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One World with Zain Asher
Hegseth, Rubio, Ratcliffe to Brief Senate Today on Iran Strikes; Khamenei: "Iran Should Surrender" is a Ridiculous Thing to Say; House Expected to Vote on Budget Bill Next Week; Iran's Supreme Leader Says His Country "Crushed" Israel; Sources: U.S. Homeland Security to Close Many Asylum Cases; North Korea Celebrates Opening of Massive Beach Resort. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 26, 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)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". U.S.
Defense Secretary says Donald Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history.
Pete Hegseth is touting the U.S. military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as a resounding success. At a Pentagon news conference this
morning, he pushed back on media coverage about the effectiveness of those strikes. And he laid out assessments, including from the CIA, Israel and
Iran itself, and said, no matter how you describe it, Iran's nuclear capabilities were destroyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The reality is, you want to call it destroyed. You want to call it defeated. You want to call it obliterated.
Choose your word. This was an historically successful attack, and we should celebrate it as Americans, and it gives us a chance to have peace, chance
to have a deal, and an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran, which is something President Trump talked about for 20 years and no other presidents
had the courage to actually do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine said the operation went as planned, laid out new details and shared video of
Pentagon tests. Caine said the 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs dropped on Fordow cite quote, as they functioned as designed, meaning that they
exploded well.
Well, U.S. Senators will hear from the key players on what led up to President Trump's decision to launch strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Later
today, they'll get a briefing from the Defense Secretary, the Secretary of State, along with the CIA Director and the Joint Chiefs Chairman.
Now, some Democrats have been critical of Trump's decision to attack Iran without first seeking Congressional approval. Lauren Fox joins us now from
Capitol Hill. And notable who will not be among those presenting before lawmakers, and that is Tulsi Gabbard.
And there had been some frustration that the president had expressed directly toward her about where he thought there was disagreement from her
perspective, about Iran's intentions. But in terms of what lawmakers are expressing to you and publicly, Democrats, most notably, talk about where
their reservations are and their concerns about what they will and possibly won't hear today.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, just setting the table for what kind of mood these briefers are going to walk into today when they
meet with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. But notably on the Democratic side, there is just a lot of frustration right now with the fact
that there was supposed to be an initial briefing on Tuesday.
That briefing got postponed until today because they wanted to have Pete Hegseth the Defense Secretary and Marco Rubio both involved in that
briefing. But the frustration from Democratic Senators at the time was essentially, we can do both. We would prefer to get more information, not
less.
Therefore, if you want to go ahead and move forward with Tuesday's briefing, we're happy to show up again on Thursday. Obviously, all of this
has culminated in this big briefing later today. But that just gives you a sense of kind of the mood that these briefers are going to be walking into.
I've talked to several Democrats this morning, some of them more willing to sort of turn the page than others. But Senator Dick Durbin said at this
point, it's important to just put the political stuff behind them and move forward. Listen to what exactly is going to be said in this briefing.
And that a lot of their belief in whether or not they're getting all the information they want is going to depend on what they hear, right? I think
the other key that I'm hearing from Senate Democrats, Senator Richard Blumenthal in particular is the administration needs to highlight what they
know definitively?
What they think they know and what they don't know? And those are very different categories of information. And Blumenthal said a lot of his view
on whether this briefing is successful is going to be based on the fact that the administration has to be willing to admit when they are still
trying to work out what intelligence they don't have.
Obviously, they want to get some boots on the ground assessments. That is going to be a key question that a lot of lawmakers have. But it's just a
really interesting dynamic given the fact that these strikes happened on Saturday, there were top Democrats in the Gang of Eight who wanted a
briefing immediately after that and did not receive one.
Then there was the postponement obviously, that just puts a lot of pressure on the briefers going into that room today to satisfy concerns on Capitol
Hill.
GOLODRYGA: Lauren, let me keep you here and ask about another issue that you've been covering for us. You're wearing multiple hats, and that is the
president's big, beautiful bill.
[11:05:00]
The state of that moving forward with Republicans still not fully aligned on some of the provisions in this bill, especially as it relates to issues
like Medicaid. He just got another hurdle thrown at him with the Senate Parliamentarian striking down a bunch of critical health provisions in the
reconciliation bill here.
The deadline is looming for the self-imposed July 4th date of signing this bill into law. Talk about what you're hearing from Republicans who are
still dissatisfied with it and its current form.
FOX: Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of questions right now on the -- on whether or not they're going to be able to get this done by the 4th of July
deadline. I just asked Senator Lindsey Graham, who's the Budget Chairman, whether, excuse me, they're going to be able to move forward. He said that
he still needs to have some conversations with John Thune.
Because they're hoping that they can basically retool many of these provisions that have been thrown out by the parliamentarian, convince her
to let them include the newly revised provisions. But of course, it's Thursday. We are now just about a week away from that critical deadline,
and it's not clear that they can do this in short order.
The Senate had hoped that they might begin voting on this package by the end of this week, or even into the weekend. I think right now, that is a
huge question mark. And a lot of Republicans aren't sure if they're going to be able to meet this deadline in the Senate.
And that's before they pass it out of their chamber and send it back to the House, were, again, it's going to have to pass once again in that Chamber.
So, it just gives you a sense there's a lot of ping ponging left to happen, and there's a lot of question whether or not they're going to be able to be
able to get this done by the 4th of July.
GOLODRYGA: And that's definitely when the president wants it done. In fact, he's hosting a quote, big, beautiful event at the White House today at four
o'clock, once again, really tightening the screws among Republicans who are still having some in fighting in terms of what they can and can't agree to
right now. Lauren Fox, thank you so much.
Let's turn back to our top story now. CNN's National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand, who is joining us. And let's go back to that briefing at
the Pentagon, because it really was fascinating to see, on the one hand, the Defense Secretary talking along the president's lines of espousing
frustration towards the media.
And how the reporting has come to be in terms of any leaks? And what you broke for us here the early assessments from the DIA into how they have
viewed, the initial response from and then the initial fallout from the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend?
And then you had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs really just talking about the operational structure of the event. And subsequently what we have come
to find out. Just talk to us about what stood out to you from the Defense Secretary, because it didn't seem like ultimately, it deviated much from
the reporting that you broke.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, I think the split screen, as you were alluding to, was very interesting.
Secretary Hegseth obviously wanted to use this as an opportunity to attack the media reporting that has emerged over the last few days from CNN and
others about this DIA assessment, which, again, was very early.
But suggested that the U.S. had only set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months with these air strikes on the facilities over the weekend. And
it did not appear at first glance as though there was going to be any new intelligence that Secretary Hegseth was going to reveal that would
contradict that DIA assessment.
And ultimately, he handed it over to General Dan Caine, who was much more measured and was much more focused on the operational details of the
military operation. And he provided some really interesting context about the massive ordnance penetrator bomb that was used to hit two of these
nuclear facilities. But he focused on one Fordow.
And all of the research over the last 15 plus years that has gone into planning for a possible military strike on this facility and others inside
Iran, and really interesting details about the timing, the speed, the -- all of the things that go into planning make -- to make sure that actually
the bomb, when it's dropped, is able to destroy those underground structures, because they are buried so deep and it is so difficult to get
to them.
And so, he really laid out point by point what these massive ordnance penetrator bombs are capable of doing. And importantly, he emphasized that
the U.S. military believes that the mission was carried out essentially perfectly, that the bombs went where they were supposed to go. They hit
their targets.
But importantly, he also deflected on the question of the actual assessment of how this is going to impact Iran's nuclear program and just what was
actually taken out underground. Because he said it is too early. It is too early to know just what happened to the underground facilities.
[11:10:00]
And importantly, he said also that the battle damage assessment is the job of the intelligence community, not of the Pentagon's Joint Staff. But
Secretary Hegseth, of course, he was really trying to turn this into an attack on the press. And so, what he was saying was, look, we may not know
as of right now the exact battle damage assessment.
But the operation was carried out as planned. And he also attacked the media for the reporting, because, in his words, it suggested to the world,
according to him, that this was an attack on the military and the pilots and the service members who were actually carrying this out, which, of
course, is not true, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: If I could go back Natasha to some of the more fascinating new details that we heard from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine.
And it's laying out exactly what these massive ordnance penetrators were striking, these bombs, these bunker buster bombs? And he confirmed that
they actually struck numerous times the ventilator shafts themselves at these locations. Explain the significance of that alone.
BERTRAND: Yeah, so because Fordow and the underground structures and the centrifuges and everything essentially that is core to the nuclear program
is buried so deep underground, about 250 to 300 feet underground. You can't just have bombs that are capable of destroying surface level equipment,
right?
And so, they had to time the release of the bombs perfectly so that they were able to actually go down the ventilation shafts that were open on the
surface of Fordow and ultimately explode deep down on the inside of the facility to destroy everything.
Now he also indicated that the Iranians, prior to this strike on Fordow, were actually trying to cover those ventilation shafts with concrete. It
doesn't appear that that had an impact on the bomb's ability to penetrate those ventilation shafts.
And so, they're -- what they're saying is that, because they have evidence that those bombs went deep into the ventilation shafts and hit the target,
then they are confident that it appears that the underground structures were damaged, severely damaged.
And so ultimately, after a matter of weeks, the intelligence community is going to have to come up with a much fuller picture of what this exactly
means for Iran's nuclear program, because, of course, Fordow is not the only nuclear facility that Iran has in the country, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and there were three in particular, Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, that they struck. And it was also important, I think, to hear from
General Caine reiterating that this was an operation that had been planned out and in the works across four different administrations over 15 years
and period of time.
So, one, he was saying, on the one hand, this was executed as planned, and two, that there was a lot of planning that went into this operation dating
back over a decade. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Well, Iran's Supreme Leader is making his first public comments in days, hitting out at the U.S. and Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proclaiming
victory for Iran and saying the U.S. quote, did not gain anything by attacking his country. He went on to say the U.S. had made it clear it
ultimately seeks what he calls Iran surrender.
And we're hearing from a source in Israel that Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with top officials today to discuss Gaza strategy. That
source says Israel is still interested in U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff's Gaza proposal a ceasefire in return for the release of hostages, both dead and
alive.
This comes one day after Donald Trump said that in his words, very close to striking a deal on the conflict. A lot to get through. I want to bring in
CNN's Nic Robertson, live from Tel Aviv. First Nic, a reaction to the comments from the Supreme Leader perhaps not as surprising the comments
themselves.
But the fact that there have been a number of days where no one knew where he was and hadn't heard from him, and there was a wide speculation as to
what that signaled. Now we have heard from him. What's the reaction there from Israel's perspective?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it? Were they just trying to create a drum beat with inside of Iran
before his speech, that he would then appear after a week of absence. I think one of the commentators inside Iran had said, when asked where he
was, pray for him -- you know, creating this aura of potentially him not being well, that's clearly not the case.
He came out full of them, full of vigor in terms of how he described Iran had won the war. He described that they had crushed Israel, which is
interesting, because that's the same word that Prime Minister Netanyahu used two days ago in describing Israel's victory over Iran. But he used
those terms -- you know, crushed Israel, of course, that's not something anyone here would recognize.
[11:15:00]
He talked about having raised urban areas of military areas that the United States had only entered the war, because that's what it took for Israel to
be saved. He painted a very rosy picture of an outcome that is not in keeping with the reality of the situation here in Israel, but that would be
expected, as you said, that he would come out and rally Iranians.
And I think that one of the lines that stuck out to me, he talked about the importance of unity, and of course, that is the concern for the Iranian
leadership, that the fact that they have taken a beating and militarily, have come out on the bottom, not the top. Unlike how he describes it, is
something that's going to further divide the country.
So, talking about unity, and of course, he understands very clearly that Israel and others would like to see regime change. So again, unity a
central message. And he also said he talked about the Al-Udeid Air Base, the U.S. base inside of Qatar. Talked about how Iran was able to target
that so really rallying Iranians here.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and also noting his words that the strikes against Iran's nuclear program were not fruitful when there's increased intelligence
suggesting just the opposite, and even the country's own foreign minister saying that there was significant damage to their nuclear facilities. Nic
Robertson, thank you so much.
Well, as we've been discussing, House lawmakers will be briefed on the U.S. strikes on Iran tomorrow. Joining me now is Representative Becca Balint, a
Democrat from Vermont. Congresswoman, welcome to the program.
So, if I could get you in anticipation of tomorrow, when you are and you and your fellow members of Congress will receive a briefing, your reaction
to what we heard today from both the Defense Secretary and, perhaps even more important from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine,
who seemingly confirmed that this military operation was conceived and designed for over the past 15 years, over four administrations.
And that it was executed just as planned. Does that give you a bit more reassurance as to the planning that went in to this operation?
REP. BECCA BALINT (D-VT): Certainly, we care deeply about the kind of planning that went in over several administrations. My main concern is that
this administration, in so many aspects of government, is a black box. Congress is not able to get clear answers from this administration.
I was very alarmed that the classified briefing was canceled earlier in the week. We are entitled to do oversight. We are also entitled to be consulted
before we start dropping bombs around the world. We are the voice of the American people. And the American people do not approve of this attack on
Iran.
They're concerned that this will lead to boots on the ground. And I find it very disturbing that in the briefing this morning, what we saw from Pete
Hegseth was simply going after the press viciously, that nobody is allowed to do oversight, that nobody is allowed to ask questions on behalf of
Americans.
That is the job of a free press, and the fact that he will not directly answer questions is deeply disturbing to me and everyone on my side of the
aisle.
GOLODRYGA: Well, what is your reaction to reporting that the amount of classified information that will be shared by administration officials to
members of the Senate today? And I would imagine the same applies for members of Congress tomorrow will be limited, and the justification, at
least, from the administration as to why is because of a lack of trust and what they view as leaks from Democrats to the press, specifically as it
relates to the DIA report.
BALINT: This is outrageous, OK. When they say these things, that's a tell. They can't be trusted. So, then they hurl these insults at us. I was
outraged the other day when they seemed to imply that a distinguished member on our side, Jim Himes, cannot be trusted with this highly sensitive
information. This is outrageous. These are people who have a lot more experience in this field than Pete Hegseth does.
GOLODRYGA: Do you think it's a worthy concern that information is leaked?
BALINT: It is always a worthy concern. We as members of Congress, understand the seriousness that we have to take any classified briefing. We
always drop off all of our phones, all our electronic items. We know that anything that we leak could be a dangerous situation that we put American
troops around the world.
[11:20:00]
And so, it is just it's a pathetic excuse for not giving us the information that we deserve, again, on behalf of the American people. And so once
again, what we get from this administration is excuses and smoke screens and not real answers.
GOLODRYGA: You described in the hours after the operation targeting Iran's nuclear facility by the U.S. military, a quote, reckless, illegal action
from the president. He does not have the authority to enter us into a war with Iran. He must consult Congress. This is not what Americans want. I'm
thinking about our troops tonight.
There does seem to be division within the party in terms of not -- necessarily, not being briefed, but the general tone and approach and
response to the attacks alone and the threat posed by Iran. And I raise this because Representative Nancy Pelosi has said, yes, it is probably
wrong for the president not to come to Congress.
But then she went on to say, let's just change that. Because, again, we can't ignore what's at stake, which is our national security or to make
sure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and our friendship with Israel, that doesn't seem to align with your public statements here. So, do you
want to respond to that?
BALINT: What I would say is this. I have been represented. I mean, I have been elected to represent the people of Vermont, and they do not want any
more wars. They are not trusting of this administration. And look, there's a lot that we don't know in terms of the success of this operation.
We are hearing reports that much of the enriched uranium was able to find its way out of Fordow long before the attack. And so, I am here
representing Vermonters, and what they say to me is they want us to get the president to commit to following the War Powers Act.
That's what they want. That's what I'm going to be standing for. And I think a place that I agree with all of the members of my Caucus is that the
way that they are treating Congress is not just an outrage it undermines their credibility with Americans.
GOLODRYGA: Is there unified view, though, within the party to whether or not Iran poses a threat, not only to the region but to the U.S. and its
allies, if it continued with its nuclear program?
BALINT: Well, that is why we had the Iran nuclear deal. I think there is agreement within the Caucus that Iran is a threat. And we want the United
States to go back to diplomacy first. And there is a lot of frustration. It was interesting. I was in a conversation the other day with some members of
my Caucus who didn't vote for the agreement the Iran nuclear agreement, that had been cobbled out over a long period of time.
But they said, you know, in retrospect, we actually should have supported that. That should be always our first line of defense and protection.
GOLODRYGA: So, are you reassured then, when you hear the president say that there may be a meeting with Iranian officials and the U.S. as early as next
week?
BALINT: I welcome that. That is what I want to see more from any administration is having diplomatic outreach and sparing us being entangled
once again in a never-ending war.
GOLODRYGA: Let me ask you about the president's big, beautiful bill. Speaker Johnson is saying that he will likely have a vote as early as
Tuesday, in time for that July 4th, self-imposed deadline for the president to sign the bill.
You've described it as a massive wealth transfer from the poorest to the richest Americans. Can you elaborate more on which provisions you actually
find most harmful right now, and what if anything you're willing to accept?
BALINT: OK. There are many provisions in this bill that are going to hurt working people across this country. The one that I am most focused on at
this moment, because I see some cracks happening on the Senate side is the provisions that will rip health care away from millions of Americans.
And it's not just my concern about individuals and families losing their health care. It is how this is going to impact rural communities,
regardless of your district. If you have rural hospitals in your district, these cuts to Medicaid will lead to hospital closures, and we are hearing
that from some, finally, from some Republican Senators who understand because they're hearing from their health care facilities in their states.
This is dire, absolutely dire. And so, I want to tell Americans who are watching this continue to put pressure on because it's having a difference
in the Senate right now.
[11:25:00]
GOLODRYGA: Congresswoman Becca Balint, thank you so much for the time you appreciate it.
BALINT: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still ahead on "One World", Ukraine's wartime president is trying to draw the world's attention back to his country's conflict with
Russia. We'll have his latest agreement after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to make a remote address to the European Council Summit today. This comes after the Ukrainian President
joined with the European Rights Body, the Council of Europe, to create a tribunal. It would prosecute top Russian officials who have led the full-
scale invasion of Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy headed to Strasbourg to meet with the Council after talking with Donald Trump Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in
the Netherlands. The U.S. President announced he's considering providing patriot missiles to Ukraine, but he added that there could be constraints.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports on the latest developments.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy is trying to draw the world's attention back to the conflict in Ukraine. Yesterday, he was at
NATO where he was able to sit down with President Trump for a 50-minute meeting that he called, substantial and long.
President Trump said the meeting was nice, which is, of course, a significant development given the relationship between these two world
leaders breaking down earlier this year. President Trump also reiterated his support for Ukraine and said that he would consider giving the country
anti-aircraft, missiles, patriot missiles, something that President Zelenskyy has of course, been appealing for.
But there is concern on the part of Ukraine that the country is dropping in the headlines and dropping in the minds of these world leaders. Still, of
course, the meeting with President Trump was a win. President Zelenskyy will also address the European Council Summit.
He will be giving a battlefield update, and on that, the Ukrainian military is saying that it has been able to halt the advance of Russian forces on
the Sumy region. Moscow's troops had for months been shelling the area, but Ukrainian forces say they have now been able to stop that assault.
Still, there is an uptick of Russian aggression across Ukraine. Earlier this week, dozens of Ukrainian civilians were killed by Russian fire power.
So, President Zelenskyy again continues to appeal for that aid, and for that help Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
[11:30:00]
GOLODRYGA: And still ahead for us, the Pentagon is touting last weekend strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as a success. We'll have some analysis
and a look at what's ahead, when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here are some international headlines we're watching today. U.S. Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. At a news conference this morning, he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff gave more details about the strike, saying the mission went as planned.
General Dan Caine explained the job of each of the so-called bunker buster bombs and hailed the pilots who delivered them. Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is virtually attending an EU summit in Brussels. The EU leaders are talking about ways to get Russia to negotiate a ceasefire and
address Ukraine's path to EU membership.
The EU has provided $186 billion in aid to Ukraine already. Well closing arguments are underway in the Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking and
racketeering case. Yesterday, prosecutors told the judge they were no longer pursuing theories of attempted arson and kidnapping as part of the
racketeering conspiracy charge.
Over six weeks, prosecutors called 34 witnesses. The defense focused on cross examination and did not call any witnesses. Well, Donald Trump says
nothing was taken out of Iran's nuclear facilities before the U.S. strikes last Saturday. The U.S. President posted on social media earlier, saying it
would take too long and it would be too dangerous, heavy and hard to move.
Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader is making his first public comments since a ceasefire went into effect earlier this week. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
proclaimed victory in its 12-day conflict with Israel. Fordow, one of Iran's most important nuclear enrichment facilities is located in the area
of Qom.
[11:35:00]
And CNN is the only western media allowed in that city. Our Fred Pleitgen spoke to clerics there who say war has only strengthened their faith.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the holy shrine of Masoumeh in the Holy City of Qom, which is the second holiest
site in all of Iran. Now this place is extremely important for the Islamic Republic of Iran. There's a lot of religious schools here, a lot of
religious seminaries.
And of course, a lot of the thinking, the religious thinking that underpins the actions of the Islamic Republic is developed here. All of that even
more important now that Iran is in this massive standoff with the Trump Administration and with the Israelis. So, we went out and we asked a couple
of clerics here how they feel about that standoff and what could happen next.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): If Trump ever has good will, do not mess with countries and let people live their lives, he says. This promise has been
made by God, he says. That if you believe in God, he is the one who guides your arrows to the hearts of the enemy. And he says they think they're able
to stop us from our chosen path through bombing, killing and terror.
This is why these terrors and wars will only strengthen our faith instead of weakening us.
PLEITGEN: That is one other reason why this part of Iran is so important. The province of Qom is also where the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant is
located, which of course, President Trump claims to have, as he put it, obliterated with those U.S. bunker buster bombs that were dropped a couple
of days ago.
The Iranians acknowledge that their nuclear program has been damaged, but they say that it is still very much alive. And they also say that they're
not going to back down from what they call their right to nuclear enrichment. And they also say that they are going to stay defiant in the
face of pressure, both from the U.S. and from Israel. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Qom, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And for more on the conflicting reports about the effectiveness of the air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, let's bring in Barbara
Slavin. She is a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington. Barbara, welcome to the program.
I mean, its, definitely early days, but from what we're hearing from Israeli intelligence and from the IAEA, and more and more so even from the
U.S. early assessments that significant damage was done to Iran's nuclear facilities. What does that do to the stability of the regime at this point?
BARBARA SLAVIN, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW AT THE STIMSON CENTER: Well, I don't think it does very much at this point. I think what we saw after the
attacks on Iran by Israel and then later by the United States, is that there has been a kind of rallying around the flag effect so far.
Also, the regime is very heavily cracking down on anyone who appears to be a dissident, anyone that it suspects of having worked for the Israelis or
given them information. So, I don't think this is the moment when we're going to see regime change or regime collapse.
I'm much more concerned, frankly, about whether Iran is now going to covertly try to produce a nuclear weapon, because there have been some
developments. The Parliament has approved a bill which would suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, so who will be
able to inspect Fordow or Natanz and actually verify the damage that the U.S. claims and Israel claims happened?
GOLODRYGA: So, let's stick with that, because we've had Israeli journalists on who are very well sourced, and not just with the prime minister's top
advisors, but with defense and intelligence officials not necessarily aligned with the prime minister's office.
And they have said that there is pretty clear confidence that the majority of the highly enriched uranium, if not all of it, is buried deep
underground in Fordow and Isfahan, and that it'll be very difficult for Iran to have access to it. And on top of that, the deterrence was perhaps
established by the strike, suggesting to Iranians that if Israel and the United States struck once, they can do it again. What is your response to
that argument?
SLAVIN: Well, there have also been reports that there were trucks lined up in front of the facility at Fordow and that 14 trucks, something like that,
and that material was removed. So, you know, frankly, everyone has a political agenda in this right now, and I'm kind of withholding judgment
about whether some of that enriched uranium was moved to another location.
Now, the other point you made, obviously, is more valid that both Israel and the United States have shown that they are willing to take military
action if they feel that they have found another site, if they feel that Iran is reconstituting the program.
But you know, I'm old enough to remember 10 years ago when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action went through Congress and that would have
prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon at least until 2030. So ultimately, a diplomatic agreement is much more effective than military
action, which can always go wrong.
[11:40:00]
In this case, the United States, those attacks when went off without a hitch. But you can't always guarantee that's going to happen every time
there could be a tragedy. So, I think it's still important to try to reach a diplomatic agreement. And my question now is whether the Iranians will
sit down with anyone from the Trump Administration after the attacks of last weekend.
GOLODRYGA: Given that it's taken so many days for the supreme leader to finally resurface there had been reporting that he had been held
underground in a bunker. He's 86 years old. He's in frail health, we know that. We heard from him today. I can't imagine there was much surprise in
the language and rhetoric that he used.
But how credible are reports of power vacuum or internal divisions among top leadership in the country at this point, even within the IRGC itself.
SLAVIN: Well, I'm not privy to those reports. Again, I think that the external attacks had the effect that they always do when a country is
attacked, they brought people together, at least temporarily. As for the supreme leader, he has a succession plan. Reportedly, he has three
successors in mind.
And there's some debate over whether an individual would replace him, or perhaps a council would replace him. The fact remains that the power behind
Iran is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And even though Israel killed many of its top generals, it is a large organization with a very
deep bench.
So, you know, I think it's too soon to talk about regime stability in this case. We have to see what happens in the days coming forward when people
can breathe a little bit after, you know, this very, very traumatic experience of the last 12 days.
GOLODRYGA: Right. And in the coming days and weeks, no doubt we'll get a better, more firm assessment as to the damage calculations to the sites and
how long it did set Iran's nuclear program back, whether it's a few months, a few years, a dozen years. But what indicators will you be watching for,
aside from that, in terms of regime stability over the weeks to come?
SLAVIN: Well, I'll be looking to see if people come out in the streets and protest again. Iran has a very robust history of popular protests, going
back to the green movement of 2009 and student protests from a decade earlier. Will people actually come out and protest, or will they be too
afraid of government repression?
Will the government maintain a monopoly of force? I mean, this is the key question, as long as the armed forces, the intelligence, remain loyal to
the regime, and as long as the guns remain in their hands, I'm afraid what we could see is an even more repressive and even more militaristic Iran
than we already have.
GOLODRYGA: Is there any leverage the United States has on that front in terms of resuming diplomatic talks as early as next week? Is there anything
the United States, any parameters the United States could set to avoid some of the bigger concerns that you have at this point?
SLAVIN: Yeah, I've been puzzling about that when Trump said that there was going to be a meeting with the Iranians. I mean, what exactly would Iran
hear at that meeting? They're not going to give up their insistence on uranium enrichment, even if that's frankly not practical, given the damage
that's been done.
What could trump offer? Is he going to offer them a full relief of economic sanctions? He made a comment about China being able to buy Iranian oil. I
mean, it would have to be a very substantial offer from the United States, I think, to entice Iran back to diplomacy.
And I'm not sure that Trump would do that. On the other hand, he has done a number of things in the last couple of days.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
SLAVIN: I would not have expected so it's always possible.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the way he even ended that sentence was not expected. He started by saying we may have talks next week, but then concluded it by
saying it wasn't important if a deal was signed anyway, regardless of the October talks.
SLAVIN: Yeah --
GOLODRYGA: So, we'll continue to follow this fast-developing story. Barbara Slavin, thank you so much.
SLAVIN: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, CNN has exclusive reporting that U.S. homeland security may be getting ready to close hundreds of thousands of asylum cases,
putting all of those people at risk of immediate deportation. Details now from CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump Administration is planning to dismiss asylum claims for potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants
in the United States. This latest effort targeting asylum seekers who cross the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully and have since applied for asylum.
Now, according to U.S. law, people who are seeking protection from violence and persecution in their home country can claim asylum in the United States
regardless of how they arrive to the country, but the administration is trying to strip them of that process, essentially taking away the
opportunity for them to seek asylum in the United States and instead making them eligible for deportation.
On that latter point, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been delegated the authority to order what is known as expedited removal. In
other words, Fast Track deportation proceedings. That is an unprecedented move, according to experts who say that typically falls under U.S. Customs
and Border Protection, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Essentially, instead placing the federal agency that manages federal immigration benefits at the center of the president's deportation campaign.
Something that is likely to have a chilling effect for the many immigrants who are trying to obtain relief in the United States.
And also, a cause of concern for attorneys who say that those who may have their asylum applications dismissed shouldn't have been in that position to
begin with. But of course, all of this is part of the president's sweeping immigration crackdown, which has included trying to reach new historic
numbers of arrests on a daily basis, and also stripping protections from those already in the United States. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come, celebrities flock to Venice for the luxury wedding of billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The latest on the
prep and protests, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, last year, investors were all in on Trump media, mostly because they were betting Donald Trump would be back in the White House,
but now it's a different story. Since he was elected, shares of Trump media have plunged by nearly half. At last check, it was trading around $17 a
share.
That's down from October, when it closed at $51 a share. Well, the uber rich and famous are gathering in Venice ahead of the lavish wedding of
billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiance, Lauren Sanchez. Spotted in Venice were Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump and others.
While it's been cloaked in secrecy, we're learning more about the opulent three-day event as some Venetians continue to protest it. CNN, Melissa Bell
has more from Venice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is in historic Venice, but also in extreme weather conditions, temperatures of up to 90
degrees that this wedding is going to take place over the course of the next few days. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos marrying, of course, Lauren
Sanchez, in what we expect to be, even if the details have been kept very secret so far.
A star studded and very glitzy, lavish wedding ceremony over the course of three days. So, because of the protests we've seen these last few days, not
just those protesting Jeff Bezos' extreme wealth, but there are climate activists.
There are those that object to the Disneyfication, as they call it, a Venice, many of them have been taking to San Marcos square to the Rialto
Bridge, with their big banners saying no space for Bezos, and they had threatened to jump into the canal for the.
Many of them have been taking to San Marcos Square to the Rialto Bridge with their big banners saying no space for Bezos, and they had threatened
to jump into the canal for the last parties on Saturday, which is why we understand those events had to be moved.
The one thing we do know, or believe we know, is that some of the events, the early events planned for tonight will be taking place here at the
Madonna Dell Orto Church. It's a 14-century church which has a private cluster next door. You can see some of the fruit and vegetables arriving.
We've seen security guards and photographers milling about since Saturday. But otherwise, as with everyone else, we're going to be keeping a very
close eye on where the events are taking place. And, perhaps more importantly, whether the protesters managed to get in the way. Melissa
Bell, CNN, Venice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, North Korea is celebrating the opening of a massive new beach resort, that is, according to state media. The country's leader Kim
Jong Un cut a ceremonial bread ribbon at the grand opening of the resort in the Wonsan tourist zone on North Korea's East Coast.
The resort reportedly includes water parks, hotels and accommodations for 20,000 guests. The resort is being described as a quote, national treasure
level tourism city, but for whom? Mike Valerio has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: North Korea's Kim Jong Un is unveiling a new beach resort for up to 20,000 people. But who is going to visit?
VALERIO (voice-over): You can see, Kim here cutting the ribbon himself, fireworks, high rise hotels, a giant seaside celebration. This is a huge
contrast to the military parades and reports of human rights abuses made by North Korean defectors and international human rights groups for decades.
VALERIO: So, let's talk about the larger picture of what's going on here.
VALERIO (voice-over): This could be one of the most secretive countries on earth making a big foray into tourism. In fact, Kim has indicated that
himself in this grand opening speech, as far as we know, beginning July 1, this is only open to North Koreans.
[11:55:00]
But Russia's Ambassador was at the ceremony, and Russian tourists were the first international visitors allowed into North Korea after COVID.
VALERIO: So, we're watching to see, especially as train service between Moscow and Pyongyang just started again.
VALERIO (voice-over): Could the next stop on a Russia to North Korean itinerary be this speech?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Fascinating reporting from Mike Valerio, thanks to him. And still ahead on "One World", the U.S. Defense Secretary shares new details
on the U.S. strikes on Iran, calling it the most complex and secretive military operation in history. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER: A great Iran and the word of surrender, they don't match. They don't match with each other. Is a
joke. Is a ridiculous thing to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Iran's Supreme Leader strikes a defiant tone in his first public comment since the U.S. bombed nuclear sites in his country. You'll hear
more in the next hour of "One World".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
