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Vance: "No Agreement" with Iran; Netanyahu Says Campaign Against Iran "Not Yet Over"; Control of Hormuz Still Not Settled; Crucial Elections in Hungary; Africa Fuel Prices Surge Amid Middle East Trade Disruptions; Taiwan Opposition Leader Visits China. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 12, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, no agreement. That is the word from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance after Marathon talks with Iran. But what does that mean for the war? One of the sticking points, of course, control of the Strait of Hormuz. We'll hear from a military expert on how Iranian minds are now complicating the issue. And polls are now open in Hungary in an election that some say could end Viktor Orban's 16- year hold on power.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. We are following breaking news out of Pakistan. The U.S. delegation has left Islamabad after unsuccessful marathon peace talks with Iran. But Pakistan vows it will continue to mediate between Washington and Tehran in the coming days. Iranian media reports Tehran is in no hurry to get back to the negotiating table. That is according to a source close to the Iranian delegation. And until the U.S. agrees to what Tehran deems a, quote, "reasonable deal," the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.

Shortly after the talks concluded, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said this issue ultimately led to the deadlock. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. That is the core goal of the president, United States. And that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations.

Again, their nuclear program, such as it is, the enrichment facilities that they've that they had before, they've been destroyed. But the simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term? We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Nic Robertson has more from Islamabad for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So, this is where we just heard from the vice president. No deal on the talks with Iran over 16 hours, an absolute marathon session through the night here in the center of Islamabad. It is dawn now when the talks began on Saturday. It was late afternoon and we've quite literally witnessed the sun go down and then the sun come up again.

And what the vice president has said is that Iran, he doesn't believe, is giving that fundamental core agreement about its nuclear aspirations. He didn't say what happens next. He didn't talk about a specific end to the ceasefire. He didn't say if it's a return to war.

But what he said the United States has done is given Iran its final and best offer. The ball, it appears, is in Iran's court to come up with answers now that it hasn't been able to through this marathon session of talks. The vice president also saying that through the night he continually kept president Trump briefed and updated. He said that he'd come into these talks positive.

But fundamentally, the vice president coming in, looking, he hoped, to get a relatively quick solution. The Iranians, with a much larger delegation and a much different negotiating style, coming into these talks with perhaps the aspiration, as they have done in the past, of talking, drilling down, getting what they wanted.

Fundamentally, also, the Iranians believe that they still hold cards, that they can still control the Strait of Hormuz. And to them, that is something that is leverage, real leverage, they believe, and that it could get more than they were offered here in Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Let's bring in Bijan Hosseini, standing by for us in London. Bijan, can you just bring us up to speed on what happened in Islamabad after these marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran ended without a deal? This seems like quite a shocking moment, right?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes. Well, Ben, as you said, and as Nick mentioned, these were very historic talks face to face which is quite notable, the first time in decades between these two countries. And we kind of heard the U.S. position there from Vice President J.D. Vance. But from an Iranian perspective, you know, they came out and said that the U.S. demands were excessive, that they were overreaching, and that's ultimately why these talks failed.

[02:05:00]

We know that they sent a massive delegation, 71 people, across two aircraft. That was led by the Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf and their Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi. These are two very key and senior officials in Iran. So, it kind of goes to show that these were, in fact, very serious talks, but ultimately failing.

And as Nic mentioned, Iran saying that they don't have any rush to return to the negotiation table. We heard before these talks went underway by U.S. President Donald Trump, that it made no difference to him whether these talks succeeded or not. And Iran kind of came into these negotiations with that same sentiment. As Nic mentioned there, they have that vital control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a core dispute between the U.S. and Iran in these negotiations. But the Iranians felt that they had a lot of leverage because of that. So, it is interesting to see where this goes from here.

There's a lot we don't know. We don't know what this means for the two-week ceasefire. We know that yesterday there were no reported attacks against Iran. There were also no reported attacks from Iran on Israel or the Gulf states. So, that ceasefire was a very welcomed pause, especially to those Gulf states that are kind of caught in the crossfire. We know that Qatar had come out and said that they were going to, you know, renew maritime navigation today. We also knew that the U.S. Navy was working to get rid of some of those mines in the Strait.

So, what does that mean for all of that? That we don't know. We also don't know when these two countries might, or if they even, return to the negotiation table. But it's clear that both sides feeling that they both have the upper hand. So, we'll have to wait and see what happens next, Ben.

HUNTE: There is so much going on. My gosh. Thank you for bringing us up to speed, Bijan Hosseini. Appreciate it. Onwards. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's not done with Iran yet. That is despite the current ceasefire. He made those comments on Saturday as peace talks were underway between the U.S. and Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The campaign is not over yet, but we can clearly state that we have historic achievements. I want to remind where we were. Iran tried to strangle us. Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah in Lebanon. Assad regime in Syria. The militia in Iraq. The Houthis in Yemen. Iran itself. They wanted to strangle us, and we strangled them. They threatened us with destruction, and now they are fighting to survive. We affected them, and we have more to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Netanyahu also said he has approved direct talks with Lebanon next week, as Israel ramps up attacks on Hezbollah targets. The Iranian-backed militant group has also continued firing at Israel, launching a barrage of drones and rockets on Saturday. Iran is insisting that a broader ceasefire must include an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign against Iran is not yet over, a statement he made even as the U.S. and Iran were engaged in the first day of ceasefire talks in Pakistan aimed at finding an end to the war.

Netanyahu, in a 13-minute televised statement in Hebrew, listed what he said were Israel's major accomplishments during the war, including killing much of Iran's top leadership and destroying much of its ballistic missile infrastructure, its nuclear infrastructure and its military assets.

He also said Iran continued to hold highly enriched uranium, and that would have to be dealt with either by an agreement or by other means. He said he and President Donald Trump are in lockstep on this. He said these have been major accomplishments that only could have been achieved in the joint military effort.

Now, it's noteworthy that he's saying this because a series of polls last week in Israel found that a majority of Israelis believe the U.S. and Israel had not won the war against Iran. So, it's noteworthy here that you see Netanyahu coming out trying to list the accomplishments of the war so far and saying the campaign isn't over yet.

Netanyahu also addressed Lebanon. He said he had authorized direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, and he put two conditions on this. First, he said the talks and any agreement must include the disarmament of Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, and that it must be a true peace agreement, one that he said would last for generations.

Now, what happens in Lebanon is important for Iran, and that's because Iran has said the ceasefire must include the cessation of hostilities and the cessation of the war in Lebanon. But the U.S. and Israel see that differently. Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah and targeting Iran's proxy there. The Israeli military said they have struck more than 200 targets in Lebanon between Friday and Saturday.

[02:10:00]

So, you see Israel continuing the war there even as the U.S. and Iran are engaged in ceasefire talks, and the U.S. will host direct talks between Israel and Lebanon next week.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Maya Gebeily is the Reuters bureau chief for Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and she joins me now from Beirut. Good to see you, Maya. Thank you for being here. Can you just bring us up to speed on what's happening in Beirut right now after days of heavy Israeli strikes and as the situation continues to intensify?

MAYA GEBEILY, REUTERS BUREAU CHIEF FOR LEBANON, SYRIA AND JORDAN: That's right, we've had continued Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon over the past couple of days, including yesterday, including as talks were underway in Pakistan, which was supposed to include discussion of Lebanon. We still had strikes all across Southern Lebanon. The situation was a little bit lighter around Beirut and its southern suburbs.

We had a little bit fewer strikes than we had seen over the past couple of days, but those preceding days were some of the heaviest. And we continue to have Israeli surveillance drones flying over the capital. So, although we didn't hear the strikes and the pounding that we had heard over Wednesday, which was a particularly heavy day, we did continue to hear that buzzing sound of the drone all across Beirut into the late evening yesterday.

HUNTE: So, scary, I'm so sorry you're going through that. We have heard reports of journalists speaking to families trying to identify their loved ones. In some cases, from remains. Just how severe is the civilian toll now and how is that affecting daily life in the city?

GEBEILY: Wednesday was one of the deadliest days for the Lebanese capital and for Lebanon as a whole in recent history. There were Israeli strikes all across Beirut, across the southern suburbs, the south, the east of the country, all within a span of 10 minutes, 100 airstrikes just pummeling the country nearly simultaneously. And more than 350 people were killed across the country just in that day alone.

So, I spent Thursday, I spent some time at a hospital in Beirut where people were coming in to try to identify their loved ones. And it was extremely gruesome. Just like you said, I mean, they were trying to basically put bodies together from different body parts that had been blown apart. And it was a lot of women and children that were included in those strikes.

Israel had said that it is targeting Hezbollah members, but it was targeting extremely densely populated neighborhoods. And instead of using the precision drone strikes that we have seen them use in many occasions across Beirut, in the past, they used a lot of, you know, bombing that left entire buildings pulverized and bodies under the rubble for the hours to come and days to come. Rescuers were still working yesterday even to try to get bodies out from under the rubble. It was one of the gruesome weeks that Lebanon had seen, unfortunately, in a very difficult couple of years. But Wednesday in particular was a very, very heavy and dark day for all of Lebanon.

HUNTE: I can't even imagine, because as you're just speaking there, we're looking at videos just showing what's been going on on the ground. It's absolutely awful. As you say, these were some of the heaviest strikes on Beirut in years. What are Israeli officials saying now about their objectives at this point? And how is Hezbollah responding on the ground too?

GEBEILY: So, Hezbollah on the first day of what it felt was going to be a ceasefire, on Wednesday morning, it actually stopped firing at Israeli troops within Lebanon and at Israeli military positions. It stopped firing at Israeli positions across the border in northern Israel. By Wednesday afternoon, when that heavy barrage of strikes took place, that's when the group started to resume air strikes -- sorry, started to resume drone fire and rocket fire into Israel. At this point now, we're almost back to the pace of strikes that we had seen preceding all this talk of ceasefire. So, we're back to a situation where Hezbollah is launching drones and rockets at Israeli positions within Lebanon and in northern Israel. And we're back to a situation where Israel is carrying out air strikes across Lebanon. And so, everyone is really eager to see which track, essentially, whether the Pakistan track, which unfortunately we saw has kind of ended this morning, or the track in Washington next week is going to lead to a ceasefire for Lebanese who are absolutely exhausted and weary of war.

HUNTE: Because we are hearing so many different positions on this, Iran and others insisting that Lebanon should be including any ceasefire, while Israel is rejecting that. Just how significant is this divide right now? Is there going to be a conclusion that we're seeing over the next few days, or is this just going to be in a position where these strikes continue, people continue to get killed, and that's it?

GEBEILY: I mean, that division is something that even extends to internal kind of Lebanese splits as well. So, you've seen, you know, top Lebanese officials, including the Lebanese prime minister, Nawaf Salam, President Joseph Aoun, and others, who have basically thrown their weight behind this diplomatic track that is supposed to kick off in Washington next week, with the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and the Lebanese ambassador to the U.S. meeting in D.C. at the State Department. That in and of itself, even though we're not talking foreign minister level, that alone is already quite historic for two countries that have been in a state of war for decades.

[02:15:00]

At the same time, you have the other side in Lebanon, which is the side that's more closely aligned to Hezbollah. And we've been hearing from officials who are close to them who are saying that, no, no, Lebanon should be pursuing a ceasefire as part of the Pakistan track, because we can't trust the U.S. to do the negotiations on our behalf.

So, really, we should be attaching ourselves to this kind of broader negotiations track. So, even within Lebanon, people are split over which option could lead to a lasting ceasefire for the country, which is what people want.

HUNTE: Yes, they must really, really want that. It's absolutely awful what's going on now. For now, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Maya.

GEBEILY: Thank you.

HUNTE: Moscow's closest ally in the European Union is fighting to hold on to power. Still ahead, an electoral challenge that could end the 16-year tenure of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00] HUNTE: Welcome back. Voting is underway in Hungary in an election that could bring the biggest political change in 16 years. That is how long nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has actually been in power. During that time, he became the darling of far-right movements worldwide and the Kremlin's closest ally in the E.U. However, Hungary has been accused of backsliding on democracy and press freedoms.

Mr. Orban is now facing a challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party has been ahead in opinion polls for over a year. Some political scientists say Mr. Orban's loss could be a crushing blow to other far-right movements.

CNN's Melissa Bell is standing by for us outside of a polling station in Budapest. And she joins us live. Melissa, it's good to see you. This is being described as a make-or-break election. Just how serious a challenge is Orban facing? What are you hearing about expected turnout and momentum today?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do expect, Ben, a lot of people to make their way to the polling stations because Peter Magyar has this up to 10-point lead in most of the polls, but also because really Viktor Orban leaves nobody indifferent here in Hungary. There are those delighted that at last someone is posing this serious challenge to him. There are those who are making their way to the polling station because they believe that his campaign message, which has been that he's for prosperity, that he's kept Hungary out of the Ukrainian war and that he's continued to allow people here in Hungary to benefit from cheap Russian oil and gas.

On the other hand, what is really remarkable is just how well Peter Magyar has managed to do in a system that he has, Viktor Orban hasn't simply ruled for 16 years, but that he's profoundly transformed, turning it into a liberal democracy, concentrating power into the hands of so few, little by little, incrementally changing the system in such a way that someone else could come along and do so well in what many describe as a free but not fair election, given all the changes that have been made by Viktor Orban, is quite remarkable. And that's because Peter Magyar has spoken to them about the things that matter, the fact that the economy is stagnating, whereas all of Hungary's neighbors are doing much better, inflation is high, and the state of the public health system is pretty dire.

People really have -- are expected to go out in droves today to vote for him. He's also run this very energetic campaign, going out to the countryside, holding five, six, seven rallies a day, speaking to people and trying to speak to parts of Hungary that had long been ignored.

So, a remarkable election that will galvanize people, we expect today, get them out to vote. You look all over the country, there are signs everywhere for one candidate or the other, or for some of the parliamentary party candidates that they are leading into this election, because this is a parliamentary election.

What Peter Magyar is aiming for is not simply to win, but actually to get the two-thirds majority in the parliament that would allow him to change the constitution back, and to return, he says, Hungary to the rule of law. He would also, we imagine, he's been relatively quiet on foreign affairs issues, repair the relationship with Brussels, and likely distance himself from Moscow.

So, a lot of changes, and there are many parts of the world, the United States and MAGA, Russia, World Bank's closest allies, that are watching this election very closely to see how it changes. And you're quite right to highlight that it will be also a sort of bellwether for other far-right movements here in the European Union.

So, everyone is watching this very closely, and Peter Magyar and his supporters believe that their time has finally come. It would represent a huge change, Ben.

HUNTE: Very excited to see what happens, Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that, appreciate it. Onwards. Russia is accusing Ukraine of breaking a ceasefire declared over Orthodox Easter. A state news agency says a Ukrainian drone hit a gas station in western Russia, injuring three people, including a one-year-old child. Another civilian was also wounded in a separate attack in the occupied part of Ukraine's Kherson region.

Russian officials say Ukraine also launched a drone attack in the run- up to the truce. Two people were reportedly killed in the occupied part of the Donetsk region, and at least seven others were injured. The ceasefire is in effect until the end of the day on Sunday.

Still to come. A stalemate between U.S. and Iranian negotiators leaves trade in the Strait of Hormuz effectively frozen. We'll bring you a closer look at the growing economic impact. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. More on our top story this hour, the breakdown of a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran. An Iranian official says disagreement on two or three key issues prevented a deal with the U.S. after marathon talks in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, state media has reported that Tehran is in, quote, "no hurry" to get back to the negotiating table. And without a deal, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. The U.S. vice president had this to say shortly after the talks concluded. Have a listen.

[02:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: We've made very clear what our redlines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on, and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on, and we've made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: Joining me now to discuss this is former CENTCOM spokesperson and retired U.S. Army Colonel Joe Buccino. He joins us live from Washington, D.C. Thank you so much for staying up so late for me, sir. I appreciate it. You have said reopening the Strait of Hormuz could be extremely difficult right now. Just how realistic is it, especially if that threat includes mines that are difficult to track?

JOE BUCCINO, FORMER CENTCOM SPOKESPERSON AND U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, it could take months to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. First of all, the mines are one problem. If you think about the mines, right now we've got two destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz that are clearing the mines. We have cutting-edge equipment, sonar that detects the mines. We've got vessels, unmanned vessels that go under the surface of the water that detonate the mines safely.

The problem is that Iran has a very diverse array of mines. Some of them are very sophisticated, the seabed mines that detonate upon detection of the metal hull of a ship. Some of them, the ones that I'd be more concerned about, are these World War I-style dumb mines that do not detect, that do not emit any kind of signature. They're drifting, so we don't know where they are. Iran doesn't know where they are at this point. They blend in with clutter, with scrap metal, rocks, fishing gear, and they're very hard to detect. And so, just the fear alone of those mines is going to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until we can clear that.

HUNTE: So, that's fascinating, and it sounds incredibly dangerous. But if the U.S. and its allies do try to clear those mines, what would that process actually involve in practice?

BUCCINO: Well, it would require more than two destroyers. We've got two destroyers out there. It would require more than that. It would require weeks, if not months, to clear the mines. And then you've got the problem of drones fired off of the coast of Iran.

So, you've got batteries set up on the coast of Iran that could fire drones, that can fire ballistic missiles. You've also got, you know, three guys in a truck go down to the coast of Iran and fire a drone. The drones are very highly technological. They're very high-tech. They fly very close to the surface of the water, so you can't pick them up on radar right away. By the time you pick them up, they're right on top of you. And you're shooting from a raised platform, so it's hard to shoot them down by the time they're close to you.

So, you know, you think about the clearing operation of the Strait of Hormuz was developed in 2012, when Secretary Mattis, Jim Mattis, General Mattis at the time, was the CENTCOM commander. It was called the Break-to-Break Plan. It was a 10-day plan. Well, since then, the drones have gotten infinitely more complicated. The mines have gotten more complicated. And so, this operation could take a very long time.

HUNTE: If the U.S. were to consider really targeting Iranian oil infrastructure, including more damage on places like Kharg Island, what would that kind of operation look like? And what would it aim to achieve? BUCCINO: Well, right now, you've got the 82nd Airborne. You've got a ready brigade of the 82nd Airborne in position to do an aerial assault. So, that's what they're trained to do, an aerial assault, secure the oil on Kharg Island. They'd likely be supported by the Marine Expeditionary Unit that's there, would do an amphibious assault in support of that. Those are the forces that would be required. If you think about boots on the ground, in my mind, those are the boots on the ground that would go in, secure the oil, cut off the oil that's really funding the Iranian war machine.

HUNTE: What are you expecting to see happen next, genuinely? How big could the next escalation be from the U.S.? And how might Iran respond?

BUCCINO: Well, I think it would have to be bigger than what's happened to date. I think Iran feels like it's won the first phase of this war. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. They retain their ability for enriched uranium. And they've survived.

Iran's philosophy around this is the Ho Chi Minh philosophy. They win by not losing. And so, far, the regime remains in place. They retain their enrichment capability. And the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The Strait of Hormuz was open when we started this war. So, they feel like they've won this phase of the war, and they feel like they can continue to survive. Every day that the sun sets on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz is closed, they feel like they've won.

[02:35:00]

HUNTE: OK. There's a lot to talk about, but we'll leave it there for now. Joe Buccino, thank you so much. I'm sure we'll be speaking again very soon with everything going on. Thank you.

BUCCINO: Thanks for having me.

HUNTE: Onwards. The ongoing trade disruptions in the Middle East are taking a toll on economies across the African continent. While negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain deadlocked, experts warn that rising fuel prices and critical fertilizer shortages could have a lasting impact throughout Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voice-over): In East Eswatini, lighting lamps using paraffin is cheaper than using electricity. Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct used for cooking and heating. And like most fuel products in the world today, the prices have surged.

NELISIWE GRWEBU, ESWATINI RESIDENT (through translator): It really hurts me because I can only buy one liter, and this one liter, I can only use it for only two days.

HUNTE (voice-over): But it's not just people in Eswatini who are struggling. Across Africa, fuel prices have shot up by as much as 15 to 40 percent, some fuel types even higher. Some tuk-tuk drivers in Somalia say there aren't enough customers to sustain a full day's work anymore.

AHMED ABUKAW AHMED, SOMALI TUK-TUK DRIVER (through translator): The biggest challenge is that you must fill the tuk-tuk with fuel and drive around town looking for passengers. But fuel used to be cheap. For example, before the tuk-tuk would use 50 cents while searching for passengers and then earn $2 from fares. Now, the tuk-tuk can use $3 before finding a passenger.

HUNTE (voice-over): Along with fuel, the cost of fertilizer is also going up. Africa imports about six million tons of fertilizer a year. And if farmers can't afford it, especially now during peak planting season, future crops could suffer. And the continent could face even more food insecurity.

Some African countries are taking measures to conserve fuel. Tanzania's president is reducing the size of her motorcade and instructing officials to ride in shared buses. Egypt is requiring restaurants, cafes and stores to close by 9:00 pm. And South Sudan is rationing power in its capital city, Juba.

But there's little that some African businesses can do when their operations depend on shipping routes caught in a chokehold. One flower grower in Kenya says he's throwing away 20 to 25 percent of its blooms because he can't ship them out.

INDER NAIN, XFLORA GROUP: We use Saudi Airlines, we use Emirates, we use Qatar. These are major providers of freight services. So, that is having a major impact. Can we get up tomorrow and go to somebody else? I don't think so.

HUNTE (voice-over): Aliko Dangote, the owner of Africa's largest oil refinery in Nigeria, says it is operating at peak production to help offset shortages. But says it may take several months for oil prices to stabilize.

ALIKO DANGOTE, FOUNDER, DANGOTE GROUP: The challenges are many. One is of urea, which is fertilizer that we have. I think in the last couple of days we've been loading to mostly African countries, which we were not doing before. And then now it's to do with also petroleum products, which we are now sending mainly to, you know, African countries.

HUNTE (voice-over): Africa was already impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war. Both countries significant suppliers of agricultural goods to the continent. Now, another war is shaking up Africa's supply chain. Hiking prices in some places that can afford it the least.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (on camera): A high-stakes trip to China for a Taiwan opposition leader. How her visit is dividing Taiwan. This story and so much more after this break. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00] HUNTE: Welcome back. Often referred to as Tehrangeles, the city of L.A. has one of the largest populations of Iranians in the U.S. Many fled their homeland 47 years ago during the Islamic Revolution. And on Saturday, some of those same families rallied in support of the U.S. war efforts. As Julia Vargas Jones reports, they want the U.S. to continue until the regime is completely toppled.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The main message from this rally is that these people do not want any kind of deal with the current Iranian government. They said they wouldn't trust them to begin with. What they want is an interim government that would be led by Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, the crown prince of Iran that would then lead them into democracy again.

Now, many of the people here said that they feel like they're caught in between, in the middle between the Trump administration and Iran. They say that there's a growing call now for actual meaningful change. And they say that what the United States and Israel are doing is actually not enough. They want to see more action to take down the current structures of power in Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want any deal. We are tired of that. They're always cheating to the people and the world. They said we're doing this, we're doing that, but at the end they kill the people. And we have evidence of that. So, we don't want any deal with them. This is why all the people didn't discontinue and don't give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, they're saying that the people inside Iran are telling them that they are very uncertain of what comes next, that while some still welcome this kind of intervention, the deeper concern is what comes after this. And they're afraid that there could be even more intense crackdowns if a deal is reached.

[02:45:00]

Now, there is one comment from President Donald Trump back on Tuesday where he said about a potential annihilation of an entire culture, an entire people that did not sit well with Iranians here in Los Angeles. They say they understood that perhaps President Trump was trying to pressure the regime, but that he has to remember that many of them still have family and friends in Iran who have been affected.

And in some cases, those are the same people that were supporting the strikes, but the vast majority of the people in this rally say that they still support President Trump and that they believe that he has the best interests of their country at heart.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SCIUTTO: Taiwan's opposition leader made a rare visit to China where she met President Xi Jinping. CNN's Will Ripley has the latest for us from Taiwan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A supporter of Taiwan's opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, made an off the cuff outburst during her trip to China and was dragged out by the neck. In a visit as sensitive as this, there's no room for surprises.

Things went much smoother at the port of Shanghai. Cheng even quoted a famous poem from World War I. What should be flying in the sky are birds, not missiles. And what should be swimming in the sea are fish, not warships, she said.

A message that must have been music to the ears of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He invited her to visit China, a trip she was trying to secure for months.

Cheng stuck to the script, echoing Beijing's biggest talking points on one of its most sensitive topics, Taiwan. I hope the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flashpoint for conflict, nor a chessboard allowing external interference, she said. Peacemaxing (ph). And poking at the U.S. and Japan, key allies of her political rival, Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

President Lai Ching-te is trying to forge closer ties with the U.S., facing fierce opposition from Cheng's KMT. Her party controls a parliament so deadlocked, so divided, brawls sometimes break out. Right now, they're fighting over President Lai's defense budget to buy billions in U.S.-made weapons, which Cheng's party is blocking.

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): As we invest in this part of the world, that you are also investing and that we're in this together.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan is facing mounting pressure from Washington to increase military spending. And Beijing, which often holds military drills near this island democracy, never ruling out taking it by force if necessary. Taiwan will likely loom over President Trump's Beijing meeting with Xi next month.

As a student in 1988, Cheng gave this fiery speech, calling on Taiwan to build its own country and overthrow the tyranny of the party Xi now leads.

Last year, Xi vowed to make all Taiwanese proudly and confidently identify as Chinese, which is why President Xi is meeting with her and refusing to engage with Taiwan's elected leader, whose independence- leaning party won the past three presidential elections.

RIPLEY: What is China's endgame?

CHEN FANG-YU, ASSOCIATION PROFESSOR, SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY: China's endgame is unification of Taiwan. And for Taiwanese people, it's annexation. RIPLEY (voice-over): Political science professor Chen Fang-yu worries Taiwan could end up like Tibet or Hong Kong, both promised by Beijing to keep their autonomy, only to end up under strict Chinese control.

FANG-YU: The most important lesson from history is that we can never trust CCP.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Retiree Martha Wu (ph) thinks talking is a good thing. It's great, she says. It fosters peace between Taipei and Beijing and prevents war from happening.

Cheng's controversial visit is dividing Taiwan, months before local elections. Beijing hopes this meeting will shape what comes next.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: All right. Coming up, around the moon and back. The Artemis II crew tells the world what they learned from the historic mission. See you in a moment.

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[02:50:00]

HUNTE: The Artemis II crew's return to Earth has been as joyful as its historic lunar flyby. The four astronauts received a standing ovation when they arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday. They also reunited with their families after their 10-day journey around the Moon. Speaking publicly for the first time since their return to Earth, the crew members described the camaraderie they shared on their journey to deep space.

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REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: We are bonded forever. And no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through. And it was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life.

[02:55:00]

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God in public. And I want to thank God again.

CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: What struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth. It was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe.

JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: When you look up here, you're not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: All right. That's all I've got for you for now. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And I will be back in just a moment because CNN Newsroom continues after this quick break. See you in a bit.

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