, I'm going to keep the U.S. Naval blockade in place.
So, what Iranian officials are being reported as saying through Iranian media is that, that Naval blockade by the United States is considered by
Iran as a violation of the ceasefire, and that they would take appropriate steps.
So, Iran is signaling here that it is very unhappy with President Trump's response. And it also appears, through other things, we're hearing that
they are unhappy with some other parts of President Trump's Truth Social announcements, specifically, it appears to be questions emerging around
President Trump's claims that Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear enrichment program.
That it has agreed also to give over what he calls its nuclear dust, the highly enriched uranium. So, there are questions emerging around there. So
-- but I do think there are a couple of key things here that we can hold on to. One is that, for more -- well, into three days now, there's been a top
Pakistan mediation team inside of Tehran, having talks.
And at a certain level, those talks have been successful because they appeared to get the ceasefire in Lebanon. They appeared to get the Strait
of Hormuz open. They may have done other things. We don't know the details, but the nuclear issue seems to be a sticking issue.
That said, another key point we can hold on to here is that, while he's been at a diplomatic conference in Turkey, Pakistan's Foreign Minister has
said that they are -- they are committed to a complete ceasefire. But the real pillar that he gives us to hold on to at the moment is Pakistan's
Foreign Minister, says 80 percent of the deal is complete.
That means 20 percent is remaining. But I think we can all understand that, that 20 percent is the most testy --
SOARES: Yes --
[14:05:00]
ROBERTSON: And most difficult, and it is around the enrichment of uranium. But we can also take away that President Trump's public comments about the
diplomacy that's been happening are also rankling Tehran --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: And that won't make this process easier. Those are the signals.
SOARES: Stay with us. I do want to talk in just a moment about that 20 percent and the diplomacy side of it. But let me just go to Betsy, Nic,
because Betsy, as Nic was alluding to there. We have seen a flurry of social media posts by the President earlier this morning.
We also are hearing from sources telling us that the Trump administration is considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets. That's $20 billion
for a regime the U.S. administration wants to see gone. So, what more can you tell us about this?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. I mean, obviously, all of this is incredibly fluid. And there is all of that
uncertainty that Nic has just so well laid out. But clearly, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a very welcome development for President Trump,
who is here in Las Vegas to make an economic pitch, and has really been posting through it more than a dozen times today.
The President has said that the blockade, the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain in full force until the deal is complete. Obviously,
Iran pushing back on that, saying that it is a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
But we have seen the President use his social media channels to apply pressure in different ways. So, we'll see -- have to see how that bears
out. But White House officials, for now, feeling very optimistic about the progress that is being made, playing out in real time.
Here we are learning, according to our colleagues, Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak, that the U.S. is considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian
assets as part of these negotiations.
Of course, we should note that the idea of Iran potentially benefiting financially, even if, as the President says, no money is exchanged, is sure
to become a point of criticism for President Trump, who has previously criticized similar moves under the Biden and Obama administrations.
But officials are hoping that a broader deal to end this war could happen as soon as this weekend. They are very closely tracking the status of those
talks with Iranian and Pakistani officials happening right now. And the President has also been working the phones today.
He told "Bloomberg News" that the talks will likely be this weekend. He says that most of the main points are being finalized now. He also told
"Axios" that he thinks there will be a deal in the next day or two. But there are still some major sticking points here.
One of them is for how long Iran will agree to suspend its uranium enrichment. The second is the retrieval of Iran's nuclear materials. This
is something President Trump has referred to as nuclear dust. But all of this comes after the President yesterday announced that ten-day ceasefire
between Israel and Lebanon, setting the stage for these quickly developing developments here.
And oil prices dropping the U.S. stock market is up, all of that as President Trump is trying to refocus attention to the economy despite very
high gas prices. Something that people I've talked to here in Las Vegas are feeling the crunch over.
SOARES: Yes, and that ceasefire expires, I believe, next Tuesday. Stay with us, Betsy. Let me go back to Nic. Because Nic, you were alluding to this
earlier when we were talking about the social media posts the President has been putting out a flurry of them in very early hours of this morning.
It does look like diplomacy is now taking place very much in the public domain. I wonder from, you know, putting your diplomatic editor hat on
here, Nic, whether you think that makes it harder to get any sort of concessions.
Betsy alluding there to the biggest challenge, of course, that's the -- that's the nuclear aspect of this, of what he calls the nuclear dust. What
are you hearing on that front? Because the President put on social media, the USA will get all nuclear dust created by a great B-2 bombers. No money
will exchange hands in any way, shape or form. So, what are you hearing?
ROBERTSON: Yes, the difficulty with doing any level of diplomacy in the public domain is, it doesn't give any space for the other side to create
its own narrative for its domestic audience, or it makes it much harder. And that's, of course, what the Iranians want to do.
They want to be able to spin whatever they get here as a victory. And when they see and feel that President Trump is throwing gains that they've made
and good moves that they've made back in their face. You know, one of the things that we've heard from Iranian officials is, they need to be, they
need to feel respected.
They need to have their dignity held in place and in respect. So, I think part of it is that, but there's a -- there's another part of it here as
well. And that is that what President Trump is saying, and the way that he says it really doesn't give the negotiators at the table much leeway at
all.
[14:10:00]
So, there's a sense that it is -- that it is counterproductive. And on the one hand, he's making gains, but on the other hand, he's sort of forcing
backward steps. And it's really not clear if we're sort of bumping along or we're reaching those final -- bumping into the final hurdles that may not
be surmountable because of the trust.
And that trust thing is the -- is one of the key bits here. If we look at the persisting Iranian narrative of the talks they had before the war, they
said the U.S. kept moving the goal posts. That was their narrative after the talks last weekend, that the U.S. agreed something and moved the goal
posts.
And what President Trump is doing now is very much akin to what Iran has criticized them before, because they're pushing back on it, right? They're
essentially saying, you're moving the goal posts. Again, we thought we had a moment of trust, and now you're blowing it up in our face. So, this is
not a narrative conducive to bring in the Iranians along.
SOARES: It is not. Let's just see what the weekend brings. Nic Robertson for us, and Betsy Klein, thank you to you both. And as Betsy was mentioning
there, all prices have been plummeting as much as 10 percent, following, of course, that announcement from Iran that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
I want to bring you the prices and where they stand right now. Brent, crude -- well, look at that, 8 percent, almost 9 percent WTI, almost 9.5 percent.
Senior Iranian officials telling "Reuters" that all commercial vessels will be able to travel through the Strait, adding that transit through will be
through, quote, "designated safe lanes".
In a series of posts on social media, President Trump, as you can see, says Iran will remove sea mines, adding that it's -- quote, "agreed to never
close Strait -- the Strait of Hormuz again." I want to bring in CNN's Anna Cooban for more details.
And Anna, as you heard Nic saying there, there are, as we've heard from the Revolutionary Guards, there are conditions, of course, to how this is --
this is happening right now. But let's focus on oil prices because they have come down. But it's still way off. I mean, particularly Brent, pre-war
levels, right?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were at $73 a barrel --
SOARES: Right --
COOBAN: For Brent before the war. We're now at around 90. You know, this is -- this is good to see these falls for the price of energy. This is going
to be, you know, really a relief rally for stocks going up and for energy prices coming down.
And I will point to stocks as well. European stock markets in the green today as are the U.S. markets. I think they are surprise that U.S. markets
aren't moving any higher up around over 1 percent today. But they hit record figures earlier this week because they were baking this in.
SOARES: All right --
COOBAN: Equity markets were increasing over the past couple of weeks, because they were seeing the mood music and seeing the U.S. and Iran really
come to this sort of attempt at resolving this conflict.
SOARES: What are you hearing then? We've got the mood music, but it is very fragile at the moment, given what Nic was just laying out, what Betsy was
laying out, that, you know, President Trump putting out diplomacy, carrying out diplomacy and social media, that's not being very well received from
the Iranian side. What are you hearing from investors and from oil traders? Do they believe that this is it?
COOBAN: I think the proof will be in what actually happens on the ground. And again, we have -- you've mentioned it there. We have been in a position
before where there was a ceasefire. It fell apart. We now have another one.
And so, obviously, the proof will be in the pudding as it were. And even if this is it, and we are now to see ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz
in a very free-flowing way, as we did before the war within the next few days --
SOARES: Yes --
COOBAN: It's still going to take time to normalize. You know, it takes around 20 days to get a tanker from the gulf to China, for example --
SOARES: Wow --
COOBAN: And further --
SOARES: OK --
COOBAN: Afield than that. It takes longer, obviously. And then you've got all the infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt. You've got what the IEA
said today, which is that it will take about two years to get oil production from the gulf back up to where it was pre-war, because some of
these countries have turned off the taps because they had nowhere to store the oil that was coming out of the pump that they couldn't put on ships to
send out the Straits.
So, there are so many longer-term impacts to this. This is not something that can be unwound quickly, even if the ceasefire holds.
SOARES: Anna, thank you very much. And we will talk about the Strait of Hormuz as well as some of the shipping vessels and the implications for
insurance. In about what? Ten, 15 minutes with our Richard Quest. So, do stay tuned for that. Anna, thank you very much.
Well, just after President Trump declared that Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon because it's prohibited, Lebanese state media reported an Israeli
drone strike saying it killed one person in the south. Overall, though, the ten-day ceasefire announced yesterday does appear to be holding.
Some Lebanese are taking advantage of the pause to return to their homes, as you can see, or really what's left of their homes. After weeks of
Israeli military operations targeting Hezbollah. Hezbollah's political bloc has reaffirmed, quote, "a cautious commitment to the ceasefire", even while
criticizing what it calls the Lebanese government concessions to Israel.
I want to get more from our Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, who's been across this story from day one?
[14:15:00]
So, Jeremy, I mean, this ceasefire, of course, in Lebanon, you and I have spoken on multiple occasions about this, was one, of course, of the pre-
conditions, right, the Iranians had to open the Strait of Hormuz. Give us a sense of really the mood on the ground.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, today, we really got a sense of why this ceasefire in Lebanon was ultimately so critical. Why
President Trump put so much political capital, it seems, pushing the Israeli Prime Minister to ultimately agree to it, forcing his hand in some
ways.
And that was because we saw Iran today announce that it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz as a result of that ceasefire in Lebanon. The Iranians, as
well as the Pakistani mediators, had always insisted that a ceasefire in Lebanon was a core part of this broader ceasefire agreement between the
United States and Iran.
It's ultimately why they closed the Strait of Hormuz because they said that the United States had not abided by its commitment to get Israel to abide
by a ceasefire inside of Lebanon. And so, we saw today, the Strait of Hormuz reopening, according to Iranian officials as a result of this
ceasefire.
But also, the bigger picture here is that, it seems to be pushing forward the momentum that we are seeing towards a broader agreement between the
United States and Iran. One that President Trump is now indicating he believes could be a matter of days away from this agreement that could end
the war between the United States and Iran altogether, and reach some kind of a broader settlement as it relates to nuclear issues, as it relates to
the Strait of Hormuz, et cetera.
But there is still some shakiness, of course, here. And that is in the notion that President Trump is maintaining that Naval blockade against
ships leaving Iranian ports. The Iranians, through state media, have warned that, that could result in a closure once again of the Strait of Hormuz.
So, not everything is settled here. But as it relates to Lebanon, that ceasefire does appear to be holding. The Israeli military has warned
residents of southern Lebanon not to return to their homes as of now. And of course, there is still the issue of Israeli troops deeply embedded in
southern Lebanon, up to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, maintaining what they say is a security buffer zone.
And the presence of troops -- Israeli troops in Lebanon not expected to diminish any time soon. We'll see whether that holds up the broader
prospect of Israel, Lebanon, normalization of peace talks between these two countries.
President Trump, of course, has invited both the Israeli Prime Minister and the Lebanese President to the White House. But the Lebanese President once
again tonight insisting on the removal of the Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon. So, we'll see the extent to which that hinders
negotiations going forward. But again, that ceasefire largely holding as of now. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, and the Lebanese President saying direct negotiations with Israel are both critical and pivotal, which are a good sign. Let's see if
indeed it does hold. Jeremy, good to see you as always. Thank you. And still to come, tonight, there's new controversy over former British
ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, and it's putting the Prime Minister, well, back on the hot seat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Welcome back. Well, today's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz is opening came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President
Emmanuel Macron, as you can see there, co-hosted dozens of world leaders on the situation in the Strait.
Starmer says Britain and France have welcomed the development, but warn more needs to be done. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: We welcome the announcement that was made during our meeting, but we need to make sure that, that is
both lasting and a workable proposal. And if anything, it reinforces the need for the work that we've been doing this afternoon because we're very
clear that, the mission that we're putting together is a defensive mission, and that comes after a ceasefire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump took the moment really to slam NATO yet again on social media, as you can see, in a Truth Social
post, he told the alliance to, quote, "stay away from the Strait" and called it a paper tiger that was useless when needed.
Some of the criticism we've heard repeatedly from the President. Britain's Prime Minister is yet again facing pressure to resign as details emerge
that his former British ambassador to the U.S.; that's Peter Mandelson, had failed security vetting before his appointment as envoy.
Now, if you remember, Mandelson was dismissed from his role back in September over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein -- alleged
ties, they say to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, Starmer's political foes say it's unlikely the Prime Minister was unaware Mandelson had failed security
checks. The Prime Minister, though, denies this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARMER: That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering. That I wasn't told that he'd
failed security vetting, when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minister was
told, and I'm absolutely furious about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, plenty for us to talk about. I'm joined now by British political commentator, Rosa Prince; she's an opinion columnist for
"Bloomberg". Rosa, great to have you on the show. Plenty for us to talk about. Let me start first of all, because with what we just heard from the
Prime Minister, because this row over Peter Mandelson, he can't shake it off from the Prime Minister.
He's following him everywhere, right? Literally everywhere --
ROSA PRINCE, OPINION COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: Right --
SOARES: In Europe today. Talk us through -- take a step back for us, and talk us through about the recommendation and how and why Starmer says he
failed the vetting, why he wasn't told.
PRINCE: Yes, well, Peter Mandelson was always going to be a controversial - -
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: Appointment. So, you know, he had a lot of baggage. He'd been dismissed twice before from the U.K. government. He had this friendship
with Jeffrey Epstein. He also had some questionable business interests, relationships with China and Russia.
So, when it came to his vetting, it seems like red flags were shown. And actually, he was denied official clearance. However, he was greenlit
anyway. The Prime Minister says he doesn't know, and I think didn't know about that.
I think the best interpretation that we can put on that is that Starmer was so keen to get Peter Mandelson into Washington that he kind of let that be
known, and perhaps, the officials, kind of without him knowing, without being explicit about it, just pushed him through.
Which, as you know, then completely exploded in all their faces because Peter Mandelson was very prominent in the --
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: Jeffrey Epstein files and had to resign and disgraced.
SOARES: Was there ever -- do we know -- was the Prime Minister presented with the report that said that Peter Mandelson failed the vetting?
PRINCE: So, actually, in the last few minutes, Downing Street have just revealed the minutes of a meeting from Tuesday, and that was the first time
he heard about it. And the minutes say, oh, we've just discovered this. And the reason that it came about this week is because the conservative
opposition presented a motion through parliament, forcing the government to release all the files relating to Peter Mandelson.
And what seems to have happened is that in the process of going through these files, they have found the piece of paper effectively that said, big
red line, Peter Mandelson has not been cleared, has not got --
SOARES: No --
PRINCE: Official security vetting.
[14:25:00]
SOARES: It's clearer as a bet. I mean, heads will roll. You know, we have already seen people really losing their position over this. And speaking of
opposition, Badenoch(ph) said today, "he's taken the public for fools. He's incompetent and unfit to run the country."
I mean, even if he didn't know the questions that are being asked by not just Badenoch(ph), by others is, surely, you know, how much of a grip do
you have of your own government?
PRINCE: Yes, and that is true in two ways. One is in the first place, what on earth was going on?
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: Why wasn't he told that Peter Mandelson had failed this security check? But number two, since then, for the last six months or so, the Prime
Minister has gone out and repeatedly said to parliament and in press conferences, to the public and effectively misled us all about what he knew
and about what had happened with Peter Mandelson.
Had repeatedly said that Mandelson had passed these checks when he hadn't, and that really does show a lack of grip.
SOARES: Does this put him in a very precarious position? I know he's addressing parliament MPs on Monday. I mean, how is he going to frame this?
How is -- what does he have to say?
PRINCE: I don't know what he can say actually --
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: To kind of brush over this.
SOARES: Yes.
PRINCE: Now, the one thing that we come back to is not actually what he says, it's that, what's the next step? So, labor MPs have kind of been
unhappy with his leadership for a long time. They are the people who appointed him, they keep him in place.
And because they are divided about who they would like to replace him, they haven't really got a choice. They keep blocking the alternative, so nobody
mounts a challenge to Keir Starmer because they can't agree on a replacement for him. And I think that will actually keep him safe, even
though it's all a terrible mess.
SOARES: A terrible mess. In the meantime, you heard some of the comments from President Trump against NATO allies. We have seen President Trump
continuously attack Keir Starmer on his position, of course, for his position vis-a-vis Iran and some of the air bases.
Where does this leave the special relationship? If we can call a special relationship --
PRINCE: Yes --
SOARES: Anymore, given, of course, we have the king visiting the U.S.
PRINCE: Yes, not so special anymore. I mean, Donald Trump has been very clear about that, but actually so has Keir Starmer. He spent the first year
or so of Trump's presidency really trying to stay, you know, in with him really --
SOARES: To woo him --
(CROSSTALK)
PRINCE: Sort of wooing him, almost being --
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: A bit kind of toadying.
SOARES: Yes --
(LAUGHTER)
PRINCE: I mean, he seems to have decided that with Iran, that was a step too far. And I thought the summit today was so interesting because --
SOARES: Yes --
PRINCE: It was leaders like Keir Starmer, France's President Macron --
SOARES: Meloni as well, yes --
PRINCE: Meloni as well, all of them trying to kind of impose the rules- based order back on global politics, which Trump has completely blown up again, even while they are meeting by doing this big power stuff, big
footing their summit, and saying, you know what? I can just open the Strait of Hormuz.
I don't need NATO; I don't need any of you. So, yes, I mean, perhaps, the king can paper over some of these cracks, but I don't think they're going
to be friends with it in a hurry.
SOARES: Rosa, I really appreciate you coming in. Thank you very much indeed. Rosa was there. Well, counter-terror police are investigating an
incident near the Israeli Embassy in London. The force said an unnamed group claimed to have targeted the building with drones carrying dangerous
substances.
But authorities say the embassy has not been attacked. Police are examining items that have been found in the area and are trying to determine if they
are linked to the threat. Britain's Jewish community has been, as you know, on edge.
On Wednesday, a synagogue faced an attempted arson attack, and last month, Jewish community ambulance, we brought you that story, were set on fire.
And still to come right here on the show, all prices plunged, stocks are climbing.
Our Richard Quest joins me to talk about how the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and how that is playing out in the markets. What that means going
forward. And why is this journalist being held in Kuwait? Some say it's because of a video he posted about the Iran war.
We'll get the latest from a spokesperson with the "Free Ahmed" campaign in just a few minutes. Do stay right here with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:02]
SOARES: Welcome back everyone. As we to told you at the top of the show, we are tracking major developments, of course, in the Middle East this hour,
as Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz is, "Completely open." That announcement came via social media from the Iranian foreign minister, who
says commercial vessels can pass for the remainder of the cease fire, that seemingly refers to the 10-day truce in Lebanon.
President Trump has been reacting early this morning with a flurry of social media posts. He says the naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain
in place until a deal with Iran is a hundred percent complete. And you can see that in that post, something that should go very quickly, he adds.
He also claims Iran has agrees, agreed never to close the Strait again. Meanwhile, Iranian state media report Iran will close the Strait if the
U.S. naval blockade continues.
Well, let's give you a quick check of the oil prices. As you can see, we mentioned earlier, dramatically following Iran's announcement, and as you -
- we've showed you the top of the show, U.S. markets have all sure surging has had European. Richard Quest is here with more. Richard.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: Now, I want to show you these oil prices because they're instructive in their own right. Although it looks like it's quite a
sharp reduction, it's actually off its tops, because that was down 11 and 12 percent earlier. So, what you're seeing is a knee jerk reaction earlier
in the day, 10, 11, 12 percent but now it's starting to creep again.
SOARES: And that -- and that is still not a pre-war levels.
QUEST: Oh, no, no, no. Absolutely, we're still way behind. What we are seeing, of course, is over the last five days, the price has come back
quite considerably. And what that is a reflection of is that, basically, people think that this is going to be over relatively soon, and the worst
scenarios are not going to come to fruition.
But ultimately --
SOARES: It comes down to this.
QUEST: It absolutely does. The -- I'm going to do a bit of drawing here.
SOARES: Let's prepare yourself.
QUEST: Let's prepare yourself. OK, so we have, apparently, there's one cruise ship that may have gone round the Straits, but is not currently out,
but you've still got the U.S. that are blockading over here, and it's not entirely clear under what circumstances those ships that are already there.
Take a look at the live feed.
SOARES: And there is very -- it's a very, very busy live feeder we were seeing. If we bring that live feed up for you so you can have a see,
checking it just how congested the area is.
QUEST: 7,000 ships, they're still there. The point, I think that has to be emphasized, is that all the words that we are hearing most certainly are
driving the markets. But if these gains or losses are going to be sustained, then we've got to see evidence. Exactly.
SOARES: So, what do you -- if you're the likes of Maersk, you listen -- you listen -- you listen to what we heard from Iran. What do you do? Because
you've got the U.S. on this side, naval blockade. Do you -- do you go with it, or do you wait it out, Richard?
QUEST: If we go back to the mark, to the actual -- I'm here, if you are Maersk, and you have one of your dozens of ships up there, the only way
you're going to move them is if you are guaranteed that it is safe to do this particular maneuver. Can somebody say it is safe?
[14:35:15]
And at the moment, the risk from Iran is still too great because it's only promises. It's not actually delivery on those promises that it's safe.
And then, there's always the rogues. There's always the elements of -- so, Maersk has said we will only go through when it's safe. Hapag-Lloyd has
said we'll only go through when it's safe.
SOARES: But Iran said vessels can go through. What point is it safe if the U.S. is still here, who takes -- who takes that first step?
QUEST: Sure, that's the question. But you see, certainly, I can do a bit of drawing here again, can't I?
SOARES: So, the naval blockade, the U.S. blockade is here?
QUEST: Yes, now, those ships are going to board, they're going to stop, they're not going to blow up, all right. So, the U.S. is not blowing in the
business of blowing the ships up. They're just blockading in and out.
From up here, you're really talking about the terms and conditions that the Iranians are going to allow it to continue. The reality is that, if you
want to be honest about it, it's an -- it's an absolute mess where nobody really knows what is happening, and this price that we are seeing is about
as thin as Scotch Mist, and I promise you, the first -- everybody wants it to succeed.
SOARES: Of course.
QUEST: But the evidence is not that yet. The evidence is not yet there that it's actually going to.
SOARES: Right. So, more clarity from Iran on what that means, and actually from the United States, because we've had all these flurry of statements,
but actually very thin on detail.
QUEST: It's all about threats and promises. Threats and promises, threats and promises.
SOARES: So, do you think that once a deal, you have to wait for a deal?
QUEST: If a deal is done and is signed, say in Islamabad, let's say you'll get on, then this -- and this thing opens up, then the price falls back
down, we will see some medium-term economic impact inflation.
SOARES: But until then.
QUEST: Until then.
SOARES: Until then.
QUEST: It would be a -- would I put money on it? It would be a fool that will put money to say, this is over.
SOARES: And also for insurance companies, how do you insure something like this?
QUEST: Well, you don't.
SOARES: Do you? OK.
QUEST: Well, you do. It's very expensive. It's very expensive. It's exceptionally expensive. I probably think there isn't risk premium on this
at the moment, which is why the U.S. said it was going to arrange governmental insurance, which it never did for ships going through, because
at the end of the day, back to your question, even if I give you insurance, even if I get, you're not going to have your men and women on your ships
going through while it's like this.
SOARES: Richard, as always, thank you very much. Making Sense of it.
And still to come tonight, a journalist is detaining Kuwait just weeks after posting this video of U.S. fighter jet crash inside the country. Is
that the reason why he is being held and what happens next? We'll speak with someone from the Free Ahmed campaign next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:33]
SOARES: Welcome back to our coverage of the war in the Middle East. There has been growing concern for journalists who was allegedly detained in
Kuwait. Ahmed Shihab-Eldin posted this remarkable video of a U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashing west of Kuwait City six weeks ago, but his supporters
point out the images and videos he shared were ready in the public domain.
Now, the Kuwaiti American is apparently behind bars in Kuwait, and friends and allies of Shihab-Eldin are going public with his attainment, hoping, of
course, it will help with his release.
Joining us now is Ashish Prashar. He's a spokesperson for the Free Ahmed campaign and a former advisor to the Middle East peace envoy. Ashish,
welcome to the show. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us.
Just let me first start off with what you know at this hour about where he's being held, where Ahmed is being held, and how he's doing, and have
you had, or anyone had any communication with him at all?
ASHISH PRASHAR, SPOKESPERSON, FREE AHMED CAMPAIGN: Look, so he was detained, we believe, on March the 3rd, the day after the post that you
mentioned. Then, look, I want to clarify to people we don't even know if that's the reason that he has been detained. That was his last public post.
That was the post of a verified video that you people seen, many of us has seen. And he was very complimentary of the Kuwaiti people rescuing the
pilot, who was down, right?
So, he was detained on the third of March, and he hasn't -- he's had very infrequent contact with his legal representative, but we don't know his
conditions. We don't know -- he hasn't had any long form legal advice, and he's been there, been held without charge officially for six weeks now.
And look, this is obviously, you know, as you know, you've covered wider suppression of journalism and the ability to get messages out of the Gulf
in general right now, you know, I think the U.N., the UNHCR has commented on how there's been an increased repression of people's voices in the Gulf
region, and this also feels, to me and other people in this campaign an excuse to attack journalism in this moment, through a lot of now fake, you
know, anti-terror, anti-national security, spreading most false information laws.
And for me, with Ahmed's post and specifically, what's shocking is it's actually meant to shock us. It's meant to be us to -- it's meant to say
that we're afraid to tell the truth. And what is journalism if we're not trying to tell the truth and show what's actually happening?
And in this case, you know, what I -- like I said when we began -- when we began the conversation, he said something -- he showed something that had
already been shown by multiple global outlets.
So, I personally believe, a lot of person people believe that this is actually attack on journalism itself in the region.
SOARES: Yes, and journalism, of course, is not a crime, and we had just so, you know, Ashish, we have reached out to the Kuwaiti government, but we
have not have back -- heard back.
But I want to go back to something that you said. I mean, when he was arrested, was he given -- were family given or any lawyers given any
reasoning as to why he was arrested? What was the explanation that Kuwaiti government gave?
PRASHAR: So, no one's given any official reasons so far, we know from our sources CPJ and everyone's sources that it is being treated under the
spreading of false information, a threat to national security, which is in, you know, insanity at this level, that these things have required -- these
are being described in these terms that we use to describe people who have taken action against the state, you know, like who have committed terrorism
or anything else. And this is nowhere near what the crimes or accusations that he could -- that could be thrown at him in any way.
Look, they basically arbitrarily imprisoned a journalist, labeled his work, you know, endangering national security, which to me, is a great misstep.
Look, the State Department, for me, needs to demand an immediate release of him, and all, frankly, all media workers from their allies in the Gulf,
because the reality is, a lot of these Gulf nations will respond to the State Department. This isn't like us trying to get a journalist away from
Russia or another country that we do not have maybe good relations with.
Kuwait is effectively a partner in the region, like many of those Gulf states. If the State Department wants him out, they will get him out, and
the State Department can move rapidly right now to do this.
Now, the only other thing I would say is, I'm sure the Kuwaitis are saying, in their way, their pushback to them, think of all my experience dealing
with them, for the British government is, you know, they're trying to control their narrative, right? That's going to be the -- that will be
their natural response.
[14:45:11]
So, that also undermines their argument that it could be a national security threat here. And what we need to do in the community, the wider
community in the diplomatic sphere, but also journalism, sound the alarm bell here. Because what this is showing is none of us safe in the region
who are covering who are in the media.
And you know, we've also, as the CPJ have said, had the last couple of years, the most violent repression against journalism, the most murders of
journalism, the most assassinations of journalism. There's the arrest of journalism that we've ever experienced in the history of the field.
And this is only another slap in the face of the fourth estate, frankly, and we do everything we can to get him out safely, to show that we care
about the power of storytelling, free speech and the industry that actually informs the public about what's really going on.
SOARES: And Ashish, I mean, you mentioned the State Department there. Do you -- do you know whether the U.S. administration, whether the State
Department has been in contact that, whether they trying to get him released? And do you know whether the U.S. -- the family wants to hear the
U.S. say very clearly and loudly that he's been wrongfully detained?
PRASHAR: Look, my sources in the State Department, through my contacts in British government have already said that they've made contact with the
Kuwaitis. Now, I do know that the U.S. is considering putting him on the wrongfully detained list, and that would -- that would escalate this
dramatically for the Kuwaitis, who would have to probably release him immediately at that point, being that they are a partner, a vassal of the
United States in that region.
Now, for me, we would like that to happen today, like the State Department has no reason not to make that request, because he is wrongfully detained,
like I said, he was visiting family. Happened to be there when, you know, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, and Iran responded. He posted something
was already publicly available. There's no reason beyond the fact that they're trying to put fear into people locally about reporting the truth.
The reason you detain someone like Ahmed, you say to people, remember, this is an award winning, international recognized journalist who worked for
CNN, the BBC, NBC and MSNBC. He's won awards in Britain for amnesty. He's done documentaries that won awards.
If you're imprisoning him, you're saying to local reporters, look what we can do. And that's the power of what they can do to their local population.
(INAUDIBLE).
SOARES: Yes. And like you said, a lot of what he's posted was already in the public domain, right, including with CNN.
We will continue Ashish to press the Kuwaiti government. We will continue to talk about Ahmed, like I said, journalism is not a crown Ashish. Thank
you very much indeed.
We are going to take a short break. Do stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:23]
SOARES: Well, an urgent rescue effort is once again underway in Germany, a whale nicknamed Timmy is stuck off a polar island in the Baltic Sea. He has
been stuck in shallow waters in the area since early March. He was briefly freed last month, but did not swim in the correct direction for deeper
water. Sebastian Shukla has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Out in the bay behind me is Timmy the humpback whale, who's captured the attention of an entire region, if not an
entire nation.
Timmy, as he's been nicknamed by the locals, has been stranded along various points along the German coastline for weeks now. His latest spot
here off the island of Poole is the latest and what hopefully, conservationists hope will be the final beaching place before being
released back into the northern Atlantic and the wild.
The operation, though, is incredibly elaborate and complicated, being led by this group of private conservationists who, throughout the course of the
day, have been trying to insert a sheet underneath Timmy, as well as an inflatable device, almost like a pair of arm bands, and then tug boats will
hopefully take him through the Baltic Sea, up around the tip of Denmark, through the North Sea, and finally deposit him back into the North
Atlantic.
An operation that could take weeks. The crucial day, though is tomorrow, where hopefully the culmination of their efforts in what has been a weeks
long saga to free Timmy will be ended, and that has captured the hearts and minds of so many. The local papers here have been covering his every move.
There have even been live streams of Timmy beamed around the world, and obviously tomorrow, everybody will be hoping for a free Timmy.
Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Poole, Northern Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Yes, indeed, we're waiting for a free Timmy.
Well, the British tradition of hunting with hounds has undergone significant changes in recent years. 20 years ago, England and Wales banned
hunting most wild animals with dogs. This year, the government set to ban trail hunting, participants have already found a replacement, as Christina
from McLaren -- MacFarlane found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS (voice-over): The great British hunt, known for its pageantry, aristocracy.
MACFARLANE: So, the stereotype that this is an elitist sport is.
LYDIA FREEMAN, SENIOR FIELD MASTER, HAMILTON BLOODHOUNDS: It's not true.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): And controversy, too. For centuries, pack dogs have chased and killed foxes and other wild animals. But since that was
banned decades ago, hunts have needed another prey.
MACFARLANE: I'm here in the Suffolk countryside, where I'm about to be chased by a pack of horses and hounds in something called a clean boot
hunt.
Now, traditionally, this hunt would have chased an animal scent like foxes, but now it's humans or runners. And today, that means me. And I'm a little
bit nervous.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): James Chadwick is the master and huntsman of the Hamilton Bloodhounds. He's been rearing these bloodhounds from birth to
track human scent.
MACFARLANE: Am I going to get torn to pieces?
JAMES CHADWICK, MASTER/HUNTSMAN, HAMILTON BLOODHOUNDS: Not at all. You might get licked to death, but far from that. You'll find out in a minute.
They're so friendly. They love people.
Watch your head.
MACFARLANE: Oh, my God.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): We enter a tiny cage so the dogs can sniff our scent.
MACFARLANE: Not on my mouth. Thank you.
Do you know all their names?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's Sunday.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): With our dignity just about intact --
(DOGS BARKING)
MACFARLANE (voice-over): -- we're given a 15-minute head start as the riders assemble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Fudge, just behave yourself.
FREEMAN: As you know, I'm your field master. Please stay behind me.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): And then the hunt begins.
(TRUMPET)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand still.
MACFARLANE: There goes the horn.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): If hunting is to continue in the U.K., this could soon be the only way to do it, with the government proposing a ban on all
forms of hunting involving animal scent in England and Wales.
Dogs have been used to track foxes and other wild animals in Britain since the 16th Century. It only became popular as a sport a century later.
After animal hunting was banned in 2004, hunts were permitted to chase a pre-made scent without any killing, but some think that's been used as a
smokescreen to continue illegal hunting.
Which is why clean boot hunting is taking off.
MACFARLANE: I can hear them.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): As the runners make good progress, excitement is mounting at the back of the pack.
[14:55:05]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Fudge, just be sensible.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): On this occasion, we finished the trail before being caught and lie in wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here they come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good old boys, good old girl.
Well done.
MACFARLANE: It's strangely exhilarating. A lot more fun than a park run.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): There's a round of port for everyone who completes the course.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheers!
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Including the runners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good boy, Fudgie.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): And time for a catch up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People think you're crazy, but it's -- It's -- I love it. I love it. And to keep it going is -- it's necessary, because it keeps
the community together. Because you have all walks of life that come here.
MACFARLANE: What do you say to people who think this isn't a real hunt?
FREEMAN: I would say that this is the most brilliant compromise because no one gets hurt.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): And no one is more relief than me.
MACFARLANE: Thank God. It's only biscuits they want.
FREEMAN: Three cheers for the runners. Hip, hip, hooray. Hip, hip, hooray.
MACFARLANE: Thank you. We survived.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, Suffolk, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And our thanks to CMac for that report.
And that does it for us for tonight, do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW WITH MAX FOSTER" is up next. Have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
