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One World with Zain Asher
Iranian Missiles Strikes Tel Aviv Suburb Of Ramat Gan; Israel Orders Military To "Intensify Strikes" Against Iran; U.S. Bunker Buster Bomb Only Weapon That Can Destroy Fordow; U.K. Foreign Secretary Heads To Washington To Meet With Rubio; Inside Iran's Long History Of Anti-Government Protest; Lawmakers: Iran Could Shut The Strait Of Hormuz If U.S. Joins War; How Juneteenth History Triggered An American Reunion; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 19, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:26]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: A modern Hitler, that is how Israel's defense minister described Iran's supreme leader, saying he can't be allowed to
continue to exist.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You don't swing along Donald Trump. He knows -- he knows the game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Will he or won't he? President Trump meets with his national security team today to decide whether or not he will join Israel in its
attacks on Iran.
ASHER: Also ahead, what's the bunker buster? And why is Israel pushing the U.S. to use it? Some experts say the weapon could be a game changer.
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: As your ancestors were at this spot, 160 years ago, how important is that story to share today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Happy Juneteenth. We'll celebrate with a touching story of reunion you'll have to see to believe.
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Israel is now vowing to intensify its attacks on Tehran's strategic targets, while Iran is urging Israelis to avoid military and intelligence
sites in a clear sign that both sides are digging in as their seven-day conflict escalates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SIREN)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The IDF earlier said Iran had fired more missiles towards northern Israel. That warning came after Israel got hit by a wave of strikes earlier
today. Israel says a red line was crossed when an Iranian ballistic missile hit a hospital in Be'er Sheva, injuring dozens.
Later, the defense minister ratcheted up the rhetoric when he said that Iran's supreme leader cannot be allowed to exist. And he compared Ayatollah
Khamenei to one of history's most brutal dictators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): I see the situation that Khamenei is the modern Hitler. The man has been the head of
the power for decades. He has a great ideological influence, and he uses it, and he says that he is in favor of destroying Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Tehran means times says it wasn't targeting the hospital, but a nearby Israeli intel and command center.
GOLODRYGA: The big unknown remains whether the U.S. will or won't get involved. President Trump's national security team has arrived at the White
House for a meeting in the Situation Room.
A source tells CNN that Donald Trump has reviewed attack plans for Iran, but he is holding off for now. When asked about it on Wednesday, here's how
the president responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final. I like to make the final decision one
second before it's due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, as we already told you, a hospital in southern Israel was hit on Thursday, but Iranian missiles targeted other areas in the country
as well.
ASHER: Yes. The strike on Ramat Gan, a Tel Aviv suburb, caused heavy damage to buildings and cars. Here's how one Israeli resident described it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMADAR SHITRIT, HOME DAMAGED IN IRANIAN ATTACK: All my neighbors and the entrance of the building are full of glasses. Everything fell down. It's a
damage. But the damage in the heart and the soul is much stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Jeremy Diamond was on the scene shortly after the strike happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, we are standing inside the building that was struck by that ballistic missile. And if you
look behind me, I mean, these pictures speak far more than I could possibly describe this destruction.
Everything here has been really torn to shreds by the enormous power of this ballistic missile. You know, these -- these missiles carry hundreds of
pounds of explosives. And you can see the kind of damage that they can bring.
The -- the fact that there were only minor injuries as a result of this strike is only really a credit to the bomb shelters that exist here, to
people following the instructions to go into those shelters once those air raid sirens sound.
Because in fact, we're right here at -- at the site, at the very point where that ballistic missile struck. You can see the hole that has been
ripped through the concrete here, the steel bars that have been broken through as this missile struck right here. This is a partially residential
and a commercial building as well.
[12:05:08]
And the -- the power of the blast extends, not just to this building and the building across the street as well, but really in the entire, you know,
two-block radius or so of here. You can see broken windows all around the area.
And that's been similar to what we've seen at other scenes of ballistic missile strikes here in Israel over the course of the last week.
The shockwave from the -- the blast is so powerful that even buildings that are not directly impacted by shrapnel from the missile or from debris in
the area. Ultimately, the shockwave of that blast can be felt.
We talked to people who've been inside of bomb shelters and has felt the power of that blast, and of course, the result is also broken windows for
several blocks sometimes from the impact site itself.
But once again, only minor injuries in -- as a result of this very strike. And we are monitoring other strikes that have happened across the country
as well, including a strike to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva in southern Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Jeremy Diamond for that report.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us now live from London. And at that Soroka Hospital, you saw a number of top government officials, from the prime
minister to the foreign minister to the president of the country come and visit that site and vow that Israel will respond harshly towards Iran.
Nick, the president here in the United States is meeting with his national security team. We know that European ministers are scheduled to meet with
the Iranian foreign minister in Geneva tomorrow.
Yes, perhaps there is an opportunity for diplomacy here still, but it appears that the window for it is shrinking.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Oh, possibly about to enlarge with this meeting in Geneva. I mean, yes, we hear
a fiery rhetoric from the Israelis, and I think that that attack on the hospital appears to have pushed them into a point where they feel some
extra escalation might be required in response.
The persistent now threats against the life of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have persisted now even with U.S. President Donald
Trump hinting at it being a possibility that he was not going to go for now. And that was a couple of days ago.
So it continues to circulate as perhaps as one of the remaining to boost frankly that Israel hasn't broken yet when it comes to Iran. They now have
control of the skies over the capital.
They've hit its nuclear facilities. They've killed almost half it seems of its military command. And now it's the third leader of the revolutionary
guards corps in about a week for their ground forces. So extraordinary that we are seeing that pace of degradation to Iran's military.
And then that leaves you with a question, well, outside of further Israeli military action, which seems guaranteed at this particular point. What is
left for Iran to try and get out of this particular mess, where it finds its missile inventories depleted. It clearly has massive damage done to its
ability to defend itself, but also launch counterattacks against Israel as well.
And so possibly the meeting in Geneva might be the beginnings of a form of negotiation that could provide Iran an off-ramp, but they're in a highly
complex position and that they are clearly, palpably, militarily weak.
There's nuclear program has taken an enormous beating over the past few days, so nuclear future ambition discussions with the European three
foreign ministers there of the U.K., France and Germany will be of an entirely different nature than they would have been just a week ago,
because so much of their enrichment capability, of their nuclear ambitions that Iran's always said are peaceful, what pretty much everyone else
assesses may be aimed towards a weapon.
Well, that program has been massively damaged. So the Geneva talks important. I understand from a diplomat from Europe that will be close to
those, that the U.S. will be constantly briefed around it, but they are, at beginning, about feeling the room, trying to work out what's possible, but
as you say, deeply urgent, that particular task, given the continuing Israeli military campaign.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Nick Paton Walsh for us in London. Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Iran is accusing the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog of peddling a misleading narrative about its nuclear program.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The Foreign Ministry shared a video of Rafael Grossi saying on CNN Monday that the IAEA did not have any proof of a systematic Iranian
effort to build a nuclear weapon.
Israel launched its first attack on Iran Friday, hours after the IAEA declared that it was in breach of its nuclear nonproliferation obligations.
Well today, the IDF says that it hit dozens of military targets in Iran, including the Arak nuclear facility. Israel is also eyeing another key
facility buried deep underground. The fuel enrichment plant in Fordow is carved into the side of a mountain.
[12:10:07]
ASHER: Yes. Experts say the only one massive bomb in the U.S. arsenal is capable of penetrating that facility. A frightening piece of weaponry known
as the bunker buster.
CNN's Brian Todd joins us live now from Washington D.C. with more.
So talk to us about this particular piece of weaponry, because as we know, it's never been used in combat before. So this is basically an experiment,
so to speak.
How does the U.S. really guarantee that this mission is going to be a success here?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain and Bianna, it cannot guarantee that at the moment, because the capabilities of the bunker buster,
especially as they relate to a potential target in Iran, are -- are a little in question here. I'll get to that in just one moment, but let's
first talk about this weapon.
It is called officially the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, otherwise known as we've said as the bunker buster. It is the largest non-nuclear
bomb in the U.S. military's arsenal. The Israelis do not have any of these bombs or the capability to deliver them. Only the U.S. has that capability.
As Zain and Bianna mentioned, there is no public record of this bomb ever being used in combat before. And one of the reasons for that, according to
an expert who I spoke to, was that the U.S. has never encountered a target that requires a bomb this size.
Now, the dimensions, it weighs 30,000 pounds. It has 6,000 pounds of high explosives. It is about 20 feet long. It is an ominous weapon. The only
plane that can carry this weapon is the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber that is capable of flying 6,000 nautical miles without refueling.
Experts say the bunker buster can penetrate about 200 feet into the ground as that graphic shows you there, possibly more according to one expert who
we spoke to. This is designed to deeply buried and fortified targets.
Now, as for the target that could come into play, and we do have to say this is predicated on two things. Number one, if the U.S. decides to get
into this conflict in the first place. But number two, we do not know if the U.S. has made the decision to actually use this bomb.
But if both of those things come to pass, well, one, possible and maybe even likely target is the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility. It's just
south of Tehran, buried deep inside a mountain, possibly underneath about 300 feet of rock is where its halls, tunnels, and enrichment capabilities
are.
Now, experts have told us that it is not clear if the bunker buster can actually reach that depth because the bunker buster can only go about 200
feet underground, possibly more. And if those centrifuges and other things are about 300 feet underground, according to one expert, they might have to
drop more than one bunker buster on the same target. They would hit it initially and create a crater, and then they would have to drop a second
bomb right at the site of that crater to get further down and reach those enrichment capabilities.
So, Zain, Bianna, it is not clear if this bomb would even work to the capability that the U.S. would want it to work if they were to decide to
use this.
ASHER: Brian Todd, thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, sources tell CNN that the U.S. military is moving to protect its assets in the Middle East region, evacuating non-sheltered
planes from its base in Qatar, moving ships in Bahrain and getting additional blood supplies.
Let's bring in CNN's senior military analyst, retired Admiral James Stavridis. He's a former NATO Supreme Allied commander. Great to have you
on.
We heard from Brian there in terms of the MOP bomb, the bunker buster bomb here that is in really the focus of all discussion and whether or not
Donald Trump will use this weapon that is uniquely in America's hands.
Yes, it has not been tested in a combat situation, but according to "Axios'" Barak Ravid, he spoke to a former U.S. official who told him that
this bunker buster was tested twice by the U.S. military in 2024 and went on to say, quote, it will work.
Give us your take on the accuracy of this weapon and whether you agree with that assessment that it will work in this scenario.
JAMES STAVRIDIS, CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: First, there are no certainties in war and there are so many different factors that could come
into play. My overall assessment is that this would have a high likelihood of working, particularly if employed the way Brian talked about in that
excellent segment of go in first, lay down an initial round or even, two, create the crater, then go in on top of the crater.
I think accuracy is not the problem. Accuracy of this weapon will be sufficient. The question is quite simple. The density of the granite, of
the concrete, what defensive shoring has been put in place. Are you going to need to hit the target twice, thrice, even four times?
[12:15:07]
But we have sufficient inventory. We have a lot of these B2 bombers, I think 20 of them roughly. One is inoperative at the moment.
But that capability is there. And I suspect the president pushed the military advisors, General Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General
Kurilla, the head of Central Command, very hard on that exact point.
My guess is that they will have said to him, Mr. President, we have confidence this will be a successful mission.
ASHER: Just in terms of how Iran will retaliate once these bunker buster bombs are used, I mean, obviously they will have to retaliate in some way,
shape, or form. A lot of people have been talking about U.S. military assets in the region possibly being threatened as a result.
But even beyond that, I mean, beyond the sort of obvious U.S. military targets in the region, how else could Iran retaliate?
STAVRIDIS: Three things come immediately to mind. The first and most concerning in -- in economic terms would be if they chose to close the
Strait of Hormuz. Twenty to Twenty-five percent of the world's energy flows through it. They could close it at least for a period of months by sinking
old merchant ships creating blockade conditions in the strait itself.
They could also put mines in the water, which would require mine clearance by the coalition Navy. So that would be one real concern.
Secondly, cyber. Iran has a fairly good cyber capability, not as good as Israel, not as good as the U.S. or China or Russia, but probably in the top
5, maybe the top 10. So they could attempt some kind of cyber-attacks against U.S. forces.
And then third, targeted assassinations that I think would probably not go against hardened military sites, but go after, for example, American
business people who are moving about Dubai, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, all of these regions, I think, are potential targets.
There's three acts of significant damage that the Iranians could undertake in addition to where we started the conversation, the idea of them going
after U.S. military bases with their ballistic missiles.
GOLODRYGA: Do you see a scenario where it's an in and out, one and done type of, or one or two or three, however many bombs are needed? But do you
see a scenario where the sole mission here for the United States is to drop those bombs on Fordow and get out? Or do you envision a scenario where once
the U.S. is in, they stay in for a significant period of time, given the repercussions from Iran that are expected?
STAVRIDIS: Yes. Unfortunately, history generally shows us that when we decide we're going to do a one and done kind of mission and we do it, and
then in this case, the Iranians retaliate. Well, what's our response when American businessmen are shot down in the streets of Dubai, when the Strait
of Hormuz is closed, when there's a massive cyber-attack, what do we do? We're going to retaliate. We're going to escalate. We're going to escalate
vertically. We're going to increase military option and provide the president even more reasons and capabilities to respond. And then the two
sides, typically get into an upward spiral of violence.
So as much as it's attractive to think, yep, we'll just zip in there, take out the nuclear site, and then nothing bad will happen after that, I think
it's pretty unlikely.
I'll close with this. When you start a war, and that would be an act of war by the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran, when you start a
war, it's like kicking open a door into a really dark room. You don't know exactly what's in there.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And I'll follow up with one Israeli journalist who said Israel may have started this war, but it will take the United States to
finish it one way or the other, whether it's militarily or if there is an opportunity still here for diplomacy.
CNN's senior military analyst, James Stavridis, thank you.
ASHER: All right. Still to come --
STAVRIDIS: You bet.
ASHER: -- as the U.S. weighs what to do about Iran, a key ally heads the State Department for talks. We go live to Washington ahead of the British
Foreign Secretary's arrival.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:24]
ASHER: All right. At this hour, the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, is preparing for a hastily arranged meeting with the U.S. Secretary of
State.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. David Lammy and Marco Rubio will sit down for face-to-face talks in Washington later today. They'll discuss Iran and whether the U.S.
plans to get involved in the conflict. Joining them, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
CNN's Kylie Atwood joins us now from Washington.
It's interesting when we mention Secretary of State Marco Rubio's name because, Kylie, ever since Israel first launched its attacks on Iran, and
Marco Rubio put out that statement just moments later saying that this was a unilateral move by Israel and that the United States was not involved.
We haven't really seen him at least upfront with the president making any additional statements. So talk to us about his role here and this meeting
with his British counterpart.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's actually really good point. We -- we haven't seen the Secretary of State very much who's also
acting as the interim national security adviser.
But what we do know is that he has been lockstep with the president. He's been around the president. He has spent much of his time at the White House
in that interim national security adviser role.
And it's critical today that he is seeing his U.K. counterpart because of what's coming next here. And that is that tomorrow there's going to be a
meeting of European leaders, along with Iran's foreign minister in Geneva, and it is the U.K. foreign secretary who is going to be attending that
meeting.
So in this meeting today, the United States is going to get a pretty clear indication of what the Europeans are planning for that meeting.
And we should also note that the White House, the State Department, haven't explicitly said that they are in support or that they are explicitly
against the meeting happening tomorrow in Geneva. But that is effectively tacit approval from them, though I've talked sources throughout the day who
are skeptical that that is going to actually pull together some sort of a diplomatic solution here.
We have heard President Trump in recent days be wary that a diplomatic solution could really come to the fore here, but he has not completely
closed the door. So, it is critical to watch what happens today and tomorrow and, of course, ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Iran,
primarily through their interlocutors in the Middle East.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kylie Atwood at the Stage Department for us. Thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you, Kylie.
All right. Still to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEPEHR SAREMI, CHINA MEDIA GROUP CORRESPONDENT IN TEHRAN: I have decided to stay here and cover everything that is happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: While many Iranians are fleeing the strikes on Tehran, we'll explain one man's decision to stay and document his journey.
[12:25:05]
GOLODRYGA: Plus, Iranians are facing nearly total internet blackouts. How that's affecting people on the ground. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. As Israel and Iran trade missile fire for a seventh day, people in and around Tehran are fleeing in search of safety.
CNN spoke to multiple people in Iran who described living in fear and having nowhere to go. One woman told us, quote, some of us are still in our
apartments just waiting to see if we even survive.
GOLODRYGA: And in the wake of these relentless strikes, one reporter in Tehran shared what he is seeing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAREMI: Most people that I know, my friends, my colleagues, my neighbors, but I've decided to stay here and cover everything that is happening to
stay with my family.
Now, we want to go to my grandpa's home in northwestern Tehran, somehow near here, that's exactly where the oil depot was targeted and exploded and
you still see the smoke in the air. We want to go there and see what's happening and also visit my family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just really the sounds of explosions which are for me not really scary. But when I remember the motor -- fighter jets sound, I
just recall the Iran-Iraq war and that's for me frightening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: There's been speculation about whether the attacks on Iran might lead to some sort of regime change as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh looks at Iran's history of protest and examines whether the latest
conflict could trigger anti-government sentiment. And we want to warn you some of the images are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran has a history of protest which brought to power the Islamic revolution and
repression of it that's tightened slowly under the Ayatollahs.
[12:30:11]
The young face of Neda Agha-Soltan, killed by security forces in 2009 lit years of anger.
2012 saw a crackdown and the expansion of the death penalty.
And so, by 2019, protests against fuel prices, repression and the economy sprawled for six months and killed hundreds, violence the norm. None of it
dislodged the theocracy.
And none of it has yet reignited by the past week of Israeli airstrikes. Instead, anger at Israel, already loathed by many for civilian deaths, the
chaos and panic it has caused.
HAMID DABASHI, PROFESSOR OF IRANIAN STUDIES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: No country will ever receive democracy through bombing. Political prisoners
inside the Islamic Republic are publicly writing against this military invasion.
So, this military invasion will do precisely the opposite, it will unite people.
WALSH (voice-over): The U.S. has backed regime change before helping the British in 1953 oust a democratically elected government. Bashar, who
followed was remarkable for his brutality, and opposition to him ushered in the Ayatollahs, who sold themselves as purist Islamist reform.
DR. SANAM VAKIL, CHATHAM HOUSE: Frankly, Benjamin Netanyahu's call for regime change and sort of appeal to the Iranian people to come out and
overthrow their government reeks of -- of condescension and smacks of a misunderstanding of Iranians.
WALSH (voice-over): And President Donald Trump's half failed threat to kill Iran's Supreme Leader is unprecedented.
NETANYAHU: It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict.
WALSH (voice-over): but killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose rhetoric was defiant but not at its most fiery when he emerged Wednesday does not
decapitate the theocracy of which he's just the latest face.
DABASHI: If he is assassinated, in fact, it will exacerbate the critical situation that we have. The ruling regime is fully capable of replacing him
with another major figure, whether his son or another cleric. It will not have an effect on the military dimensions.
WALSH (voice-over): Any successor might be more hard line and reverse Khamenei's fatwa against building nuclear weapons.
And so after him, the flood, perhaps a hardliner with the bomb. Or even the collapse of Iran into warring ethnic factions, another nightmare for the
region.
As with regime change in the Middle East before, remember Iraq, where it was the unknown unknowns that won out.
DONALD RUMSFELD, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know, we don't know.
WALSH: It's that unpredictability that surely must be weighing into the calculations of the Trump White House. This is a country run by an
authoritarian government where the society has been deeply repressed and the possibility of unpicking that quickly may be attractive to some Western
powers, but could potentially yield consequences that could yet destabilize a region that's seen extraordinary turmoil over the previous decades.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And communication inside Iran is proving to be more difficult as the conflict goes on.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. On Wednesday, the country was experiencing an almost complete internet blackout. Iran's communications ministry says the country
is imposing temporary restrictions on internet access, fearing Israel could use it for military purposes.
ASHER: All right. Time now for "The Exchange." Joining us live now is Mohammed Soliman, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in
Washington. Mohammed, thank you so much for being with us.
Just talk to us about Iran's options in terms of how it retaliates if the U.S. were to go ahead and use these bunker buster bombs, especially if the
conflict ends up lasting. I mean, we don't necessarily know whether it's just going to be a one and done or whether they're going to have to issue
multiple strikes against the Fordow nuclear facility.
Beyond just sort of targeting U.S. military assets in the region, what other options does Iran have its -- have at its disposal?
MOHAMMED SOLIMAN, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good to be with you. Like you said, clearly, Iran capabilities were diminished
significantly under Israeli bombardment in the last few days.
One of the tools that Iran has built in the last 10 years is building a cyber core. They're able to hack into enemy networks. They're able to
extract information, deploy malware, and even impact physical damage on infrastructure. So those are some of the tools that Iran would use in
addition to military response to an attack on Fordow.
[12:35:05]
GOLODRYGA: Given all of the attention and focus and resources that the regime over the last several decades has put towards its nuclear program,
I'm curious how the Iranian civilian population feels about this program, obviously drawing them numerous times towards the edge of war and perhaps
into a -- the -- the largest war that Iran now has seen since the war with Iraq.
Do they view it as an albatross? Or do they view it as something they take as much pride in as the regime does?
SOLIMAN: It's very hard to assess right now, especially that we are an active status of war between Israel and Iran. But clearly, you have two
camps within the society right now. There is a camp that feels that this program maybe have brought a lot of wrath on the Iranian society and mostly
for the benefit of the ruling elites.
And there's, of course, there's a camp that's saying maybe we should have acquired a nuclear weapon to defend ourselves.
It's very hard to assess which camp is going to emerge within the Iranian society. It's going to depend on how the discourse of this war will end.
ASHER: And just in terms of European sort of foreign ministers meeting with Iranians tomorrow, I mean, obviously the Americans aren't going to be
there, neither are the Israelis, technically.
So, what can really be achieved from those meetings? I mean, obviously, David Lammy and Marco Rubio are meeting separately. But -- but just in
terms of what happens tomorrow, can anything really concrete come out of it?
SOLIMAN: I think let's be frank here. I think the most concrete decision will come out of the White House. Everything is going to be centered around
how President Trump is going to take this conflict to what direction. Is it going to be a settlement? Or is this going to be ending up in an actual
U.S. strike on the nuclear facilities, the remaining nuclear facilities inside Iran?
Of course, there are some sort of trials to come up to negotiations between Iran and some of those parties, but I don't think it's going to be
effective or going to change the calculus in the White House.
GOLODRYGA: Well, an authoritarian regime like Iran, except the ultimatum that President Trump has laid out at least publicly, and that is one of
ultimate surrender.
SOLIMAN: I wouldn't discount that. I think given the level of destruction, the damage, the way that the regime leadership suffered massively in the
past few days, the idea of coming to terms with ending the nuclear program unconditionally with Washington, I wouldn't really discount that.
I think the -- they are trying to figure out what's -- what's the least they can at least maintain in a deal or an agreement with Washington.
ASHER: And we know that there's sort of a 95 percent internet outage inside Iran right now. This is to sort of limit any possibility that the Israelis
could launch any kind of cyber-attack. What more can you tell us about the Iranian strategy on that front?
SOLIMAN: I think, like you said, we are near total blackout inside Iran right now. The main purpose of doing this, because Iran feels that they
have been infiltrated by Israeli cyber operations and drone operations, they want to limit their exposure. Their entire digital battlefield is very
exposed to cyber operatives.
And the second -- the secondary impact of that is ordinary Iranians do not really have access to applications to way to connect with family. They
don't really get any sort of information about missiles or some critical information about hospitals and relief work.
So, it's a very tough situation inside Iran in terms of lacking any sort of internet connectivity at the moment.
GOLODRYGA: Can I just quickly ask you about that point? Because we've noted that the Israelis and -- and their government, over the last several
decades, especially has invested heavily in having shelters, bomb shelters, evacuation planning for situations like this, that's not the case in Iran.
How do Iranians feel about that fact alone?
SOLIMAN: Abandoned. When you lose internet connection, you are not able to check on your loved ones. You don't really have pathway to escape or having
critical information. And then you don't -- also, you don't have shelters to protect you during this time of conflict.
Of course, you feel abandoned. You feel that you are not the top priority for your government. And, of course, that's going to create a disdain for
the ruling elites in Tehran.
ASHER: All right. Mohammed Soliman, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you, Mohammed.
And still to come for us, Iranian lawmakers are threatening to disrupt a key global oil shipping route if the U.S. joins the conflict with Israel.
We'll have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:42]
GOLODRYGA: Well, as we wait to hear from the White House about President Trump's decision on Iran, a senior Iranian lawmaker says his country could
shut the Strait of Hormuz.
ASHER: A key shipping channel through which 20 percent of the world's daily oil consumption passes. Another lawmaker says it would be a legitimate move
if the U.S. joins the war.
For more on this, we are joined now by CNN's Anna Stewart, coming to us from London.
Anna, you and I have been talking about this all week, this idea of the consequences of a global disruption to oil supply. And when you think about
all the different ways in which Iran could retaliate, closing down the Strait of Hormuz is definitely an option.
What would be the ramifications of that?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this is the huge leverage. And it's not the first time Iran has threatened something like this. It's been
threatened in the past.
And looking at oil prices today, I would say that investors clearly aren't thinking that this is definitely going to be a reality because oil prices
haven't actually risen that much. I mean banks like Deutsche Bank, I believe, have said that oil prices would be above $120 in the event of a
sort significant closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, you're looking at a map there. You can see this very narrow body of water. It's just 21 miles across at one point, so it's a real choke point
for oil.
Now, a closure of this strait would impact Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. These three
countries actually rely entirely on the strait for all of their oil exports.
And as you say, this represents around a quarter of global oil. A quarter of global oil transits through that very narrow body of water, and actually
also a quarter of LNG.
So the knock-on effects that we could see if Iran were to do this is -- is going to impact those big Gulf producers really antagonize them. It's also
going to upset the Asian customers who get the oil, particularly China. That is actually one of Iran's biggest customers, thanks to export controls
and sanctions and things.
Also countries like India -- India, China, South Korea, Japan, those are the countries that will be impacted.
So you've got the impact on the Gulf producers, on the Asian consumers. You would see oil prices rise significantly and that has the knock-on effect to
inflation and really ties the hands of central banks including, of course, the Federal Reserve when it comes to interest rate cuts.
Now, I have to say but on the other side of this, why Iran wouldn't go there is possibly because it would cause such big issues not just in the
Gulf but, of course, to China as well this big customer.
[12:45:06]
So that's possibly what would hold it back but its huge leverage to hold, and I'm not surprised it is being threatened.
ASHER: All right. Anna Stewart live for us there. Thank you so much.
Barack Obama is calling out Donald Trump without actually calling out Donald Trump.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Obama made a rare public appearance on Tuesday where he warned that America is getting dangerously close to slipping into
autocracy.
He never, as Zain said, used Trump's name, but it was clear that his comments were about him and about his conduct as president. Here's a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democracy is not self- executing. It -- it requires people, judges, and people in the Justice Department and people throughout the government who take an oath to uphold
the Constitution.
When that isn't happening, we start drifting into something that is not consistent with American democracy. It is consistent with autocracies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Obama said that despite his concerns about the direction of the country, he is still hopeful that traditional American democracy will
prevail in the end.
GOLODRYGA: One American story 160 years in the making. How a shared history brought two women together in the very spot their ancestors stood back in
1865. We'll show you that reunion, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. You're looking at the Opal Lee Annual Walk for Freedom in Texas marking Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day the last American
slaves were told that they were free. This was back in 1865.
Lee is called the grandmother of Juneteenth for her activism and role in making it a national holiday. The 98-year-old is not attending this year
because of health reasons.
GOLODRYGA: Juneteenth flags are being raised in several states and events scheduled across the country today.
CNN's Victor Blackwell takes a look at how a shared Juneteenth history has affected two American families.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[12:50:05]
BLACKWELL (voice-over): Kelley Tealer has been to this church before, but the person waiting for her on this day is a first. Not just for her.
There's never been a meeting like this.
KELLEY DIXON-TEALER, DIXON FAMILY HISTORIAN: I'm jittery right now. I'm excited. And I hope they're just as excited to meet me.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): Now, to appreciate the excitement, you need to know Kelley's story. For years, she's been researching her genealogy.
DIXON-TEALER: That is a gift that keeps on giving. I don't sleep sometimes at night because I'll wake up trying to find more.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): She used a website to trace her maternal line back to a man born about 1837, once enslaved and freed in Galveston, Texas.
DIXON-TEALER: Hawkins Wilson is my third great grandfather on my mother's side.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): Then she hit a wall, until a genealogist reached out to her with letters that Hawkins wrote in 1867. He was looking for long
separated relatives just a few years after emancipation.
DIXON-TEALER: Dear sir, I'm anxious to learn about my sisters from whom I have been separated many years.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): But there was more.
DIXON-TEALER: Some of the details that was in the letters, and those historians are the ones that told me that he was, you know, a part of the
very first Juneteenth.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): Not just at the inaugural Juneteenth celebration in 1866, but that he was also at Reedy Chapel on June 19th, 1865, where
enslaved people in Galveston learned for the first time that President Abraham Lincoln had freed them more than two years prior. Lincoln signed
the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but in Texas, enforcement was inconsistent.
So, Major General Gordon Granger and his troops were sent to Galveston to enforce general order number three, which declared that in Texas all slaves
are free.
And General Granger brings us to this woman waiting for Kelley at the front of the church.
CHAMPE GRANGER, GRANGER FAMILY HISTORIAN: He is my great, great grandfather.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): The general, as Champe Granger calls him, affirmed that Kelley's three times great grandfather was a free man at this very
spot. Champe says the general was always present in her childhood home in portraits and through stories. Granger was a first lieutenant during the
Mexican-American war, union general during the Civil War.
BLACKWELL: Did your father tell you the story of General Granger reading order number three here in Galveston?
GRANGER: No, he never did.
BLACKWELL: When did you learn of it?
GRANGER: It's been more recently. People have sent us articles about Juneteenth from different states. And then this is his war service.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): She also has letters handwritten by the general. Inherited treasures, but Champe is careful not to overstate the general's
role on Juneteenth.
GRANGER: He was a union soldier, so clearly, he was not supportive of slavery. But, you know, he was doing his job. I don't want to -- I don't
want to give him too much credit, you know.
BLACKWELL: You don't want to paint him as a civil rights icon.
GRANGER: Correct. Correct.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): And even with that context, Champe is looking forward to this meeting, too.
GRANGER: I'm excited to hear their history. I love learning from other people and talking to people. And I hope I don't like get in your way, you
know. I'll try to stay to the side.
DIXON-TEALER: Hey. How are you?
GRANGER: How are you?
BLACKWELL (voice-over): But when the women meet for the first time, we stay out of the way. A few nerves at first, but then a conversation.
DIXON-TEALER: He was sold as a six-year-old boy.
GRANGER: And they started The Freedmen's Board.
DIXON-TEALER: Thinking about where he started --
GRANGER: Right.
DIXON-TEALER: You know, and then where he ended up.
GRANGER: So, who was he writing to?
DIXON-TEALER: It really started when both my grandparents were living.
GRANGER: He was brave and I was talking to one of my family members last night.
DIXON-TEALER: And when we learned of him again, he's here in Galveston.
BLACKWELL (voice-over): These descendants, these daughters of history, at the historic rebuilt Reedy Chapel, where their ancestors stood 160 years
ago.
BLACKWELL: Tell me about the first two minutes of conversation.
GRANGER: I want to go and have a glass of wine with her, right?
DIXON-TEALER: Exactly.
GRANGER: You know.
DIXON-TEALER: I almost didn't know what to expect, right? And -- and just the nervousness behind that.
BLACKWELL: Because your ancestors were at this spot 160 years ago. How important is that story to share today?
DIXON-TEALER: I'm pushing back emotions. I'm sorry.
GRANGER: That's OK.
DIXON-TEALER: People are trying to silence us and silence the history. We cannot allow our history to be washed away.
GRANGER: And I would say, I have had it easier because everything was dropped in my lap. And she's had to search and dig and look for everything.
DIXON-TEALER: It's important that we continue this conversation. It's important that I'm able to sit here with her.
GRANGER: My father was a history teacher. And he was also Gordon Granger IV. So, it was everything to him.
[12:55:03]
My father died a year ago. He was 96. But he lived to see Juneteenth become a holiday for the country. And that was amazing.
BLACKWELL: What would your great great great grandfather think about this conversation?
DIXON-TEALER: You know what I really believe that he would say is thank you. Job well done.
BLACKWELL: Wow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: What a powerful story. And you see right there all the reasons why it was imperative for Juneteenth to become a national holiday in this
country. It's only been a national holiday for what, four years?
GOLODRYGA: Mm-hmm.
ASHER: 2021. And obviously so much gratitude to Opal Lee for, you know, recognizing the importance of June 19th, 1865.
GOLODRYGA: That's always so important to never forget history and to always dig and dig and dig for more of it and continue telling these important
stories.
I also want to know how that glass of wine was for the two of them as well. It looked like they really hit it off.
All right. Well, that does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
