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What We Know with Max Foster

Iran Mourns Khamenei As Conflict With U.S. Intensifies; Iran And U.S. Trade Fire As Ceasefire Crumbles; Questions As Trump Swaps New Air Force One For Classic Version; Graham Platner Drops Out of Maine Senate Race; Soon: France Take On Morocco In Rematch Of 2022 Semifinal. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 09, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:28]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST: The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is crumbling.

I'm Christina MacFarlane in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is intensifying, just as Iran says final goodbyes to its supreme leader killed in the early days of the war.

Huge crowds of mourners are gathered in al-Khamenei's birthplace of Mashhad, where he is being buried. Iran State Railway says trains filled

with mourners heading to Mashhad will be suspended earlier because of a reported U.S. strike on a railway bridge.

The U.S. military says it struck 90 targets along Iran's coastline, aiming to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian

attacks. And in response, Iran says it targeted U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and a U.S. military site in Qatar.

And in the past few minutes, three explosions have been heard in the Iranian city of Konarak. That's according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news

agency. Konarak is a strategic port city in the southeast of Iran.

Now, there's no immediate information on the cause of the explosions or the extent of any damage, although a U.S. official told CNN the U.S. military

is not currently conducting strikes.

Well, we're joined now by CNN's Stephen Collinson.

And look, Stephen, let's just take a step back from this moment, because Donald Trump, as we well remember, declared the MOU dead yesterday. Well,

many are arguing today that it was never alive, because the vagueness of its terms has rendered it unworkable.

And we heard Donald Trump last night on Air Force One saying that Iranians are desperate to make a deal. Well, that certainly doesn't seem to be the

case. So, look, as we wait to hear from the president and we wait to hear what these latest Iranian attacks might be, it's very unclear in this

moment, Stephen, where the president's mind is at.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, so he seems to oscillate between declaring peace and declaring war against Iran. And at

times, he seems like he's also at war with reality.

There has been no real sign throughout this conflict that Iran is desperate for a deal, as the president has said many, many times. And he presented

the MOU, which he signed three weeks ago in France as the first peace deal that would bring peace to the Middle East in 3,000 years.

So I think the President necessarily isn't a very good guide about where exactly this stands. What it looks like is he has got himself into a self-

made trap. If he escalates the war, the consequences, economic and humanitarian, and for U.S. forces, if he were to use ground troops, for

instance, to seize Kharg Island, the oil depot, would be very grave and that would rebound politically against him.

But there is no sign that Iran is in the mood to make the kind of diplomatic concessions that the U.S. would require. In fact, it seems to be

doing the exact opposite by showing its leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, which it has got from this war. So in many ways, the president seems to be

starting a new conflict to try to ease the damage of the first one that he caused, which was handing Iran this new card of the strait to play in

negotiations.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, Stephen, consumers at home had just been starting to see some relief at the gas

pumps. But given the attacks on the oil tankers and the fact that, as you say, Iran are unlikely to relinquish its leverage on the Strait of Hormuz,

how do we expect the president to react here, knowing as we do, his concerns around the cost at the pump and the economic costs that come with

this?

COLLINSON: I think the pattern of this war would be that there will be this period of kinetic, explosive military action by the president, and

then he will step back and hope that he can manufacture or at least spin some conclusion or a narrative that creates Iranian concessions or makes it

look like there are Iranian concessions.

But that just does not seem to be very likely, as you said. The MOU was so vague on these issues, it really did give Iran a lot of advantages -- the

waving of U.S. sanctions, some of which have now been re-imposed on Iran's oil exports.

[15:05:08]

I think the hope will be that Iran got so much economically out of that MOU that eventually, it might return to a period of uneasy calm and not need to

flex its power. I think this all started because ships were taking a route through the strait that Iran had not approved. It wants to keep this

capacity to toll vessels through there and use the strait as a force of revenue, the U.S. wants to do everything it can to stop that from

happening. So that is the flash point here.

You do wonder whether this could settle back into a very tense period, but one in which some oil comes out through the strait. It's a lot more

expensive to ship it through there and to ensure the vessels, but it is not always at a state of open warfare. That may be the best that the president

can hope for at this point, unless he decides that the moment has come to escalate this.

But as I said, any escalation past what he's doing right now, which is mainly attacking radar sites and coastal sites, that comes with a political

and economic price.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And as I say, I mean, it really depends on what we hear from the president, as we might well do in the next hour, which we will

bring to you.

Stephen Collinson with the analysis -- thank you, Stephen.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

MACFARLANE: Now, CNN's Fred Pleitgen is reporting from Tehran as huge crowds mourn the slain supreme leader in the holy city of Mashhad. A

reminder that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, but we maintain full editorial control of our reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, of course, they waited more than four months to put this funeral ceremony

on. For a long time, it wasn't possible because the war was still going on. And then even as the negotiations were going on for the ceasefire, for the

memorandum of understanding, the Iranians felt the security situation was still so fragile that they really didn't feel that they could put this on.

And if you look at the sheer logistics of all of this, the several cities that this happened in, the size of the crowds, and certainly just planning

for all of that will have been a very big undertaking that obviously takes a while to plan. But I do feel, you're absolutely right, Christiane, that

right now the government, those in power, do feel emboldened. They feel that they've grown stronger, that they have more support from the

population.

Of course, we always have to point out there are people who very much opposed the rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and still oppose the system.

Nevertheless, they do feel that their power base has been galvanized, and also that more people here are on their side as well.

And then, of course, there is that big factor of the big thing that they've discovered that they feel gives them that huge leverage, and that is the

Strait of Hormuz, and they're chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. And of course, what we've been seeing over the past couple of days with those

skirmishes, with those airstrikes from the United States is really the Iranians making clear that they are not going to give up control of the

Strait of Hormuz because they believe that that is their big play to power here in this region.

(END VIDEOTAPE0

MACFARLANE: That was Fred Pleitgen reporting from Tehran.

And as the U.S. weighs its next steps in Iran, CNN's Pamela Brown has gained exclusive access to the USS Abraham Lincoln for an up-close look at

its fighter jets. It's important to note, a U.S. official says the aircraft carrier is not striking Iran, and the carrier's aircrafts are flying what

we're told are routine missions over and near the Strait of Hormuz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me just set the stage. First of all, you're seeing what's called a walk to look for any

debris. This is an exercise, making sure that they pick up anything that could end up in an engine, because we're here in the hangar, and these are

some of the fighter jets that have been used during this conflict from very early on.

So this includes maintenance crews and pilots. As we talk about this ongoing conflict, the last two nights of strikes, what I can tell you is

here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Things are heating up. And those are the exact words from the captain here of the ship, Dan Keeler. He said that the

White House and the administration, CENTCOM, has told the ship to be on high alert.

He says that's always the case. There is always a high state of readiness. But the context here is that tensions are escalating. There's already been

two nights of strikes, and there is uncertainty about what is to come, whether there will be more strikes or not.

Now, I want to show you this. As I mentioned, these F-18s and also the F- 35s have really been fighter jet workhorses during this war. And I want to show you these symbols right here.

These are drones right here that this fighter jet has taken out during this conflict that started five and a half months ago. These are missiles that

have been taken out just by this fighter jet alone. Every single fighter jet I've seen or just about everyone I've seen here in the hangar and up

above on the flight deck has these symbols.

[15:10:05]

They also have other ones like dropping bombs, how many bombs the fighter jets have dropped as well as submarine buster stickers that they put on

there. If they've taken down a submarine, I saw one earlier today that had taken down an Iranian submarine. So they put these symbols on to mark what

these fighter jets have done so far in the conflict and people here on board the ship, they know that this is not over.

As one official told me, the ceasefire is up for at least temporarily ceased. And we've now learned that in these last two nights, around 170

targets have been hit at Iran. And as you all have been talking about, there's a lot of speculation and talk and increased rhetoric about what's

going to come next in this conflict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: President Trump is back in the U.S. after the NATO summit in Turkey. He arrived in Turkey early this week in a new presidential plane, a

gift from Qatar, but he left Ankara aboard the old Air Force One. Some U.S. officials say security concerns prompted the switch.

However, Trump claims he sent the new plane to England, so U.S. service members could take a look at it.

Betsy Klein joins us from Washington.

So Betsy, what are you learning about those security concerns?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, well, President Trump and other top officials had made much ado about this brand new Qatari

gifted Air Force One plane that they rolled out just a couple of weeks ago. And I flew on just last week to Mount Rushmore. The president announcing

yesterday that he was going to be taking the old Air Force One plane from Turkey to the United Kingdom as he left that NATO summit, raising some

alarm bells and questions. The president ostensibly said that this was so that US service members stationed at Mildenhall Air Force Base would have

an opportunity to tour the new plane.

But now we are learning, according to four sources familiar with the matter, that this decision was driven at least in part by security concerns

around this escalating conflict in Iran. As we have seen those strikes really escalate in recent days.

Now two of those officials said that security personnel felt more comfortable with President Trump aboard the old plane instead of this new

plane that had been retrofitted, and sources say most importantly, there was no specific threat to President Trump.

Now two sources familiar with the matter tell us that the new plane does not possess the same capabilities to ensure its safety in international

settings, though a third said that it is equipped with many of the same features as this old plane.

Now, one of the questions that one source raised to me is the timeline here. The reason that President Trump wanted this plane that was gifted by

Qatar -- Qatar is because he has this plane that has that Boeing has been working on for years now that has been delayed, delayed, delayed. It is not

expected to be ready until 2028.

Now they are getting major counter-defense measures and communications on those new fleet of planes, but this Qatari plane was retrofitted in just

about a year and a half. So what happened that that was able to happen so fast and these other planes are taking so much time to complete? Now that

same source raised questions about the Qatari plane's capabilities specifically in international high risk settings. Other sources say that

there are simply extra precautions that are being taken here.

MACFARLANE: All very intriguing.

Betsy Klein with the update, thank you so much.

Now, in the U.S., the scramble is on among Democrats to find a candidate to replace scandal-plagued progressive Democrat Graham Platner. He says he's

dropping out of the Maine Senate race. Earlier this week, an ex-girlfriend accused him of rape. He calls the allegation totally false.

Well, Democrats have just weeks to find a candidate to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in the U.S. midterms.

CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox joins me live from Washington.

So, Lauren, given everything we know now at this point about the vetting process, about what was overlooked, how badly have the Democrats really

fumbled this race?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think establishment Democrats are sort of privately pointing to the fact that this is why you

have extensive vetting processes. This is why many Democrats withheld their support initially from Graham Platner and put their weight behind Janet

Mills, who was running against him and was largely seen as the establishment candidate, someone who had the endorsement of Chuck Schumer,

the Democratic minority leader in the U.S. Senate.

And it's very interesting to watch sort of all of this transpire, because in this current moment, it's really hard to imagine how the Democratic

establishment is going to be able to put their thumb on the scale after everything. In this current moment, it's really hard to imagine how the

Democratic establishment is going to be able to put their thumb on the scale after everything that's taken place.

On the one hand, this is a must-win seat for Democrats if they want to take back the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections in November.

[15:15:05]

On the other hand, they're sensitive to the fact that they don't want to weigh in too early and potentially even damage a candidate's chances of

getting this nomination in the state, in a primary caucus format, given the fact that a lot of Democrats in the state of Maine want to have someone who

is not an establishment candidate, who supports maybe is not Graham Platner, obviously, but supports many of the same ideas that Graham Platner

was espousing.

So I think in the next couple of weeks what you're going to see play out is sort of that tension between how much does the establishment want to get

involved here, given the fact they know they have to win this race, they know they need a strong candidate, but also they know that weighing in too

forcefully could potentially damage someone that they hope could be successful against Susan Collins.

So it's a really tough balance right now taking place.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, especially given the fact that they just have weeks, really. The sprint is on to find that candidate.

Lauren, we'll continue to follow it. Thank you.

The Department of Homeland Security says it's investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican immigrant by federation immigration agent in Houston.

The family of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo says he was shot during a traffic stop involving unmarked vehicles while on his way to work.

An ICE spokesperson says he tried to resist arrest and rammed his car into a law enforcement vehicle, but his family is disputing their account.

Ed Lavandera has more. And a warning, his report contains disturbing video showing the moments after Araujo was shot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More than 48 hours after the shooting death of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Immigration

and Customs Enforcement officials have not released any more details beyond their initial statement, which said that it was the 52-year-old Mexican

national who had been living in the U.S. illegally for about 35 years. They say that that man weaponized his vehicle, in the words of ICE officials,

and went after ICE agents there in the field as they were conducting a targeted operation.

They say that the ICE agent fired at Salgado Araujo in self-defense. But family members of the man, as well as Latino civil rights activists, say

they simply do not believe ICE's version of a version of events here. They say this sounds very similar to uh the playbook description in their words

of what happened and transpired earlier this year in two deadly shootings involving ICE agents in Minnesota -- in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So because

of that, they have a lot of questions.

The only video that has emerged of this shooting came in the aftermath. People who were driving by in that video, you can see Salgado Araujo on the

ground, surrounded by agents bleeding from his midsection. There has not been a video, as far as we know, that has emerged that shows the entire

scope of what happened.

But one of his sons, Salgado Araujo's son, spoke yesterday with the news media, talking about the emotional toll that this has taken on his family

and the emotional way that they found out that their father had been killed.

RONALDO SALGADO, SON OF LORENZO SALGADO ARAUJO: I saw my dad's van, but no sign of him. I frantically called family, friends, loved ones to see if

they can find any information. I saw a video posted on Facebook that he had been shot. I recognized him immediately, not from his appearance, but from

his voice, crying for help as he lay on the street, bleeding out.

LAVANDERA: Salgado Araujo's family says that the man had been in the country in the U.S. for 35 years, had no criminal history, worked in

construction. He had picked up these three other men as they were on their way to a job.

They feel that they were being followed by unmarked cars and perhaps felt that they were being targeted for robbery. The family and Latino civil

rights activists are calling for an independent investigation, but local officials there in Houston say that is going to be very difficult, if not

unlikely, because federal investigators at this point hold all of the evidence.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Coming up, growing calls for the release of a Palestinian doctor. Fears for his life are mounting. I'll be talking to a top official

from Physicians for Human Rights Israel after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:45]

MACFARLANE: A U.N. inquiry is adding to growing calls for the immediate release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya. He's been held by Israel

for a year and a half after being seized in Gaza. No amount of concern, condemnation, or strongly worded statements issued around the world have

had any effect on his detention. The doctor's attorney says he's subjected to frequent abuse and has been held without charge, and his life is in

imminent danger.

We're joined now by Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department for Physicians for Human Rights Israel.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Look, we heard --

NAJI ABBAS, PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ISRAEL (PHRI): Thank you.

MACFARLANE: -- Abu Safiya's lawyer met with him on July 2 and said that he was so weak that he struggled to sit upright, that he seemed to be on the

verge of losing consciousness, and that Abu Safiya told him that they'd brought me here to kill me, and that he didn't see himself surviving, that

he felt this was the end.

Naji, that was one week ago. Do you have any updates on Mr. Safiya's-- Abu Safiya's condition, if he is still alive.

ABBAS: Unfortunately not. Unfortunately not. Since the visit that you mentioned last week, we immediately, PHRI and also his lawyer, we reached

out to the Israeli authorities demanding a new visit, a new lawyer visit.

We demanded to get his medical treatment. We demanded that an Israeli judge visit him in detention. We demanded that a physician from Physician for

Human Rights, a doctor that volunteered with us, meet with him.

None -- any of these demands will be answered. And unfortunately, a week now after the visit, we don't have any new information. We are still

waiting to get responses to these requests.

MACFARLANE: I mean, he is being held indefinitely without charge, along with 13 other health care workers and, of course, thousands of other

Palestinian civilians, in prisons that Israel's rights groups, you have said, have become torture camps.

Can you describe to us the conditions of the Rakevet prison in which he is being held?

ABBAS: Rakevet facility or Rakevet prison is a prison that the Israeli court itself closed more than two decades ago. And the minister at Itamar

Ben-Gvir opened it again. It was closed because the court said that it can -- we can't hold people there. It's under the ground.

So the court closed it. Itamar Ben-Gvir opened it again. And now a dozens of Palestinians, including Dr. Abu Safiya for a week now, is being held

there. Disconnected totally from the outside world, from a few visits that we had and other NGOs, and it was published before about this place that

detainees are complaining about facing physical violence daily, being starved, denied of medical treatment.

It's the same case that like the rest of the detention facilities in Israel, but this place under the ground is a little bit, let's say, harder

and harder. So, from the beginning, when even before the lawyer managed to meet with Dr. Abu Safiya, we were concerned when we got the information

that he was sent there. And our concern, our fear, was approved and assured when the lawyer met with him.

MACFARLANE: I mean, Israel's Supreme Court has ordered Israel's government to respond by July 7th. That was Tuesday, to a petition demanding the

release of the 14 doctors held without charge. Has there been any response yet? Did that happen?

ABBAS: Yeah, yeah. Yes, it happened. They sent a response at 12:00 at night, yesterday. And in that response, first of all, they rejected our

demands to release the 14 doctors, including Dr. Abu Safiya. And they asked the court to dismiss the petition even without having a hearing.

Regarding Dr. Abu Safiya, they said just two things. Very short two sentences. First of all, they said that there's no indication that his life

is in danger. That doesn't mean that he's not facing a serious harm or a serious risk to his health. They just said there's no indication for a

danger for his life, without any details.

The second thing that they said, and that -- a thing that raised more questions than answers, is that he, in the last week since he arrived to

Rakevet, he met with a doctor more than once, without giving any details why he needed to meet doctors inside the Rakevet prison more than once in

one week.

They didn't give any details, what the doctors said, what they found, what his condition, how he's doing, is he in a good health? Nothing.

So we got a response, but as I said, raising questions and more concern than giving answers.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, very hollow. I mean, it seems as though this doctor, Abu Sophia, you know, his voice, his image, of course, has become a symbol,

really, of Palestinian resilience and of the health care system itself. Is that why Israel are treating him this way, are targeting him? And has there

been a single shred of evidence found against him during the 18 months of his incarceration?

ABBAS: We can say it's a fact, it's not an opinion. If they had, if the state of Israel, or the legal system in Israel, or the Israeli intelligence

had anything against Dr. Abu Safiya, or anyone of the other doctors who are held in the same situation without charges, they had already charged them.

So they don't have anything against him.

That's why in front of the Israeli court itself he's not facing any official charges. That's a fact.

Regarding why he's being held in detention and others, we actually, yes, we believe at PHRI, after meeting dozens of healthcare workers held in

detention, that now the state of Israel is afraid of the voice of Dr. Abu- Safiya, because as you mentioned, he became a symbol for something bigger. And the State of Israel ignores the voice of Dr. Abu-Safiya, because as you

mentioned, he became a symbol for something bigger.

And the state of Israel knows and are aware that the international media, the international community, people all around the world are waiting to

hear the story of Dr. Abu-Safiya and doctors.

[15:30:06]

They are waiting to hear what they have faced, what happened with them since they disappeared after being taken by the Israeli army. That's why

they are not getting released.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, look, it is a story, his story, that we will continue to follow. And we appreciate you, Naji Abbas, coming on it and

giving us this update. Thank you so much.

ABBAS: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, Egypt's national team won the hearts of the Palestinian people as they made their historic World Cup journey, sharing their

victories with them, showing football is about much more than what happens on the pitch.

But Tuesday's match versus Argentina came after a devastating blow to a group that organized watch parties in Gaza. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE (voice-over): For a few hours, hundreds of people in Gaza gathered to do something ordinary, watch Egypt play against Argentina in

the World Cup.

But the man who made it possible was killed in an Israeli airstrike before kickoff. Mohamed al-Wahidi helped organize giant screens where families in

Gaza could gather to watch Egypt's World Cup matches together.

He was the director of the Egyptian committee in Gaza, which provides food, shelter and other humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. But just before

Egypt kicked off against Argentina, a strike hit a car in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood.

Al-Wahidi, a driver and two brothers, aged eight and 10, were killed, according to the director of Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military says al-

Wahidi was not the target of the strike and that it was aiming for a Hamas militant.

For many Palestinians in Gaza, Egypt's World Cup run has become about more than just soccer. Egypt shares a border with Gaza and the team's head

coach, Hossam Hasan, has repeatedly spoken out in support of Palestinians.

After Egypt beat Australia, Hasan waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch. And before the Argentina match, he had this message.

"I ask all athletes and all media professionals of their different religions, from their different countries, maybe during the World Cup to

send a message. Please, let the Palestinian people live. Live. They do not want anything, just to live."

The gathering Mohamed al-Wahidi helped put together still went ahead. He just never made it there to see it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Palestinians say Egypt's coach has revived the spirits of two million people in Gaza. Today, they showed their gratitude by creating this

sand art on Gaza Beach. It says, Hossam Hasan, conscious of humanity. And one of the artists says Palestinians will never forget his show of

solidarity, bringing them hope and joy, even while reminding the world of their suffering. Amazing.

All right, still to come -- as the conflict between Washington and Tehran intensifies, what does it say about Donald Trump's negotiating team?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:40]

MACFARLANE: No sign of Iran's new supreme leader at the funeral of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Days of public tributes have culminated

with a final procession and televised prayer at Imam Reza's shrine in the city of Mashhad.

This follows another day of back-and-forth strikes between the U.S. and Iranian forces. Sources say mediators are scrambling to try to get

Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table as the ceasefire appears to crumble. Future negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are now

really up in the air. Mediators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are under scrutiny for their failure to negotiate a permanent peace deal.

But President Donald Trump says the U.S. war with Iran has already been a success, claiming Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon has been

destroyed.

So what we want to know is, has President Trump's negotiation team failed on Iran?

Joining me now is Richard Dalton, the former British ambassador to Iran.

Thank you for joining us.

RICHARD DALTON, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO IRAN & LIBYA: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: I don't think it is much of a surprise that this ceasefire has fallen apart, given the vagueness of the wording and the differing

interpretations of the MOU. But that hasn't stopped President Trump from claiming it's a success. So I just want to get your response to that and

your read of this moment.

DALTON: I don't think we're going to see a full-scale war. It's not in the interests of either party. Trump has said that negotiations can continue.

The Iranians have made their point. It's time now to get back to the negotiation of a compromise arrangement for implementing the crucial

paragraph about the state of Hormuz, Strait of Hormuz, in the memorandum of understanding. I'm told that there was a potential solution, which was

midway between the positions of the two sides. And let's hope the mediators can indeed revive that.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, let's hope the mediators can, but there doesn't appear to be much sort of competent diplomacy happening anywhere right now.

And there is, of course, as we were saying, this renewed scrutiny on the U.S. chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

What should they be doing in this moment, particularly in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, to avoid an endless cycle of attack and reprisal?

DALTON: It's much too soon to write off diplomacy. Negotiations were suspended for the funeral ceremonies of the late Ayatollah Khamenei. You

reported as a news item that the mediators are scrambling. I haven't read that myself, but that would be the natural reaction of the states that

stand to lose if war resumes, namely the states of the Arabian Peninsula. Pakistan's ability to talk to both sides is intact.

We hope that, although they are raring to attack Iran again, Israel won't sucker the United States into a further military adventure against Iran

this time.

So on Hormuz, the problem is that the wording on how to get back to normal navigation in the memorandum of understanding was too ambiguous.

[15:40:04]

Why it was left ambiguous, nobody knows in the public domain. But that can be put right. It clearly needs to be coordinated with Iran. Navigation also

clearly needs to be coordinated with other countries with a vital interest in the most expeditious use in both directions of that strait for shipping.

And that means one or more of the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the Arabian side of the Gulf. And a proposal to achieve that was on the

table before negotiations were suspended. I have no way of knowing whether that is still a live proposal, but it looks like sound sense to me.

MACFARLANE: We do know that the Gulf states are holding crisis talks after those U.S. strikes we saw last night on Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and we know

how vital Qatar has been to this entire process of negotiations. And here they are, caught in the crossfires once again.

How much longer do you think they will continue to tolerate these attacks, and the housing of U.S. military bases if this does indeed continue in this

-- in this way?

DALTON: The United States attacked Iran disproportionately to the Iranian attack on shipping, which, of course, was wrong. And Iran retaliated to

that United States provocation with attacks on American bases. I haven't seen any reports of attacks on civilian targets in those countries.

It's clear that the effect of the war in the Gulf has been to encourage them to think beyond the United States Security Alliance for their

security, not only military preparation of their own, but also negotiations with their potential adversary.

Now, this kind of a negotiation across lines of enmity in the Gulf is long overdue. It's been shirked by the GCC states for far too long on the

grounds that they feared that any cooperative security organization or agreement would be dominated by Iran.

And the fact that it's regional countries who are taking the lead in the mediation, the fact that Saudi Arabia in particular hasn't canceled its

opening to Iran, that there is academic and political debate throughout the GCC on the need to find a new basis for security based on non-aggression,

non-interference in each other's internal affairs, on tolerance of external alliances if they're not directed against one of the parties to any

security agreement in the Gulf.

All these are positive signs, and it's time for the United States and other countries with a vital interest in security of that region, Russia, China,

European Union, not to mention the developing world that needs the products that come out of the Gulf just as much. It's time for them all to get

behind a new negotiated endeavor, not just to solve the short-term problems of the memorandum of understanding, but also the long-term problems of

finding a viable base for security in the region.

MACFARLANE: Well, we will wait to see if there are steps towards that in the hours to come. We very much hope so, of course.

Ambassador Richard Dalton, thank you very much.

DALTON: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are higher. The Dow has bounced back from some of the biggest losses

it suffered on Wednesday.

This is your Business Breakout.

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has dropped after the United States resumed strikes against Iran. Data from marine traffic showed just a

handful of ships in the strait on Thursday, two of which were empty Iranian tankers entering the Gulf.

Russia has banned all exports of diesel amid national fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian attacks. The new ban was announced in a televised meeting

featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted Russian oil refineries in recent weeks.

Several U.S. states are preparing an antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.

The lawsuit, which sources say will likely be filed next week, could prevent the deal from being completed this summer, as Paramount had hoped.

All right. Still to come, World Cup quarterfinal action set to kick off between rivals France and Morocco. A preview of the match-up between two

unbeaten squads, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:08]

MACFARLANE: We're just minutes away from the start of the World Cup quarterfinals, and what a start is expected to be. France and Morocco both

come into the match unbeaten, and only one will move on to the semis, of course. And while the French side is picked by many as the tournament

favorites, consider that the Moroccans have not been defeated in their last 34 international matches.

So let's go to the fan zone in Paris now. CNN's Mathias Grez is there.

So, Matias, the French have every right to feel confident tonight, but they're up against a really talented Moroccan side. What's the mood like

there?

MATIAS GREZ, CNN CREATOR: Yeah, you're absolutely right, as I'm sure you could imagine, what, are we, 10, 15 minutes away from kick-off now, can

really feel the excitement building.

And I have to say, this is one of the loveliest fan zones I've ever been in. We're right here on the Seine. Half of the fan zone is just down there

on the boat. And just in front of me here, a picturesque bridge, which we just saw a lovely sunset behind.

But onto the football, and you're absolutely right, you know, French fans are feeling, the ones that we've been speaking to have been feeling very

confident about their chances of going through. But you know, they're not overconfident, they're not taking the result for granted. They know that

they're going to have to be at their absolute best to beat this very talented Morocco team and advance to the semi-finals.

But look, this is going to be an incredible occasion, not only because Morocco have, for the second consecutive World Cup, cemented themselves as

one of the best teams in the world, but of course, there is a big Moroccan community here in Paris. I'm sure you can see plenty of Morocco shirts

behind me.

And of course, this is a rematch of that 2022 semi-final which France came out on top in. And just to give you a bit more of an idea of how confident

the French fans are feeling, I went out and about around Paris early this afternoon and spoke to a few of them and this is what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREZ: What do you expect from the match against Morocco tonight?

[15:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, 2-0 for France.

GREZ: You don't think Morocco has a chance of winning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have a chance, but I believe in Mbappe, Dembele, Ballon d'Or.

GREZ: And who do you think will score for France tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mbappe and Dembele.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Morocco's going to win, but I'm Moroccan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the first half will be pretty, pretty close because the players know each other very well. So yeah, first half, 0-0,

and then second-half, 1-0 for France.

GREZ: Who do you think will win, France and Morocco?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: France, of course, because the French is the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GREZ: Chrissy, you know, we as long-suffering England fans, what is it, 60 years of hurt now? I mean, it's quite an alien feeling to see all of these

French fans have such confidence in their national team.

But, you know, who can blame them? Their team this year is probably even better than it was in 2022 and when they won it in 2018.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, maybe we can grab a bit of that for them in the week ahead for us.

Mathias, it's looking far too civilized down there in the fan zone. I'm sure that will change. Enjoy the game. Thanks so much. We'll check back in

with you later. Thanks.

GREZ: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: And still to come, passports, buildings, and now an airport. Donald Trump's name keeps showing up all over the place. We'll show you the

latest in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Now, Donald Trump loves to see his name on stuff, and now his name is on an airport. Florida's Palm Beach International Airport was today

renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, changing the signs and branding will cost five and a half million dollars.

Other U.S. airports have been named for politicians, but it generally happens after they've left office. And a former U.S. Olympian has pleaded

not guilty to damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C.

David Hearn was indicted on one count of destruction of property of more than $1,000. His attorney called the government's evidence weak. Three more

people have also been charged with peeling and removing pieces of the blue lining in the pool. The Trump administration has repeatedly blamed the

problems in the reflecting pool on vandals.

[15:55:02]

And finally tonight, fans of Bonnie Tyler are mourning the loss of the Welsh singer.

Tyler, best known for her 1980s hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", died at the age of 75.

CNN's John Berman once asked her about the wildly popular song.

Oh, we don't have that clip. Never mind.

Tyler's family and team posted on her website and social media, saying she passed away at a hospital in Portugal while being treated for an illness.

The singer, also known for the song "Holding Out for a Hero", was planning a return to the stage later this year.

What a shame, but what a hero.

I am Christina McFarlane, and that is WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN. We'll have more news for you coming up after the break.

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