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U.S.-Iran Negotiations Ongoing After Quick Pause; Polls Close For Early Voting In New York City Primary; Pressure Grows For U.K. Keir Starmer To Resign; Run-Off Election Tonight For Colombia's Presidency; World Cup Fan Fest Party In Atlanta; Spain Rebounds From Scoreless Cape Verde Draw With 4-0 Rout For Saudi Arabia; Netanyahu: Israel Will Not Withdraw From Southern Lebanon. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 21, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:31]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

Breaking tonight, a U.S. official says negotiations with Iran and Switzerland are ongoing. And the U.S. delegation expects to work through the night. Earlier, an Iranian source told CNN the face-to- face talks had stalled following President Donald Trump's earlier threats against Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. But a senior U.S. diplomat told reporters on the ground there that the U.S. delegation, including Vice President J.D. Vance, has been taking part in constant meetings and negotiations.

I want to bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who joins us now from the White House.

So, Julia, where do things stand tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Vice President J.D. Vance arrived there in Switzerland just after 6:00 a.m. It is now after midnight. And they say that they are going to continue these discussions through the night. According to a U.S. diplomat involved in discussions, these talks have been constant and they are ongoing.

Now, when it comes to exactly what they are looking at, these talks have included working on clarifying messaging when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz and enforcing the ceasefire in Lebanon. This diplomat went on to say this about the talks, "We've had robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal. We plan to continue working through each of these issues and using today's work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward.

Vance is there. Also in this delegation, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Vance has said that he expects to be there for one to two days. And then the technical teams would remain on the ground to work through more of those details.

Now, Vance, as he spoke today, standing near mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, he looked to put an optimistic view on this. He said that he believed they had already made great progress, but he also looked to set expectations, adding that all of the disagreements were not going to be solved immediately. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What today really represents is the beginning of a technical negotiation. That's not going to solve every disagreement, but it's going to allow us to sit together as teams for the first time really in history to figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues and get to a better tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So again, those main topics of discussions, Iran's nuclear program, the ceasefire in Lebanon, and the Strait of Hormuz. And when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump was in a phone call just shortly after Vance gave those remarks. He had a phone call with FOX News for roughly 20 minutes. He said that the United States could just take over the Strait of Hormuz and even charge tolls itself if they do not reach a deal with Iran.

Those remarks were in response, in frustration with Iran's claim this weekend that it had once again closed that critical waterway. But Trump said this. He said, "You close it," referring to the strait of Hormuz, "and you won't have a country," adding, "you won't even make it back to your effing country."

Iran's chief negotiator appeared to respond to those threats, calling them desperate. And he did say that the Iranian military would be ready to step in if there was a need for that -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas, who joins us now.

And Alex, I just want to start with your reaction to the news out of Switzerland, specifically President Trump threatening Iran and its delegates over the strait. Do you see this as posturing or more of the deal actually being impacted in a serious way?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So I think a little bit of both. I mean, I think this was obviously posturing because we saw those messages initially come out about the strait closure through the IRGC or the 10 percent of the military that reports the supreme leader, that's been sort of problematic. The ones claiming that the strait is closed while you've got the negotiators sitting down, but boats are still transiting, sort of moving through.

So the president had to respond. But I do think he actually meant some of what he said there. And if they did decide to try to close the straits by force again, I think he would initiate military action if he had to.

JIMENEZ: You know, I think it's become clear at this point that if the U.S. and Iran were to get to any sort of nuclear deal or even any sort of deal on the Strait of Hormuz, that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah would be stopping, would be a prerequisite to that.

[19:05:002]

I mean, it was the number one thing listed in the memorandum of understanding. But I wonder how difficult you see that issue and that conflict as compared to what the U.S. and Iran are trying to negotiate directly?

PLITSAS: Well, it's problematic for a few reasons. I mean, first, the entire framework is predicated upon a ceasefire in a sovereign country that is Lebanon, including a terrorist organization that is Hezbollah, and then Israel and the IDF were conducting operations inside of southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah continuously launching projectiles into Israel since October 7th.

None of those parties I just spoke about are signatories of the document. Only the United States and Iran are. So trying to keep them in line will obviously be difficult. And then second, not to mention the fact that this has been going on for the better part of close to a half century and no one has successfully disarmed Hezbollah. To date, Israel has conducted military operations.

And while the U.S. did -- was able to get the parties in a room to try to begin negotiations between Israel and Lebanon for the disarmament of Hezbollah, that still hasn't happened. And Hezbollah has basically said that they don't intend to abide by it. So it's definitely a flashpoint and probably one of the biggest risk points of the agreement altogether.

JIMENEZ: President Trump has suggested in recent days that Israel should let Syria enter the fight with Hezbollah. Do you see that as any sort of advantage, strategically or any risk?

PLITSAS: I mean, I think there's a risk for sectarian violence because the government in Syria, and especially its forces now are largely comprised of Sunni fighters, many of whom had belonged to extremist groups in the past. And then you've obviously got Shia, you know, militias in southern Lebanon, or in this particular case, a designated terrorist organization. So it has the potential for a flashpoint like we saw in Iraq during the war between the sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia.

Not to mention the fact that the Syrians have been fighting Hezbollah on the ground in Syria for, you know, quite some time now because Iran had dispatched Hezbollah on the ground, because their Arabic speaking Arabs, who also happen to be Shia and are aligned with Iran in this proxy force to try to prop up the Assad regime because Assad belonged to a subsect, the Alawite Shia group.

That's about 10 percent of the population that was oppressing a combined 90 percent majority. And so to control what they call the Shia crescent from southern Lebanon across into Syria, when Assad was there in democratic Iraq, which is 60 percent Shia, and then Iran at 97 percent, they basically control geopolitics across. And so there is zero love lost between the Syrian government, Iran and Hezbollah.

Matter of fact, when I was on the ground there last year, all the Cabinet ministers I spoke to had nothing but unkind words for both Iran and Hezbollah, given their actions inside the country over the last decade and a half.

JIMENEZ: Very interesting. I want to ask about one other thing that we briefly mentioned. You know, we talked about whether it was posturing or some sort of real threat around the tolls itself, you know, suggesting that the U.S. could take over the Strait of Hormuz, start charging tolls if there isn't a deal. And if we just gaming that out a little bit here, what kind of resources would it actually take for the U.S. to put something like that in place and to go even further, actually enforce it?

PLITSAS: So the U.S. could take the strait by force militarily if it had to, but it would be a considerable deployment of resources and not without significant risk to U.S. forces in the mission with potential, you know, additional casualties, which the presidents ruled out sort of to date. You know, I think the second part about tolls would be rhetoric. I think it was more of a statement, we could. But just because you can doesn't mean you should or you would.

And I think there's a general consensus that that needs to be freedom of movement. I did hear from mediators in the region that perhaps the Strait of Malacca will be used as a baseline for discussion in terms of charging some sort of transitory fee, as opposed to a toll that there's a precedent for that. And the Iranians have been pressing in the background. It was an idea supposedly supported by China and a few other actors, where there could be an environmental cleanup fee, basically auspices, to collect money through there for some period of time for two reasons.

One, the Iranians are, you know, the blockade and the sanctions are working and they are in desperate need of liquidity in terms of cash. And then the second piece is that they really don't have a choice but to try to push the U.S. for more as much as they can. And then this is a free concession. They really wouldn't get in the background anyway. So still up for discussions. I'm told this is one of the sticking points in the negotiation.

Iran is going to push for it. We'll see where the U.S. lands. But the president so far has made it clear after hearing from international shipping owners and oil giants that if they didn't have to pay anything before the war, having to pay for it afterwards is a step backwards, not forwards.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Alex Plitsas, always appreciate the insight. Thank you for stopping by. Good to see you.

PLITSAS: Thanks for having me.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead on the CNN NEWSROOM, polls are closed for early voting in New York City's primary election. But it could be a major test of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's influence on the city and the Democratic Party. We'll talk about it. Plus another major election happening right now that could redefine

the U.S. relationship with Colombia. We are live from the Latin American country with an update, as ballots are still being counted.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:14:31]

JIMENEZ: Today was the last day of early voting in the New York primary elections. And ahead of Tuesday's election day, a lot of people are wondering what the results will tell us about the future of the Democratic Party. And just one of the hot button issues coming up for New York Democrats is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten runs the numbers.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Omar. Happy Sunday to you.

Look, we are two days away from what I would argue is the best primary day of the year. Of course, I'm a bit biased. That is because the New York primaries will be taking place on Tuesday.

[19:15:04]

And perhaps the biggest marquee race of all is in Brooklyn, in New York's 10th District, where it looks like an incumbent Democrat is going to go down to defeat. Who am I talking about here? Well, I am talking about Dan Goldman, who, of course, if you've ever watched cable TV, you're familiar with him, right? He was one of the impeachment lawyers during Trump's first impeachment. And then, of course, he has been a representative in Congress from the 10th District.

But the chance to be New York 10 Dem nominee, look at this. Dan Goldman at just a 2 percent chance, one, 2 percent chance according to the Kalshi prediction market. And in fact, Brad Lander, who ran for mayor last year, looks like he is going to be moving on up to Congress. Very Democratic district. So you being the Dem nominee, you're probably going to win in the fall with a 98 percent chance of winning.

What has Dan Goldman done that has alienated so many voters? Well, this primary, perhaps more than any other, has been fought over the issue of Israel, with Dan Goldman being seen as the more pro-Israeli candidate. And this, to me, is emblematic of what we are seeing nationwide when it comes to Democrats. Democrats like Zohran Mamdani, who are backing Brad Lander, are starting to become the majority within the Democratic Party when it comes to their views on Israel.

You can see it right here. Take a look at this national poll. Who Dem voters sympathize more, with the Palestinians or the Israelis? You go back to the end of 2023. It was basically a fairly even split within the Democratic Party, though the Israelis slightly more sympathize with them than the Palestinians, at 34 percent to 31 percent. But look now, according to "The New York Times"-Siena College poll, that Israeli percentage has absolutely plummeted.

We're talking about just 16 percent, a drop of nearly 20 points over the last two and a half years. Compare that to the Palestinians, that percentage has nearly doubled from 31 percent to 60 percent. My goodness gracious. Now, of course, I mentioned Zohran Mamdani, and in one of the late rallies that he held candidates for Congress, that in fact he was endorsing, he called AIPAC, quote-unquote, "monsters," called AIPAC monsters.

I would argue that is, in fact, a winning message in Democratic primaries. Why do I say that? Because just take a look at this. Democrats on AIPAC backing someone makes you less likely to vote for him, or more likely? You go back to 2024, you did, in fact, see that more Democrats said less likely than more likely. But it was, you know, a 34 percent to 14 percent split. So not even 50 percent of the Democratic Party. Those Democratic voters said that you would, in fact, be less likely to vote for an AIPAC backed candidate.

But now look at this. From 2024 to 2026, that less likely went from being a plurality less likely compared to more likely to a majority. Way up there. We're talking about a nearly 20 point boost to 53 percent, while just 5 percent, just 5 percent, one, two, three, four, 5 percent, 5 percent of Democrats say that AIPAC backing a candidate makes you, in fact, more likely to vote for him.

Now, of course, New York 10 is not the only primary that we'll be looking at. Another race that I'm just interested in because I'm interested in political history, is, in fact, the New York's 12th District. And that is because JFK's grandson is running for Congress. Take a look here. Chance to be the New York 12 Dem nominee, Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of JFK. But his chances aren't looking too hot to trot, at least according to the people who are putting their money where their mouths are.

Look at that. Just a 2 percent chance that Schlossberg wins. Michael Lasher, who has the backing of Jerry Nadler, who, of course, is the retiring incumbent, longtime incumbent, he's the favorite at this point with a 58 percent chance. But Alex Bores, it's a tight race, a 41 percent chance. So it's likely either Bores or Lasher. Probably not Schlossberg.

But, Omar, it's always you when it comes to who's fantastic. Back to you, my friend.

JIMENEZ: And it's always you. Right back at you. Good to see you, Mr. Harry Enten.

Meanwhile, the U.K. could soon be facing a new leadership contest there. British media is widely reporting that Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to stand down on Monday as he faces growing criticism for his leadership and authority.

Now, President Donald Trump posted earlier the resignation would be over what he calls failures on immigration and energy. But Downing Street told CNN that Starmer says, quote, "There's more to do. And that's what I'm focused on." So more to come here. But Britain's Business Secretary Peter Kyle said this earlier today in an interview with the BBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER KYLE, BRITISH BUSINESS SECRETARY: He's also making time this weekend to try and reflect on the political challenges that he faces, our country faces, our party faces. He's also taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And Starmer is likely to face a formal challenge at the very least to his leadership from the mayor of Greater Manchester. Andy Burnham won a Labour seat in parliament this week in a special election that was called in order to clear the path to Downing Street for the popular politician. That's what the strategy shows.

[19:20:07]

I recently spoke with Patrick Baker, the host of "Westminster Insider" podcast at POLITICO Europe, about what a leadership change could bring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK BAKER, HOST, "WESTMINSTER INSIDER" PODCAST AT POLITICO EUROPE: Ever since Labour got elected on a mandate of change two years ago, they have made a series of unforced errors. They did something really unpopular with older people in terms of a winter fuel allowance. They cut people's benefits in certain ways. And all of this has led to a situation where the Labour Party is basically as unpopular as the Tory Party that came before them, and the party has been stuck in a rut for a long time, thinking like, how do we change course here? What can we do?

Andy Burnham is someone who's seen as a great communicator. He's in touch with what many see as working class voters in this part of the world. Many of the kind of voters who would -- are being tempted to vote for Nigel Farage's party are saying to people that we want change. We want someone to smash up the status quo. We're sick and tired of the Tories and now Labour just not listening to us about our concerns, whether that's on immigration or other societal issues.

And Andy Burnham has come in and he said, I am that change. This is Labour's last chance to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And let's stay in election and leadership mode, because votes are being counted in a razor tight runoff election for the Colombian presidency. But right now it's still too close to call per CNN analysis here. In a contest that could redefine Bogota's relationship with the United States, now Colombians are choosing between a senator from the ruling leftist party and a far-right candidate with no political experience, Abelardo de la Espriella, nicknamed "The Tiger," who is backed by President Trump. I want to bring in Stefano Pozzebon, who joins us from Barranquilla,

Colombia, now at an election watch party for Espriella.

What more do we know about the results? And tell us about the importance of this race in particular.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Omar, we know that this result is really, really close. With 99.8 percent of the votes counted from the Colombian electoral authorities, it's still too close to call on who will win between Abelardo de la Espriella. We are here in Barranquilla because this is his hometown and here he's where he's due to speak to his supporters in a couple of hours. Or the government candidate, Ivan Cepeda.

Of course, the people around here, as you can hear and as you can feel, are here because they think that their candidate Abelardo who is leading the count at this moment and is leading the vote count with 99.8 percent of the votes counted, Abelardo is ahead for about 300,000 votes. And so they think that it's already won by that. But we are standing by and we want to really get to the bottom of this vote count because this is a country that is really at a pivotal moment in history.

Colombia is traditionally the United States' closest ally in South America. But four years ago, they elected Gustavo Petro, a leftist leader for the first time in history. He had a bumpy relationship with the White House and with President Trump, almost on a personal level. President Trump, for example, has endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella as a challenger to Petro's turn to the left.

We will remain to be seen whether the relationship, the special relationship between Washington and Bogota can sustain two consecutive left-wing governments, one after the other. Abelardo de la Espriella has, of course, already pledged an absolute friendship and a close alliance with Washington, and in particular with the MAGA soul of Washington.

Here in Barranquilla is, for example, Maria Elvira Salazar, a congresswoman from South Florida, who has ties with the Milei and Bukele of this world, and even with Giorgia Meloni before Giorgia Meloni had her spat with President Donald Trump. But once again, in this day and age, it seems almost a refrain in the last three or four years, a highly polarized nation, counting the votes up to the very last ballot, and the result still too close to call here in Colombia -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: And Espriella would be yet another politician in Central and South America that would add to President Trump's influence on that part of the world.

Stefano Pozzebon, appreciate the reporting. Go back to see what the results are. We'll get back to you soon.

All right. Still to come, it's also a party in Atlanta for a different reason. We're going to take you inside the World Cup Fan Fest happening right outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:29:19]

JIMENEZ: A big day of action in the World Cup. Uruguay is pushing for its first win of the tournament right now, and it's very close right now. So we will see what happens there. Spain, meanwhile, rebounded earlier from its shocking scoreless draw against the African nation with a decisive four-nil victory over Saudi Arabia. And then Iran had its own draw today, holding Belgium to a goalless finish.

Our Rafael Romo joins us from the fan fest outside the Atlanta stadium.

So, Rafael, what's it been like out there today?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Omar, let me tell you. The crowd went wild just a moment ago when Cabo Verde scored a second goal. The equalizer in this game, they're supposed to be the underdog, Omar.

[19:30:04]

And they just scored against the team that is supposed to be much more powerful than they are. So, things right now stand at two to two. This small island nation in the Central Atlantic opened the score, but it was losing by two to one by the end of the first half and then this happens.

Now, the game between Spain and Saudi Arabia was played earlier today with a very convincing four-zero victory for La Roja here at the FIFA Fan Fest at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. Things have looked great today. It's been hot, yes, but not too hot. Sunny, but not too much. Fans tell us it's the second-best thing to be in at the stadium itself, with food, fun and activities for all ages.

And it's also a very international party. We're seeing people from all over the world here. Yes, many fans from Spain who are proudly wearing their national team's red jersey. There are also fans from Saudi Arabia, although not as many. We've also seen fans from Mexico, Colombia, Scotland and other countries, but undoubtedly the happiest fans today are those from Spain.

Well, actually, Cape Verde fans are very, very happy too. And this is what a couple of fans from Spain told us after La Rojas game against Saudi Arabia. And let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRA GOMEZ, SPANISH FAN: We feel excited. We've seen them play very good. We feel like they're cohesive. They're doing their best and were going to win, we're going to win for sure. We just won the Euro Cup. We're the favorites there. We're going to win, that's for sure.

ANDREA MENGUAL, SPANISH FAN: From the match on Monday, I lost all my faith. But today I think we can win.

ROMO: What do you think about Lamine Jamal and his performance today?

MENGUAL: He's absolutely perfect. So young, and with that ability it's amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Back live here at Fan Fest, Atlanta, you have to see the excitement here, especially from Cabo Verde fans who have come to this place to watch the game. Omar, now back to you.

JIMENEZ: Rafael Romo jealous of the assignment. Just getting to watch some good soccer with some good people on a nice Atlanta day, good to see you.

And then tonight getting an inside look at team USA. CNN's new FlashDoc, "Chasing Soccer Glory: America's Long Game" explores how the game has evolved and the celebrated players that have inspired today's team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL TENORIO, SENIOR WRITER, "THE ATHLETIC": When we talk about U.S. soccer history, because this team is still not at the level of the best teams in the world, there have to be these points where you rally around individual brilliance and that truism has never been more true than in 2014 in Brazil with Tim Howard in goal.

VOICE OVER: Two thousand fourteen, Tim Howard became the hero, smothering shot after shot in one of the most valiant performances in modern American sporting history.

TIM HOWARD, AMERICAN FORMER SOCCER PLAYER: I had a really good tournament, as did our team.

MATT FREES, AMERICAN SOCCER PLAYER: Sixteen saves against one of the best teams in the world. He was, you know, maybe the best goalkeeper at that world cup.

HOWARD: I wish I'd have made 17 or 18, we would have won the game, but I'm proud of that moment.

TENORIO: What the national team represents is, what can I do, right? A kid watches and says, I can do that. Oh, you're American, like, I'm American. I can go to the world cup and win those games like I saw on television. That job gets a lot harder if the U.S. bombs out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Be sure to tune in the new CNN FlashDoc "Chasing Soccer Glory" airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern, right after NEWSROOM only on CNN and streaming on the CNN App. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:38:20]

JIMENEZ: Tonight, we're following breaking news out of Switzerland, where a U.S. official says talks with Iran are ongoing.

Now, earlier today, an Iranian source had told CNN face-to-face talks were stalled but weren't over after President Donald Trump seemingly threatened Iran and its delegation over the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, yesterday, Iran said it was closing the strait after it said Israel had violated a ceasefire in Lebanon. CNN, Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Even though the talks in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iran are supposed to focus on the nuclear program of Iran as well as the Strait of Hormuz, we see Lebanon as at the top of the agenda and was one of the first issues that came up. And that's because it's central for Iran, and it's effectively one of their requirements for the talks to continue. We have already seen fighting in Lebanon disrupt two days of talks.

On Friday, Iran said they would delay their participation. On Saturday, Iran said they would close the Strait of Hormuz because of ongoing fighting in Lebanon. We saw two of the deadliest days there on Friday and Saturday. Dozens killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon's ministry of public health.

Five Israeli soldiers killed in a period of 24 hours, according to the Israeli military. And even if Sunday didn't have that same level of fighting, it still has the potential. And we will almost certainly see it with that potential to disrupt ongoing talks on what are a very limited window for the U.S. and Iran for that 60 days, unless they extend, of course.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the point on Sunday that he refuses to withdraw Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We will remain in the security zone in Southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the residents of the North who are dear to us and the citizens of the entire country. As Prime Minister of Israel, I insist on this unequivocally, and nothing will change that.

[19:40:09]

LIEBERMANN: As President Donald Trump has pursued diplomacy with Iran, he has several times now drawn boundaries and limits on what the Israeli military is allowed to do in Southern Lebanon. It's worth pointing out that the first clause of the Iran-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding calls for a complete end to hostilities, including in Lebanon.

But even it seems any level of fighting there. And we have continued to see that fighting, despite multiple ceasefires between Israel and Hezbollah, has the potential to disrupt the talks. And as these talks continue, as the fighting likely continues, we will see more of those disruptions. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right, Oren Liebermann, appreciate it.

Now, as these negotiations are underway, human rights activists argue something is critically missing. Discussion of how Iran's regime treats its people. While the focus has centered on oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear weapons and relations in the middle east, some Iranians fear the latest deal with the United States is making the regime stronger. I want to bring in Holly Douglas, who specializes in U.S.-Iranian Policy Affairs, as a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

So, holly, first, I just wonder, what do you make of the latest diplomatic moves and whether you believe it's making this regime stronger or at the very least, making it look stronger at home.

HOLLY DOUGLAS, SENIOR FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: Well, you know, just like looking at the 14 points of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed this week, I can't help but recognize that a lot of what's being discussed could have been discussed without a war. The Strait of Hormuz was historically always opened and the talks about Iran's nuclear program were happening before the war. So, my question is, what happened?

We started with a war with a promise of help is on the way from President Donald Trump and talk of regime change to it would be an honor to meet the new Supreme Leader. And he seems like he's different than the previous Supreme Leader, who's his father, which in essence means were still dealing with the same Islamic Republic. It's just a new face of the regime.

JIMENEZ: You know, you brought up the beginning of this war. And to your point, there were some mixed reactions among Iranians to that initial wave of strikes by the United States and Israel that eliminated that again, those leaders in particular, and President Trump talked about or hinted at regime change in Iran. And I wonder, do you believe that Iranians still have hope that the Trump administration could actually achieve that?

DOUGLAS: I think at this juncture, just looking at the rhetoric of the President, the fact that his administration has sat across and negotiated with the same regime that massacred thousands of Iranian protesters. I think for those anti-regime Iranians that took to the streets in January, they're feeling really a sense of hopelessness and there's a real sense of frustration. But also, you know, the war was devastating for a lot of Iranians, and it's created a worse situation on an economic front.

And so, in many ways, they don't know where to look. They're not hopeful about their country's future. You were talking about Lebanon earlier in the program. I saw a tweet last week where somebody had said, well, isn't it something that the red line for the Islamic Republic's Lebanon, but it's not our empty fridges. And the person posted a picture of their empty fridge. And so, you know, Iranians in this moment are just struggling to get by day by day.

JIMENEZ: You know, they're what has it been like, I guess, trying to get a sense of what's actually happening inside Iran. I mean, even to get CNN reporters there, it's a host of logistical issues to try and just show a little bit of what's actually going on amid this war. How difficult is it for you just to try and get any sense of what's really happening?

DOUGLAS: Well, we actually had a three-month internet shutdown, the longest globally, according to the internet monitor netblocks. And that started on the first day of the war on February 28th. And it was only until May 26th, the internet goes back online. So, effectively we were cut off from our contacts, our loved ones. And it was a really rough three months. And just last week when we saw these tit-for-tat strikes happen, Iranians, one of the top things they commented about separate from the war itself, was this real worry that they would be cut off yet again from the outside world.

I saw one Iranian post. I'm not afraid of missiles. I'm afraid of being going offline. And that was really a sentiment because, you know, imagine as an American having your phone no longer working. And that was how many Iranians across the board we're feeling. But, you know, in this moment, you know, these ongoing talks are happening, this Memorandum of Understanding, there's 60-day negotiations. And I think for some Iranians that are feeling this hopelessness, there's not even a conversation about them.

And even in the lead up to the signing of the MOU, there was no talk about the internet shutdown that had been ongoing. And, of course, now, as these negotiations are happening, there's still room for the Trump administration to talk about these human rights issues.

[19:45:35]

We saw the execution of two protesters from the January anti-regime uprising this week, and also a sentencing for 74 lashes for a woman that's saying in the middle of nowhere in a caravanserai without her headscarf. And she's now getting lashed for her and her seven other colleagues.

And so, the Islamic Republic, still very much in the business of repressing. So, they can't address human rights by talking about a moratorium on executions, releasing political prisoners and whatnot. But were really not seeing that these conversations are being had at this moment.

JIMENEZ: A critical, a critical dynamic here and one that, we wonder if U.S. officials are talking about in some of these backchannel negotiations. But we have not seen a lot of it out in public, at least to this point, which is why I appreciate you, Holly Douglas, for being here and thank you for sharing your perspective.

DOUGLAS: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right, coming up, you need a refill for a prescription. So, you reach out to a doctor. But what if ai got involved instead? Because it's happening right now. We're going to talk about it coming up, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[19:51:24]

JIMENEZ: For the first time, some patients in Utah could one day get medications directly from A.I. Back in January, Utah became the first state to let Artificial Intelligence make medical decisions when it comes to reviewing a patient's prescription, doing the job of a of a doctor in that sense.

Now, at the start of the year, the state partnered with a company called Doc Tronic for this 12-month pilot program. The state says there are safeguards right now, though, the A.I. program determines whether or not a prescription should be refilled, and then a human doctor looks over the decision.

Over the first five months, A.I. approved 72 percent of the renewals, and human doctors agreed with 91 percent of those approvals. When A.I. and a human disagreed, a second doctor was brought in for an opinion, and in just three percent of those cases did both human doctors disagree with the A.I. recommendation.

Now, look, this program is not without critics. There are doctors in Utah who have concerns and have asked the state to suspend the program. I want to bring in Dr. Alan Smith, who is a family physician. He's also the chair of the Utah Physician Licensing Board. Dr. Smith, I know you're not speaking for the state here, but what concerns do you have personally about this program?

DR. ALAN SMITH, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Well, when this first started, we were a little concerned. Obviously, patient safety is always the first priority. There's an intentional reason why prescriptions have limited refills, periodic reassessment of the patient is critical in health care. Our bodies and our health care change over time. Maybe we gained weight, maybe we lost weight. We might have developed a new medical problem or a previous one was resolved. A.I. is not in a position to physically assess a patient, and we feel that periodic assessment is critical in that situation.

JIMENEZ: Is that why you and other doctors have asked for this program to be suspended? What did you say? What did state regulators say to you?

SMITH: Well, when it first started, the office, the state of Utah office of A.I. policy was given authority from the legislature to run pilot programs with A.I. to try and help with furthering A.I. in Utah.

One of the proposals was this health care related prescription refill idea. We, as the medical board, did not hear about it until it was actually already active and running. And I think most of us took a step back and said, wait a minute, we think there's some safety issues here. What's going on? And that was really the impetus for us putting up a really an active letter saying, we want to be involved and this needs to be re-evaluated. JIMENEZ: You know, I think about rural communities, for example, where were access to doctors and medical care is getting harder and harder. And I just wonder, do you see any benefit at all for doctors in using Artificial Intelligence, especially if it gives them more time with their patients and a time when something like telehealth was once considered controversial, for example.

SMITH: Well, you know, we are a society of convenience and access to health care is important. But one of the things we have to keep in mind is how important is that access? If we're giving inadequate care or not addressing the things that are necessary. Yes, doctors are forced to do many, I don't want to say menial tasks, but relatively seems, less urgent if I have a, you know, 50 refills to refill, you know, that may seem like they're drudgery, but each of those refills have to do with an individual patient and an individual patient's health care and life. And I think that we need to address those as an individual and not let a computer take over.

[19:55:30]

JIMENEZ: Yeah, Dr. Alan Smith, it's a fascinating frontier. it's something were going to continue to follow. I appreciate you taking the time and being with us tonight.

SMITH: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course, and for all of you, thank you for joining me tonight. I'm Omar Jimenez. The new CNN FlashDoc "Chasing Soccer Glory" starts right now, and we will see you again next weekend.

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