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Reuters: U.S. Military Sends Note Informing Ships Of Blockade; Former Staffer Says Rep. Eric Swalwell Raped Her, California Congressman Denies The Accusation; Now: U.S. Military Blockade On Iranian Ports Takes Effect. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:31]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news of brand new blockade. The U.S. Military is launching an operation to keep ships from reaching Iran's ports. But the military action could make the world's deepening energy crisis even worse.

And new promise, Pope Leo is vowing not to stop criticizing the war with Iran despite President Trump attacking him for it calling the pontiff, "Terrible for foreign policy."

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I am Pamela Brown, Wolf Blitzer is off. And you're in The Situation Room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

BROWN: And we begin this hour with international concerns over a growing energy crisis. Right now, the U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports is in effect. Iran's Revolutionary Guard calls the U.S. military action illegal and is vowing to retaliate. President Trump ordered the blockade after talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed over the weekend. Overnight the new tensions pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel.

So let's go live now to CNN's Clarissa Ward and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Clarissa, how is this blockade playing out and what is the reaction in the region?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, everybody is now on the edge of their seats waiting and watching to see how Iran will respond to this blockade, which has now been in place for just over an hour. Earlier on, CENTCOM issued a warning to seafarers that essentially all access in and out of Iran's ports would be completely restricted, that any ships engaging in that could be interdicted, diverted and potentially captured.

And they also gave the parameters geographically for the scale and size of this blockade essentially going right the way down Iran's coastline and saying that it was focused on ports and oil terminals though not limited to those and that is interesting in and of itself, Pam, because Iran does have a large pipeline that would allow it still potentially to have exported oil without going through the Strait of Hormuz the Jask pipeline, but it's now clear from that warning from CENTCOM that that is also part of this blockade.

Now, Iran's IRGC as you mentioned had been warning that this would be seen as illegal an act of war. They called it a Marine piracy. And they issued a threat to neighboring Arab Gulf states that no port in the Persian Gulf or in the Sea of Oman would be safe if indeed this blockade went ahead, which it now has important for our viewers to remember that during the more kinetic phase of this war ports in the UAE and other countries were hit.

So people here are now waiting and watching to see whether Iran will retaliate with some kind of an attack on Gulf infrastructure, although I will say there has been broad support for this move because, Pamela, it was such an anathema for these Gulf countries to think that any kind of agreement could have been reached which would leave a modicum of Control of the Strait of Hormuz in Iran's hands. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. Live for us from Riyadh.

Let's go to Alayna Treene now at the White House. Alayna, the U.S. Iran ceasefire is not expected to expire until next week. Very fragile though. What is the President saying about the next steps and talks?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look I think what we're seeing with what Clarissa just laid out with this blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for my conversations with Trump administration officials, they view this as almost an extension of these negotiations were another phase. Essentially what they argue is that this is their attempt to try and inflict as much economic pain on Iran as possible and force them to kind of heed some of the red lines.

We know that the Trump administration laid out to them during those talks, I should say marathon talks we're on hours of talks on Saturday in Pakistan. But one thing I want to bring up as well is what we just heard from the President on social media today talking about this blockade. He tried to point out that Iran's Navy is what he said was lying at the bottom of the sea. But then he went on to say, "What we have not hit are their small number of what they call fast attack ships because we did not consider them much of a threat. Warning, if any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated using the same system of kill that we used against the drug dealers on boats at sea. It is quick and brutal," President's words there, obviously, referring to some of the military operations and strikes on boats traveling off the coast of Venezuela and Cuba as part of their efforts to crack down on drugs.

[11:05:28]

Look, I think that kind of lines up with what we know has been one of the biggest problems that the Trump administration has faced when it comes to trying to secure the Strait of Hormuz. I know for my conversations, Pamela, with intelligence officials. They said a huge issue is just the stretch of land where people can attack, Iran can attack any type of U.S. military vessels and the type of boats they have as well that can pass through to try to launch some of these attacks.

So we'll see, you know what this could lead to and I think Clarissa laid this out as well, I think a huge question is what is actually the response now from the Iranians. I know there are some officials who worry that this blockade could potentially to a further escalation of military attacks on both sides. And that's something I know the President really doesn't want. He wants diplomacy to work. And so we'll have to see how Iran responds and whether or not the Trump administration feels like negotiations are still viable at that point.

BROWN: All right, Alayna Treene live for us from the White House. Thanks so much for that.

And now to a Situation Room special report. Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell announced he is suspending his campaign for California governor after four women described sexual conduct -- misconduct by him to CNN. Allegations he denies and ending his campaign. Swalwell wrote on a social media post yesterday evening, "To my family, staff, friends and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes and judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious false allegations that have been made but that's my fight not a campaign's."

Now, Swalwell did not specify what errors and judgment he was referring to there. And I spoke to a former staffer of the congressman who says he raped her when she was heavily intoxicated that interview took place before Swalwell announced the end of his gubernatorial campaign. And again, Swalwell is denying that allegation. A warning to our viewers, the story you're about to see contains disturbing and graphic details.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kept figuring out ways to blame myself. I shouldn't have reached out to him at all. I should have left. I should have done this, well, Eric shouldn't have raped me.

BROWN (voice-over): This Capitol Hill staffer is coming forward for the first time on camera to talk about her experience with Congressman Eric Swalwell. He is now a leading Democratic candidate for governor of California.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Let's get together, make the biggest wave the state has ever seen.

BROWN (voice-over): Swalwell was in his late 30s and married when she joined his office as an intern and became a junior staffer. She's speaking in shadow as she fears professional consequences.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was in 2019 I was again driving him to an event. This was my job.

BROWN: And you were 21 years old. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I was 21 years old. We see some sort of parking lot and he says to pull over. He pulls out his penis and instructs me to give him oral sex and I started to. Again, I felt incredibly uncomfortable and I stopped and I said to him, this feels really uncomfortable and anyone could see us right now. And he said to me you're right, it's probably not good for a congressman to be caught with his pants down.

BROWN (voice-over): Swalwell calls her allegations false. His campaign responded earlier to vague accusations on social media related to his behavior with staffers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?

SWALWELL: No, no, it's false. And also, you know, some of the allegations I've seen which is that we've had NDAs in the office never there's never been an allegation and there's never been a settlement. And, you know, I will also just take stock that look we're 27 days before an election starts.

BROWN: Did he ask you to send him nude photos?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BROWN: And did he ever send me photos?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he would send short snapchat videos of him rubbing his penis through his pants while on the airplane.

BROWN (voice-over): The staffer says she liked Swalwell's attention at first and nervously went along with it which included sending back nude photos of herself. But in September 2019 she says she and some friends met up with Swalwell after a night of heavy drinking she says she woke up naked with Swalwell in a hotel room with no memory of what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The five of us were having some drinks. At some point, it was time to go home. I got in an Uber. I was taken to the aloft Dublin Pleasanton where he was staying and I don't remember what happened that night. But I know that we -- there was sexual contact because when I woke up in the morning I could feel that there was and he said as much too.

[11:10:18]

BROWN: What did he say?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That last night was great. It didn't feel great to me because I didn't remember it.

BROWN: And so you blocked out and you end up in his hotel room and wake up with him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BROWN (voice-over): She says another incident occurred in 2024 after this event in New York where Swalwell gave a speech.

SWALWELL: Some of us are working hard on Capitol Hill.

BROWN (voice-over): At the time she no longer worked for Swalwell's office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I decided to ask him to meet me for a drink. And I did this because I was so far removed from what had happened in 2019. I felt safe because I was established. I had a partner. I felt more secure that I could have a strictly professional relationship with this person. After that bar closed we went to another. I went to the bathroom and I don't remember anything after that.

BROWN: You don't remember anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember the next day I can see flashes of that evening of him on top of me, me pushing him off, him grabbing me. It was a lot more aggressive. It was aggressive.

BROWN: Did you say no?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I said no. I said I -- in my flash that I can recall I was pushing him off of me saying no.

BROWN: And what did he do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn't stop. He didn't stop.

BROWN: And You woke up the next morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I woke up the next morning naked alone in his hotel room. I, for a moment, didn't even know I was in his hotel room. That's how intoxicated I was. And I called my mom, the only person I could think that could help me.

BROWN (voice-over): Her mother confirmed her account in an interview with CNN. CNN also reviewed screenshots of text she sent to a friend saying she was, "Sexually assaulted by Eric." She also shared this note from a physician's assistant calling her a, "Survivor" after she went to get tested for STDs one week later.

BROWN: Why do you feel like it's so important to speak out now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I found out there were others who might have been impacted by Eric in different ways, I realized I couldn't be scared anymore because that is how he keeps us quiet, the fear, the shame.

BROWN (voice-over): In addition to this, former staffer, three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged sexual misconduct by Swalwell. One said he kissed her and touched her without her consent. Two of the women said he sent them unsolicited explicit messages or nude images of himself something the others say Swalwell did with them as well. One shared this message where he commented on her photo and wrote, "That swimsuit with an expletive. You like it?" She responded. "Yes, very much like," he wrote. In a statement to CNN, Swalwell said, "These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor. For nearly 20 years I have served the public as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is another me out there. There is another young girl who dreams of working in this field and believes in him and could fall into this trap.

BROWN: And that's why you're speaking out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BROWN: You want to protect others like you when you were young?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one protected me. Sorry. No one protected me. And I don't want someone else to suffer because I know what I know.

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BROWN: And, well, Swalwell has ended his gubernatorial campaign and says he'll fight the more serious allegations, there are calls for him to resign from Congress or possibly face expulsion including from his Democratic colleagues.

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REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): The accusations are absolutely heinous and his admissions betraying his family are deplorable. So Eric Swalwell needs to resign he needs to drop out of the race.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Not only should he resign, there need to be an investigation in law enforcement.

REP. JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI (D-MD): Credible women have come forward in this instance. He was right to suspend his campaign. He should resign from Congress. And if he doesn't, there's a mechanism through which we can do that.

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BROWN: Former staffers for Swalwell recently wrote in a letter, "We call on all relevant law enforcement authorities to open a full and thorough investigation into the allegations against Congressman Swalwell without delay. No one is above the law. Not a congressman. Not a candidate for governor. No one. Justice is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable. We will not be silent."

[11:15:07]

We should note if you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted, there is help. You can call the national sexual assault hotline. That's at 1-800-656-4673. It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And later a conversation with Steve Hilton the former "Fox News" host is running for governor in California with President Trump's endorsement. His reaction of Swalwell exiting the race ahead on Inside Politics with Dana Bash.

And still ahead here in The Situation Room, war of words. President Trump slamming the Pope for his criticism of the war with Iran calling him weak, terrible and too liberal. CNN is traveling with the pontiff this morning and we'll tell you how he's responding.

Plus, the husband of the American woman missing in the Bahamas is still behind bars this morning. New details on the make-or-break decision investigators could soon face. You're in The Situation Room and we'll be right back.

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[11:20:43]

BROWN: Breaking news, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is now in effect while a ceasefire remains in place. Talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down over the weekend without any agreement to end the war. With us now is retired General Wesley Clark. He's the former NATO Supreme Allied commander. So the Strait is already effectively closed. Is this blockade likely to either get Iran back to the negotiating table, force the -- force to reopen the Strait or does Iran have the leverage here? How are you seeing this?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER: Well, I see this blockade is helping the United States by giving us leverage. We're blockading not only the Strait but all the Iranian coastline. So you may recall that last week a couple of Chinese ships docked in Iran not through the Strait but along the Arabian Sea and delivered -- they delivered rocket fuel or the -- what's required as a component of the rocket fuel to Iran. We didn't stop that apparently.

But we'll stop it from here on. And so this cuts off their ability to do trade. They can't come out of the Strait or use other ports along the Iranian coastline. So it definitely gives us leverage. It's difficult, takes a lot of ships, a lot of attention, but I'm sure we're going to be able to do it.

BROWN: Yes, tell us a little bit more about that. What's needed here the military assets, what would go in to create in a blockade like this?

CLARK: The question is how close can you get to the Iranian coast and then how much do you need to seize or secure these vessels if they're trying to run the blockade? So we'll take let's say eight to 10 destroyers or frigates. Spread them along the coastline. We'll have a couple of carrier task forces behind that deeper away from the Iranian coastline. We'll have aircraft overhead. We'll be observing. We'll also have satellite coverage. We'll see the ships. We'll know who they are.

And the ones that are not affected not going and working with Iran, no problem. If they're going into the port, coming out of the port or destined to go through the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian ports or come out from those ports, they will be stopped and seized according to a central command. So it is a big military commitment. It's both carrier task forces. But that's what they're trained to do.

BROWN: What about the risk here for the service members?

CLARK: There's no wrong, there's no R&R for the people that are out there. I mean, this is a extended deployment. So they're going to be out there for a long time. Now, we have to be aware that Iran has area, anti-access area denial munitions. As President Trump said the carrier Lincoln was attacked by 101 missiles. So we're not going to get the carriers very close to the coast. The destroyers will have to pace themselves. Will they be 100 miles, 200 miles, got to have some standoff. They've got to have air cover on them out there. And so this is a tricky mission.

But right now the ceasefire is still in effect. Now, Iran has said this blockade violates the ceasefire. But it's one thing to say that. It's another thing to start shooting. If the shooting starts, so it'll certainly be returned and it'll be returned very forcefully. So I think this is a necessary step up in leverage for the United States. I'm sorry that all of our European allies haven't participated in this. But that's OK. We've got an adequate force out there to do this and hopefully it will have its effect and we'll be back to the negotiating table with greater leverage soon.

BROWN: All right, General Wesley Clark, as always. Thank you so much.

CLARK: Thanks Pamela.

BROWN: And up next --

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.

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[11:24:54]

BROWN: President Trump lashes out at Pope Leo. And now the pontiff is responding. We'll tell you what he said up next.

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BROWN: Earlier this morning, President Trump has a lot to say and post about the first American Pope. Pope Leo has been increasingly vocal in his criticism about the war with Iran, condemning Trump's rhetoric and threats against Iranians as, "Truly unacceptable." Here's what the President had to say late last night.

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[11:30:04]

TRUMP: He's a very liberal person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.