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CNN International: Sources: "Violent Incident" Between Pilots Prompts Diversion; U.S. Imposes More Sanctions To Isolate Iran Economically; A.I. Execs Agree To "Self-Police" After White House Meeting; Public Sector Workers Strike Over Pay, Budget Cuts; Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired September 30, 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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[04:00:34]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

Let's go straight to our headlines. Top U.S. tech executives meet with President Trump at the White House, what they're promising to do to ensure safety in A.I.

The U.S. imposes more sanctions in an effort to pressure Iran, economically. Why some of those targets are based in Russia, China, and Pakistan.

And we have an update in the U.K. terror investigation. What we know about one of the alleged suspects calling police before his arrest.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: We'll have more on those stories in just a moment, but I want to begin with a developing story out of the Middle East. Flydubai Airlines confirms a Tel Aviv-bound flight has landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

Now, sources say a violent incident between two pilots prompted an emergency signal and the diversion.

CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in Dubai with the very latest for us. Eleni, I -- I know this news just broke this morning, but what are you learning so far about what sounds like a very serious incident in the skies here?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a lot that's going on right now. And, of course, we're trying to ascertain exactly what transpired. But as you say, sources have been very clear in saying this was an altercation, a violent incident between pilots, then prompted an emergency signal.

I want to take you through the timeline here. That just after we saw the aircraft dropping, and this is really dramatic, from an altitude of around 34,000 feet to 16,500 feet in just under two minutes, which happened at around 1:20 A.M. Eastern, then an emergency signal was sent out at 1:32 A.M.

Israeli officials said this was not a hijacking, so that's really important because there were initial concerns when that emergency signal was sent out. This was a violent incident between the pilots.

And then this was so seriously taken, and, of course, because the entire region is dealing with just so much tension, that the Israeli prime minister and defense minister held a security conference. Israeli fighter jets signals were scrambled because of this.

And then if we look at flight radar data, Salma, really interesting, the flight takes off from Dubai, then when it's over Saudi airspace, this is when eventually it starts diverting. It's now landed, according to Flydubai, in Tabuk.

Quite important here that Flydubai has not confirmed that this was indeed a violent incident between the pilots. So, that's what we know to have transpired here.

Now, the other issue becomes what happens with the passengers that are currently in Saudi Arabia. Keep in mind in the backdrop of all of this, Saudi Arabia and Israel have not normalized relations. It is expected that a lot of diplomacy is going to be working behind the scenes to get passengers safely to Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport, where Flydubai was actually meant to land.

The other thing we've -- we're chasing at this point is whether Flydubai is going to be assisting those passengers to get back to Israel. Israeli media saying, according to Israeli media reports, that Flydubai will be sending an aircraft to get the passengers back home.

But that's what we understand, a violent incident between pilots, prompting a massive drop in altitude. Emergency signals sent out. The Israeli, you know, security forces activated and jets scrambled.

So, it's a developing story, Salma, at this point. A lot still to happen behind the scenes to get passengers back to Israel.

ABDELAZIZ: CNN's Eleni Giokos there. And I know you'll be monitoring these developments, as I'm sure sources, diplomatic sources and mediators try to get everyone back home safely. Thank you so much for that update.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is urging Americans to vote against President Trump and his allies in the midterm elections. The conflict with Iran is still deeply unpopular with American voters, but President Trump claims that the U.S. is winning the war that appears to have no end in sight.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Iran, in your opinion, about to give up, about to concede, surrender?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they're doing very poorly. I don't know if they're going to give up yet, but they'll give up, but they're doing very poorly.

You know, we took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple of days than at any point in history, including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon. And this is to stop the nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, President Trump's latest move in the conflict comes from the U.S. Treasury and State Departments, which announced new sanctions against 13 individuals and entities as part of its economic pressure campaign against Iran.

The U.S. claims those targeted, some of whom are based in Russia, China, and Pakistan, helped Iran procure weapons and components. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in part, "The U.S. Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose and isolate Iran's enablers."

We are also learning more about the Israeli prime minister's secret meeting with the UAE president. An Israeli source tells CNN Benjamin Netanyahu shared new intelligence indicating that Iran is making progress on rebuilding its nuclear program, including new construction at the Pickaxe Mountain site.

The source added that Netanyahu also said that Israel assesses Iran could initiate an attack in the region in the coming weeks.

For more on all of this, we are joined now by CNN's Paula Hancocks. She is live in Abu Dhabi. Hello, Paula.

So -- so, we would think that every sanction that you could possibly impose has already been imposed, but the U.S. Treasury Department announcing yet more sanctions today. Can these really make a difference? Can they actually push the diplomatic efforts forward here?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Salma, what we've heard from the Trump administration is that they are directly affecting the economy in Iran, but they're not sanctioning directly Iranian assets. They're -- they're trying to -- to look at other countries, third countries, which are enabling the -- the shadow economy of the Revolutionary Guard to keep moving, the ability to be able to keep funding, according to the Trump administration, its -- its military programs and also its -- its nuclear program.

So, this is why we're seeing the treasury secretary focusing on other countries and Russia and China. You see there, there are companies within those countries that are being sanctioned.

So, what we're hearing, and this was called the economic D-Day by the treasury secretary from the Trump administration, is that they believe this is having an impact, not just on its own, but also in conjunction with the naval blockade preventing ships from getting to Iranian ports to be able to export their oil and goods.

And we -- we understand also from Iranians that they are acknowledging. We heard this from the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, they are acknowledging that there is economic pain within the country.

We heard from Pezeshkian when he was speaking at the United Nations that -- that there are difficulties getting certain goods, basic goods in Iran at this point. There are also price increases which are causing many to suffer within the country.

So certainly, there has been an economic impact. Bear in mind, even before the war, there was a very poor economic situation in Iran, which is why we saw those -- those protests on the streets.

So, this is what the Trump administration is really trying to do at this point, to isolate economically the country and -- and have an impact on those companies and different countries that are trying to help the economy stay on track.

Now, as it -- as it pertains to the -- the diplomacy itself, where that stands, we understand from -- from the Iranian foreign minister that he did talk to Qatari mediators. He adapted the proposal that Tehran had put forward to the United States. They were waiting for a definitive yes or no from the Trump administration.

The U.S. president had said it was unacceptable, this proposal, back on the weekend, but they were waiting for mediators to -- to try and intervene and -- and get a more definitive statement. And then they would try and move that process forward.

So, the two sides are still talking at the same time as we're seeing the economic pressure being tightened on Iran, but through mediators at this point. So, the foreign minister saying he was expecting to hear from the United States imminently.

ABDELAZIZ: Paula Hancocks there on new sanctions from the United States that target Iran's shadow economy, as you put it, while mediators continue to try and rehabilitate diplomatic efforts. Thank you.

[04:10:10]

It is the end of a long and painful chapter in Iraq's history. This is as U.S. forces withdraw their remaining troops today. The Iraqi government announced it will mark the end of the 23-year U.S. military presence with a four-day national holiday.

Official institutions will be closed through Saturday to mark what's being called the country's sovereignty days. While Iraq is celebrating the troop withdrawal, there are concerns that it could result in a security vacuum.

To discuss this further, joining me now is Renad Mansour. He is the deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. Good morning to you. First of all, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us.

Because I think the first reaction that maybe some Americans and even people around the world might have when they see today's headline is, wasn't America already out of Iraq? So, can we really start there? What American presence remained in Iraq that is withdrawing today? What gap do they leave behind? And what was their role during this last period?

RENAD MANSOUR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, specifically, this mission, Operation Inherent Resolve, was the mission to combat ISIS.

In 2014, when the Islamic State rose and -- and took over a third of Iraq's territory, the U.S. military re-engaged in Iraq to help fight ISIS. And keep in mind that the Iraqi government declared victory over ISIS at the end of 2017. So, here we are in 2026, where the levels of ISIS, in terms of the attacks, in terms of numbers, in terms of their finances are at an all-time low.

So, a few years ago, the Iraqi government and the American government came together and said, this mission is clearly sort of finished. I mean, there's -- there's no reason to -- to keep those two presence there to be fighting ISIS.

And -- and so that's where they move towards this -- this word normalization. Can Iraq and the U.S. have normalized relations that doesn't include a U.S. troop presence in the country, but could still include bilateral security arrangements, economic arrangements, and such?

Of course, these negotiations began before the region was at the war that it's currently in. And so there is some anxieties in Iraq that Iraq is becoming a battleground for this war between the U.S. and Israel and Iran.

But specifically, I think, you know, Iraqis are in the bigger picture, marking this day, because, you know, Iraq was one of the biggest U.S. foreign policy moves in a -- in a generation. And the promise of regime change, the promise of democracy, of a better future, you know, many Iraqis now struggle.

You know, the country is one of the most corrupt when it comes to several indexes that you see. Human development is still not that high and there are many challenges ahead. So, people are looking back at what is now a history and wondering what's --

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Abdelaziz: So, let me -- let me pick up there, if you don't mind. Let me pick up there with this idea of normalization that you mentioned. I think we have to discuss the third party in the room. You've already mentioned them, which is Iran.

How will Iran perceive this, especially when you think about how tightly wrapped Tehran's tentacles are around Baghdad? Are they going to see this as a victory for Tehran? Does this weaken America's position when it comes to that ongoing conflict with Iran?

MANSOUR: Well, I think there's two ways you can answer this. First, certainly Iraq is a battleground where the U.S. and Iran continue to fight for influence. I mean, keep in mind that the U.S. have struck across Iraq over the last year at targets, at -- at -- at militias and armed groups that are linked to Iran.

And at the same time, Iran's IRGC is actively operational in Iraq. I mean, the fact that you have armed groups that are able to strike Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf from Iraqi territory, you know, shows you the extent to which Iran and its acts of resistance are operational inside Iraq.

And the Iraqi government doesn't have the sovereignty to be able to control this. So certainly, Iraq will continue to be a battleground between this war, between the U.S. and -- and Iran.

But at the same time, I think it's also important to note that not too long ago, this Operation Inherent Resolve to fight ISIS, Iran and the U.S. were on the same page. They shared a common enemy. And they -- they didn't fight together per se, but they were fighting on the same side.

And -- and it just feels like such a long time ago that that was the case as, of course, now their guns have turned against each other and Iran (INAUDIBLE) as well.

ABDELAZIZ: And -- and -- and that's -- that's such an important -- that's such an important point to make when you're talking about a more than 20-year history of conflict here.

And -- and so when you take that step back, and I know you're beginning to touch on that, but I want to give you an opportunity to sort of delve into this idea of legacy.

[04:15:05]

Separately, for Americans and for Iraqis, what will each remember? And how do you think history will look at this more than two-decade long conflict here in Iraq?

MASOUR: You know, when the Americans first came in to -- to Iraq, to -- to remove Saddam Hussein, they were greeted with -- with -- with joy. I mean, people were struggling to live under sanctions and under the Saddam Hussein regime.

And, you know, and -- and -- and there was this hope that is this American sort of unipolar world where the Americans are, you know, so powerful. Are they actually going to be able to bring us a better life?

And in many regards, we've -- we've seen that the Americans and their allies broke too much. They -- they -- they broke the state. So much of the state is unable today to -- to provide sufficient water, electricity, basic needs. As I mentioned, Iraq is one of the worst when it comes to corruption in -- in the world. It's a country where the government doesn't have sovereignty over its territory, the fact that you have these armed groups that could operate at freewill.

You know, so the legacy from the Iraqi perspective -- and -- and -- and keep in mind that many link the rise of ISIS and these other terrorist networks to the invasion. So, it's a legacy that's been very violent, very bloody. And it's -- it's -- it's still hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel of -- of -- of where this could go.

Now, from the other part of that, of course, the Americans invested heavily in Iraq. I mean, the -- and the embassy in Baghdad was the biggest U.S. embassy in the world. So much was invested financially, and so many, you know, U.S. troops went.

I mean, so from both sides, I think it's -- it's not -- it's not regarded as a success. And even though President Bush declared mission accomplished, a few weeks after the initial invasion, many are waiting to see what that mission accomplishment actually looks like.

Renad Mansour there, thank you so much for joining us on the past, present, and future of Iraq. And just that reminder of millions of Iraqis still trapped in a country that is corrupt, that is inept and where they struggle to just survive every day. Thank you.

A new White House agreement signed on Tuesday has handed over the responsibility of regulating artificial intelligence to the companies making those A.I. models. Some of the top leaders in tech joined President Trump to sign a voluntary agreement vowing to better self- police their own creations. It is a commitment the president has referred to as, quote, morally binding.

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TRUMP: It's almost like a constitution in a way. And the biggest -- and the biggest people in the world signed that, and I signed it as president, and it really is a form of protection.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this accord that everybody signed? Is it binding in any way?

TRUMP: I think it's morally binding. Yes.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, President Trump has largely dismissed growing concerns about the dangers of A.I., suggesting the government could not slow down on its development or it would risk falling behind China.

The company leaders who signed this agreement are vowing to create better internal cybersecurity controls and work with independent operators to review any problems that could arise.

CNN's Hadas Gold has more details on this A.I. summit.

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HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: This meeting was really a who's who when it came to the most powerful executives in tech, meeting with the most powerful parts of the U.S. government, from President Trump to the Speaker of the House to the White House Chief of Staff to the Treasury Secretary and even the head of NASA, were meeting with such names as Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, SpaceX's Elon Musk, NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, and more.

It was really, I mean, when you're looking at who are the most powerful people you could get into a room to discuss A.I. and technology and governance. It was these people. And I think that's a reflection of the moment that we're in after this summer of A.I. safety panic, where there really seems to be a moment of existential concern over A.I.'s power, its capabilities, and how quickly it's developing.

And the fact that the calls for regulations and standards are coming very loudly from inside the industry itself.

But what we got out of this meeting was not necessarily government regulations, forceful government regulations, but as President Trump called it, a morally binding accord that is voluntary that all of these companies signed, agreeing to certain things like sets of internal controls and reviews and audits.

And then after this meeting, it was also very incredible to see many of these tech CEOs standing alongside President Trump and talking to the press and taking some questions about what they all agreed upon.

And I actually think it was Meta's Mark Zuckerberg who gave the most succinct description of what they actually signed in that meeting. Take a listen.

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MARK ZUCKERBERG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, META: We drafted a set of -- of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology coupled with multiple layers of -- of auditing and controls starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators and agreeing that we're going to have all of our boards of directors independently review the reports that come from the auditors.

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GOLD: I also spoke to one of the CEOs who was in that meeting, Exigers' Brandon Daniels. He told me that the tone was very congenial. He even said some of the executives were exchanging cell phone numbers if they didn't already have each other's information.

And he did say that the meeting will -- that the group will be meeting once again as an industry group, having conversations with members of Congress. And he wasn't sure if they were going to meet again with the president in the same manner, but was very convinced that this is just the beginning of sort of these regular conversations.

Of course, we'll see what will actually happen in terms of action, because as it stands right now, there's not even an industry association amongst tech companies that can agree on these sorts of standards when it comes to A.I., even at the minimal level of what are the best standards when it comes to testing your A.I. system so that it doesn't escape its testing environment and hack into another company like what we saw in the Hugging Face case.

There are discussions for that to happen, for an industry standard to happen, but there's a lot of people within the industry itself and outside of the industry who want the government to be the guiding hand that will force these companies to work together and agree to actually binding standards that will help keep this rapidly evolving technology safe.

Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

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ABDELAZIZ: Here's much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including an update on the alleged terror plot targeting a U.K. air base used by the U.S. military and what we know about one of the suspects calling police prior to their arrest.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the hands of a foreign actor were involved in the suspected terror plot targeting a U.S. -- a U.K. air base, rather, used by the U.S. military.

On Monday, President Trump also suggested foreign interference, saying the alleged plot might be linked to Iran.

Five men were arrested on Saturday. This is on suspicion of terror and explosives offenses. The men who have not been identified have now been released on bail by U.K. authorities. No motive has been revealed, but in new developments, according to U.K. media, we now know one of the men called police shortly before the arrests.

The base in question is U.S. -- is used by U.S. long-range bombers in its war against Iran. Tehran has denied any involvement as U.K. counterterror police continue their investigation.

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LAURENCE TAYLOR, SENIOR U.K. COUNTER-TERRORISM POLICE OFFICER: Now, those vehicles, as I explained yesterday, have been subject to extensive examination with the support of military assets and forensic experts. And we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices have been found.

We have found a quantity of an accelerant, petrol. And we have recovered that as part of our investigation.

As part of our investigation, we have also searched properties in London and those searches are now finished. And we're also now reducing the investigative scenes around RAF Fairford and we expect them to be closed completely tomorrow.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now to France, where public sector workers are outraged over the government's plans to freeze their base pay in its draft 2027 budget, which is set to be submitted on Thursday. Workers say the proposal would leave their salaries falling further behind the rising cost of living.

Our Melissa Bell has more from Paris as workers held a one-day nationwide strike.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Social unrest has returned to the streets of France for the first time in a while. This over the government's budget for 2027 that freezes public service sector wages in 2027.

What these unions and there's been a rare showing of solidarity between the unions, they've all gotten together to take part in this protest, in this strike and in this march, is the idea that these wages will remain fixed when the cost of living continues to grow.

I think one of the most noteworthy things beyond the teachers and hospital workers and railway workers that we've seen out on the streets, has been the huge presence of firefighters. Many thousands of them took to the streets in Paris today after a meeting they had with France's interior minister.

What they're asking for is not so much a hike in wages as the raising of the resources at their disposal as they seek to take on these wildfires that as we saw this summer are becoming more and more frequent here in France.

This protest about public sector wages has seen tens of thousands come out on the streets. There have been disruptions to schools to railways and to air traffic control. The big question how the government, over the next few weeks, continues to try and get this budget through without causing too much more of this.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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ABDELAZIZ: Still to come, "The Wall Street Journal" reporter who was detained in Russia for 16 months has published a new memoir. We'll hear from Evan Gershkovich as he reflects on what he endured behind bars.

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