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Isa Soares Tonight
President Trump Says His Options On Iran Are Either A Deal Or He'll Blast The Hell Out Of Them; Workers Around The World Demand For Higher Wages And Better Working Conditions On May Day; Trump: Not Satisfied With Iran's Latest Proposal; Iran War And Hormuz Shutdown Leave Sailors Immobilized; Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi Hospitalized; Most Powerful News Images From 2025 In New Exhibition; Italian Bank Turns Parmigiano Reggiano Into Capital. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 01, 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: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, President Trump says his options on Iran
are either a deal or to -- in his words, blast the hell out of them.
We'll have the latest on where peace negotiations stand. Then a demand for peace, higher wages and better working conditions in May Day rallies right
around the world. Plus, ahead of World Press Freedom Day, I take a look back at some of the defining images from the last year in a compelling new
exhibition right here in London.
That, and much more ahead this hour. But first, tonight, with the threat of war looming, U.S. President Donald Trump is casting doubt that the fresh
proposal from Iran will jumpstart negotiations and lead to a deal with the United States.
After a week, as you've seen here, full of taunts and threats between the two countries, Tehran has sent a new plan to the U.S. via Pakistani
mediators today. And its Foreign Minister has made a flurry of calls to his regional counterparts.
And that is according to Iran's state media. But President Trump appeared to be anything but optimistic when asked about the latest proposal from
Iran just a short time ago. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: There's tremendous discord. There's tremendous -- they're having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran. The leadership is
very disjointed. It's got two to three groups, maybe four, and it's a very disjointed leadership. And with that being said, they all want to make a
deal, but they're all messed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, meantime, the conflict has hit the 60-day mark. That's when under the U.S. constitution, the President is legally bound to ask for
congressional approval to continue military action. But President Trump continues to maintain, as he did today, that he doesn't need the OK from
Capitol Hill.
Let's get more then on all these threads for you. Our Nic Robertson has been tracking developments for us right from the beginning from Islamabad.
Our Kevin Liptak, as you can see there is at the White House.
Kevin -- Nic, pardon me. Let me just go to you first, because we're still not clear at this stage of what exactly is in this revised proposal, and
potentially, how far Iran has come, because I remember, President Trump, you and I discussing this, you know, saying that it had come -- they had
made some moves, but clearly, not fast enough. In the last hour, he said, you know, he's not satisfied. So, what are you hearing from your sources?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think one thing is clear. And that threat of the possibility of going to war was very much
hanging over whether Iran got their deal proposal handed over to the mediators today. They did.
So, that does seem to head off that. That's one thing we can say. We were given a briefing by a senior Iranian official earlier today, and it came
just before the Iranian proposal dropped. In retrospect, it very much looks like the briefing was -- is set up to give us an understanding of the
Iranian position.
Although, they weren't saying at that time whether or not they were actually going to put a deal forward. But on the point of view of how to
get into talks, the official speculated himself, how do we -- how do we move forward from here? He said.
And then he answered it for himself by saying, well, we -- the thing that opens the door to talks is a simultaneous decision by the United States and
Iran to both at the same time lift their blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
But then it immediately went on to question that, and said, well, who is going to guarantee if we do that or we move out of our positions, that the
U.S. Navy won't move into the Strait of Hormuz and take control over it.
So, what he said there was the way to get to talks is by this simultaneous lifting of the U.S. and Iranian blockades. He appeared to attach
conditionality to it. Is that what the Iranians have put forward? It seems that he was suggesting that.
[14:05:00]
On the -- on the issue of what are you going to negotiate on the nuclear issue? He wouldn't get into that. But he did say, we have the right to have
enrichment, as for civilian purposes, as do other countries around us.
And I think, you know, there's -- it's hard to know if all these things are coming sort of forward in this new proposal. But I think this gives us some
sense of the direction the Iranians -- the Iranians are going in, and what was communicated to us did not seem to potentially break the logjam that
President --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Trump had seen a few days ago.
SOARES: Yes, I'm not seeing an offer on here, and clearly, as you stated there, the mistrust is still very much there, Nic. Let me go to Kevin. So,
the question, I suppose, as we push ahead on this, Kevin, is, if the demands by the U.S. are not met, both on the enrich uranium or the nuclear
program as Nic talked about, or indeed any concessions, what does the U.S. do, and how may this be received by Americans?
ROBERTSON: Right, and I think that's a decision that President Trump is going to have to make, just given what the proposal actually seems to
contain, which is none of the red lines that he has spelled out, whether it's the nuclear program, the highly-enriched uranium, even questions about
some of the sanctions' relief.
He said today that they were asking for things that he just couldn't do, and said that his options here are pretty black and white. It's either make
a deal or blast them all to hell. What exactly that looks like, I'm not sure we understand completely.
Although, he was given an updated briefing last evening by the head of Central Command, Brad Cooper, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman, Dan Caine, suggesting that the option of restarting the war, beginning the bombing again is still very much on the table.
But I think, you know, and the President has made this pretty clear in public, but it's true in private as well. I don't think he has much of an
appetite for beginning the war again. You know, it's already stretched well past the six-week point at which he said it would be over.
It's unpopular among the American people, and I think he understands as well that if he begins bombing Iran again, that it would just invite
retaliation on the part of the Iranians on some of the gulf states, on American military installations, on energy infrastructure in the region.
It would just unleash a lot more chaos at a moment when I think it's clear he just wants the war to be over and wants to move on to other things. And
so, there aren't a lot of good options for him here.
What he does seem intent on doing, at least for now, is maintaining the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. He seems pretty confident that, that is
going to be a winner for him, that it's going to exert the leverage he needs on Iran to get them to a proposal that he can accept.
So far, that hasn't worked, and I think he is sort of butting up against the reality that the Iranians seem willing to and able to withstand a lot
of economic pain in a way that a Democratic President is sort of constricted by, you know, he has a populace to think about.
He has elections in November to think about. And so, this will be a very tough position for him to be in, that he has now found himself in 60 days
into the war. And it's not entirely clear how he expects to get out of it at this point.
SOARES: Yes, and on the politics side, I have seen a new poll, a "Washington Post", I think, "ABC" poll, news poll, Ipsos poll that says a
61 percent majority of Americans say that it was a mistake for the U.S. to use military force against Iran.
So, that speaks obviously to the political side of this as you were mentioning there, Kevin. Let me go to Nic, then for what I heard from him
is something we've heard from the President before, Nic.
And it's -- he was talking about this. What he said was tremendous discord in Iran. The leadership is disjointed. What is your sense? What are you
hearing on the Iranian side?
And speak to the point that also Kevin was making that, this pressure campaign and how effective it can be, of course, with the blockade on
Iranians. Do we have a sense of how they're doing economically?
ROBERTSON: Yes, we got into that with the official that we met with earlier. I asked specifically, what authority does the supreme leader have?
Mojtaba Khamenei. He said, this is the person who is absolutely in charge of the negotiations, the framework for negotiations.
And I said, well, what about all these different factions we hear about? Is he free to speak? Which faction has control over him? The answer I got was
he listens to all the different factions, takes the logical parts from what they say, and then moves forward with that.
So, I think that the perception that this official was trying to portray was one of yes, there are different groups, but they're not butting heads
with each other as much as President Trump is perhaps under the impression that they are.
And I think on the economic front, he said, look, the official said, look, we don't want to go to war. But if the United States starts a war on us, we
will. He said very few people live to be over 90. If we die, we die.
[14:10:00]
If we win, we're victorious, and there's a victory there. But if we die in this, that for us, with our culture going back to the Imam Hussein(ph) and
his martyrdom, 1,400 years ago in the sort of deep ethos of Shia Islam, of which, of course, majority of Iranians are.
That sacrifice is a good sacrifice. That's also victorious. And he also pointed to the fact that people are coming out on the streets of Tehran to
support the government. I think we can all see that there are other parts of that picture that the official didn't present.
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: But this is the face that they're trying to present to the world, and one would expect it's the same face they're going to present
inside of negotiations.
SOARES: Yes, some really good insight there, Nic. Our Nic Robertson for us in Islamabad, our Kevin Liptak in Washington. Thank you, gentlemen. Well,
this week, as you know, we've been reporting on it this week.
The Pentagon reported a $25 billion cost so far in the U.S. war against Iran. Sources tell us what was not included in that figure is the cost of
repairing extensive damage to U.S. bases in Middle East, which means the real cost could be closer to $40 billion or $50 billion.
So double, of course, what was estimated, what was said. A CNN investigation has revealed that Iranian strikes have damaged at least 16
sites. In other words, the majority of American positions in the region. Our Tamara Qiblawi has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER/WRITER (voice-over): Camp Buehring, Kuwait. American soldiers enjoying a karaoke night at one of the
biggest U.S. military hubs in the gulf. That was then, this is now. A once bustling American micro city in the desert, nearly empty and heavily-
damaged after a weeks' long barrage of Iranian missiles and drones.
One of many U.S. military facilities in the oil rich Arabian Peninsula targeted by Iran even as the U.S. and Israel pummeled the Islamic
Republic's large arsenal. So, what impact have Iran's strikes had on America's footprint in the Middle East?
A CNN investigation found evidence of unprecedented destruction. We can reveal that strikes damaged at least 16 U.S. installations across eight
countries. According to our analysis and sourcing, that's the majority of American military positions in the region, and some of them are virtually
unusable now.
A U.S. source familiar with the situation told us that they'd never seen anything like this at American bases, that these were rapid, targeted
strikes using advanced technology. Iran's main targets, multi-million- dollar aircraft like this Boeing E-3 Sentry, which gave the U.S. a huge amount of visibility over the gulf.
It's out of production. And in today's money, it's worth nearly half a billion dollars. Critical communications equipment. Look at these giant
golf balls, they're known as radomes, and they protect satellite dishes vital for data transmission.
In this base alone, Iran destroyed all but one of the radomes, less than a month into the war. And crucially, radar systems, highly sophisticated,
expensive, difficult to replace and critical to air defense.
A second U.S. source, this one a congressional aide familiar with damage assessments, described these as the most cost-effective of the targets.
"Our radar systems", they said, "are our most expensive and our most limited resource in the region."
(On camera): For U.S. allies in the region, there's a dilemma. In some ways, Iran's show of force makes the USS presence in the region even more
necessary to gulf security. But there's a new reality here, which is that U.S. military installations, previously seen as formidable fortresses, have
turned into sitting targets.
As a Saudi source told me, the war has shown Saudi Arabia, that's the U.S.' longest standing Arab ally, that the alliance with the U.S. cannot be
exclusive, and it is not, in their words, impregnable.
(Voice-over): To get a sense of just how vulnerable U.S. facilities have become, have a look at this. It's the war room at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase.
The theater command and control hub for U.S. air power across 21 nations struck not just once, but twice.
And according to a U.S. source, causing significant damage. The base had been largely evacuated at this point, and no casualties were reported.
Iran's visibility over its targets has never been clearer.
In 2024, according to the "Financial Times", Tehran secretly acquired a Chinese satellite known as the TEE-01B, a massive upgrade from its own
satellites. That means that Tehran went from looking at images of this quality to this.
This is the first time America has fought an adversary with satellites that capture high res. imagery, almost as detailed as its own. As the scale of
the damage comes into focus, many will wonder whether America's presence, once a protective shield in the Middle East, has turned into its Achilles
heel. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:15:00]
SOARES: Well, responding to CNN's finding, a Pentagon official said the Defense Department does not discuss damage assessments, but U.S. forces
remain fully operational with the same readiness and combat effectiveness.
CNN also understands from its sources that the vast majority of U.S. troops evacuated their positions in the Middle East, many -- with many working
from the relative safety of hotels and apartments across the Arabian Peninsula.
Well, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon are intensifying, threatening to shred what's left of an extended ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Lebanon's Health Ministry says six people in the town of Habbouch were killed today, including a woman and a child. Lebanese state media said
the strikes came less than an hour after Israel warned residents to evacuate.
Hezbollah is also keeping up its own attacks on Israeli targets, despite the ceasefire announced last month. Well, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut says
Lebanon is at a crossroads and faces what it calls a historic opportunity to reshape its future.
The embassy is urging Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Our Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem with
the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (on camera): Well, the U.S. is still trying to push forward a diplomatic track here, as difficult as that
is to see from where we're sitting now. And that's exactly because of the ongoing fighting between Israel and Iran's proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.
And we have seen continued strikes from the Israeli military going after Hezbollah and a rising civilian death toll as a result of those strikes, as
well as continued Hezbollah strikes. We saw, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, a strike in the Lebanese town in southern
Lebanon of Nabatiyya Al-Filaha killed two people and injured ten others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
It is in that district, the Nabatiyya district, that on Thursday, we saw Israeli strikes, according to the Ministry, kill at least 14 others in
total now over the course of the last two months. Israeli strikes, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, have killed nearly
2,600 people, and that number continues to rise as we see Israel, not only issue evacuation warnings, but also carry out more of these strikes.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has ramped up its drone attacks using not only the drones it has had, but also newer fiber optic drones that are incredibly
precise. One soldier killed and several others wounded in several Hezbollah drone strikes in southern Lebanon and northern Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says they intercepted a number of other drones on Friday as well, while others hit open areas. As I said, the U.S. is trying
to push forward diplomacy here, still, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in a post in social media, as it pushed for a meeting between the Israeli Prime
Minister and the Lebanese President.
That a direct meeting between President Aoun and Prime Minister Netanyahu, facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure
concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete
restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory guaranteed by the United States.
The problem is, it's not clear that Israel would fully withdraw based on a simple meeting landmark though that meeting would be. And it's not clear
that Hezbollah would abide by the ceasefire anyway.
So, it's very difficult to see a diplomatic track forward as we see that ceasefire getting more and more fragile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our Oren Liebermann reporting there. And still to come tonight, as the world marks May Day, for some activists, President Trump's policies
have become a rallying cry. We'll bring you the very latest next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, the war against Iran and rising energy costs are contributing themes in some protests Friday marking May Day, also called International
Workers Day. Pro-union activists are holding rallies in many parts of the world as you can see.
In the U.S., there are marches and boycotts planned against President Donald Trump as well as his policies among other economic issues. Our
Whitney Wild joins us now from Chicago. So, Whitney, give us a sense of what you are seeing. I can see significant crowd behind you.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are hundreds of people here. This is at Union Park, really in the heart of Chicago. And
while, as you point out, this is typically a day to raise awareness about worker conditions, worker wages.
This is typically a pro-Union Day. Today marks a bit of a shift because there are so many issues that are really coming together here. We've seen
Palestinian flags. We've seen people with signs that are very angry at President Trump.
We've heard from people who are here today because they're angry about what they're seeing from the administration. One man I spoke with said that
while these things look like they're not connected, minimum wage doesn't necessarily look like it's connected to the war in Iran.
These things are all connected. In his opinion, because he said, you know, it's really about concentrating power. And today is an opportunity for the
people to reclaim that power, to speak out, to speak truth to power, to make their voices heard.
And when -- I asked him, you know, what do you hope to accomplish today? What is the end goal? And he said, well, it's unlikely that, you know, the
people in the administration that they are very angry with, are going to see this protest or really care about what's being said.
It gives him hope that he sees other people who are feeling and thinking the same way that he is. And, you know, he said there's a real power in
that. I spoke with one man who is a doctor, who came out -- doctors are very busy. They are tired. He still came out to share his voice. Here's
what he told me about why he's here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN FRY, CHICAGO DOCTOR: I come out here because -- and I've been coming out to the demonstrations because it makes me feel hopeful. I mean, seeing
all these people, different organizations that maybe have slightly different takes on what they're trying to accomplish.
But you know, it's good to see people motivated and organizing. You know, this is -- this is the real kind of America. This isn't -- these people's
views don't align with what our government is doing. And so, yes, I'd say hopeful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: There's a long list of groups represented today. The Chicago Teachers Union, the SEIU, the list goes on and on. We've heard from speakers
earlier; this rally is set to kick off here. Well, it is really kicking off right at this very moment.
And then in about 45 minutes, they're going to march downtown, make their voices heard throughout the city. And then finally, Isa, I'll leave you
with this. This is a special day for Chicago in a special year.
But these protests, these May Day protests really originated here in Chicago 140 years ago, 1886, with the Haymarket affair was a time when
there were mass protests throughout the city. Those protests turned violent. And that is a moment that the city has not forgotten.
And so, this is a day for the city of Chicago, which again started these May Day protests that have now taken place across the country and all
around the world to reflect on that day that where lives were lost, and that has had ripple effects for simply generations, Isa.
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Whitney Wild for us there in Chicago. Thank you very much, Whitney. Well, May Day demonstrations also happening across Central and South
America. Cubans turned out at a rally in Havana.
You can see there, people marching towards the so-called anti-imperialist stage set up near the U.S. Embassy. Other May Day events are happening in
Colombia and El Salvador, as well as Mexico City. That's where we find our Valeria Leon.
So, Valeria, give us a sense, then, of what you've been hearing. What have people been telling you?
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, sir. Well, this is the biggest Labor Day protest in Mexico. Thousands of workers marched on Reforma Avenue,
which is the main street in Mexico City. And now, they are arriving here at the Zocalo, which is the main city center.
And there, they are calling for higher salaries and also changes to the pension system. And the -- part of this group is representing by the
Teachers Union. They are known for hardline demands, including 100 percent salary increase.
Last year, President Claudia Sheinbaum gave them a 10 percent raise, but they say that wasn't enough. And also, Mexico's government approved this
year the cut for the work-week, from 48 hours to 40 hours.
But that will be gradually through 2030. And many of the workers here that marched today told me that they want this change right away. The 40 hours
for the standard work week. Also, many have come from different parts of the country, even from abroad.
And Teachers Union leaders are saying that they are considering setting up a permanent camp here at El Zocalo, extending this protest for weeks,
possibly longer. And Isa, as the -- as the country prepares to host the World Cup, this could --
SOARES: Yes --
LEON: Become a much bigger problem for the government. As Mexico is setting up here, the FIFA fanfest to receive millions of visitors from around the
world. So, how far this protest could be is still unclear. But Teachers Union leaders are saying that today, on Labor Day, this is just the
beginning. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, well, interesting to see how Claudia Sheinbaum, of course, deals with this if it does go ahead and much longer. Valeria Leon there in
Mexico City, thank you very much, Valeria.
And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump weighs in on Iran's new proposal for negotiations. Why he says he's not satisfied. That's just
ahead. And we talk a lot about the vessels being stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
But after the break, we'll meet some of the crew members on those ships who can't go home. We'll have the details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:48]
SOARES: Back now to our top story this hour. Iran's foreign minister is working the phones today, speaking with diplomats right around the region
about efforts to end the war with U.S. and Israel. Iran is now offering, as you told at the top of the show, a revised proposal. But based on what U.S.
President Donald Trump said, it may be dead on arrival.
Mr. Trump says he's not satisfied with Iran's offer without giving details. He is casting doubt on whether Iran will ever come around to a negotiated
settlement.
So, let's get some perspective now from the Bilal Saab, the senior manager of TRENDS U.S. He was also a senior Pentagon advisor in Donald Trump's
first administration. Bilal, good to see you again my friend.
Let's -- there's so much for us to talk about. So, let's start first of all on this proposal. We don't have the details, right, of what's in this
proposal from Iran. What we do know when we've heard from President Trump in the last hour is that he's just not satisfied. What do you make then,
Bilal, of where we are right now, I mean, eight weeks -- eight a bit weeks now into this?
BILAL SAAB, SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRENDS U.S.: Yes, I'd love to see those details, Isa, because they might make a difference from what we heard
before from the Iranians. That said, put that aside, I doubt that they're going to be that significant, frankly, revisions from what we've seen
before.
I think the operating principle of the Iranians remains the same, which is that we open the strait, you lift the blockade, deal with that major
conundrum for now, and then kick the can down the road as far as the Iranian nuclear stuff. I'm not sure President Trump is happy with that,
which is why you're seeing him express that attitude.
He feels rightly or wrongly that the blockade is his most important leverage. He feels like it's working, so he's not willing to give it up.
SOARES: Yes, and this is something he said in the last hour or so. He clearly feels that this is effective. He'd also said about an hour or so
ago, Bilal, I'm not sure we're going to get a deal with Iran. And earlier this week, he rejected an Iranian proposal requesting to postpone talks
over its nuclear program, and then instead prioritize a label blockade.
On Wednesday, I'm not sure if you saw this, Axios was reporting that the U.S. still had some serious concerns over the nuclear program. Is it
realistic, you think, Bilal, to try to deal with these complex issues, certainly the nuclear aspect, in one swoop?
SAAB: Well, I mean, the Iranians are trying to basically, you know, create a separation between it too, just to make it a little bit more practical, a
little bit more realistic, but that's just not what the Trump administration is willing to do. Once again, they feel like their biggest
card to play, minus a military strike, because you've got to put that also into the equation. There might be a possibility, if not probability, even
the United States might entertain another massive military strike against the Iranians to force them to run to the negotiating table and make
concessions. But put that aside, I just feel like, especially with this deep conviction on the part of the president and his advisers, that the
blockade is actually causing some serious economic damage to the Iranians. Except that, you know, that assessment really doesn't apply to the
Iranians.
This is not about losing production capacity. This is much more about how they view economic pain and how they view economic loss, which is frankly
very different from any other, dare I say, normal country assessing economic pain. The way they see it is that as long as it doesn't
dramatically affect the survival of the regime, they can tolerate that pain. They can absorb that pain far better than us. And that is the
ultimate, frankly, assumption that they have, which are they operated on, is that they can absorb pain far better than us.
SOARES: I mean, we did hear from U.S. officials and U.S. intelligence that they seem to believe their economy could only survive, I think, for another
few weeks, which then, you know, I don't -- we don't have much more information than that. We don't have a clear sense of how effective this
has been. But I suppose viewers around the world will be asking, if we're not seeing an off-ramp here, diplomatic off-ramp at this moment, are we
looking then at a war of attrition? Or do you think this path of economic pressure can be effective in the long run? We all see the impact of this
globally, of course.
[14:35:14]
SAAB: Nobody with an objective point of view or with an objective mind can tell you that the Iranians are not suffering economically. But does that
lead us to the conclusion that they're actually now in a position to alter their decision-making process and to make concessions? Not at all. These
are two very different things, as a matter of fact.
So, they -- just like President Trump, I mean, the Iranian regime comes from a school to never yield to pressure, right? And so, you've got these
two heavyweight boxers who are just fatigued, don't want to return to war, by the way. I don't think either side wants to go to war. And they're
playing this game of chicken, and they're seeing who's going to blink first. But there's the assumption, the theory that we are causing economic
pain to the Iranians is solid. It's sound, but it's still a means to an end. And the end for us is for them to come to the negotiating table and
make serious concessions. We're not there yet. That the regime is not going to make that concession.
SOARES: So, I mean, you said who's going to blink first? I suppose at this point, do we have a sense who that is? I mean, we were reporting on top of
the show a new Ipsos poll that said that 61 percent of Americans didn't agree that the U.S. went into this war, striking Iran. Politically then how
does this -- you know, how does -- would this sit?
SAAB: I'll start with the words of the commander-in-chief. He said, I'm willing to go with this blockade for months. So, whether he's being
credible with that or not, I don't know, but he really strongly believes that this is working and that it might actually lead to the breakup of, you
know, some inflection point in the Iranian regime's calculations.
SOARES: While I have you here, Bilal, can I just get your take on what we are seeing in Lebanon? I won't call it a ceasefire. I won't even call it a
shaky ceasefire because every day this week, I've been reporting on both sides striking each other. What do you make where we are and any way, of
course, this is solved because this was part -- this was one of the main red lines from the Iranian side.
SAAB: Right. So, it's a ceasefire name only, and I agree with you that there's a lot of, you know, destruction is still happening going on,
attacks on both sides. It also gives license, frankly, enough time for the Israelis to continue what they're doing in the Southern Lebanon, which is
to expand, widen that security zone or that buffer zone, if you want to call it. And then the systematic destruction of towns and villages that
they feel like, as well as using for military purposes.
So, you know, ceasefire, you know, that would prevent attacks against Beirut, fine, OK, check the box on that one, but there's all sorts of other
connect activity going on that obviously very much, you know, undermines this spirit, the very meaning of a typical ceasefire, of course.
Where do we go from here? I mean, the latest proposal is pretty bold, but also unrealistic on the part of the Lebanese, which is that President Trump
wants to invite both the leaders, President Aoun, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come to Washington and shake hands, but the Lebanese
are not entertaining something like that. It is way too soon and it's premature.
SOARES: Yes, let's see how that unfolds. Bilal, always great to get your insight. Thank you very much, indeed.
SAAD: My pleasure.
SOARES: Bilal Y. Saad, thank you.
Well, for nearly two months, about 20,000 sailors have been stuck around the Strait of Hormuz. CNN's Isobel Yeung spoke with one ship's captain who
shared the fears his crew is facing. She also spoke to a family of an Indian sailor who was killed in an oil tanker last month. Here's her
report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISTIQUE ALAM, CAPTAIN, EMIRATI OIL TANKER: Ma'am, nobody is getting about seafarers. Ceasefire not for seafarers. Ceasefire for normal people.
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Strait of Hormuz has been pretty much shut down since the start of the Iran war, which means
that about 20,000 seafarers are currently stranded. We're about to call one captain who's stuck on one of these cargo ships.
ALAM: Nice to meet you too, ma'am.
YEUNG (voice-over): Captain Istique Alam is on an Emirati oil tanker just off the coast of Oman. He and his crew have been stuck there for over two
months, along with dozens of other ships.
ALAM: Everybody wants to go home. You know, at nighttime, I shut my own vessel light because we don't know what happens.
YEUNG: It must be difficult to sleep.
ALAM: Yes, of course, of course. I mean, you know, I am master, so I don't want to show I am scared.
YEUNG: But you are scared?
ALAM: I am human being, ma'am, you know what I am saying? I'm not a warrior. I'm a seafarer.
YEUNG: How close to the war have you been?
ALAM: I saw one of the fighter jets attack one drone.
YEUNG: It must be scary.
ALAM: Yes, a lot of people are scared, ma'am. Every day, every day, they are scared because we don't trust these stupid leaders.
YEUNG (voice-over): They have good reason to be scared. At least 10 sailors have been killed since the outbreak of war, according to the United
Nations. 24-year-old Dalip Singh was onboard an oil tanker when a missile hit the ship. A fellow sailor who managed to escape, contacted Dalip's
family to let them know he hadn't survived. We spoke with Dalip's cousin, Devendra.
[14:40:18]
YEUNG: There have been these very dramatic videos of the ship that your cousin was on, going up in flames after it was hit. That must have been
horrifying for you to see.
DEVENDRA, COUSIN OF KILLED SEAFARER (text): This was the first time I had ever seen such tragedy. I had never seen something like this before.
Because of that I felt a lot of sadness and there was hopelessness in my heart. Why did something like this happen to my brother?
YEUNG (voice-over): With the U.S. and Iran at a gridlock and no sign of the strait reopening, sailor are often forgotten in a geopolitical crisis that
they never saw coming.
YEUNG: I mean, obviously, you know, there's a ceasefire at the moment. We don't know whether the fighting will break out again or what will happen
with this war. Do you have a message for the world powers who are leading this war?
DEVENDRA: These Two countries are at war. But innocent civilian and people are becoming the target. It's not their fault.
YEUNG (voice-over): Isobel Yeung, CNN London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laurate Narges Mohammadi's Foundation says she's been transferred from prison to hospital after what's
describing as a catastrophic deterioration in her health. For weeks, Mohammadi's family and supporters have been pleading with Iran's regime to
allow her to receive urgent medical care. Those calls were ignored until today. She's been in poor health for months and in March suffered a
suspected heart attack. Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran.
And still to come tonight, a look behind the lens ahead of World Press Freedom this weekend. I went to a new exhibition in London that showcases
some of the most powerful photojournalism from the past 12 months. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, this Sunday is World Press Freedom Day. A celebration of independent journalism and the men and women who risk their lives to bring
us the stories that really need to be told. It's more important than ever this year after 2025 became the deadliest year for journalist since record
began with 129 killed mostly in Gaza.
Here in London, an exhibition by the Rory Peck Trust is showcasing some of the most powerful photojournalism from the past 12 months. Among them,
images captured by reporters in Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, and the U.S., and beyond. I met Trust Director Jon Williams just as exhibition was opening
and he agreed to show me around. Have a look.
[14:45:24]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR, RORY PECK TRUST: Of the 129 journalists who were killed last year, around 90 of them were in Gaza. And most of those they
were not journalists at the start of the war.
SOARES: That's right.
WILLIAMS: They have picked up the baton as others have fallen and continued to tell the story. And Mariam is a good example of that. Mariam was a
freelance despite working with A.P. She was a freelancer. It's just a tragedy that she's one of the more than 200 Palestinian journalists who've
been killed over these past two and a half years.
SOARES: And I think this is an important point to just bring to the viewers' attention that Rory Peek, like CNN, like BBC, like so many others
continue to this day to ask, to push, to press the Israeli government to let us into Gaza.
WILLIAMS: And not to -- because --
SOARES: Demean at all.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. But in order to relieve the pressure from the Palestinian journalists who for the past two and a half years amidst
everything else of trying to find shelter, trying to find food, worrying about their families, have continued to go to work.
SOARES: Yes.
WILLIAMS: And I said to you last time, I cannot believe that in the history of journalism, there has been a demonstration of such commitment to the
craft of journalism as we've seen in the last two and a half years.
SOARES: And this exhibition paints a picture of just the crises we are facing, the world is facing because right here, just as I turn to my right
and my left, U.S. immigration stories that have really been front and center in the news. We've got one here. Talk us through these two, Jon.
WILLIAMS: So, this I think is an extraordinary image which you see the office from ICE putting their hand through the window and the glass
shattering. And on the second one, from the Associated Press, we see federal agents. They had moments before gone into that house with a
battering ram. And the woman who lives in the house had come to the door outraged that her front door had been torn down and they then went and
arrested her husband.
SOARES: And I'm going to go back to this photo because you see a Mexican flag, but this is actually United States.
WILLIAMS: It's Los Angeles. Yes. Just the way the composition of this, it could almost be an oil painting. Just the way that the car is burning in
front of you through the smoke, you see the guy with the Mexican flag. This is the United States in 2025 as it was. It's extraordinary.
SOARES: What role, what responsibility these decades later, centuries later that the President of the United States have when we're talking about, you
know, democracy, values, journalists, who just last week of course continues to attack journalists.
WILLIAMS: Well, for decades --
SOARES: The responsibility of that, Jon.
WILLIAMS: For decades, the United States has been the defender of journalism of last resorts.
SOARES: Yes.
WILLIAMS: So, when journalists were detained in Egypt or elsewhere, it would be the United States that would work quietly behind the scenes to get
them out and to ensure that, you know, the First Amendment was respected. The tragedy now is that actually those days have gone. And actually not
only is the United States not lifting a finger to help journalists overseas, journalists of the United States are being arrested and detained.
Just look what's happened in Minnesota.
SOARES: When you and I spoke, was it two years ago? We spoke a lot about Ukraine.
WILLIAMS: We did.
SOARES: A war that has been forgotten, particularly forgotten by the United States. The conversations you've had, Jon, with journalists who have
covered Ukraine, how do you see this moment?
WILLIAMS: It shows that normal life goes on and it speaks to the resilience not just of the journalists, but of the population of Ukraine. It is a key
moment because unless we continue to support the Ukraine people and the journalists in Ukraine, then we won't know what's going on. And that's why
in terms of the title of the exhibition, Witness Truth and Trust, nowhere is that better defined in a sense than in Gaza and in Ukraine where we are
entirely reliant on people to be our own witness to bear witness and from that flows the truth and trust. And if we have no truth, we have no
freedom.
SOARES: When you look at all these images, all these photographs, what are the messages that photojournalists, the journalists are telling you? Is
there a unifying message?
WILLIAMS: Let's just remember this was journalism's deadliest year ever. And the message that it sends to me is that actually the courage of our
colleagues, you know, they are there because they are determined to tell the truth and they believe the truth deserves an audience. And that's what
they do day in day out. And so, this exhibition is absolutely about celebrating the courage and the commitment of our colleagues wherever they
are because without them we have no truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:52:24]
SOARES: Well, in northern Italy, a regional bank has been quietly turning cheese into capital for more than 70 years. The bank Credito Emiliano
accepts Parmigiano Reggiano as collateral for small business loans, storing hundreds of thousands of cheese wheels in climate-controlled high-security
vaults.
Our Antonia Mortensen goes inside for a look at the mouthwatering investments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER: $400 million worth of cheese. 500,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese sit stacked
floor to ceiling, aging quietly, patiently, some for years.
MORTENSEN: People are using this cheese to get bank loans. They're using it as collateral. We are in a cheese vault. It is effectively a high-security
climate-controlled vault that protects the cheese and is Parmesan. Because we're in Emilia-Romagna, the only place in the world which is allowed to
produce Parmigiano Reggiano.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): As the cheese ages, its value rises. Credit and bank Credito Emiliano has been working with producers for more than 100
years.
GIANCARLO RAVANETTI, GENERAL MANAGER, MAGAZZINI GENERALI DELLE TAGLIATE, CREDITO EMILIANO (through translator): In Italy, about four million wheels
of Parmigiano Reggiano are produced every year. We end up aging from 12 months up to 14. Logistic for about 2.3 million wheels a year and we allow
customer to use the wheel as collateral to obtain financing from Credito Emiliano.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): Parmigiano Reggiano can only be sold after 12 months making the financial cycle difficult for producers. Using cheese as
collateral helps pay expenses invest and wait until the wheels reach optimal value.
Producers and investors can hand their Parmigiano Reggiano wheels to certified warehouse which verifies and stores them so banks can safely use
the cheese as collateral for immediate loans.
Each wheel undergoes rigorous inspection and must earn the consortium stamp of approval before it can be sold. Hardly surprising as each wheel costs
thousands of dollars.
FABRIZIO GIBERTI, WAREHOUSE MANAGER, CREDITO EMILIANO (through translator): With this hammer, we strike the wheel on the side and on the flat face and
listen to the sound it produces.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): It's a four-billion-euro industry with growing demand abroad. Exports now make up more than 50 percent of sales and the
United States make up the biggest foreign market.
PAOLO GANZERLI, INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, GRANTERRE: With my experience in the United States, you cannot pay for Parmigiano Reggiano even more than
60 euro per kilo. And now we have -- talking about the American market, we have to face even the situation with the tariff. Tariff is 15 -- is 10
percent. Last year it was 15. And more on the cost of shipment. The cost of shipment due to the war in Iran, now it's become more and more expensive.
[14:55:29]
MORTENSEN (voice-over): According to the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium, last year was a record in terms of production and exports. But the
beginning of this year has seen a drop in demand. That's a lot of pressure for the some 300 certified producers of Parmigiano Reggiano in this small
designated area. Cheese banks becoming even more essential now for producers than ever.
MORTENSEN: For the producers, it's financial security. For the banks, it's stable collateral. And for the region, it's a mix of agriculture, finance,
and tradition.
MORTENSEN (voice-over): Which is why Parmigiano Reggiano is often called edible gold.
Antonia Mortensen, CNN Emilia-Romagna.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: I love Parmigiano Reggiano. And thanks to Antonia for that report.
And that does it for us for tonight. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" is up next. Have a wonderful weekend. I
shall see you next week.
END
