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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Announces Ceasefire Between Israel & Iran; Vance Sidesteps When Asked About Iran's Enriched Uranium; Rep. Greene Calls Out Trump On Iran Strikes: Bait & Switch. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired June 23, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And again, there's some uncertainty there, as to whether or not that timeline will actually be abided by, in the way that the President said. I mean, I've never heard of a staggered ceasefire in this way, where one side has to start, and then six hours later, the next side starts. So, there's some uncertainty there.
And the fact that we haven't heard anything officially from the Iranians, or the Israelis, also tells us that maybe there are some last-minute negotiations still over some of the details.
But yes, either way, we are getting very close, and these next few hours are going to be consequential.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST:: Jeremy Diamond, thanks very much.
Our coverage continues with "THE SOURCE" and CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: As we come on the air tonight, we do have breaking news, as President Trump says, there is a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran.
And for the moment, as we are coming on the air, right now, missiles are continuing to be fired, back and forth, as we are watching all of this very closely, because this could, of course, be a potentially major development.
A diplomat, who is briefed on the talks, tells CNN that Iran has agreed to the deal. And a White House official tells us, Israel has agreed on the condition that Iran stop its strikes.
We have not yet heard anything officially from the Israelis. We just got an update from the Iranians that I'm going to read to you in a moment.
But the backstory here is this. President Trump wrote on Truth Social, at 06:02 Eastern tonight. Quote, "It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE."
There was a flurry of activity, at the White House, before that post went up today. Officials had been rushing back and forth to the Situation Room, to monitor the latest on the ground, as Iran was retaliating.
And a source tells us that President Trump was on the phone with both the Israeli prime minister, and the Emir of Qatar, today. The President asked Qatar to work on persuading Iran to get to this agreement, as the Vice President, JD Vance, was coordinating with the Qatari prime minister.
All of this was playing out, just before the Vice President appeared on TV tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We were actually working on that, just as I left the White House to come over here. So that's good news, that the President was able to get that across the finish line.
Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have, because we destroyed it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's what the Vice President had to say, as this was being brokered, he said, shortly before he appeared on television.
And as far as how all of this is expected to go down, according to the President, he laid out a bit of a complicated phasing in process, earlier tonight, writing officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END, to what Trump is now branding, THE 12 DAY WAR, he says, will be saluted by the World.
The timing would appear to start at midnight Eastern tonight, with Iran stopping its attacks by noon, and Israel wrapping up tomorrow night.
There's a lot of optimism, coming out of the White House, about what this could potentially mean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: I actually think when we look back, we will say, the 12-day war was an important reset moment for the entire region.
The end of the 12-day War.
The 12-day war appears to be effectively over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President himself did not appear before cameras today. But he did issue half a dozen updates on social media, including at one point thanking Iran for what he called a, quote, Very weak response.
Qatar was at the center of events today, as this scene played out, over Doha earlier, where they said that they intercepted all but one of the Iranian missiles that were fired at a largely empty United States base there.
The Iranians had been warned that Qatar was -- had warned Qatar that the strikes were coming, meaning that the United States likely knew, ahead of time as well, to expect some kind of retaliation. The President says a result -- as a result of that attack, that No Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. That U.S.-run Air Base was evacuated days ago.
And it comes after a head-spinning 24 hours that we have been watching, as this war has played -- as this activity has played out between Israel and Iran, and that includes after the President himself, yesterday, floated the idea of regime change in Iran, which the Vice President had this to say about tonight, after he ruled it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Bret, what I've said is the American military, that is not our mission is regime change. Our mission was to destroy the nuclear facilities and the nuclear program of Iran, which we, of course, did.
I think what the President has also said is that the Iranian people want to make a decision about regime change. That's between the Iranian people and the regime.
Well, I think what the President is saying very clearly, Bret, is if the Iranian people want to do something about their own leadership, that's up to the Iranian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We begin tonight with our reporters on the ground.
CNN's Erin Burnett is by the Strait of Hormuz, obviously a critical front that we've been watching as this has played out.
Anderson Cooper is on the ground in Tel Aviv.
And Anderson, I just want to read to you, as we've been watching to see and wait for formal responses from the Israelis and from the Iranians.
[21:05:00]
The Foreign Minister of Iran is now weighing in on the President's announcement tonight. They're denying that there is a formal ceasefire agreement. As he says that, As of now, there is no agreement on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. He says, quote, "However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time... we have no intention to continue our response afterwards." COOPER: Yes, it's a little confusing, given whether the term, agreement, is there -- if, for whatever reason they don't -- they don't want to use, it does seem like they are going to be stopping along the same timeline that the President seemed to indicate.
Remains to be seen, if this happens. As you said, according the President's timeline, this should -- these -- these dominoes should begin to fall in about three hours from now. So, we will obviously be watching very closely to see what happens, as dawn really starts to break here in the region.
But it's just been an extraordinary 24 hours here. Kaitlan, as you know, as you were covering it, first of all, with the Iran response, the much-awaited Iranian response to the massive strikes by the United States by the Trump administration.
A response they telegraphed, according to all the reporting, to Qatar, before it occurred, and telegraphed to the world that this was going to be a limited, what they would view as proportional in the sense of the number -- they highlighted the number of missiles fired by Iran toward Qatar, which they warned the Qataris about, and then obviously the U.S. was warned as well, is equal to the number of actual bombs, the bunker-buster bombs that were dropped by the United States.
Obviously, the U.S. also fired Tomahawk missiles, but they didn't include that in their calculus of missiles fired.
It's clearly this kind of pre-negotiated, pre-discussed response, they felt they had to respond in some way. They did.
COLLINS: Yes.
COOPER: And they were telegraphing, This is going to be it, essentially one and done, which is exactly what the administration heard that, listened to, and then was able to, according to the President, get this agreement. Though the Iranian foreign minister is not calling it an agreement.
COLLINS: Well, and it's notable, obviously, that the President was on the phone today with the Prime Minister of Israel, obviously having conversations about this exact agreement that he was trying to get them to settle on.
I do think it's notable that we have not heard anything, officially, from the Israelis yet, a confirmation of this, in the three hours since the President posted about it.
COOPER: It is interesting. And I'm not sure what -- why that would be. Obviously, according to this timeline, they are still able to have operations going on over Iran.
I haven't -- we haven't been able to contact Fred Pleitgen or -- into Tehran. I think earlier we talked to him. There was still military activity going on in the skies over Iran. Remains to be seen how long they continue those operations for. That's obviously something that's going to be crucial, if this -- if the President's stated timeline is to be stuck to.
COLLINS: Yes. Anderson, on the ground in Tel Aviv. We'll check back in with you throughout the hour.
And also now, I want to go to Erin Burnett.
And Erin, the questions, in this region, of what this ceasefire means. I mean, today alone, we saw the implications that this goes far beyond just Israel and Iran, given Iran was firing on that U.S. base in Qatar, one of the biggest -- the biggest military installation that the U.S. has in the Middle East.
What's the latest on the ground there tonight?
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Well, so, obviously, it's dawn here, as Anderson is talking a little bit later in the morning here, already just after 5 o'clock in the morning, Kaitlan.
And the big question is whether this will hold. Talking to sources -- as we were here in the region today. You had airspace closed. You had flights not coming in. You had flights being canceled to Dubai from multiple airlines, to Riyadh. Really important and significant steps being taken, as all of this was being negotiated. And on that, really fragile and concerned.
Some sources in the region, though, one very senior diplomatic source, telling me of this cease fold -- ceasefire, Kaitlan, and his words, quote, I think it actually might hold. So, there is a hope for that. These are very senior officials who are saying that.
But on the Iranian side, I think, as you point out, the timeline here is so crucial. Sources there are telling me that, as Qatar started talking to Iran, those conversations were happening. But hours after those conversations started, that was when Trump posted on Truth Social that there was a ceasefire. And he did that before having any response, they say, from Iran.
So, the question is Iran now saying, at least sources there are telling me, Well, OK, we'll go with this, depending what Israel does. Just what you saw the Foreign Minister post.
[21:10:00]
Important, though, to note, as we hear from the Foreign Minister, we have not yet heard from the Supreme Leader. And our reporting is that he has been in hiding in a bunker. And there's a real question as to what he knows, what he's communicated, what's been communicated to him. And a lot is resting on the answer to that question, which, of course, we don't know the answer to that, at this moment here, as dawn is hitting here on the Straits of Hormuz, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes, and of course, we get a lot of bombastic statements from the Iranians. The question is, what do they actually do here, and if they stop firing.
Erin Burnett, we'll check back in with you as we are watching the sun come up there, waiting to see what the official response here is.
I want to get more perspective now. We have our best military intelligence sources joining us.
That's retired Air Force Colonel, Cedric Leighton.
And former Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Beth Sanner.
And Colonel Leighton, let me start -- Leighton, let me start with you. Because I just think the question here is how to know if this is real, if it's going to hold. Obviously, there is a ton of optimism coming out of the White House, that this is an agreement that is not just temporary. They're hoping it's going to be a permanent cessation between Israel and Iran.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Kaitlan, that's going to be, I think, the main question here is, how do you verify this?
So, of course, one of the key things will be flight activity. Are the Israelis conducting offensive flight operations against Iran? Are they continuing to do that? If those flight operations stop, as outlined in the agreement that President Trump announced, that would be a key indicator, at least for the moment, that hostilities have basically ceased temporarily.
The other thing, of course, what is Iran doing? Is Iran sending missiles in the direction of Israel, and missiles and drones?
So, if both countries are ceasing their activities, that would be a key indicator, at least on the surface, that the ceasefire is beginning to take hold. And if that's the case, that could then pave the way for a more permanent type of peace agreement.
But these things can break very easily, and we have to be cognizant of the fact that we are dealing with countries that have, in essence, been at war with each other for a very long time. Even if it's not an openly-declared war, it's definitely been a conflict that's basically existed since the Iranian Revolution. And that is a big hurdle for both countries to overcome. But if they do, that would be a major achievement.
COLLINS: And Beth, let me read you an update. I just mentioned what the Iranian foreign minister, who is one of the key officials, that people like the Middle East envoy at the White House, Steve Witkoff, have been speaking with, over the last few days, as this has been going on.
He just posted another update, after trying to deny that there was any kind of ceasefire agreement. He now says, The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 04:00 a.m. Together with all Iranians, I want to thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood. And basically says, they're ready to respond by any attack.
That seems to suggest, though Beth, that they are winding down. Is that how you read that?
BETH SANNER, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I do.
I mean, look, this is a culture, I think maybe, in some ways, not different than ours, but it's a face-saving culture. It cannot look like -- you know, this is a regime that is fragile, right? But it is built on this whole idea of regime preservation, right? These are not elected people. And so, in order to stay in power, they cannot look weak.
And I think that we're not really picking up what they're putting down when we're saying things like, Their response was weak, or, They told us all about this. They're looking for a way that allows them to look like they're still in charge, and that they've decided. And that's why he's not mentioning the United States in that -- in those two tweets. It's, you know, he's decided, Israel and Iran are coming to this end.
So, I think this is very good news. And we shouldn't take anything away from it. But boy, we have a lot ahead of us here. This is just the beginning. So, we can't get too far ahead of ourselves.
COLLINS: I think that's a good point, in terms of, as we're digesting this. I mean, just the last 24 hours alone, last 48 hours, have been remarkable, Colonel Leighton, in terms of, you know, this day that started with the Iranian attacks that, as Beth noted, the White House was describing as weak, and thanking Iran for them, essentially saying that they weren't as bad as they thought they could be, and it was a measured response, basically saying that they are looking for an off- ramp here.
I wonder what that says to you about Iran's state of mind here, if that is the case here, if they're done after this attack?
LEIGHTON: Yes, I think Beth is absolutely right to mention the face- saving aspect of this. The Iranians are clearly a very proud people, and one of the things that they are very proud of, of course, are their armed forces. And that's -- that becomes a key ingredient in how they respond to this.
[21:15:00]
The problem that they have is that their armed forces have been incredibly weakened by the events of the last -- last year, basically, and with the demise of many of their proxy forces, at least the leadership of those proxy forces, Hamas, Hezbollah, especially. That really plays into this. So they, in essence, they've weakened their outer layer of defense, or like, that has been weakened for them.
And then when you look at the way the Israelis went in, and absolutely decimated their air defense capabilities, and their air capabilities, in terms of the fighter aircraft that were destroyed, that is something that it becomes really important. They now have no means to really go after the Israelis in a way that they would like to. They can't send that barrage of hundreds of missiles and drones to Israel, like they did just a few months ago. And that weakness, I think, plays into this.
COLLINS: Yes. No control of their own airspace is remarkable in and of itself.
Beth, as far as the U.S. policy on Iran. I mean, the President has gone from suggesting potential regime change in Iran yesterday, saying, Maybe it's not such a bad thing after all. Today, saying, God bless Iran, after the ceasefire agreement, he says, was reached.
I wonder what it says to you, if you're the Deputy Director of National Intelligence, in your former job, and you're kind of assessing the layout here, what that says to you about where the policy stands tonight?
SANNER: Well, I think the job of intelligence is to really focus on how do -- how do our adversaries see what we're doing in the United States, and what does that mean for the effectiveness of our policies?
And in this case, I think that some of the lack of discipline on what we're talking about, or the confusion about that is, is not really helping the Iranians understand and take that off-ramp.
But now -- you know, look, great news here. But now what has to happen is, this is not the end. We have to have a negotiation with Iran, because that HEU, the highly enriched uranium, I don't know where it is. Maybe U.S. intelligence does. But it's really confusing. And just, you cannot bomb away Iran's nuclear program into zero. There's knowledge. So, we need negotiations that are serious. There are steps ahead. And that's what I would be counseling the President on.
COLLINS: Yes. And the Vice President was asked about where that highly enriched uranium is earlier. We'll play that answer after we take a quick break.
Beth Sanner. Colonel Cedric Leighton. Great to have both of you, here tonight, with your expertise.
And as these blasts have been heard, in Tehran, just in the last few hours, there are still big questions tonight about when the ceasefire is going into effect, how it was negotiated. We're going to get a live report from the White House, ahead.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In the hours following President Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, between Israel and Iran, one question that comes and still remains tonight, after the U.S. attacks in Iran, is just how much of Iran's nuclear program is left intact, and also the levels of its enriched uranium.
Vice President, JD Vance, was asked about that very matter, just a few hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: Do you know for sure where all the highly enriched uranium is?
VANCE: Well, Bret, I think that's actually not the question before us. The question before us is, can Iran enrich the uranium to weapons- grade level, and can they convert that fuel to a nuclear weapon?
And we know, based on the success of our mission, of course, the leadership of the President, but the incredible skill of our military, that the two mission objectives are completely successful. We know that they cannot build a nuclear weapon.
Now, you asked about the highly enriched uranium. What -- what--
BAIER: Yes, like 900 pounds of it.
VANCE: But what we know Bret, is that -- and uranium is something that exists in very large supply. Our goal was to bury the uranium. And I do think the uranium is buried. But our goal was to eliminate the enrichment and eliminate their ability to convert that enriched fuel into a nuclear weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Joining me tonight.
Jim Sciutto, CNN's Chief National Security Analyst.
And Jeff Zeleny, CNN's Chief National Affairs Correspondent.
And Jim Sciutto, on that answer there from Vice President Vance. Obviously, this was a key question, coming out of Saturday night's attack, as the Pentagon said they were still assessing the full extent of the damage. We certainly heard the President's assessments, including today. I wonder what you made of that answer, though.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, listen, I was going to say it's a non-answer. Actually, it was an answer, in that he -- he at least did not express confidence that they know where it is, right? He says, they believe it to be buried underground.
But I know for a fact that the Israelis don't know for sure where the bulk of it is, right? And that is part of their own battle damage assessment, which is still ongoing.
The Israeli -- a senior Israeli intelligence source, told me, and he described it this way. He said, BDA, battle damage assessment, is an art, more than a science, and it requires more than satellite photos. It requires human intelligence on the ground, signals intelligence, intercepted communications of Iranian officials talking about what damage took place, et cetera.
And from the Israeli perspective, that's still taking place. They don't have an answer to two questions, really, the extent of damage to the facilities, but also the whereabouts of all of that enriched uranium. [21:25:00]
And we heard from the podium of the Pentagon, just in the last 24 hours that, at least from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that they have not completed their own BDA either. So, the fact is, it doesn't appear that they know yet, right? Despite the confidence you hear expressed from the President and the Vice President. And that will be important in knowing exactly how much damage you've done to the program for the long-term.
COLLINS: And Jeff, as far as this ceasefire playing out, and what we are watching for so closely, over the next few hours, can you just walk us through behind-the-scenes at the White House, what's been happening there as all of this has been playing out, in terms of phone calls and conversations that led up to the President's post tonight?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Kaitlan, an extraordinary day here.
But if you think back, really an extraordinary 48 hours or so. It was just 48 hours when the President was announcing to the nation that the strike had been carried out. A day later, he was calling for regime change. And tonight, we're talking about a ceasefire seems within reach.
Now, there's no doubt the White House is keeping a very careful eye on the region, tonight. There is a timeframe in this agreement that has been worked on, throughout the day, really, in a series of phone calls, we are told.
It was a rare day. We did not see the President in public view at all. But he was in the Oval Office, earlier in the day, throughout the day, all day long, making these phone calls, working with the Vice President, working with the Secretary of State.
The President, we are told, got the agreement, of course, from Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. But of course, it was the Iranian side that was the more difficult agreement to broker.
And in the middle of all of this, of course, which is somewhat related, missiles were fired on to the Al Udeid Air Base, outside of Doha, of course, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, where the President just visited last month. But that was largely seen as something of an act, if you will, an act of aggression. It was clear that the White House, the administration, the U.S. government, was waiting for some type of a retaliation.
So, throughout the day, Kaitlan, as you know, you were here with me, many officials were going back and forth all day long, the Situation Room, other places. But most did not know what was going on. It wasn't until 06:00 p.m., that the President, once again, announcing this on Truth Social. So we've had a military strike on Iran announced on Truth Social, and now a potential ceasefire.
But the coming hours are very, very important. There's no recognition that this is definitively done until the sun comes up, and until things actually begin to be formalized.
But the President, we are told, is still setting out, leaving very early tomorrow morning, for the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, and he's carrying with him a freshly-brokered peace deal that few thought was possible only a few hours ago.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
ZELENY: Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes, and the White House just put out that schedule. 06:00 a.m. departure, from the South Lawn.
ZELENY: Right.
COLLINS: We'll obviously be watching closely to see if the President speaks to reporters there, on this ceasefire deal that he says he's brokered.
Jeff Zeleny. Jim Sciutto. Great to have both of your reporting here tonight.
Up next. We're going to get reaction from two senators, one Republican and one Democrat, both sit on the Foreign Relations Committee, and they are my sources next. What they have to say about the U.S. strikes, Iran's response, and this ceasefire that the President says is going to be underway shortly.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back with our breaking news tonight.
After a frantic day of discussions, at the White House, with President Trump behind closed doors, on the phone for much of it, we are still waiting, this hour, for official comment from the Israeli officials, about whether or not they have agreed to a ceasefire.
We heard from the Iranian foreign minister earlier, saying that if Israel stops its strikes, Iran has no intention to continue. So far, things have appeared pretty calm in the skies, over Iran, and we are monitoring it all very closely tonight.
My Republican source tonight sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator John Curtis of Utah joins me.
And Senator, thank you for being here.
I just want to get your reaction to this breaking news, and whether or not you believe this ceasefire, that the President has announced, will hold.
SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): I think everybody's reaction needs to be incredibly positive. We started this day with a lot of turmoil, a lot of uncertainty, not sure if Iran was going to strike, and how they would strike. And not only do we have the ceasefire, but we have a very unusual strike from Iran, where they notified us it was going to happen. Very symbolic, but not a real serious one.
And now tonight, the hope that we're actually tying a bow around this, and can move forward with peace in the region, is just great news.
COLLINS: And that's the question of what this looks like, going forward, in terms of especially the result of Saturday night strikes by the U.S. and Iran. You're a member on the Foreign Relations Committee, as I mentioned. What is your latest understanding of the impact of those strikes and the damage they did to the nuclear program?
CURTIS: Well, first of all, I would say, the first chapter in the book, Peace through strength, should be the case study of what's happened here. I, like my colleagues, will have a classified briefing tomorrow. I think we'll know a whole lot more. I think, like many people, we're trying to understand ourselves. But it appears, from all indications, to be very positive.
COLLINS: And do you have questions, tomorrow, in that briefing, about the enriched uranium, and where it is, and whether it was still in those facilities that got hit on Saturday?
[21:35:00]
CURTIS: Absolutely. And to the extent we know or don't know, we need to take this all the way to the end, and find out exactly what it is, and where it is. And I think that needs to be our -- our biggest priority, moving forward, is resolving that very question.
COLLINS: The Vice President said earlier, he believes that it is buried. He said that was their goal. Is that your hope as well that it would be buried? Or do you have concerns that Iran would be able to continue to use that, potentially?
CURTIS: If it's buried, I think it's going to be a little bit like the lost treasure, where people forever are looking for it. And personally, I would like closure. So, I'd like to know. And we may not get that, but it would be nice to have that closure, and know exactly what happened to it.
COLLINS: And in terms of what this looks like, going forward. The President announcing the ceasefire tonight. Yesterday, he was floating this idea of regime change in Iran, something that your colleague, Lindsey Graham, is outright calling for. Is that something that you would like to see personally in Iran?
CURTIS: Well, for me, it's very clear, what I would like to see is a region where countries are prospering, they're working together. I think we've seen that with Abraham Accords, and I think that's possible here. That, to me, is the real goal, is that we bring peace to the region, we bring prosperity to the region, and totally change the landscape of what's happening over there. And I think it sounds like we might be on the verge of that, and that is big news, and very exciting news.
COLLINS: And does that mean an end to the fighting in Gaza, as well, as you're looking at peace in the region?
CURTIS: I think so. You can't talk about Gaza, without talking about Iran, and their proxies. And if you think about so much of the conflict, not just there, but in many places around the world, it all stems from Iran and their proxies. And so, to the extent that we've got Iran in a good place, that's very, very good news, not just for Iran and Israel, but many places around the globe.
COLLINS: And how would you like to see President Trump handle that? I mean, he was obviously working with the Israeli prime minister today. Was coordinating with them, on the attacks, on Saturday night. Do you want him to see -- do you want to see the President talk to the Israeli prime minister, about ending that fighting in Gaza?
CURTIS: Listen, the Abraham Accords are a great model. And I think if you take that model, and really even going back to President Jimmy Carter in 1979 who signed the Peace Accords, that's our model. That's what we're looking for. We've seen great success with that model, and I think we ought to be pushing for that in all areas.
COLLINS: Senator John Curtis, thank you for your time tonight. Great to have you here on THE SOURCE.
CURTIS: Thanks. Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: My next source is a Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
And Senator, since I just got your colleague's perspective, what is your reaction to the President's announcement tonight about a ceasefire?
SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): My first reaction is that it is good news.
I spent the weekend, saying the President should use his leverage with Netanyahu, to have a ceasefire, that we had to break this escalatory cycle. So if, in fact, that escalation is broken, that would be terrific, because we'd be looking at something very different.
But here's the thing. There's so many unresolved questions here. It is very relevant, where that 880 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium is, and Iran had a lot of time to be able to move that out of places they thought might be attacked. It is very relevant what understanding there's going to be, about their program going forward.
We had a comprehensive agreement, back under President Obama. It had a lot of details about where materials were stored, about what they could be enriched to, about what type of equipment could be have, what kind of sensors, wherever. None of that framework has been reestablished at this point. This means diplomacy and negotiations are going to have to follow on, if we're really going to create a stable structure, in the Middle East.
COLLINS: If the ceasefire holds, does that mean you approve of President Trump's strikes that he carried out, on Saturday night?
MERKLEY: No, no, it doesn't. Because those strikes were not responding to an imminent threat. Iran had not posed an imminent threat to us. The President had not gained authorization from Congress. Israel had already said that it had set the program back two to three years. And for all those reasons, there's no reason to go to war without following the Constitution.
COLLINS: Do you believe Iran, though, would agree to a ceasefire, had the United States not conducted those strikes on Saturday night?
MERKLEY: I think, well first, let's see how this ceasefire becomes and what follows it, in terms of working out sort of diplomatic structures, regarding the nuclear program, regarding Iran funding proxies throughout the Middle East, in regard to their development of ballistic missiles. There's lots of unanswered questions here.
[21:40:00]
But Israel had made it very clear that with or without the United States, they could effectively destroy these facilities. They would have done it with 30,000-pound bombs, but they expressed great confidence that they could do so. So, would it have happened on this timescale? Not likely. No. But I don't think that this has changed the ultimate course of the dynamic.
COLLINS: With the President's strikes, you have accused the President of violating the Constitution by bypassing Congress there, and conducting this. Would you go as far as your Democratic colleague in the House did though, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said striking Iran, in her view, is grounds for impeachment?
MERKLEY: I think impeachment is a misdirection, at this point. There's no way the Republican leadership in the House is going to bring it up. There's no right -- way it would pass if it was brought up. And quite frankly, do I want to see Vance become the President of the United States? I do not.
COLLINS: On the enriched uranium that the Vice President was talking about earlier, when he was asked directly, if they know where all of it is. What do you want to see and hear, in that briefing, tomorrow, from officials, exactly on that matter, in terms of, was that a condition of the ceasefire, Iran telling the United States where that is? What's your view on that?
MERKLEY: Yes, well, I'd love to hear that. Because we've heard no details about what a ceasefire might involve, in terms of any agreement going forward. If those details have been done? They're hidden right now. I'm looking forward to hearing about them, tomorrow. If they haven't been done? And that's kind of what I suspect, is that, there's much unresolved here in this short timeframe. And these are normally very complex issues that take a lot of meetings, and a lot of drafts, and a lot of wrestling with how to proceed. I don't think anything any of that -- any of that got done.
So, I'm expecting -- I don't think we know -- I -- we'll find out, I guess, tomorrow. But I don't think we know where those 880 pounds of 60 percent uranium is, and I don't think the details have been laid down about the parameters for Iran's program, going forward.
COLLINS: Well, and just given your spot on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, can you explain to people why that is a concern that you have, in terms of, some people may say, Well, they dropped these massive bombs that have never even been used before at war, on these nuclear facilities, the damage alone is enough to put this program back.
But that obviously, we've heard from Vice President Vance, tonight, saying, the program is gone, as he told Fox News earlier.
What does that mean if that enriched uranium is still in the hands of the Iranians, if they moved it--
MERKLEY: Yes.
COLLINS: --somewhere else, potentially?
MERKLEY: So, it takes many thousands of centrifuges to enrich beyond that level of 3 to 5 percent that's used in nuclear reactors as fuel, up to the 90 percent for weapons. But it's much easier to go from 60 percent to 90 percent with a much smaller number of centrifuges.
But that's why that stock of highly enriched uranium is relevant. They had some highly -- more highly enriched uranium, when the JCPOA agreement was worked out under Obama, that was shipped out of the country. It was monitored.
But let's also remember this. Iran had not decided to build a nuclear weapon. That was our intelligence. It was our intelligence, two years ago. It was last year, this year.
And thus, we are talking about other stages that have to happen from getting to that 90 percent. You then have to make it into a uranium metal. You then have to have incredibly advanced engineering, to produce the explosives that can compress a ball simultaneously to produce nuclear reaction.
So, they were a substantial way -- away from the ability to have a nuclear weapon, both because they hadn't decided to build one, and because they hadn't pursued those additional complicated engineering steps to be able to do so.
COLLINS: Senator Jeff Merkley, look forward to talking to you, and your colleague, after you get that briefing, hopefully. Thanks so much for your time tonight. MERKLEY: Thank you, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Up next. We're hearing from some of the President's allies on Capitol Hill. They broke with his decision to strike Iran. One of his biggest supporters had quite something to say about it, that might be a surprise to many of you. My congressional source is here next.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, there was quite a rebuke from one of the President's closest allies, on Capitol Hill, even if she's not framing it that way.
We heard from Republican congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, accusing the Trump administration of a bait and switch, over the U.S. decision to strike Iran, on Saturday night.
She wrote in part, today, quote, "I spent millions of my own money and TRAVELED THE ENTIRE COUNTRY campaigning for President Trump and his MAGA agenda and his promises... Only 6 months in and we are back into foreign wars, regime change, and world war 3."
As she explained her criticism, to my colleague, Manu Raju, up on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): It's OK for me to disagree that -- with President Trump. That's perfectly fine.
MAGA is not a cult. And I'm entitled to my own opinion. I can support the President, at the same time as I say, I don't think we should have foreign wars. And I can tell you right now, President Trump doesn't want to stay in a foreign war either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After tonight's announcement of a ceasefire from President Trump, Congresswoman Greene wrote this: Thank you, President Trump, for pursuing peace.
My source tonight is Republican congressman, Mike Lawler of New York, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
Congressman, just first on her argument here. Do you believe Iranian strikes are what MAGA voters voted for, when they elected Donald Trump back into the Oval Office?
[21:50:00]
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): Well, Marjorie's certainly entitled to her own opinion. She's not entitled to her own set of facts. And the fact is that President Trump made very clear, both in his first term and, again, when running for reelection to this second term, that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon.
And obviously, they were at the closest point to having a nuclear weapon, and over the past year, showed that they were willing to use ballistic missiles on Israel, in the hundreds, to try and eradicate the State of Israel, wipe out and kill Jews and Americans. Folks have to remember, there are over 700,000 Americans that live in Israel, at a given time. They are dual citizens.
And so, this was a very precarious situation. The President did pursue peace. He did try to end Iran's nuclear program, through a negotiated settlement. They chose not to. He gave them 60 days, and they failed to come to an agreement. And so, ultimately, Israel, in defense of their own country, made a decision. And the President made the right decision, and a constitutional one, at that. Under Article II, he has the authority.
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWLER: And I would just remind all of my colleagues, whether it be Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, or Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer and every Democrat, calling for President Trump's impeachment.
The fact is that Joe Biden and Barack Obama both relied on Article II, both relied on 2001 and 2002 AUMFs, to strike in Syria, in Libya, in Iraq, in Pakistan, during their administrations.
President Trump was wholly justified in ending Iran's nuclear program. And whether Marjorie Taylor Greene likes it or not--
COLLINS: Yes. But can I ask you, Congressman--
LAWLER: --he fulfilled his commitment to the American people.
COLLINS: And obviously, that has been an argument about whether or not he should have come to Congress. You can point to other presidents. I think some people would look at that and say--
LAWLER: Congress was notified.
COLLINS: Well, I'm saying to come--
LAWLER: Respectfully, Congress was notified.
COLLINS: I'm saying, to come to Congress to get authorization to launch strikes, not just to notify them.
LAWLER: When--
COLLINS: But on the argument that your colleague, Marjorie Taylor Greene, is making. When the President says, God bless Iran, and yesterday, wrote, Make Iran great again? Is that something that you subscribe to?
LAWLER: Well, I think all of us want lasting peace in the Middle East.
And frankly, over the last 19 months, with what Israel has been able to accomplish, with the support of the United States, you have seen Hamas and Hezbollah decimated. You have seen the fall of Assad in Syria. You've seen Iran's air defense system completely obliterated, and their nuclear program on the verge of collapse. And so, the fact is, we are actually in a better place today for lasting peace.
And hopefully, the Iranian regime will finally wake up to the fact that their operation as the greatest state sponsor of terrorism cannot exist. And either, they will recognize that fact, and they will seek peace, or they won't.
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWLER: But I think what the President has been able to do, in the last 48 hours, to not only make a difficult but necessary decision, to take out Iran's nuclear facilities, but to--
COLLINS: But can I ask you on that front?
LAWLER: --broker an actual ceasefire, within 48 hours, is pretty remarkable. And frankly, every American should be--
COLLINS: But Congressman, on the goals--
LAWLER: --rooting for success here.
COLLINS: OK, Congressman, on the goal that the President said, on Saturday night, of the U.S. strikes, he is insisting today that the nuclear program has been completely destroyed. Obliterated was the word he used, on Saturday night. Do you want to see evidence from the administration to back up that claim?
LAWLER: Well, of course, in the coming days and weeks, we are going to get more intelligence and more information about the success of that strike.
But the fact is, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And the President took decisive action to end these three facilities that they have been using, for years, to enrich uranium.
Obviously, we are going to find out more information in the coming days. But all of us should be recognizing the important step that was taken. It was a necessary step. And I fully support the President's decision here.
As Chair of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, I was in Israel, just three weeks ago, meeting with the Prime Minister. I was in Jordan, meeting with King Abdullah. I was in Saudi Arabia, meeting with the Foreign Minister. Everybody agreed, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And obviously, steps have been taken.
And the fact is--
COLLINS: Yes.
[21:55:00] LAWLER: --and you asked one of the senators this. They would not have come to terms of a ceasefire, this quickly, had the attack not been successful. And the fact is, had President Trump not made that decision, there is no doubt in my mind, we would still be in conflict here.
COLLINS: Congressman Mike Lawler, thanks for your time tonight.
LAWLER: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. A few updates for you, after the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a big win on where they can deport people. A quick update on that, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Before we go, three things you may have missed today.
The Supreme Court granted President Trump's emergency request to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their homeland, with minimal notice, countries like South Sudan, which the United Nations warns is facing political instability and escalating violence.
The Senate was back in session today, in what could be a make-or-break week for President Trump's agenda, that they're trying to get passed by the end of next week. The Majority Leader, John Thune, says the chamber is still on track to pass, what they are calling, the big, beautiful bill, by the end of the week. We'll continue to watch that.
[22:00:00]
But tomorrow, here in New York, Democrats are going to head to polls to vote in the primary election for mayor. There are 11 candidates on the ballot. That includes Governor Andrew Cuomo, and his closest rival, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. And CNN is going to keep you posted on those results, tomorrow night, as they come in.
Thanks so much for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" is up next.
