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U.S.-Iran Talks in Switzerland Concluded, Technical Talks to Continue; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Faces Pressure Over New Opponent Andy Burnham, Looms Resignation Plans; High Stakes World Cup Action Ahead on Monday Featuring Three Superstar Players. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 22, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And to all of our viewers joining us in the U.S. and around the world, thank you so much for joining us for "CNN Newsroom." I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York at this hour.

Talks to continue. Mediators expressing optimism after the U.S. and Iran held high-stakes talks in Switzerland. We'll take you live to the region for more.

And also, as political pressure mounts on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, could he be close to resigning? In a moment.

Plus, we're also going to get you up to speed and ready to go for another jam-packed day of the World Cup, featuring not one, two, but three superstars, all in action on Monday.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: All right, everybody. We do want to begin in Switzerland, where negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian delegations have concluded for the day. And mediators, Pakistan and Qatar, they say that encouraging progress was made by both sides. So, where do things actually stand?

So, we know that the U.S. and Iran have agreed to establish a high- level committee to provide what's being described as political oversight on the mediation. And all sides have also agreed to a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days. Now, Vice President J.D. Vance, leading the U.S. delegation, had this to say before those high-stakes talks started on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's turnover of a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran and to extend an outstretched hand that says to the people of Iran that if your leadership is willing to give up being a driver of regional instability, if they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country.

That is certainly our goal. We've already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we'll make additional progress in the hours to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: But that message of optimism from the Vice President came before the talks were nearly derailed when President Trump, who was back in the United States, threatened the delegation from Tehran.

In a Fox News interview, he referred to the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "You close it and you won't have a country," wrote the President, who also included, quote, "You won't even make it back to your f---ing country." Again, this as those delegations were getting ready to meet.

CNN's Paula Hancocks following the latest developments from Abu Dhabi. Paula, it's good to see you. So the talks are expected to continue on Monday. Do we know what's on tap?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, what we're hearing from the mediators is that this was a level of progress that we saw over the past few hours. And certainly it's significant given what we saw over the weekend. It was a very rocky start to these talks.

We heard on Saturday Iran threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz because it did not believe that the U.S. was agreeing and keeping to its part of the agreement when it came to Israel still attacking Lebanon. And we have seen Hezbollah as well attacking the Israeli military in southern Lebanon.

And then on Sunday, you had that phone interview with Fox News where the U.S. President effectively threatened the delegation, the Iranian delegation, as they were speaking with the U.S. delegation. So Iran did stall those talks in response to that.

We heard from the main negotiator saying that this was desperation from the United States. But what we have seen so far from Tehran, we've heard from the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in a social media post. I'll read part of what he believes has been achieved so far, saying that there has been major progress to end the Lebanon war.

He also said, quote, "Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction and development plan has been launched for Iran, saying that the first real test is the Lebanon deconfliction cell."

Now, this is what we have heard from mediators, that there is a plan to try and end the hostilities in Lebanon. And it really does, the success of these talks does seem to hinge on what happens in Lebanon at this point.

[03:05:05] We have, though, seen just on Sunday that strikes did kill seven in Lebanon -- in southern Lebanon. We understand among them, according to state media, a child and also two elderly people. The Israeli defense minister insisting that there will not be an Israeli withdrawal of the military from southern Lebanon while they still perceive a threat.

So, this still has the potential to be the spoiler in these talks. What we heard from a U.S. official, though, is that J.D. Vance, the Vice President in the U.S. delegation, was involved in constant meetings, constant negotiations over the process of these talks. We know that going forward for this week, there will be working-level talks that will continue in Switzerland.

So even with these statements, we do understand the talks will continue over the coming days. We've heard from a U.S. official that there were robust discussions on all elements of a nuclear deal. That will clearly be the U.S. priority going forward.

We did hear, though, from the U.S. Vice President that they were well aware going into these talks that they wouldn't be easy. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: Peace is never easy. Peace always requires a little bit of work. It always requires a little bit of give and take.

But the President of the United States is committed not just to peace between the United States and Iran. The President is committed to a regional peace, which is why we're here working so hard to settle our issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So the word that has been used, though, from all sides, whether it's the U.S. or Iran or the mediators, is progress. So despite a very rocky start to this 60-day period where the final agreement is supposed to be achieved, we have seen some progress, certainly. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, and that possibility about Israel being a potential spoiler and all that, we'll dive into that a little later with an expert. For now, though, Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for that reporting.

As for the potential impact on markets right now, we're seeing some first signs of the U.S. markets reacting to the latest developments between the U.S. and Iran. You see their markets slightly sliding in some cases when it comes to the Dow and S&P 500 with a small dip in the face of this geopolitical tensions ahead of U.S. trading resuming in a matter of hours.

When you look at crude oil prices as well, you see those certainly dropping slightly in the face now of a possibility of freedom of navigation at least partially being restored on that crucial waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. Again, further signs of these geopolitical tensions certainly having an impact on markets around the globe. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing mounting pressure from his

party to resign as the Labor Party's popularity continues to plummet.

As recently as this past Friday, 10 Downing Street said that Mr. Starmer would not, quote, "walk away from the job." However, on Sunday, British Business Secretary Peter Kyle telling the BBC that the Prime Minister is considering his options.

Now, much of this pressure is coming from his Labor Party rival, Andy Burnham. He's widely expected to challenge Starmer after he's sworn in as M.P. later today.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joining us now from 10 Downing Street. Clare, it's good to see you. You know, on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed that we are likely to see a Keir Starmer resignation.

You're there, though. It's 8 a.m. at 10 Downing Street. Is there any sign of that?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, it's got the feeling, Danny, of a big week, a big day, perhaps even a big few hours here. But nothing is confirmed as yet. And certainly that intervention from Trump was unusual when it comes to diplomatic norms announcing the resignation of a foreign ally before they'd even announced it themselves.

But, look, it is looking like potentially shaping up to be a big week. That tone shift that we saw over the weekend from the Prime Minister was significant. As you said, on Friday, he came out after Andy Burnham had won that decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election, coming back as an M.P.

Starmer said that if there was a leadership race, he would run in it. And then on Sunday, he sent out his business secretary, a key ally of his, to speak to the sort of traditional Sunday political talk shows. Take a listen to a little bit of what he had to say, that's Peter Kyle.

(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)

SEBASTIAN: So, look, he seems to be spending or have spent the weekend considering his position. That, I think, is the strongest signal yet that we've had from the Starmer camp, that he has started to really think about his options going forward, whether he might step down, whether he might set out a timetable to depart. We just don't know yet.

[03:10:06] Meanwhile, of course, Andy Burnham, all quiet from him as of this morning, but he is expected to come to London today to be officially sworn in as a member of Parliament. After that, again, there are more scenarios that could play out. Either we could potentially get a leadership contest or some sort of more managed transition.

And the noises that we're getting from the Starmer team and also from the fact that we haven't had an open mutiny, frankly, from the cabinet, suggests that the feeling in the Labor Party is that something that sort of stops the chaos rather than restarting some kind of turbulent leadership contest would be a good thing.

But either way, look, it's now one day before the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum where the U.K. voted to leave the European Union here. And I think we could be potentially looking at the seventh Prime Minister, the seventh occupant of 10 Downing Street since that moment 10 years ago. Danny?

SANDOVAL: Yes, hard to believe it's been a decade now. Claire Sebastian, live at 10 Downing Street with that live report. Do come back to us if any news breaks.

Let's take you to South America now. Colombia's national registry now saying that far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has won the preliminary count in Colombia's Presidential runoff election. Final results say it could take days to become official in the incredibly tight race against the government-backed candidate.

You see there Ivan Cepeda slightly behind. Official numbers indicate less than 1 percent of votes separate these two. And that's less than 250,000 ballots.

De la Espriella is a self-described conservative nationalist who came into the race having never held political office. He was a criminal defense attorney before entering politics and he has since gained the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump. In fact, President Trump is saying his praises and congratulating him.

As for his opponent, Cepeda says that his team is already challenging 33,000 polling stations and their reported results. De la Espriella had this to say amid reports of protests after these initial results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA, COLOMBIAN FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): Petro and Cepeda, by disregarding the verdict of the ballot boxes, you are not challenging the tiger.

You are challenging millions of citizens who freely gave victory to Jose Manuel and me at the polls in a democratic process. The campaign ended today. Petro and Cepeda refrain from unleashing social unrest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: I mentioned there of the current President's support for Cepeda. One of President Trump's top allies in Washington, issuing a stark warning to the nation's leaders, Senate Republican Lindsey Graham saying that the President is, quote, "playing with fire as he stalls the process to confirm a new director of national intelligence."

Speaking to CBS, Graham says that the President has advised Jay Clayton to not appear before Congress. That is until lawmakers meet his demands on new legislation. He also wants him to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, something that Democrats are opposed to without a permanent head of national intelligence in place.

Some lawmakers have been critical of Bill Pulte, who is the current acting director of national intelligence. But besides being unhappy with that appointment, Senator Graham says that the U.S. would be at tremendous risk without renewing FISA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think Clayton should be the new DNI. President Trump was told that Democrats were not going to support FISA reauthorization, and he got mad and pulled out of the agreement. They will.

Mark Warner told me that there are enough votes to get FISA reauthorized, and I would urge President Trump to let Clayton testify, and that we nominate Clayton and get him affirmed as the new DNI. We don't want FISA to go dark.

There's too many threats to our country for 702 to go down. Anybody who owns the shutting down of 702 under FISA will own a future attack against the United States. We're playing with fire here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A Trump official says that police arrested five people for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. In total, there have already been 14 police reports of vandalism. The announcement comes as repairs to the century-old pool that started in early spring continue.

One person who was arrested told CNN that she only touched material that was detached from the recent renovation. With a project that's expected to cost about $14 million, it marks Trump's latest controversial efforts to beautify the nation's capital, including projects to the White House, historic monuments, as well as national memorials.

He said it would be blue. Now it's green.

A tornado outbreak unfolding at this hour across the Midwestern United States. Severe storms head east. Some of these images that we're showing you, you can actually see one of more than two dozen tornadoes that have been reported across the region on Sunday.

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We know that at least two people have been confirmed dead as a result of a tornado that touched down in Illinois, about 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri.

And here's a look at the live radar at this hour, tracking some severe thunderstorms as they make their way southeast. The Storm Prediction Center issuing a third tornado watch for parts of Indiana and Kentucky overnight.

It's on the way. The World Cup continues as thousands of fans descend upon cities all across North America. Coming up on "CNN Newsroom," we break down the latest tournament results and give you an idea of what's ahead.

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SANDOVAL: The teams are beginning to finalize their standings in the group stages of this year's World Cup. Let's start with Group H. Spain was able to soundly defeat Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium 4-0. Japan dominated Tunisia 4-0, taking it one step closer to breaking out of the group stages.

And meanwhile, at Los Angeles Stadium, Iran battling it out with Belgium, producing a draw. So far, Iran yet to win a match this tournament.

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And World Cup underdog Cape Verde stunning the world again by staving off a defeat from two-time world champion Uruguay in Florida, that match ending in a draw 2-2. We'll talk more about that one in a moment.

And the final match of the day, seeing Egypt come out on top against New Zealand. That score was 3-1. Some Egypt fans taking to the streets here in New York City overnight.

And as the World Cup continues, visitors are flooding cities across North America, hoping to catch their favorite teams in action. Some pictures out of Atlanta, where CNN's Rafael Romo spoke to fans after Spain soundly undefeated Saudi Arabia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What a difference six days can make for Spanish fans, especially after Monday's very disappointing draw with Cabo Verde in their first game of the World Cup. After Sunday's 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, they tell us their faith in the team ranked number two by FIFA has been restored.

And this is a festival, a sporting event, a rock concert, and a day at the park all rolled into one. Earlier we saw massive crowds here at Centennial Olympic Park, but many people left after the second match between Iran and Belgium.

But it was mostly a sea of red here at the fan fest with fans from across the region and all over the world, including Spain of course, showing up to support La Roja, fans who know the sport, not of soccer, but football. And also there were many Saudi Arabia fans as well, wearing the Saudi's team green collar.

For local fans, this is a moment to remember and to experience, welcoming international visitors, telling them bienvenidos and being part of it all. This is what some of them told us earlier.

HALEY MEDVED KENDRICK, ATLANTA SOCCER FAN: Not having the World Cup here since I was a child, I want to be part of the fun and action. So I came out to get to enjoy some of the fan energy and international interaction and get to celebrate hopefully with whoever wins today and just be part of it.

ASHLEY LEDOUS, ATLANTA SOCCER FAN: I love it. I'm born and raised here. You know, I haven't seen this much excitement really in a city in a very long time. So I'm loving it. It's awesome.

ROMO: Atlanta will host eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Two have already been played. Atlanta is one of 16 host cities for the World Cup played not only here in the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico, and the city will also host a semi-final game on Wednesday, July 15.

The FIFA Fan Fest here at Centennial Olympic Park was scheduled to operate for 16 days over the course of the World Cup. And fans tell us it's the second best thing to be in at the stadium itself.

Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: So what's next? Here's a look at some of the matches that are scheduled for Monday.

Argentina going up against Austria at Dallas Stadium; France expected to take on Iraq in Philadelphia; Norway and Senegal, they will be facing off in New Jersey; and Jordan goes up against Algeria, that match happening in San Francisco.

Let's discuss now. Head over to producer and presenter of the podcast, "The Football Ramble," joining me now is Marcus Speller from London. Good morning to you, Marcus, good to see you again.

MARCUS SPELLER, PRODUCER AND PRESENTER, "THE FOOTBALL RAMBLE" PODCAST: Pleasure.

SANDOVAL: So I did want to start by talking about Spain, but then Cape Verde happens. I wonder if we can maybe talk a little bit about how they continue to stun us.

Last week, they're able to hold up against top pick Spain, ending in that draw. And then on Sunday, you see yet another draw as they scored their first World Cup goal ever. Not to mention their star goalie's mom was able to make it there on time.

So what are your thoughts on this sort of little engine that so far can? I mean, could we actually see this tiny island nation get into the knockout stage? SPELLER: Well, we could. I mean, it's quite the story, isn't it, with

Cape Verde? I mean, they've been brilliant.

As you say, they held Spain, one of the tournament favorites. I mean, most people here, I'm asking, who do you fancy for the World Cup? Most say France or Spain.

So for them to have held the European champion Spain was quite the feat. Going into the next match against Uruguay, who they themselves needed something out of the game, they were under the cosh for a lot of it.

But to get a point and to score their first goals at a World Cup is absolutely fabulous. And they go into the last match against Saudi Arabia.

To answer your question, yes, they can. They can make the knockouts. Saudi, I would say, are the poorest team in the group on current form. Cape Verde have a chance to create, they've already created loads of history. They can create some very, very unlikely history in that last game. And I think the whole world, other than Saudi Arabia, will be hoping they do it.

SANDOVAL: Their opponent on Sunday goes on to face Spain in Guadalajara, Uruguay. They have a talented roster. I mean, how do you expect that match to play out?

[03:25:03]

SPELLER: Well, Spain are in their groove now. And I think this is a disaster for Uruguay.

Uruguay should have beaten Saudi Arabia in their first game. They didn't. And they really should have beaten Cape Verde in terms of the quality of the two sides.

Uruguay are a very experienced nation and know their way around a World Cup. The fact is they've only got two points. They need to really beat Spain, I mean, maybe a point will be enough.

Then you get into the maths of all the permutations of who can qualify and all that business. So they really need to beat Spain.

The last thing you want to do is go into your last game needing to beat one of the big favorites for the tournament, who they themselves could do with the win as well.

So it's not a game where Spain can think, ah, you know what? We've won our first two games. We'll go easy.

They obviously drop points against Cape Verde. So this could be a disastrous campaign for Uruguay. They have a fighting chance, and we know they're up for the fight.

But, yes, if I was a Uruguayan fan right now, I'd be very nervous about that game against Spain. SANDOVAL: I want viewers to see some video of Argentinian fans as they

are getting rallied up and excited ahead of Monday's match as they're expected to face off against Austria. We are even showing some video here of some Argentinian nuns, apparently, some guys wearing some kind of attire, hoping to sort of transmit some faith that history will repeat itself.

Do you see Lionel Messi continuing his incredible momentum from the last match?

SPELLER: Yes, he just goes on and on, Messi. It's incredible. It's funny because for us in Europe, for so many years, we enjoyed Messi's career.

We're still enjoying it, but we saw it close up. He was playing in the European Champions League. And so week to week, he would be doing things in Spain.

And then, of course, towards the end of his European adventure, he moved to France. And we watched him and we were running out of superlatives for this guy.

When he moved to the States to play in MLS, we weren't watching him as much because of kickoff times and so on and so forth for us.

He suddenly come back on our T.V. screens. We're like, oh my goodness, there he is. He's still the player, he's still the man, it's utterly incredible.

Again, there aren't any superlatives left in the English language to describe him.

So it's been marvelous to see him at this World Cup in that first game, a hat-trick as well. Yes, of course, he can still keep on going. He is possibly the best footballer that's ever graced this planet.

And, you know, Argentinians are absolutely loving it. I think they'll go deep in the tournament.

Yes, Lionel Messi. What can you say that already hasn't been said? An absolute phenomenon.

SANDOVAL: And what's incredible about Monday's lineup too, Marcus, is, you know, we talked about Messi, but it is going to be an incredible amount of talent on display because not only will we see Messi, we'll see France's Kylian Mbappe, and then Norway's Erling Haaland, all of them taking the pitch on a single day.

You know, talk to me about that. And then finally, I do have a very quick question about Iran.

SPELLER: Okay. Well, yes, I mean, the World Cup is about many things.

It's about bringing different fan bases and cultures together. It's about seeing these amazing stories of the so-called World Cup minnows, as we would say here with Cape Verde and so on. And it's also about bringing the best players on the planet together.

And when you talk about Mbappe, Messi, and Haaland playing on the same day, oh, what a mouth-watering prospect.

And of course, they've all scored and they're all up and running. It is frightening if you are a defender facing one of those players.

Mbappe, you know, what he did against Senegal. France weren't great in the first half. My goodness, they corrected it in the second half.

So Norway are a really interesting side as well. They hadn't qualified for the World Cup since 1998. They've been out of that tournament a long time.

They got their first win. They got it in style. They'll be after another one.

And, you know, they are in a very tricky group. So, yes, it's absolutely fascinating. There's so many layers to a World Cup, as I say, but one of them that sits at the very top is seeing the best players in the world perform and so far, we've had that.

SANDOVAL: And oftentimes, there also is the presence of geopolitics, including, of course, the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran. I just want to share with viewers this photo that was shared by the Iranian Football Federation, which was a note that they left in their locker room after their latest match.

Viewers can read the entire note there, but just a couple of lines there. They read, "The spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast." And then the players close that note with, "May peace, respect, and friendship prevail among all nations."

Obviously, Marcus, as you know, the relevance of that message right now, as you have the U.S. and Iran delegations half a world away trying to hatch out a plan for peace. I mean, the message that we should perhaps take away from that note, you think?

SPELLER: Yes. I mean, football or soccer, should I say, sorry, is something that genuinely brings the world together.

I mean, hence the World Cup. You know, the clue is in the name. And it really can.

[03:30:03]

I mean, it is extraordinary over the years how this kind of soft power that can exist in football can have an influence. I mean, look, I think U.S. and Algerian relations are probably at an all-time high because of the welcoming the Algerian team got in Lawrence in the state of Kansas, if my memory serves me correctly there. Forgive my geography if that's wrong.

You know, these things can happen. I mean, you know, with the U.S. and Iran, I'm sort of reluctant to talk about the politics of that. You've got people who are far more learned and more in their sort of expert category to do that.

But yes, you know, it is a force for good, the World Cup, ultimately. But there will always be geopolitics involved. That is just, unfortunately, the nature of it.

You can't get away from it. But I thought that was a nice note that they left, certainly.

SANDOVAL: Yes, you do not have to be an expert in foreign policy to really extract that main message, which is that there is that common good.

Marcus, it is a pleasure to have you on, as always. Strap yourself in, it's going to be a pretty exciting day today.

SPELLER: Thank you. Pleasure.

SANDOVAL: All right. Marcus Speller joining us.

Tennessee lawmakers, they're stripping the state of its black majority district. What that could mean for the midterm elections as they approach?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Thanks so much for staying with me. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and these are today's top stories.

At least two people were killed on Sunday in the Midwestern United States as a series of tornadoes swept through the region. Nearly three dozen tornadoes have already been reported in that area so far as a severe weather system makes its way eastward. Officials in Illinois, say both of the victims died in separate mobile homes were destroyed by these tornadoes.

[03:35:09]

And the preliminary count in Colombia's Presidential runoff showing far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella is in the lead. Official results have not yet been released yet, and the margin between the candidates is less than 250,000 votes. Well, Colombia's President says that he'll abide by whatever results the voting officials authorize.

Mediators Qatar and Pakistan say that encouraging progress has been made after U.S. and Iran talks wrapped up on Sunday, the technical talks will be continuing later this week in Switzerland, I should say on Monday. Well, Iran says that the two sides discussed the groundwork for negotiations to reach a permanent agreement. According to the mediators, a roadmap has been agreed to reach a final deal within 60 days.

All right, so let's discuss more about that timeline and what we expect in the coming months. Joining us live from Munich, Germany, is Ali Fathollah-Nejad. He's the founder and director of the Center for Middle East and Global Order.

Ali, it's always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us again.

ALI FATHOLLAH-NEJAD, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND GLOBAL ORDER: Good to see you, too.

SANDVOAL: Let's start with your outlook for these 60 days of talks. Do you see them stalling at any point?

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Well, what we see is that there is some willingness, I mean, at least by the Trump administration, to get to somewhere. We've seen that over the past 24 hours, the Iranians got a lot of, you know, promises that they wanted, about which we can discuss later.

But about those future 60 days, it's really unclear, because the entire process is going to still be fragile. The Israel-Lebanon front is going to be one point of fragility. And also it is not clear how much the Iranians are going to give nuclear concessions and how much sanctions relief they will get in return.

SANDOVAL: Nuclear concessions being perhaps one of the main sticking points. I wonder, too, Ali, do you think that any deal between the U.S. and Iran can actually ensure that the outside parties are kept in line?

Now, of course, I'm referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran's proxy Hezbollah. Their cooperation, crucial in order for this to work, yet they're not directly involved in this round of talks.

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Well, that's true. I mean, if you look at the memorandum of understanding, somehow the U.S. wants to give guarantees also on behalf of Israel. But Israel has its own strategic interests, and regarding its military campaign against Hezbollah, obviously the Trump administration is not happy with that.

But it remains to be seen how far the Trump administration can really push Israel to reverse course, or more likely we're going to see some, you know, pauses in Israeli military operations, perhaps. But this is one of the major points of contention, because for the Iranian regime this is absolutely key, that the ceasefire also holds on the Israel- Hezbollah front, because the Islamic Republic needs this in order to sell any kind of diplomatic engagement with the United States to its hardline constituency.

There is a core interest in the Islamic Republic to shield Hezbollah from further military weakening by the Israelis. So this is going to be very key.

Secondly, what we've seen is that the Iranians, you know, or the Iranian regime can be quite happy, because they have gotten sanctions waivers on their oil exports and petrochemical exports. Do not forget that almost half of Iran's oil exports go directly to the armed forces. And secondly, there is also talk that, you know, some money is going to be released of Iranian frozen assets.

So this is one of those short-term interests of the Iranian regime that it seems that over the last hours the U.S. has committed to that. And regarding the so-called reconstruction plan, $300 billion reconstruction plan, it seems also there's been some plans, but on that front it is totally unclear who is going to, who is willing to invest that amount of money in a very fragile political environment in Iran.

SANDOVAL: Yes. Ali Fathollah-Nejad, as always, grateful for your perspective and all that valuable insight. Thank you so much for your time.

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Thank you.

[03:40:02]

SANDOVAL: Well, Bolivian police and military personnel are ensuring secure passage of trucks and cars. This is part of the state of emergency that's now in effect.

President Rodrigo Paz declaring a nationwide emergency early on Saturday following weeks of political unrest and some of these blockades on highways. The country is taking its first steps to return to normal after shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.

Protesters backed by union workers have been calling for President Paz's resignation. He's been in office only seven months. Now critics oppose his cuts to fuel subsidies causing higher gas prices.

And ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," we'll be taking a look at how the U.S.-Iran talks are impacting gas prices in the U.S. Don't go anywhere, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Hi, welcome back.

We do want to take a quick look at how some of the markets are reacting to the latest developments out of the Middle East. You see U.S. futures across the board fairly mixed right now with just a subtle dip with still hours left before trading begins here in the United States ahead of that opening bell. So we'll certainly keep you posted of where things stand.

And we do want to bring you up to speed on more of your business headlines.

Other countries' foreign minister says that sanctions on Iran's oil have been waived after U.S.-Iran negotiations concluded. And some of its frozen assets abroad have been released. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Reitz is defending the oil and petroleum waivers for Iran, calling it a modest benefit for Tehran.

And the average price of gas in the U.S., it is now $3.94, that's according to AAA figures. In fact, just last week, gas dropped below $4 for the first time since the end of March. But it's still $0.72 higher than the national average from the same time last year.

Malaysian airline AirAsia X dropping fares by 5 percent over the past week. The company says that it's revisiting rates due to a dip in volatile jet fuel prices.

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It's also restructuring flight schedules and carrier contracts to try to help lower its costs.

Tennessee actually no longer has a Democratic majority congressional district. The state has adopted a new voting map. What it does is it splits a district into three Republican-leaning districts. The Republican majority redrew that map to dilute the voting power of a black-majority city of Memphis.

Here's CNN's Jason Carrol to explain.

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JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Weekend football in Memphis is usually about competition and fun. Today, spectators have a lot more on their minds.

CASSANDRA VANN, GRANDMOTHER: There's been great sacrifices people have made in order to get us here. So it just seems like that is part of our voice as a black community.

ANTOINE SMITH, MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICER AND FOOTBALL COACH: Everybody's been upset about it. Everybody's been emotional about it.

CARROLL (voice-over): Even if they're rooting for different teams, many here are on the same side when it comes to redistricting.

SMITH: It's very disheartening. We don't have the same vested interest with somebody who's 200 miles away from here.

CARROLL (voice-over): Here's what happened. State Republicans redrew the congressional map, taking the old 9th district, the state's last remaining black-majority district, and breaking it into three new districts, 5, 8, and 9, that stretch far beyond Memphis, diluting a once-Democratic stronghold, upsetting not only many of the city's black residents.

JILL ELASINGAME, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: I'm still in 9. But they are in 8 now. Across the street.

CARROLL (voice-over): The newly redrawn district splits Jill Elasingame's neighborhood right down the middle of her street.

ELASINGAME: It's just unnecessary. Memphis is a predominantly black city to take that power away from the citizens. It's very suspicious.

CARROLL: Suspicious. What do you think's behind it? What do you think's motivating it?

ELASINGAME: Racism, obviously.

CARROLL (voice-over): Republican lawmakers argue the move has nothing to do with race. UNKNOWN: Maps were drawn to maximize the potential Republican partisan

advantage.

UNKNOWN: Are you aware that Memphis is predominantly African-American?

UNKNOWN: I am not.

UNKNOWN: This map was drafted based on politics, based on population, and the opportunity for the first time in history for us to send an entire Republican delegation from Tennessee to represent the state in Washington, D.C.

CARROLL (voice-over): The new districts now break up Memphis' black community, one which has played an historic role in the civil rights movement.

It's a community where some are fighting back in a traditional Southern way, from the pulpit.

LAWRENCE TURNER, SENIOR PASTOR, THE BOULEVARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Memphis and Shelby County are facing one of the most significant political shifts in recent history. We need massive voter turnout in August and in November.

CARROLL: Religious leaders know here in Memphis if you want to reach the black community, this is the place you've got to do it.

CARROLL (voice-over): Pastor Lawrence Turner took the state of Tennessee to court. Through his organization, the Black Clergy Collaborative, he joined a federal lawsuit to try and block the redrawn map.

CARROLL: Can I grab your name?

TURNER: Yes, sir.

When you cracked the ninth district in Tennessee, you took away the right of those who live in this community to choose who represents them. And so they could say this is gerrymandering based upon party, but it's obvious.

You target a city like Memphis, which is one of the blackest cities in the country, and break up the only black and blue congressional district in this state. It's clearly not partisan, it's racial.

CARROLL (voice-over): Chances of a federal judge blocking the new map before the midterms are slim, but the black community could still deliver a record turnout. Parishioners such as Brittney Williams say she and others like her feel motivated to vote.

BRITTNEY WILLIAMS, PARISHIONER: People suppress what they're afraid of, and I think they realize that when the black community comes together, we're always going to work hard to fight to make sure that not only do we have the rights, but that everybody has the rights.

CARROLL (voice-over): Miles away, the message resonated with the Chisholm family. Jasmine Chisholm is the great-great-granddaughter of Berdia Kegler, a civil rights activist who in 1966 was killed in a suspicious car accident after returning from a civil rights meeting.

JASMINE CHISOLM, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: It's up to us to teach them about great-grandma Berdia Kegler. It's up to us to teach them about stuff like that, about how people lost their lives to vote, because they're not learning that in school no more.

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CARROLL: Do you feel a special sense of responsibility given your family's history and being involved in the civil rights movement?

CHISOLM: I do.

CARROLL: Is that a lot of--

CHISOLM: I do. If you want to see a change, your voice matters. In order for them to understand us as an age group, we have to get out and make a stand and vote.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's a fight they pray will ultimately end in some sort of justice.

UNKNOWN: This is a picture of her right here. They named the highway after her.

The fire, the fight is coming back at us. We have to continue to fight, not give up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: I want to thank Jason Carroll for that report.

And after the break, we'll be taking a look at the impact of rising temperatures this summer including the sweltering heat in this week's U.S. weather forecast. We'll take a quick break and be right back.

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SANDOVAL: And welcome back.

Visitors at the Grand Canyon in Arizona are being warned to prepare for another round of extreme heat after three hikers there died in separate heat-related incidents this month. The National Weather Service is saying that temperatures could exceed 43 degrees Celsius, roughly 110 degrees Fahrenheit, in parts of the park come Monday and Tuesday.

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But national park officials are currently urging people to avoid hiking in the middle of the day with temperatures when the temperatures are expected to peak.

And several storms remain a concern for the central U.S. today, but this week is also gearing up to deliver some brutal summer heat. Heat advisories say are in place across the southern plains and unexpectedly in parts of the usually cool Pacific Northwest.

Here's CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar with your forecast.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Rain showers are what's going to keep temperatures in the Northeast, Midwest, and even the central plains a little bit on the cool side over the next few days.

If you're looking for the hot temperatures, more equipped for summer, you're actually going to have to head out west. Interestingly enough, the Pacific Northwest, and it's not just for one day. In fact, much of the first half of the week, the Pacific Northwest is looking at temperatures well above average.

Take, for example, Seattle. It's normally about 72 degrees this time of year, they're going to be in the mid to upper 80s the next few days. Portland actually looking at 90 degree temperatures for the next few days.

Now, one thing to note, it is short-lived because by the time we get to the latter half of the week and then even into the weekend, we start to see those temperatures dropping back down, not just to normal, but actually below normal thanks to some rain showers that will be into the forecast.

Similar scenario in Seattle. It's the next few days that are really going to be well above average before we see things drop back off just in time for the weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Thank you, Allison.

And Europe also sweltering under an intense heat wave with temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius. It's 104 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. Now people are heading to the coasts while officials are growing concerned over public health and increased wildfire risks.

Beaches in Croatia, they have been packed with locals and tourists trying to stay cool, and they'll likely stay like that probably until about August or September. Very popular there.

Thank you so much for watching this hour. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and I'll join you again with more of your headlines after a quick break.

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