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Iran Says Choice on Seven-Day Plan Rests with U.S.; Trump and Xi Extend Trade Truce, Look to Future Meetings; U.S. Proposed Joint Meeting with Ukraine and Russia; Pope Leo Prays at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris; Man City Guilty of Breaking Financial Rules. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired September 26, 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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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up, a pathway to reopening the strait, Iran's proposal to get ships flowing again and restart talks with the U.S.

Permission granted: Ukraine's president says his country can move ahead with making Patriot missiles as it fends off aerial attacks from Russia.

And Pope Leo begins the second day of his trip to France after thousands of young Catholics flocked to see him in Paris.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte

HUNTE: Welcome.

We begin with the U.S. war with Iran. Iran's foreign minister says there is a pathway to ending the conflict as part of the country's new seven-day proposal delivered to the U.S. through mediators.

Iran says that under its proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would open on day six and, on day seven, Tehran and Washington would restart talks toward a so-called final deal. But before any of that can happen, both sides would need to return to the conditions outlined in the memorandum of understanding.

Remember that from earlier this year?

A White House official says the U.S. is having, quote, "positive and constructive discussions" through the mediators.

At the United Nations on Friday, Iran's foreign minister said the choice is now up to the Trump administration. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan. So if they accept this plan tomorrow, the seven-day will start from tomorrow.

There are certain -- there are -- there are certain actions to be taken by the United States. And we believe that these actions can be taken in four or five days. So in day six, the strait will be open. And on day seven, the talks with the -- with the U.S. will be started for the final deal on mutually agreed subjects.

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HUNTE: As the U.S. and Iran consider their next steps, the Iran- backed Houthis in Yemen are putting a new regional military agreement to the test.

Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia shot down multiple drones and missiles in recent hours, including some headed for its capital, Riyadh. Well, CNN's Matthew Chance is there and has more on the conflict for us.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Saudi Arabia is desperately reaching out to its allies in the face of escalating attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Defense chiefs from Turkiye and Pakistan have met their Saudi counterpart here in Riyadh for emergency talks. Three countries signed a mutual defense pact in August. And this, I suppose, is its first real test.

A statement issued by the Saudi military said that they expressed strong condemnation of Houthi attacks and discussed ways to strengthen military and intelligence cooperation. But the statement stops short of any concrete military deployments.

Saudi Arabia and its critical oil exports have been under intense pressure since the war in Iran disrupted its main export route via the Strait of Hormuz on the Persian Gulf.

Now its main backup export routes are also under threat, with Houthi rebels, who, backed by Iran, taking control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, vowing to attack Saudi-linked shipping there, too, which could have a significant impact on global oil prices.

Britain is boosting its military support for Saudi Arabia, while France has offered -- defend offered to defend some Saudi oil facilities.

But appeals for powerful U.S. strikes on Houthi positions, which is what the Saudis really want, have so far been rejected by president Trump, who may be reluctant to open yet another front while his damaging Iran war remains unresolved. Still, it's left many Saudis feeling frustrated, anxious and dangerously exposed -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Riyadh.

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HUNTE: OK, let's go to Washington now, where president Trump has wrapped up a landmark state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

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The two leaders said they could meet in person two more times this year. President Trump and Xi traded kind words on Friday as the Chinese leader concluded his first visit to Washington in more than a decade. They extended a trade truce and talked about working together to address the risks of AI.

Trump says they also discussed the U.S. war with Iran and, of course, the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration's sudden ban on some news outlets frustrated some U.S. and Chinese officials, as the two countries hoped to showcase their relationship during that state visit. More on that media ban in just a moment.

The two also visited the National Archives with their wives to view the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as the United States marks its 250th anniversary. The visit put the founding documents of American democracy on display for China's leader.

Both leaders framed their talks this week as a success and beneficial for both sides. However, we are still waiting for any specifics on a potential new agreement. We expect those details will come to us early next week.

Russian president Vladimir Putin was quick to react to the talks in Washington. He said he supports the talks between the U.S. and China, partly because the outcome can affect Moscow

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We welcome the negotiations between the United States and the People's Republic of China.

Why?

Because these are the world's two largest economies. And depending on how they reach agreement on disputed issues and on the problems stemming from illegitimate sanctions imposed by the United States and on what agreements are reached, this will affect the entire global economy, including our own economy.

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HUNTE: Ukraine's president says his U.S. counterpart is giving Kyiv the go-ahead to start making Patriot interceptor missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Donald Trump told him during their meeting at the U.N. this week that he had made the final decision. Mr. Trump first suggested giving Ukraine a license to make Patriots in July but he later appeared to backtrack on that.

Ukraine is facing a major shortage of Patriots and it's the only weapon that can shoot down Russia's most powerful ballistic missiles. For more, let's head over to Rome, where CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is standing by for us.

Good to see you, sir. Zelenskyy says that president Trump has now made a final decision to allow Ukraine to make these Patriot missiles.

How significant could all of this be?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, these would be clearly a game-changer in the conflict in Eastern Europe. However, the detail is that we're only hearing this from Zelenskyy himself, from the beneficiary of this supposed agreement.

We haven't heard it from either Donald Trump or, more crucially, from Raytheon, which is the U.S. company that has the license to manufacture these missiles in the U.S.

And the Patriots have been in high demand in recent weeks and months during -- because of the escalation of ballistic attacks in the Gulf and the Red Sea as a result of the U.S. war on Iran but also here in Europe, where many countries, including NATO countries, are now facing the possibility of Russian drone attacks on their soil.

For example, the Baltic states in Lithuania or Latvia, where Russian drones tend to enter their airspace more and more frequently. So Zelenskyy had previously said that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, just 10 percent of the U.S. stockpile of Patriots will be enough to repel attacks from the entire arsenal of Russian ballistic missiles.

But, of course, this stockpile has been, like I was saying, in high demand. And that's why the flow of Patriots carried into Ukraine has reduced in recent weeks and months and that, as a result, the attacks from Russia have increased just in the last 24 hours.

The battle, the ballistic battle that is being fought over the skies of Ukraine and Russia has only intensified, with over 170 attacks from drones getting into Ukraine and corresponding more than 600 attacks, according to the Russian defense minister, coming from Ukraine into Russia.

It's also important to note this, that seven people have been killed in recent attacks in the last 24 hours in the Ukrainian capital alone. So having clearly the possibility to manufacture these missiles will be, like I was saying, a game-changer for Ukraine. Ben

HUNTE: Well, at the same time as all of that, Zelenskyy also says the U.S. has proposed three-way talks.

But tell me, how realistic is that proposal?

What have you been hearing?

POZZEBON: We've been here before, haven't we, Ben?

Well, I think it is realistic to believe that there have been contacts between the three countries, I mean, the United States, Ukraine and Russia.

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But once again, we're all hearing this from Ukraine, which is, of course, the country that has most at stakes and would benefit the most if these talks would actually happen.

We heard from Zelenskyy that the idea would be from the three parts to gather in the United Arab Emirates for face-to-face talks and with the United States acting as intermediary between Ukraine and Russia.

Vladimir Putin, in previous messages, has confirmed the fact that there have been contacts, which are normal in this type of situation. But it also said that Russia retains the right to understand whether these talks could actually proceed in the direction that they want to.

So we're clearly at a very early stage in trying to find a solution to this war in Eastern Europe. Ben.

HUNTE: Yes, indeed. Stefano Pozzebon reporting from Rome, thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it.

The Trump administration is escalating its standoff with the press. The White House now says it is barring CNN from flying on Air Force One in the coming hours, when president Trump heads to Tennessee. CNN's Alayna Treene is following the latest developments.

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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House revealed on Friday that they are barring CNN from traveling with the president on Saturday on Air Force One to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Now all this comes after, the White House had initially announced a ban on three different media organizations, CNN, MS NOW and "Politico" last week.

However, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, that temporarily the White House needed to restore access to those different reporters and organizations and that happened. But one question that was still left a little bit murkier was the question of the pool.

And to give our viewers a sense of what the TV pool is, it is made up of five networks and essentially how viewers, whoever are tuning in on television, actually watch the president and stay up-to-date on television with all of his movements.

Now every day, there is a rotation on one day when it's CNN's turn. You have photojournalists coming here to the White House, setting up, tracking the president's every movements. Whenever he speaks on camera, it is CNN's footage that day that will

then be shared with all the other networks. And when he travels, similarly, CNN is the crew representing him on board. Another day would be FOX, another day would ABC and the list goes on.

Now CNN was scheduled to be the TV pool representation on Saturday for the president's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a college football game.

However, the White House revealed in a schedule released on Friday that CNN would not be accompanying the president. I will say I reached out to the White House. We have not yet gotten a comment on what this means and whether or not this is something that will continue.

We're still waiting to hear back from them but this is very much likely to be another turn in the legal fight between this White House and the three media organizations -- Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

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HUNTE: All right. Just ahead, Pope Leo's second day in France. We'll have highlights from his visit so far and a look at what's next in a very live report.

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HUNTE: You are looking at live pictures of Pope Leo in Paris. There he is. He's on the second day of his four-day trip to France. In this hour, he's set to visit a migrant support center and then later -- oh, the lights went out -- then later celebrate mass at the Place de la Concorde.

On Friday, the pontiff visited Notre-Dame cathedral and later led a prayer vigil at Stade de France. He addressed some 80,000 people, young people, at the stadium and, like I said, they were mostly young adults. Very cool. CNN's senior international correspondent Melissa Bell joins me now live from Paris.

Good to see you.

What has the reaction to Pope Leo's visit been like so far?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been pretty amazing, actually. What we've seen over the course of the last couple of days, yesterday and into today, was really a great deal of enthusiasm here at the Place de la Concorde for this mass today. They expect 600,000 people.

And what we saw yesterday was the pope make his way through the streets of Paris, over 2.5 kilometers, from one part of Paris and toward Notre-Dame. And that saw 300,000 people turn out to try and get just a glimpse of Pope Leo.

This is a country that's a lot more secular than when his predecessor, the last pope to have a state visit to France came. That was 18 years ago. And yet there has been here in France, this resurgence of faith, more baptisms amongst the people, the young getting into Catholicism once again.

And you felt that really at the Stade de France yesterday, all of those young people really came out to hear him, see him, catch a glimpse of him and all of that enthusiasm we expect once again here today, Ben.

HUNTE: And looking ahead to today's open air mass, what are you expecting from the pope?

And what are you going to be watching for?

BELL: I think one of the things will be to see how political he is and what he has to say. As I mentioned, this is a country much more secular than it was when Pope Benedict came 18 years ago. We have enshrined here in France abortion as a constitutional right. The French have just recently made law on an assisted dying bill.

So that has shifted. Whether or not he chooses to address it. I think that will be one of the things to look for, how political he is or not. So far what we have had that was beyond the sphere of religion is this important talk at the at UNESCO yesterday about AI.

This was, of course, at the heart of his first encyclical and that was again at the heart of discussions yesterday at UNESCO. Beyond that, he has really stuck to prayers, vespers at Notre-Dame, declaring the renewed, renovated cathedral a thing of great splendor. I think one of the questions is whether today he strays into politics or not, Ben.

HUNTE: We shall see. Melissa Bell in Paris, thank you very much. Speak to you later.

Earlier, I spoke with Father Edward Beck, a Roman Catholic priest and CNN religion contributor. I asked him about the pope's comments on Friday on nuclear deterrence.

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FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: At the presidential palace, Elysee, he told a nuclear power that deterrence is mistaken at a time when Macron has been offering France's nuclear umbrella to the rest of Europe.

At UNESCO, the agency, his own country, the United States, walked out of, he said the powerful use the law when it suits them and ignores it when it doesn't. And, you know, on the plane, our own Christopher Lamb from CNN asked

about the White House press ban. And his answer was, here, you're all welcome. So he's really been speaking truth to power, not only with the nuclear issue but a lot of other issues as well. He doesn't pick fights but I think you always know where he stands.

HUNTE: We have just seen around 80,000 young people turn out to see the pope.

What does that tell you about whether Catholicism has a clear future among young people?

BECK: Well, I think it's kind of amazing because no one expected it. Right?

I mean, it's supposedly one of the most secular countries in all of Europe. And you're going to have close to 1 million people seeing, in some way, Pope Leo. You had 80,000 youth turn out this evening. And he talked to young people about liberte, real freedom.

And he said it isn't having more or asserting yourself. It's a relationship with Christ. He said, you can be all over social media -- so speaking to a lot of young people -- and you can still feel alone.

So I think every person attending or watching understands that. You know, he's honest about the church. He sees a spiritual thirst in France. Yet he calls it a small remnant. He's not declaring a revival but he's really thanking the young people for their courage to even have this spiritual quest, I think.

HUNTE: Love that. Pope Leo has spoken out about protecting human life, including criticizing assisted dying and abortion, too.

How much of a challenge is he presenting to France's approach to those very issues?

BECK: Well, as we know, France has been very liberal in many ways on abortion and on the right to die. And I think what Pope Leo has been saying in every speech is that your worth doesn't depend on what you produce.

He's called AI and computers a paradise of machines. You know, we call computers intelligent while we discard people who are no longer productive. And, of course, those thoughts are from his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.

So he has the same approach on abortion and assisted dying. He doesn't scold, though. As he told the young people, the good life, the good gives life and never takes it away. I mean, you know, I use AI computers, of course, in my own ministry. So he's not against technology.

But he's asking whom does it serve?

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: Manchester City reportedly has been found guilty of 114

Premier League financial charges. The news has sent shockwaves through the football world but the club denies any wrongdoing and is expected to appeal. CNN "WORLD SPORT"'s Patrick Snell has more

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: So now we know the football world and beyond. The fans have all been waiting for an outcome to this case, was seemingly an eternity, according to multiple reports.

Manchester City, who've consistently denied any wrongdoing, have been found guilty of 114 of those 115 charges it faced from an independent panel. Here is what many people are now asking. What about potential sanctions?

Well, no sanctions have yet been decided. City are expected to appeal the decision. This has been something that's been bubbling away under the surface for the last three years.

Remember, these charges brought against City, they were announced in 2023. City were charged in February of that year after a four-year investigation with the Premier League alleging that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 campaign.

The league also accusing City of failing to comply with UEFA's financial fair play regulations between 2013 and 2018.

Now the Citizens won a total of eight trophies in that period, covered by the case, including three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup. And interesting to note that 2011 FA Cup was the club's first major trophy in 35 years.

Well, on Friday, Manchester City releasing a statement, "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the Club's statement of February of 2023.

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"The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence."

So what can we now expect in terms of possible sanctions?

Well, they could include a point's deduction, an unlimited fine or even expulsion from the league entirely. That's according to the Premier League's handbook. The Premier League itself wouldn't comment on the report to CNN.

And with that, it's right back to you.

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HUNTE (voice-over): Celebrations were in full swing in New Orleans on Friday to honor the legendary singer Dolly Parton. Dolly Day falls on September 25th or 9/25, a reference to her hit song "9 to 5."

In New Orleans, the celebrations included the parade that you're seeing there -- look at them in those wigs; I love it -- the unveiling of a Dolly Parton-themed license plate, as well as musical acts who performed at the official after-party that we weren't invited to. And in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the centers of country music, a fireworks display honored Dolly. Some landmarks even glowed pink, like the bridge that you see toward the bottom of your screen there. And visitors to the city's Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum could see some beautiful artifacts from Dolly's career in show business.

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HUNTE: All right. That's all I've got for you. Thank you so much for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. "SEASONS" is next. And then, of course, I'll be back with you at the exact same times tomorrow. I'll see you then.