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Rubio Says U.S. Remains Open To Diplomacy With Iran; British Runner Smashes Running Record For Men's Mile; Russia Launches Large- Scale Missile Attack On Ukraine. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 20, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:32]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everybody, thank you so much for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York. And this is CNN Newsroom.

The U.S. strikes Iran for a ninth straight night, as the renewed conflict threatens to spiral out of control.

Plus, a British runner shatters a 27-year-old world record after completing the fastest mile in history. Josh Kerr joins me in a moment.

And a little later, as home ownership becomes further out of reach for some Americans, CNN speaks with Ohio residents who say they feel priced out of the American dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: And welcome to the program. We do want to begin in the Middle East, where U.S. Central Command says that it has concluded a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Explosions, they were heard in cities across the Northwest and coastal areas. Iranian state media is reporting that its military also launched missiles toward, "Enemy targets," and that the U.K. Maritime Authority says that a vessel is on fire and adrift off the coast of Oman after it was struck by an unknown projectile.

The U.S. military is reporting the death of another American service member. Service member was killed in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone, according to the Pentagon. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the door to diplomacy with Iran, that it's still open. Let's get the latest now and head over to CNN's Leila Gharagozlou, who joins me from Abu Dhabi. Leila, so we talked a little bit about where some of those strikes have been reported. I mean, what else is happening right now?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, so, I mean, per Marco Rubio's latest comments about the door to diplomacy being open, the Iranians have also indicated that they could be open to diplomacy, but it really depends on how the U.S. behaves over the next few weeks and whether they look to escalate the war and expand the war.

Now, the IRGC over the weekend, through various Iranian outlets, essentially said that they would always respond in kind and that they would respond proportionally to anything that the U.S. does. So if the U.S. strikes military bases, they will respond in kind. If the U.S. strikes things like desalination plants, then they will do so as well.

But they're saying essentially that they're going to respond proportionally to leave space for that off-ramp, for the potential of diplomacy. Now, with the MOU and the ceasefire kind of being in shambles and in tatters, there's no time limit really on that diplomacy. So when that would happen or when they could come back to the table would really be up in the air.

And right now there's no real indication that they are willing to do that. That being said, the Iranian state media has reported that there have been overtures from mediators like Qatar and Pakistan to kind of get things back on track. And that really speaks to the broader concern over this war expanding.

The nine days that we've seen of consecutive attacks have been very difficult, particularly on those southern cities in Iran, on what is essentially Iran's defensive arch, the cities and coastal islands that allow Iran to control the strait. And as you said, we did see some or hear some explosions in northwestern Iran in the city of Tabriz.

So if things are going to expand, mediators are going to want to try to put things back in the bottle, get these two countries back to the negotiating table to finally get an off-ramp and an end to this war. Polo?

SANDOVAL: Leila, thank you so much for all that reporting as always. So, Leila, touching on that very important point, which is potential mediators here.

Let's talk a little bit more about that and head over to Gary Grappo. He's the CEO of Equilibrium International Consulting, as well as the former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, also former U.S. ambassador to Oman. Mr. Ambassador, it's always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us.

GARY GRAPPO, FMR. DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, U.S. EMBASSY IN SAUDI ARABIA: It's a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: One of those last points that we just heard from Leila about a potential diplomatic off-ramp. I mean, at this point, after now nine consecutive tit-for-tat level strikes, do you think that diplomacy is still within reach?

GRAPPO: Well, diplomacy is always within reach. It really depends on the genuine interest and intentions of the parties involved. It's pretty clear at this point that both parties see it as in their interest to pursue -- persevere in this sort of low-key conflict that they're now engaged in, as opposed to the more intense conflict that they faced up until early April, and that by continuing that, their interests are better served.

[04:05:24]

When that calculation changes on one side, that is, they determine that they have more to lose by continuing on this course than gain, then we can look toward more serious efforts to bring diplomacy to the fore. But at the moment, although both sides are saying the door is open, I don't see much opportunity for it.

SANDOVAL: Yes, and given your vast wealth of knowledge on the region, Mr. Ambassador, I'm curious how you view these recent escalations in the conflict, specifically when it comes to impact on Gulf countries.

GRAPPO: That's where it really requires some closer scrutiny on the part of the United States, and it's not clear to me exactly what kind of communication is occurring between the Gulf States and Washington. The Gulf States have certainly taken their share of hits from the Iranians, not only during the principal period of the war, but more recently in these nine days, especially Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, although all of them have been struck.

I think they're increasingly alarmed by the almost deaf ear of Washington, to their concerns and fears, and that they may not be heard all the time. And they may not have as much leverage with Washington as the Iranians believe. The Iranians are hitting them for two reasons, obviously because there are American facilities located in these countries, but secondly, to ratchet up pressure of these particular countries on Washington itself. So the Gulf countries are searching for solutions themselves, and they're really hoping that diplomacy finally will come to the fore.

SANDOVAL: Let's expand on that, Mr. Ambassador. So if countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, that as you mentioned, have already been struck, in the last few months of this conflict, if their concerns seem to be falling on deaf ears, as you point out, in Washington, then how do they then look after themselves? How do they mitigate their risk or maybe even reinforce their defenses?

GRAPPO: Well, they have already been looking for ways to strengthen themselves. I mean, obviously they have depended to a considerable degree on U.S. weapon systems, which have been very effective, and they still have those, and they are going to continue to depend on those and utilize those. However, they are already reaching out to other weapons sources, Ukraine, South Korea, Europe, even China and Russia. And that's probably a smart thing if we're looking strictly at their defensive interests.

But I think secondly, also, they're going to have to look to themselves in terms of better communication and coordination among the Gulf countries. And then finally, there was an effort over the past several years to reach out to Iran, to sort of normalize ties with Iran. And to some extent, those efforts were successful, particularly in the case of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

But they also need to understand, and I'm sure they do, after what's transpired since the war began, is that this sort of normalization does not equate to deterrence and defense, that they are going to have to take measures to protect themselves with increased defensive weapons and measures, but perhaps even offensive weapons, which is something they may not have considered previously.

SANDOVAL: If you were back in one of your previous posts, Mr. Ambassador, what would be your advice to the White House or -- and the President's envoys in order to try to secure some sort of an off-ramp?

GRAPPO: Well, they'd have to step back and just look at the way this administration has approached the war. In my own estimation, they attacked the United States and Israel. Time to attack Iran, not at its weakest point, in fact, they attacked Iran at its strongest point, that is, its military defenses, particularly those of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

[04:09:54]

The real weak point of Iran and the government and the entire nation is their economy. And had the administration focused on the economy from the get-go, that is, increased sanctions, coordinating with our friends and allies around the world, not just relying on ourselves, but our friends and allies around the world to also step up sanctions and increase the economic pressure. Because as it currently stands, the Iranian economy, you can't say it's at the breaking point. It is broken. It is broken.

And, of course, the first to suffer are the Iranian people. But until that message from the people of the suffering they're experiencing gets through to the leadership, there's probably not going to be much of a change and they'll continue on the course they're currently on. So focus on really ratcheting up economic pressure, working with our allies and friends around the world.

SANDOVAL: Yes, the clock is certainly ticking, as we heard from one of your fellow experts in the last hour. This widening of this conflict means a greater risk to civilians, as you point out, not just in Iran, but also in the rest of the Gulf nations. Mr. Ambassador, grateful for your time as we continue to monitor the situation. Gary Grappo, thank you.

GRAPPO: You're welcome.

SANDOVAL: All right. Let's shift gears now. Football fans in Spain, they are waiting to welcome home their reigning champs. They should be touching down in a matter of hours. Massive crowds filled the streets of Madrid after the country's 1-0 World Cup victory over Argentina. The celebration continuing well into the night.

The match in New Jersey showed off Spain's impressive command of the ball. The team fended off Argentina's advances for nearly two straight hours with Ferran Torres scoring the game-winning goal in extra time. It was not a great match for Argentina.

In fact, its star, Lionel Messi, struggling to keep pace and had nowhere to pass the ball. And at age 39, it could possibly be his last appearance at any World Cup that we'll see. But Argentina's disappointment led to Spain's second-ever World Cup victory, their first since 2010. CNN's Gloria Pazmino giving us a look at how folks here in New York were celebrating.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can see, it's absolute jubilation right here in Times Square, now that Spain has become world champion for the second time. Fans have been gathering here all day long and you could just see the scenes of celebration.

Everybody gathering here to celebrate now that the World Cup has come to an end. Spain is the reigning champion. And here in New York City, people from all over the world have gathered for weeks on end, celebrating all kinds of different culture, languages, everybody coming together. And now, we're seeing them celebrate as this World Cup comes to an end.

SANDOVAL: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

Now to a British runner who once again holds the world record for running a mile. In London on Saturday, Josh Kerr finished in 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds. Well, the previous record was 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds. That was set in 1999 when Kerr was just one-year-old. Kerr says that the record was part of his Project 222, which was actually a plan to run the mile in 222 seconds.

And to talk more about this record-breaking performance, let's go straight to Josh Kerr himself, joining me live from London. Josh, thank you so much for getting up early for us. It's great to get to talk to you and congratulations.

JOSH KERR, RECORD BREAKING BRITISH RUNNER: Thank you very much. Yes, it's lovely to chat to you too. It's been a whirlwind last 24 hours. So yes, it's been smooth, but it's been everything that I've always wanted.

SANDOVAL: Yes. You've had some time now to really reflect on that massive accomplishment, Josh. I'm just curious if you could tell our viewers around the world, what was going through your mind in that last lap as you looked up at the clock?

KERR: Yes, obviously, this is, you know, Project 222, just kind of, we wanted to break it down into seconds to show kind of how specific we needed to be with things. And I knew my splits that I would have to reach each marker in. So with 409 meters to go, I needed to be at 246.6. And I was able to hit that split with 409 to go.

And then it was just about making sure that I wasn't slowing down too much. And so, yes, filling the gas a little bit. But, you know, you're walking a red line pretty close to there. I'm just making sure I wasn't pushing over that red line too early. And then the last 100, the crowd lifted me all the way to the line.

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SANDOVAL: And, you know, for folks who may not be aware, you now join a long lineage of British runners who broke that same record, the seventh now in as many decades that you are. Why do you think that we have seen this persistent flow of some incredible talent come out of the U.K.?

KERR: You know, we were all raised with the notion about the sub-four- minute mile. I think everyone can understand what that number means. And back in 1954, we saw Roger Bannister, a British athlete, breaking the four-minute barrier for the first time in human history. You know, when everyone told him that it wasn't possible, it was physically impossible to do. And then from there, we've had those stories ingrained in us in the U.K.

And so when I was going to make my attempt, I knew that it had to be in London, it had to be in front of a U.K. crowd. And yes, it's been, you know, I think I'm the seventh British holder of this record. And, you know, my goal was to bring it back to the U.K. and, you know, the Americans and everyone else in the world can come after it. But I believe it's a British distance and I'm looking forward to seeing other people try because that was a real tough one.

SANDOVAL: What do you think -- what do you want your legacy to be?

KERR: I think, you know, for me, the reason I did it where I did it, with a stadium full of young athletes and coaches from the U.K. and parents, it was just, I needed to believe that I could break into a new number. And, you know, 3.42 is not quite 3.59. You know, that four-minute barrier down to the three-something.

However, it was still wrapping your head around, trying to get around the track, four laps on a track in less than three minutes and 43 seconds. And so, yes, all I want to leave is that legacy, is that, you know, as a British athlete in these conditions, you can go after whatever you dream of and with the right circumstances and the right people around you, anything's possible.

SANDOVAL: Josh, I have just about 10 seconds left with you. As you savor this moment and as you've said before, take it a race at a time. I'm just curious if you could close with what could be the next record that you believe is possibly within your reach?

KERR: You know, I believe I can make that mile record faster and I think I could break that 50-100-meter world record as well from a similar time frame, about 27, 28 years old. So that'll be the next job.

SANDOVAL: We can't wait to have you back when you do that. Josh Kerr, it's a pleasure to get to speak to you. Again, congratulations to you and your entire team. You've said it before, you didn't do it alone. Thank you.

KERR: Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: Well, Ukraine's president is making another plea to allies for more air defenses. Still ahead on CNN Newsroom, details on the latest large-scale missile assault that was launched by Russia.

Plus, Keir Starmer is out and Andy Burnham is in. Now, the new British Prime Minister plans to affect change in government. We'll explain after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SANDOVAL: Russia has launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine since the war started more than four years ago. Ukraine's Air Force saying that the main target was up Sunday's assault was the capital city of Kyiv, which faced a variety of missile and drone attacks.

Well, authorities are saying that at least 16 people were killed and that 17 others were injured across Ukraine, mainly in the Kharkiv and Donetsk region. With a large-scale attack, it prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to issue a plea for allies to expedite deliveries of previously promised air defense packages. More now from CNN's Sebastian Shukla, who joins me live from Berlin. So Seb, what else is the Ukrainian leader saying?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, good morning, Polo. Well, this missile attack that took place the other night across the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv is one of those that has been described as one of the most devastating and one of the biggest that has ever taken place. I want to go through a little bit of the ratios of the numbers of missiles and drones we're talking about here.

There were 40 missiles, according to the Ukrainian President, launched across Kyiv with 120 attack drones. But the ratio of the number of missiles, particularly that struck targets, is the one that is the sit up and take notice, which is 23 missiles, 10 drones hitting 20 different locations. What our producers and teams in Kyiv were telling us is that this two-hour or so barrage is one of the most intense that they have ever experienced, which is saying something for the Ukrainian people who experience attacks like this and have been experiencing them more frequently as the weeks and months have gone by.

They described it as one of the most intense they have ever seen. It left a sort of pile of smoke over the city with that smell of the acrid gunpowder lingering all over into people's nostrils. But Polo, what is becoming increasingly clear here is that whilst the progress of fighting in the battlefields on the ground in Donetsk, Luhansk, across the Donbas grinds to a near stalemate, this ramping up of aerial attacks does seem to be now the new phase of this war.

If we can even call it a phase, it's been going on so long now, and I want you to take a listen to the plea, as you mentioned, that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to European allies and why it is so important that they listen to him.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The danger remains even now, and this must be taken into account. Russia is placing its bets on ballistic missiles and it is because of them that Putin still believes in his war. It is very important that our partners understand what is happening and that we need air defense missiles to protect lives literally every single day.

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SHUKLA: The use of ballistic missiles and using them in waves, Paolo, is something that the Russians have developed as a new tactic and the difference between using a ballistic missile and, say, a cruise missile is that it exits the Earth's atmosphere and comes back in at such a speed, at several times the speed of sound, that it makes it very, very difficult to take out unless you have specialized air defense systems, namely those Patriot missiles, which are built and developed by the Americans.

[04:25:07]

The tricky situation for Ukraine and its allies is that those Patriot missiles known as PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles have been streaming into Ukraine from allies and from the Americans, but they are now in such short supply for a variety of reasons. The allies have used up and have given over the supplies and stores that they have. The Americans are the only people in the world who produce these missiles and there is obviously a latency when it comes to supply versus demand.

The Americans themselves are also slightly more reticent to be able to give over huge stockpiles that they have because obviously they are using them in the Middle East to help with their Gulf allies. And the Ukrainians and the Europeans, though, are starting to come together to develop their own air defense systems. But Polo, you don't just build an air defense missile overnight. These are very, very tricky to build, very complicated and obviously very costly, and you need to get them right for them to be effective. Polo?

SANDOVAL: And as the Ukrainian leader says, they can't get them soon enough. Sebastian Shukla, thank you so much for that reporting.

Well, in just a few hours, Andy Burnham will be officially be the British prime minister. In fact, he will be the latest in a line of quick successions in the office, the seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham succeeding Keir Starmer, who won the position in a landslide victory just two years ago, but leaves the role after months of controversy. And Burnham has to hit the ground running and also reveals positions on some of the pressing issues that are currently moving through Parliament.

Let's go now to CNN's Anna Stewart, who's following the very latest from the revolving door that is 10 Downing Street. Anna, what's happening there right now?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It should be a revolving door. That'd be much simpler, not least for Larry the Cat to get in and out when he needs troops. We are expecting our seventh prime minister, as you say, in ten years. The turnover is pretty high here on Downing Street. Andy Burnham is a well-known character in politics. He's been mayor of Manchester for most of the last decade, but prior to that, he was a member of Parliament under Tony Blair, under Gordon Brown. He's been a cabinet minister. He actually tried and failed twice to be leader of the Labour Party before. So he is a well-known character here in Westminster, as well as in Manchester. But what is really unknown at this point is where he stands on policy and what he will bring to the job of prime minister. Where does he stand, for instance, on foreign policy? Part of the problem here is, of course, he has been appointed by the Labour Party without a leadership contest. That means that the party is very much united behind him, but that, plus the fact that we haven't had a general election this time, means that we really don't know where he stands.

He's not been grilled by journalists running up to this job. So we hope to find out a little bit more in his initial speech here on Downing Street before he enters the famous doors of number 10, lots of moving parts today. First of all, the current Prime Minister, which remains Keir Starmer, at least for the next couple of hours, will give his final speech. He will then leave and tender his resignation formally to King Charles. He will then meet Andy Burnham, and that's the goings and goings of the day.

We may get some appointments for Andy Burnham from about his cabinet and who he wants to represent him. Big roles, of course, for instance, the Chancellor position, that will be a big one. So plenty to watch and see today. How much we get on policy and how much we can really glean from what we expect in the next few years remains to be seen. This will be a very tough job for the next Prime Minister. He has to implement change.

That's what the public wants. Keir Starmer, of course, is very unpopular. People want to see a reduction in the cost of living and so on. However, his mandate is very much tied to the Labour Party manifesto of 2024. So how much he can do to make a change remains to be seen. Polo?

SANDOVAL: CNN's Anna Stewart with that live report from London. Thank you so much. Do come back to us if any developments do happen.

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And still to come here on CNN Newsroom, arrested social media influencers, the Tate brothers. They are due back in court later today. In just a few moments, we'll be bringing you the details about the charges that they face.

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