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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Rebukes Israel & Iran as he Heads to NATO Summit; Trump: Iran Will Never Rebuild its Nuclear Program; Trump Heads to NATO Summit After Announcing Ceasefire; Trump: Iran will Never Rebuild its Nuclear Program; Democratic Congressman Reacts to Trump's Mideast Action; Trump: It was My Honor to Destroy Iran's Nuclear Facilities. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired June 24, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: U.S. President Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran as he presses them to respect a ceasefire. "One World"

starts right now. Do not drop those bombs, that was Trump's firm message to Israel as he headed to a NATO Summit in the Netherlands.

The U.S. President is set to arrive in The Hague soon as world leaders gather to discuss a mounting number of global crises and defense spending

is put under the microscope. Plus, as new CNN polling reveals, the majority of Americans disapprove of U.S. strikes in Iran we're joined by Democratic

Congressman John Garamendi to discuss America's role in the conflict.

Hi from London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, and this is "One World" great to have your company. A shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be

holding for the moment, even as both sides traded missile fire up to the very end, and a visibly angry American president lashed out at both

nations.

Says the truce he announced just hours earlier appear to falter. We begin with the breaking news out of the Middle East. Here's what Donald Trump

told reporters just before he headed off to a NATO Summit in the Netherlands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm not happy that Israel is going out now. There was one rocket that I guess was fired

overboard. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target, and now Israel's going out. These guys got to calm down. Ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

TRUMP: I didn't like plenty of things I saw yesterday. I didn't like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They didn't have to

unload, and I didn't like the fact that the retaliation was very strong. But in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot, and now I hear Israel just went

out because they felt it was violated by one rocket that didn't land anywhere.

That's not what we want. I'll tell you. And I'm telling you, I'm not happy about that Israel, either. I don't like the fact that Israel went out this

morning at all, and I'm going to see if I can stop it. They violated it, but Israel violated it too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

TRUMP: Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before, the biggest

load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel. You know when I say, OK, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour and just drop

everything you have on them.

So, I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either. But I'm really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning, because the one rocket that

didn't land, that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn't land. I'm not happy about that. We basically have two countries that have been fighting

so long and so hard that they don't know what the -- they're doing. Do you understand that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: White House, source says the president held a firm and direct call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after those comments.

Minutes later, Mr. Trump took to social media posting, Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home while doing a

friendly plane wave to Iran.

Israel says it refrained from additional strikes after that conversation. Earlier, it says it struck a radar site North of Tehran. And Iran fired a

missile into the residential building in the Israeli Town of Beer Sheva before the ceasefire took effect. Israel says at least four people were

killed.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Washington, D.C. with us this hour for the reaction. And Zeleny, pretty extraordinary to see the President of the

United States using that kind of language against an ally in the form of Israel, one of its closest allies. But clearly, it has had an effect. The

president now on the train to the NATO Summit. What do we expect there on arrival?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, President Trump is flying to the NATO Summit in the Netherlands. He'll be there on

the ground for about 24 hours, but he is coming armed with this ceasefire deal, which, as you said, Christina is still holding at the moment, but it

is fragile. There's no doubt about that.

But the anger that we saw from the American President as he left Washington is part of diplomacy as well, clearly sending a message to Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the United States and the White House are not pleased by this. So, it may have seemed a bit performative, but the

anger was clearly real. There is no question about that.

But we are told that the president and the prime minister had a phone call aboard Air Force One as the president was leaving Washington, and he got a

guarantee from Netanyahu to basically fire no more.

[11:05:00]

So, the ceasefire seems to be holding. The question is going forward A, how long will it last? And there are still questions about the actual state of

the Iran nuclear program? But there is no doubt that Iran was looking for an exit ramp, an off ramp to all of this that was clear yesterday.

Throughout the day, really a series of extraordinary events that will potentially be looked back at history as quite a remarkable moment with the

Americans reaching out to the Qataris to negotiate a bit of diplomacy with the Iranians, even as the Americans were talking to the Israelis, even as

the strikes were being filed on the Al-Udeid Air Force Base in just outside of Doha.

So, all of that taken together, I'm told, was part of one piece of this. But the United States clearly wants to broker this ceasefire. We will see

what happens at the NATO Summit. But already we're being told the president is being congratulated for his role in this. And of course, that is part of

all of this as well.

But he clearly wants to move on, turn the page and to suggest that this is over, but history would show that this conflict has been burning, of

course, for centuries. So, it's unlikely that a forever a ceasefire is at hand, but for the moment, at least a fragile one appears to be Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, very dependent on whether this ceasefire holds, as to whether this will be seen as a win for Donald Trump. Jeff, I appreciate

your comments with us this hour. Thank you.

ZELENY: Sure.

MACFARLANE: Now, CNN was on the ground in Israel just after that Iranian missile strike hit the Southern Israeli Town of Beer Sheva. Jeremy Diamond

is there and reports from the scene.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: In the final hour before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran went into effect, an Iranian ballistic

missile slammed directly into this residential building. You can see the power of the impact of that missile that made a direct hit on this

building.

That column of concrete on the right side, just alongside the impact, that is where those protected spaces, those bomb shelters, are located. But

unfortunately, on the very top floor, that bomb shelter, we're told, had three people inside who were killed because of the fact that this was a

direct impact.

One other person was killed just outside the entrance to this building. And that, of course, speaks to the tragedy of this, the fact that four people

were killed in Israel in the hours between when the ceasefire was announced by President Trump and when it went into effect.

And now we know that there is this ceasefire that has taken hold between Israel and Iran. But it is a tenuous ceasefire at that. And we've already

heard expressions of anger from President Trump directed at both Israel and Iran, in his view, saying that both countries have violated this ceasefire

agreement already.

But there's no question that President Trump was directing the brunt of his anger at the Israeli government, and we're told that he actually spoke with

the Israeli Prime Minister to tell him that he does not want to see any more Israeli air strikes in Iran.

There were nonetheless reports of explosions in Iran after President Trump said that he didn't want to see any more Israeli strike. So, some

uncertainty around that, but there's no question that the days ahead will be very fragile, and a real test of this cease fire agreement. Jeremy

Diamond, CNN, Beer Sheva, Israel.

MACFARLANE: Well, there's an uneasy calm amid the fragile ceasefire. Some shops are open, but the fear remains after a night of intense Israeli

bombings in Iran, Fred Pleitgen filed this report from the capital.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After the Israelis made that claim that Iranian missiles were flying towards Israeli

territory. I actually got in touch with a senior Iranian official, who flat out denied that the Iranians had fired any missiles toward Israel after the

ceasefire went into effect.

In fact, they said that the moment that that time had come for the ceasefire, that no missiles had been fired from the Iranian side. The

Iranians also now warning the Israelis against hitting Iranian territory, saying that that would open up Iranian retaliation once again, and that

everything that within what they call the occupied territories, of course, meaning all of Israel, would then become a target for Iran.

So, some tough language coming out of Tehran here as well. Also, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which of course, is that elite wing of

Iran's military claiming that there were several violations of its soil, as they put it, by the Israelis, possibly meaning incursion by some sort of

aircraft in the hours after the ceasefire went into effect.

What we're seeing right now, actually, here in Tehran is that things are fairly calm. Here I was on the streets a little bit earlier today. There's

a lot of people who are out driving some shops opening up. But what the president said there about the Israelis unloading overnight after the

ceasefire deal was announced was definitely something that we saw and we felt here from our vantage point as well.

[11:10:00]

I was up here on this roof, and we all of a sudden heard Israeli Air Force planes streak what seemed to be Israeli Air Force planes streaking past,

and then extremely loud explosions rocking our building and then rocking also a lot of other places in Central Tehran as well. We saw a lot of

outgoing anti-aircraft gun fire coming from the Iranians.

The skies here over the city really were illuminated. That went on for the better part of, I would say, about half an hour, 45 minutes, maybe up to an

hour, where those loud bangs continue. The Israelis at some point even issued evacuation orders for certain districts here -- around 02:30 in the

morning, when obviously people in those districts most probably would have been asleep.

So, it certainly was a night that saw a lot of kinetic activity. And as of right now, the Iranians are saying that their forces are not firing back.

The foreign minister of this country of Abbas Araghchi came out and said that Iranian forces had fired until the moment that the ceasefire went into

effect, which the Iranians consider to be 04:00 a.m. in the morning, and that since then, no projectiles, they say, have been fired from Iran

towards Israeli territory.

MACFARLANE: Well, that was our Fred Pleitgen reporting there from Tehran. Now let's bring in Brett Bruen, who has worked in the U.S. National

Security Council and State Department, and is now the President of the Global Situation Room. He is joining us from the NATO Summit in The Hague.

Brett, so great to have you with us. Brett, before we get to discussing this, I just want to bring our viewers some new reporting just into CNN the

last minute, some comments from Iran's President. He has said that the country will not violate the terms of its ceasefire with Israel, unless

Israel breaks the pact first. Those few lines just into CNN in the last few minutes.

Brett, given where you are right now, and as we consider whether or not this ceasefire is going to hold. Can you tell us what you're learning or

what you know of how this ceasefire was brokered behind the scenes, the extent of the diplomacy that went into it, and who was actually leading

this?

BRETT BRUEN, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL: Well, look, with Trump, everything is personal, and so he is leveraging personal

relationships that he's got, obviously, with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but also through the Qataris with the Iranian leaders.

And I think what we have seen on the one hand are the strong aspects of Trumpian diplomacy, and yet on the other, and that is why I think this is a

flawed agreement, why we have seen it floundering and starting to fail in some respects, is there are the other elements that you would normally

expect to see in this kind of ceasefire deal.

There is no monitoring mechanism. There are no confidence building measures. There's no plan ahead. And Christina, that's what has me worried

at this hour.

MACFARLANE: And I mean, we saw this extraordinary outburst from President Trump just a couple of hours ago before he boarded the plane to the NATO

Summit. You know, basically shouting down both sides for violating the ceasefire and having what he said was an exceptionally firm and direct

conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu about refraining from future strikes.

But taking a step back Brett is typically not in Benjamin Netanyahu's nature. And at this juncture, is it clear how much influence Donald Trump

has over Benjamin Netanyahu in a moment, really, when Israel are on the front foot here?

BRUEN: No, it is not clear. And I have to say, you know, all indications point, including a report in "The Washington Post" today that Netanyahu is

in the driver's seat here? And that Trump is essentially providing color commentary as this crisis unfolds.

And that is certainly worrying, because, you know, while he talks about America first. It really is America following Israel's lead on a lot of

this stuff that I think -- you know, brings up a number of questions as to where we are going. What is our strategy?

What are our national interests here? And we've also seen this play out in other circumstances as well, whether it's in his interactions with

President Xi, President Putin Trump does not seem to be a protagonist in a lot of these plays.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and we will wait to see -- you know how that is in this moment where we are looking to Israel's reaction and whether they're going

to heed what Donald Trump is asking them to do?

Today, we've also heard from Donald Trump claiming that Iran will never build their nuclear facilities. Israel saying that it's achieved its goals

in Iran. But it's not yet clear that that is the case. What would be needed to determine that, Brett?

[11:15:00]

And how concerning is it that no one yet seems to have been able to confirm the whereabouts of Iran's stockpile of nuclear uranium, which was somewhat

spirited away by the Iranians just ahead of the attack.

BRUEN: Well, let's start with that Christina. I mean, the notion that you have this highly enriched uranium, albeit it's not yet at weapons grade

somewhere in Iran is incredibly alarming. It's been downplayed, obviously, by Vice President Vance yesterday on Fox News, the administration

suggesting that's not the real question, but it is a real risk.

You know, you brought up some of the other questions around -- you know, what is a reconstitution of Iran's nuclear capabilities look like? I think

that is precisely the area that I would be focused on if I was sitting in the situation room right now. What does it look like?

Because it is not going to necessarily be in the same form or fashion that it was before. The other part of this is -- you know Iranian retaliation

can take many forms, and while we were all focused on those missiles and the performative exercise last night above the skies of Qatar, I do think

that Iran's asymmetric capabilities are where we really need to be focused.

MACFARLANE: President Trump on route right now to the NATO Summit, where you are, where there will be another chance for him to meet face to face

with President Zelenskyy, something that did not happen as you recall at the G7 Summit because of the developments in the Middle East.

I mean, how much does that underscore -- just how much of a distraction this conflict has become in drawing people away from the other major

crises, such as the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza?

BRUEN: Well, and it's interesting, if you draw the contrast with Trump's active involvement in the situation, both, obviously, with Israel Iran, and

his lack of engagement on the Ukrainian issue. We can't have a situation where the president-- you know, proclaims that he is all about peace, and

then he allows Russian missiles to rain down on Ukrainian cities.

We just had another deadly attack. 11 Ukrainians lost their lives today. And so, I think there is going to be pressure here in The Hague to say, OK,

you intervened in Israel's conflict with Iran. How is that going to play out in Ukraine? Because if peace is the priority, then we need to see more

action. We need to see more focus on this other major crisis here on European soil.

MACFARLANE: All right. Well, Brett, we will wait to see on the president's arrival there, how things play out today. But we appreciate you being with

us this hour. Thank you. Still to come, President Trump heads to a NATO Summit in the Netherlands after lashing out at Iran and Israel. As we said,

what world leaders are saying there just ahead. Plus, what Donald Trump's congressional rivals are saying about his moves in the Middle East.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

MACFARLANE: Russia has been ramping up its aerial attacks on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force says Moscow launched more than 350 drones and 16

missiles in the past day. At least two people were killed in a dozen wounded after a missile hit a school in the Odessa region, and there have

been more Russian attacks on Ukraine's capital.

Officials say at least nine people were killed in Kyiv when a missile hit a five-storey residential building. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

is at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands right now, hoping to rally support.

And happening now U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way to that very same Summit in The Hague against a backdrop of uncertainty over the Iran

Israel ceasefire. The U.S. President is set to meet with world leaders just hours after blasting both countries for violating the agreement, an

agreement Trump now says is in place.

If the ceasefire holds, Trump will see it as vindication for the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, which drew a mixed response from

European Leaders. Trump is also hoping to encourage Washington's NATO allies to commit to increasing defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.

Our Clare Sebastian is joining us now live in The Hague. And Clare as President Trump makes his way over to the Netherlands, I just want to make

our viewers aware that Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social account in the last hour a very interesting text that he apparently received from

NATO Chief Rutte congratulating him on his decisive action in Iran.

I just want to show viewers the text here. It says congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran. It was truly extraordinary and

something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer. You're flying into another big success in The Hague this evening.

It was not easy, but we've got them all signed on to 5 percent. Donald, you have really driven us really important moment for America and Europe and

the world. You will achieve something no American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a big way, as they should, and it

will be your win, safe travels and see you at His Majesty's dinner Mark Rutte.

So, Clare, this is being seen by many as something of a love letter from the NATO Chief to the U.S. President, certainly quite obsequious, shall we

say, in its tone.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and we have confirmed Christina via NATO official that Mark Rutte, the Secretary General, did send those

text messages. They are real to Donald Trump on Tuesday. We don't at this stage know if there was any intention to have them made public.

But this is really, I think, reinforces the clear sense that we're getting at this summit, that it has been absolutely tailor made to deliver this

foreign policy win to Donald Trump through the pledge to commit 5 percent of GDP to defense spending from the NATO allies, we understand that all

allies will sign on to that pledge on Wednesday, even though there's been some massaging of the text to give some of them some flexibility on that.

They've also shortened the schedule and compress it down to one big meeting of the 32 allies. So, these text messages and the sense, really, I think

that Mark Rutte is even attempting to speak Donald Trump's language. he uses his signature style even with the word big in block capitals.

I think really is part of the tone that we're getting here, even though the big pledge itself, the 5 percent is about burden sharing, it's about

European allies stepping up and committing more money and more responsibility to their own defense, they absolutely cannot afford to lose

the commitment of the United States. And I think those text messages really speak to that.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and it interesting to see the reaction to people there with that message being so publicly shared now. And obviously there will be

much discussion, much focus when the president arrives, as to the Iran, Israel ceasefire, that is still in a very fragile state.

But the elephant in the room Clare really does continue to be Ukraine and Russia. Do we expect that President Zelenskyy and President Trump will meet

and sit down together at this Summit?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, we do expect that. We have that via Ukraine's team. We understand that a key member of Zelenskyy's team has already discussed the

parameters of that meeting with Marco Rubio, the Secretary State. We've also heard from a U.S. official that the plan is for a bilateral meeting to

take place. We don't exactly know when and we don't exactly know for how long?

[11:25:00]

But this is, of course, absolutely critical for President Zelenskyy to keep the focus on Ukraine, even as the risk, of course, is that the U.S. is

distracted, not only in terms of attention, but also resources, by the situation in the Middle East.

And especially since we have seen contacts, including a recent phone call between Trump and Putin and the fact that President Zelenskyy was not able

to meet with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 because, of course, Trump left early. So, an awful lot going on here.

As you can see behind me, there's a lot of movements of officials around the place, but certainly keeping the focus on Ukraine is something that,

not only Ukraine, many European countries are hoping to do, I think so, that meeting will be very welcome.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and just going back to this text message, then again, because I can't stop reading it, it says Europe is going to pay in a big

way as they should, and it will be your win. We know, obviously, that Donald Trump is hoping to encourage EU Leaders to increase their defense

spending to 5 percent of GDP. Where are members at in that as far as you're aware? And do we know what this new spending will be for?

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so like they are going to sign the communique, that is what we've heard from the Secretary General, Mark Rutte, all allies and

NATO, needs consensus of all 32 members to get this done. Does that mean that everyone is going to hit 5 percent defense spending?

Perhaps not, because we know that, for example, Spain objected to this target ahead of the meeting, and then the prime minister said over the

weekend that they had made an agreement with NATO where the language of the final statement would essentially not commit all allies to that target,

leaving some room for maneuver there.

Slovakia then came out and said they would do the same. And even some of the bigger countries, France and Germany, the leaders of those countries

wrote a joint article in "The Financial Times" this morning where they really just said, we will aim to get to 3.5 percent. And that 3.5 percent,

by the way, is part of the sort of equation here of the 5 percent it's going to be 3.5 percent core defense spending and 1.5 percent of related

spending.

Things like infrastructure and cyber resilience, things like that that will go into the broader picture of defense. The timeline is until 2035 several

leaders have already come out and said that is not quick enough. So, look, yes, they will be able to sort of more or less get to consensus, but there

are certainly differences within that, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, Clare, for now, appreciate you being with us from The Hague. Thanks very much. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also at

the NATO Summit, where he gave an exclusive interview to our Christian Amanpour. He told Iran's response to the weekend's U.S. attacks opened a

window for diplomacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I would lean towards President Trump's interpretation of it. The military action was also a diplomatic

move by Iran. It was, I mean, we never welcome obviously, hostilities and reactions. But it was proportionate. It was de escalatory. It appears to

have been previewed, which allowed in their Canadian soldiers at the Qatari base as well.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So, you get them out of harm, right?

CARNEY: They were out of harms' way.

AMANPOUR: So, it's par for the course, really, and it's gives, as far as you concerned, an opening for diplomacy.

CARNEY: It gives an opening for diplomacy. I think that's the right way to put it. And the question is, does that diplomacy really get traction and

move to ending this risk of nuclear proliferation, and does it lead, as well to broader, well, a broader ceasefire in the Middle East, including in

Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: You can watch the rest of that interview later today on Amanpour. That's at 01:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the U.S., 06:00 p.m. here in

London. Up next on "One World" Donald Trump says he has scored a big military and diplomatic victory in the Middle East. What did the Democrats

say to that?

I'll be speaking with a member of Congress when we come back. Plus, we're hearing that more hungry people are being killed while waiting to collect

food in Gaza. What the U.N. is saying about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Here are some of the international headlines we're watching today.

The U.S. President railed against Israel and Iran, accusing them of jeopardizing the ceasefire deal. He announced just hours earlier as he left

the White House on his way to NATO summit.

Mr. Trump said both countries needed to calm down. Iran's President says Tehran will not violate the terms of the ceasefire unless Israel breaks the

pact. First President Trump is expected to arrive soon in The Hague for that NATO summit. A short time ago, he shared screenshots of a message from

NATO Chief Mark Rutte congratulating him on the U.S. strikes on Iran.

In addition to the tensions in the Middle East, the alliance plans to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. Russians launched a new wave of drone and

missile attacks on Ukraine Monday. Ukrainian officials say at least two people were killed and a dozen wounded when a missile hit a school in the

Odesa region.

And at least nine people were reported killed in a Kyiv attack that struck a residential building. And a warning you may find this next video

disturbing, at least 21 people were killed while waiting for food aid in Gaza earlier. Health officials say they were fatally shot by Israeli

forces.

U.N. Human Rights Office, meanwhile, says the supply of food in the shattered enclave has been weaponized, which amounts to a war crime. More

now on our top story, angry words from Donald Trump as he tries to keep a ceasefire in place between Israel and Iran. The president blasted both

governments for attacks in the overnight hours.

He was especially angry at Israel. White House source said he had a quote firm and direct phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu urging Israel to stop

its attacks on Iran. Trump says there is no reason for Israel to keep fighting because Iran's nuclear program has been destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Iran will never rebuild its nuclear from there, absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished. The B2 pilots did their job.

They did it better than anybody could even imagine. They hit late in the evening, it was dark with no moon, and they hit that target with every one

of those things, and that place is gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Let's get reaction to all of this from a Democratic Congressman, John Garamendi represents California's 8th District and is a

Senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA-8): My pleasure.

MACFARLANE: So, congressman, as things stand, the ceasefire appears to be in a very fragile state today, following breaches on both sides we've heard

repeatedly this hour, the president, displaying his anger, calling on both sides, especially Israel, to return to the ceasefire.

[11:35:00]

At this stage, congressman, what chances do you see of this ceasefire holding?

GARAMENDI: Well, I think the ceasefire is the current step towards a solution to the nuclear arms situation in Iran. The president says that

they have no ability to move forward. That's not clear. He may be ahead of the actual intelligence that's available. Bottom line is, Iran can never

have a nuclear weapon.

That's the bottom line. How do we get there? The bunker buster bombs were a step along the way. The president may or may not be correct with regard to

the obliteration of the Iran program, I think most people would say that the likelihood is that they still have the ability to continue to produce

highly enriched uranium and to move towards a nuclear weapon.

That brings us to the negotiations. If you think back on where we were in the 2014-15 period, Obama had, together with China and Russia and Europe,

put together the Iran nuclear deal that really prevented Iran from ever putting together a nuclear weapon. Trump came into office found that to be

insufficient.

He tore that agreement up, and Iran then immediately began to weaponize its uranium. That is to increase from 5, 10, 15 percent to 60 percent which is

where they were before the current Israeli and American attack on those facilities. Now, going forward, where do we go?

My sense of it is we need to go back to the negotiating table and make sure that a new deal is put together that prevents Iran from proceeding towards

a nuclear weapon that is of utmost importance. Beyond that, we need to understand that the entire situation in the Middle East has radically

changed over the last 18 to 24 months.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: Hamas is basically eviscerated. Hezbollah is gone. There's a new government, hopefully in Syria, that will not be aligned with Iran. And so

that, how do we move forward? And that's where the American diplomacy is of utmost importance.

MACFARLANE: In order to move forward, presumably you need to know where you stand. And one important outstanding question right now is how much damage

those U.S. strikes inflicted on Iran's nuclear program? The president and the vice president have continued to say the nuclear program has been

obliterated.

What do you know about where that stands? And have you received any damage assessments that would confirm that?

GARAMENDI: Well, back and forth, I would expect Trump and Vance to do exactly what they're doing. That is to beat their chest and say, oh my

gosh, we did a terrific job. Remains to be seen whether it was obliterated or not. I think most -- we're going to find out. I can give you my opinion,

which is, it wasn't obliterated.

It was clearly deterred. It will take some time for Iran to reconstitute its efforts, if they decide to do so, and that's where a negotiation, going

back to the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal, making it better and going forward, would be important. We just don't know. We're going to find out.

We have a classified briefing for members of Congress and the Senate in a couple of hours. My assumption is we still will not know at that briefing.

It's going to take a while to really understand.

MACFARLANE: Why would you still not know at that briefing? What more do you need in order to make that assessment?

GARAMENDI: Well, this is where the intelligence community does its work. First of all, we need to understand that two of these facilities were deep

underground. Did the bunker busters really destroy the underground facilities? I think most people will say, probably not. Did it cause

sufficient damage that they cannot restart?

We just don't know. And there was more than one facility out there. It's very, very important that we have accurate information here.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: All of the boasting that is going on by the president in advance may be accurate. It may not be. Hopefully it is accurate. If it's not well,

then what do we do? And that's where a negotiation with Iran that would prevent them from moving forward and also disposing of the 900 pounds, 400

kilos of 60 percent enriched uranium is removed.

Keep in mind that, that actually happened with the previous Obama. The highly enriched uranium that Iran had was removed from the country, outside

the country, they did not have access to it.

[11:40:00]

So perhaps we can go back to that piece of the puzzle.

MACFARLANE: And do you expect to learn in this briefing coming up where that enriched uranium has been moved to?

GARAMENDI: No, not at all. I don't expect it at all. I could probably get as much information watching your program as I can at this classified

hearing. That's the normal case. We call it classified, read the newspapers, read follow CNN and other sources, and you'll know almost as

much as we'll find out in a classified hearing. But it's nice to get together. It's good to hear the folks try to tell us what's going on.

MACFARLANE: Congressman, you've said your opinion is that these bunker busters did not do the job of taking out the Fordow nuclear facility. If

that is the case, what do you believe has actually been achieved in the process of the strikes and of the last 12 days and this has that been of

benefit to the American people?

GARAMENDI: Well, it remains to be seen exactly what the damage was. If it is significant, it clearly delays the ability of Iran to move forward with

air towards a nuclear weapon. And that's good news. Is it a permanent? No. A permanent really requires negotiations. And I would hope that all of this

sets the stage both Israel's ability to move unimpeded through the air into Iran, as they did prior to these ceasefires.

So where do we go from here? I would hope that we go to the negotiating table and develop a good, solid update of the previous Iran nuclear deal,

dealing with the parts of that deal that were insufficient. Circumstances have changed, as I say, the entire scene in the Middle East has radically

changed over the last 18 months.

Hezbollah basically neutered, a new government being installed in Syria as well as Lebanon, and we have the continuing tragedy of Gaza, again today,

civilians killed, and that has to be dealt with. So, all of these things have changed. And if indeed, Iran is significantly harmed, then what does

that mean to the Houthis in Yemen, and their ability to continue to re arm and to threaten a shipping in the Red Sea and in that region.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: So, there's really a dramatic change over the last 18 months, basically as a result of what Israel has done.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: And I will constantly say that while they were successful, they've also really committed horrendous damage to civilians in Gaza,

unnecessarily, in my view. And the United States should have restricted certain weapons to Israel so that they did not have those opportunities to

destroy a city block with a single bomb.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: Nevertheless, it's a dramatic change, and we need to be very aware of that change. Take advantage of it. Support the new government in

Syria, make sure that it is aligned with the --

MACFARLANE: -- congressman, part of the problem, if I can just say is that Congress has not been involved in a lot of the decisions the Trump

Administration have made. They certainly weren't involved in the decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. And it's therefore difficult for you to

assess what the Trump Administration's motivation is.

In this instance, with Iran, do you believe that their goal was to eliminate the nuclear weapons program or to bring about regime change?

Because we had a lot of mixed messaging on that.

GARAMENDI: Well, indeed, there has been mixed messaging that Trump says one thing, early in the morning, by noon, he's changed it opposite, and in the

evening, he's gone back to where he was in the morning. That is creating significant uncertainty about exactly what the American policy is.

I've been trying to lay out what I think an appropriate American policy is. Maybe it will come to pass. I would hope it does, and that if we are agile,

and if we take a very careful understanding of the dramatic changes that have occurred over the last 18 months in the region.

We have an opportunity to set a completely different stage in the Middle East, working with Saudi Arabia and other semi allies in the Gulf area.

Iran is clearly on its back foot, has clearly been harmed, and its ability to support terrorism in the region has significantly degraded as a result

of a new government Assad, no longer running Syria, which was a proxy for Iran.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

[11:45:00]

GARAMENDI: A new government we ought to be supporting that new government, wholeheartedly stabilizing it similarly in Lebanon and recognizing that

Iran's ability to support these organizations that were surrogates has significantly declined. And take advantage of that.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: Get a new nuclear deal in place that provides the necessary safeguards and oversight of what Iran is doing, removal of the 400 kilos of

highly enriched uranium, which actually happened in the previous deal that Obama put together. So, we have a patent, we have a template we ought to

work with that improve it where it's necessary and move on are the bunker busters, the reason for the change.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: It's a piece of the puzzle. And I think the president could have and should have notified Congress and brought Congress all of at least the

leadership, Democrat and Republican in both Houses, into it so that he has support, and so that those of us that say, well, wait a minute, the War

Powers Act is insufficient, the various authorizations to use force, many of which date back 30 years, are not appropriate --

MACFARLANE: There would certainly be reason to do that congressman.

GARAMENDI: Yeah.

MACFARLANE: But he does not have a track record, does he? Of reaching for Congress when making these rather momentous decisions. But unfortunately,

we are going to have to leave it there. We really appreciate you joining us though, Congressman Garamendi, and giving us your views. Thank you.

GARAMENDI: Thank you for your attention.

MACFARLANE: And there's a bit of good news for drivers at the last check. Oil prices are back to where they were two weeks ago, before the conflict

between Israel and Iran blew up. We'll look at why that is, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Oil prices are sliding after news of the ceasefire broke. Right now, Brent Crude, the global benchmark are both down by almost 5 percent

and the U.S. benchmark, let's take a look over there. I don't know if we have that or not. Maybe Anna Stewart can bring us up to date on that.

The news east traders concerns that oil supplies would be disrupted. Iran had threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which could have put

stock to shipments equal to about a fifth of the world's oil and spelt trouble for several countries that rely on oil from the Middle East.

[11:50:00]

Anna is here, so markets breathing a sigh of relief due to the ceasefire, but we're really not out of the woods yet. Are we?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not necessarily, but the prices have made massively if you think at the beginning of the week, prices were

around $80 a barrel early on Monday, and now we're seeing huge falls there. Look $65 for WTI, 68 for Brent Crude.

Significant falls here, and this is bringing us actually, at a lower point even than before the conflict between Israel and Iran began. Now, why is

this? Now part of this is because the U.S. put these nuclear strikes in Iran, and Iran didn't respond by targeting energy. And as you said that

that was the big risk.

The worst-case scenario was the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which wouldn't just impact Iranian oil supplies. It would impact, you know,

global supplies. It would have particular impact for the Gulf producers. That now appears to be off the table, because after an attack, they're not

going to target oil facilities.

It looks like that risk has gone, and now we're likely to see oil prices maybe move around the $70 sort of benchmark when we look at any kind of

escalation or breaking of the ceasefire, concerns about Iranian oil supply, but limited, probably at that stage to just Iranian oil.

So, in terms of oil prices, we're seeing them definitely come down. And actually, for some oil analysts are actually talking about how low they

could go, because we are looking at OPEC + putting more oil onto the markets. This is big picture, and potentially, particularly with U.S. trade

policy somewhat uncertain. We're looking at global economic growth slowing, and that reduces oil demand.

MACFARLANE: So, a bit of momentary relief, which we hope is going to last. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifying before Congress

Tuesday. This is after Donald Trump increasingly ramped up the pressure on him again to lower interest rates. Can he stand firm? Is he standing firm?

STEWART: He currently is standing firm, despite a Truth Social from the president saying, I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hard headed

person over. But I can tell you that while there is a bit of a --

MACFARLANE: -- strength in my resolve,

STEWART: Right. While there is a bit of a split with the fed board, two members saying they would actually push for a rate cut next month. Jerome

Powell seems to be saying very firm. He essentially said, policy changes continue to evolve and their effects the economy remain uncertain to

translate. Inflation may not be a big issue around tariffs yet, but that's not to say that it won't be soon.

MACFARLANE: Watch this space. Anna, thank you. And we'll be back after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Let's update you on our breaking news this hour, the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

[11:55:00]

And just minutes ago, U.S. President Donald Trump taking credit. He writes on Truth Social, both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally. It

was my great honor to destroy all nuclear facilities and capability and then stop the war. And in other news, the winning design for a memorial to

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the second has been unveiled.

The center piece will be a translucent bridge with a glass balustrade spanning the lake in St. James's Park, the oldest Royal Park in London. The

design of the bridge echoes the appearance of the Queen Mary diamond tiara, which the late Queen wore at her wedding to Prince Philip.

Elizabeth was the first British monarch to reign for 70 years. Celebrated architect Norman Foster, whose firm designed the memorial, says every

effort will be made to preserve the existing nature of its park setting. What a lovely thing. Stay with CNN. Bianna has much more on "One World",

coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END