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Half Of Saudi Oil Supply, Five Percent Global Production Halted; U.S. Blames Iran For Saudi Attack, Offers No Evidence; Tuesday Vote Too Close To Call; Hong Kong Police, Protesters Clash; Drone Attack Knocks Half Of Saudi Oil Production Off-Line; Much-Needed Aid Supplies Arrives In Bahamas. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 15, 2019 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tonight the fallout from a massive coordinated attack on a major chunk of the world's oil supply.

Then --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least we can fight for our rights. Rights that no one else will ask for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Arab-Israelis get a chance to have their voices heard again as the country prepares for do-over elections. Plus, a solid gold toilet

named America stolen from Winston Churchill's birthplace. Hello and welcome. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you live from

Abu Dhabi.

This hour, what we are learning about an unprecedented attack on the world's largest oil plant and another Saudi oil facility in Saudi Arabia.

Iranian backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claiming they carried out this massive assault. You can see the size of it in these images taken from

space. Well, beneath the smoke a fog of war is clouding competing narratives. Here's what we know so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This is one of the best-protected places on earth under attack. Raging fires burning through one of the world's biggest and most important

production energy hubs in Saudi Arabia after Iranian backed Houthi rebels say they launched a coordinated assault using ten drones knocking more oil

out of the global pipeline in a single stroke than anything else ever has, some five percent of global supply.

YAHYA SAREA, SPOKESMAN, HOUTHI MILITARY (through translator): We promised the Saudi regime that our coming operations will only grow wider and will

be more painful than before so long as their aggression in blockade continues.

ANDERSON: The Houthis' message clearly nothing is out of reach or off- limits. A senior official at the White House though telling CNN, it looked like the attacks came from southern Iraq where Iran wields considerable

influence in the country. But Iraq and Iran flat-out deny any involvement.

Still, without evidence, the U.S. Secretary of State immediately pointing the finger at Tehran saying there was no question they were behind the

attacks and for at least a hundred others. The Houthis rough these have been reaching into Saudi Arabia in larger and more daring attacks for

months now like drone attacks targeting remote oil pumping stations in May and the Shaba oil field last month.

And back in June, a cruise missile attack on a Saudi Airport injuring almost 30 civilians. The two sides have been engaged in a deadly battle to

wrest control of Yemen for four years. Clearly now, both sides are playing with fire very close to home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well let's connect you to our reporters around the globe. Here in Abu Dhabi markets with John Defterios, in Tehran for you this evening

Senior International Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, and in Washington CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst John Kirby.

John Defterios, let me start with the facts as we understand them on the ground, an attack on the world's largest oil processing plant in Saudi's

eastern province, I have to say just an hour or so flight from where we are here in the UAE. What is the latest on the damage to the facility in the

impact on the global oil market?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I spoke to some senior sources, they say they have hundreds of engineers coming

through, both the oil processing facility but also the field at (INAUDIBLE) which is the second largest in the -- in the world that covers 100

kilometers going north and south. So it's too early to make the assessment.

But over the last 24 hours, Becky, we went from five million barrels off the market up to 5.7. The danger here is that the markets assuming that

Aramco will do as it's always done and said we can get our production up rather quickly. That's not the sense I got from senior people I spoke in

Saudi Arabia tonight and others here in the region.

We're expecting a spike at the open of about $5.00 to $15.00 a barrel when the energy markets open up to Singapore at 8:00 a.m. local time there.

That could seem very cheap if Aramco comes in their 48-hour deadline and says we're looking at 30 to 40 days to restore our production.

Now, the good news is us and other sources are telling me that Aramco could have about 200 billion barrels a day sitting in storage in China, Japan,

and also in Amsterdam. That would cover them for 37 to 40 days. It would cushion the shock if, you will, if that happens.

[11:05:14]

ANDERSON: John Kirby, this attack originally claimed by the Houthis at the very heart as John here has pointed out of the world's energy markets. The

U.S. is saying there is no evidence this strike came from Yemen. What is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo basing that on?

JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Well, that's just the problem. We don't know exactly what he's basing that on. We have to

assume that he has -- he has intelligence, perhaps satellite photos, or we have signals intelligence that convinces us that they didn't emanate from

Houthi areas inside Yemen.

And now it looks like some administration's was saying -- officials are saying it came from Iraq. So we'll have to see. There was a Wall Street

Journal story just out within the last hour so that asserts that some administration officials are pushing hard to declassify and release

satellite images that will prove their case that these -- that these were cruise missiles, not drones, and that they were launched from Iraq and not

from -- and not from Yemen.

But this administration has a huge credibility problem. You can't just constantly tell lies and myths truths and then expect the rest of the world

to believe you when you just put it out in the tweet. So if they are going to do this, I think that would certainly help bolster their case.

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh in Tehran, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has accused Mike Pompeo of "max deceit -- maximum deceit" in a tweet

saying, having failed at maximum pressure, Secretary Pompeo is turning to maximum deceit. The U.S. and its clients, he says, are stuck in Yemen

because of the illusion that weapons superiority will lead to military victory. Blaming Iran won't end disaster.

Be that as it may, senior officials in the Trump administration are blaming Iran for this huge coordinated attack.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are. But at the same time too, many in Iran I think they're still dealing with

the shock of the resignation of the National Security Advisor John Bolton which they felt potentially saw U.S. policy towards Iran of maximum

pressure begin to collapse in on itself.

When we arrived here, so much of the conversation was about what came after Bolton. Did the end of Bolton mean the end of maximum pressure? Could

sanctions be eased as President Rouhani of Iran has made clear is kind of his starting point if he's going to have that face-to-face meeting that

Donald Trump the U.S. President seems to think is the starting block to renewed diplomacy?

This is part I think possibly or the problem. If you are a senior official here in Iran, you simply don't know really what U.S. policy is. They're

very keen on the big stick. But the talking softly, the diplomacy has been absent for quite some time.

It did appear maybe Bolton's departure have been because Donald Trump was more pro some kind of discussion. You have to remember, this has been

going on for months. And there was a point when a U.S. drone was shot out of the sky when Donald Trump, in fact, said he put U.S. planes in the air

to deliver retaliatory airstrikes but called them off because he didn't want to cause 150 Iranian casualties. He released that information over a

tweet.

So the U.S. policy has gone up and down here really between the most amount of violence possibly it could inflict immediately and the possibility that

one of those sorts of famous now personal meetings between the president might sort it all out.

But we saw on that tweet from Javad Zarif, he goes on to say, will he going back to the April 2015 beginnings of the nuclear peace deal is how to get

everything back on track. That was massively complex. And the idea that President Trump's administration can after all the bluster suddenly pull

something better out of a hat, that's a better deal than the one that Donald Trump has said continually how much he hated and unilaterally pulled

the U.S. out of is a big ask.

But I think there's a lot of people here, concerned about what could follow from Mike Pompeo's very direct accusation that Iran was behind this. As

everyone keeps saying, we need to see the evidence about this because it is utterly vital that U.S. credibility has some kind of teeth or backbone to

it.

But there's also I think many Iranian officials wondering what on earth is U.S. policy here or if it has continuous sit back and watch it sort of

digest itself slowly, Becky.

ANDERSON: And let's talk about what we believe might happen in the near future shortly, Nick. John Kirby, we mentioned Mike Pompeo's tweet

earlier. Democrat Senator Chris Murphy has rebuked it. He's no fan, of course, of Mike Pompeo tweeting, this is such irresponsible simplification

and it's how we get into dumb wars of choice. It's just not as simple as Houthis equal Iran.

Donald Trump, as we understand it, called Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. And in the White House, in a statement offered

"self-defense support for Saudi Arabia." What do you understand he means by that?

[11:10:10]

KIRBY: Well, it's hard to know until we can see how the Saudis plan to retaliate which I'm sure they're going to want to do something about this.

I mean, it was a sovereign facility here that was -- that was struck. And so what the United States would be doing would be willing to do to assist

them in a response.

Let's hope it's not a military response. But look we have been providing intelligence support not targeting assistance but certainly over oversight

intelligence overhead intelligence and munitions for the Saudis air campaign inside Yemen. A campaign that has devastated the country and

contributed to many thousands of civilian casualties.

I would hope that whatever support we give Saudi going forward on this does not further exacerbate the tensions and broaden us into something deeper

inside the region which is certainly a possibility. I think right now, you know, back to some of Nick's points, I think right now hopefully the

national security team is providing options to President Trump short of war.

I don't think it's in a president's interest and I don't think it's actually his inclination to want to seek all-out war with Iran or let this

get broader and bigger than it needs to be. So the question is what are the options available to you other than military tools to try to respond to

this -- to this action, to prove that it was Iran, respond to it and do so in a way that doesn't escalate the tensions more than what already have

been.

ANDERSON: Or a dialogue, of course. Nick Paton Walsh, you're about a hit the United Nations' General Assembly where their art will certainly were

whispers of a Donald Trump-Rouhani meeting. This is what Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Trump said on Fox News this morning about that

matter. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to cut through it then. I meeting --

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Attacking Saudi Arabia --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A meeting a sill on the table, correct?

CONWAY: Well, the president considered -- well, the president will always consider his options. And he's never -- we've never committed to that

meeting at the United Nations General Assembly. The president just said he's looking at it. And so I'll allow the president to announce a meeting

or a non-meeting.

But when you attack Saudi Arabia and as the Secretary of State has noted, they've talked them dozens and dozens times, you know, attack as civilian

areas, a critical infrastructure to indeed the global economy, global energy stability, you're not helping your case much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh, you talked about the perception that the departure of John Bolton, and the very hawkish John Bolton might open the

door for a meeting, of course, between Rouhani and Donald Trump. Donald Trump has always said without preconditions, of course.

I wonder now whether the question isn't what will the political optics be if the two meet after blaming Iran for these attacks in Saudi.

WALSH: Well, in many ways you could interpret this. Obviously, Mike Pompeo is a man who fully understands the value of intelligence, of

evidence. He ran the CIA for a while. So coming out without either frankly and making these claims on Twitter in two tweets which have

reignited the tension in this area could be one of two things.

You could genuinely believe and have evidence that this is the case or he could secondarily be trying to increase his hand as another hawk in the

administration ahead of any possible diplomacy. We simply don't know the answer to that yet and a bit lot of pressure on Washington to come up with

evidence behind these stark claims.

But the UNGA possibility of a meeting, that's really something Donald Trump I think believing in this skill as a personal deal maker has been pushing a

little bit harder than the Iranian president. Iran is been pretty much consistently clear that it wants to see some sort of sanctions relief

toying with the French potentially allowing some sort of note of credit in the billions of dollars that will allow it to sell it oil.

The U.S. Secretary of Treasury commented on the fact that they've been discussing that but no decisions have been made. And certainly, the French

would allow it would need a U.S. waiver from sanctions to implement something like that.

So there's certainly a background discussion about sanctions alleviation, but that'll be a huge departure from the maximum pressure policy that

Pompeo himself also presided over as well. So there's a lot to happen before that UNGA meeting.

And just remember too, yes, you mentioned the optics. When Barack Obama, Donald Trump's predecessor and Hassan Rouhani first initiated 2013 stall

diplomacy, it was a phone call between limos. They didn't meet personally and that got the kind of nuclear shield ball rolling so to speak.

So Iran U.S. diplomacy is not something that often happen in you know, broad daylight in the past of winning handshakes between presidents.

There's a lot still to be done here. Whether Donald Trump really wants it or not, we only frankly I got to know from his Twitter feed or if we're

inside his mind itself. Becky?

ANDERSON: Sure. Meantime, John Defterios, Saudi Aramco, the biggest company in the world, this huge oil behemoth, not only now dealing with the

damage to its infrastructure but also to its reputation.

Last week, you met Aramco CEO and Saudi Arabia's newly appointed energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. This is a company that has been

working towards launching an IPO, Initial Public Offering, selling a stake in this company which we cannot underestimate how important that is to the

kingdom.

Just talk about where we are at with that. You forgot more about the oil industry than most of us would ever know.

[11:15:41] DEFTERIOS: Well, there's so much in there that has changed in the last week. We have a conversation a week ago Sunday talking about the

fact whether Prince Abdulaziz would maintain the OPEC plus policy of his predecessor Khalid al-Falih, and he did.

He said, look, we'll take the oil off the markets to get other people to participate. Now we're talking about a severe oil shortage. It's very

difficult to fill the void of 5.7 million barrels a day. This is going to be a struggle because many OPEC players lost 6 million barrels over the

last decade. It's been the U.S. who's been filling that void.

Now, when it comes to the IPO, Becky, it's really interesting. I think this is a surgical move by the Houthis as they changed and put in a member

of the royal family as Minister of Energy. The CEO of Aramco told me they want to have an IPO very soon which is the indication by the end of the

year to list on Riyadh.

It's very hard to go to the stock market and say I have all these proven reserves. I'm the very efficient producer but I can't protect my assets.

So they started with the pumping station on that east-west pipeline going from the eastern provinces to Yanbu that the Houthis hit. They hit the

shape of gas field just a month ago.

Nobody took credit for the tankers that were hit south of the Strait of Hormuz and we're looking at the maps here of all the different Aramco

facilities. But it has to raise the question now, can I go to the stock market, have a successful IPO, go ahead with my 2030 plan as MBS if I can't

protect my facilities. That's the message from the Houthis.

ANDERSON: And to remind our viewers, the stake in Saudi Aramco very much part and parcel of that new economy 2030 initiative that the crown prince

has for Saudi Arabia. Always a pleasure. Thank you all.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is ready to strike Iran wherever it is a threat. In another apparent bid to energize

his base heading into this week's election, he has announced plans to legalize another Jewish settlement on the West Bank.

The vote will be a rerun of course of the April election that pitted Mr. Netanyahu against former Israeli military chief of staff Benny Gantz. And

polls, well, at present predicting a similar result, a vote to -- so close that no single party will be able to govern without forming a coalition.

That vote, of course, takes place on Tuesday. Well, Sam Kiley joins us now live from Jerusalem. And a seeming gift from the U.S. President once again

to bolster Mr. Netanyahu's reelection bid just days before Israelis go to the polls. Explain, Sam, if you will.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is no question about who Mr. Trump wants to win this election and who he's

convinced will win this election. And we know this, Becky, because the White House released a statement 24 hours ago saying that the two leaders

had been discussing a defense pact between the two nations.

Now, that is frankly a little bit of a fillet in real terms. It amounts to nothing very much at all because neither country, at least not the

military's in either country would want to have a defense pact that bound them so tightly together that they couldn't operate independently, least of

all the Israelis who have a formidable record of unilateral action taken whenever they see the necessity.

But it does give the opportunity to remind Israelis of the very close and it is a very close relationship between Donald Trump and Benjamin

Netanyahu, and he been at pains to point out that that is a relationship that only he has, Becky.

ANDERSON: Let's talk about these elections. This is a do-over of course. We were there last term, we'll be there once again Tuesday. How important

will the Arab-Israeli vote be in this election?

KILEY: The Arab-Israeli vote, there's about a fifth of the population are Arab Israelis. Traditionally, their numbers have been going down in terms

of their participation. But there has been a degree of controversy lately, accusations against Netanyahu campaign of racism and that has I think

perhaps energized things to the point at which they could be very significant certainly for the center-left in building a coalition. This is

what I found on the ground, Becky.

[11:20:09]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY: An election poster that calls on citizens of this Arab-Israeli town to vote for the man on the right. It's safe to say they probably won't.

Support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party is close to nil around here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have to vote for the Arab joint list even if we feel it won't affect the Knesset. At least we can fight

for our rights. Rights that no one else will ask for.

KILEY: About a fifth of Israel's population is Arab, among them voter turnout has been falling but that may change. With the two main parties

pretty much neck-and-neck in these elections, there's a really strong feeling in the Arab community that this time round their votes really

count, perhaps galvanized by recent remarks from Benjamin Netanyahu.

He's raised tensions by saying that if he's elected, he will annex the Jordan Valley into Israel. Facebook has said that it suspended the

automated messaging system on the Prime Minister's official page for 24 hours because it violated its rules on hate speech.

This after the chatbots shared a pop-up message that encouraged people to vote Likud because a secular left-wing weak government would rely on Arabs

who want to destroy us or women children and men and will enable a nuclear Iran that will eliminate us.

Netanyahu said the message was a mistake that he hadn't written it or seen it beforehand and that he'd ordered it removed immediately. Opinion polls

show that the mainly Arab joint list is expected to confer with some 12 Knesset seats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We will all vote for the Arab list this time more than ever because of the racism against us.

KILEY: An alliance with the right-wing Likud has been ruled out. But Likud's main rival Blue and White has so far brushed off the offer of a

pact with the joint list because of its anti-Zionism. The latest polls show that if it wants power though, that may have to change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Sam, it certainly suits Prime Minister Netanyahu's narrative to keep Iran front and center as the region's major threat. So

the fact that senior Trump officials are squarely pointing the finger of blame at Tehran over these Saudi oils facility attacks, one assumes will

suit the Israeli prime minister certainly ahead of his upcoming scheduled trip to New York and his meeting with President Trump.

KILEY: I don't think there's any doubt about that, Becky. I think it's also safe to say that certainly Benny Gantz, the former chief of staff of

the IDF would be in lockstep with the Netanyahu view that the Iranians are a highly destabilizing force in the region that are backing groups that

they call terrorist groups in Hamas, in Hezbollah, in Syria, in Iraq and will be perhaps -- they're not saying so publicly, but perhaps a little

privately relieved that this event has occurred with a finger being pointed at Iran and could well stymie any kind of diplomatic breakthrough that

would bypass the longstanding bitterness between Iran and the Israelis with a Rouhani-Trump meeting at the UNGA which now looks and much less likely,

Becky.

ANDERSON: Sam Kiley is in Jerusalem for you. Sam, thank you, Sam. Please do join us on Tuesday for CNN's special coverage of the Israeli election.

Folks, I'll be bringing you all the news you need to know with -- along with my colleagues there in Israel. We'll be live from Jerusalem for you.

Another election is in full swing. Tunisians are going to the polls this hour to elect a new president. This is one of 26 candidates in the

running. Early elections were called after the death of the previous president. This is Tunisians' second free presidential election since the

Arab Spring which began, of course, in that country.

Well, still to come. He planned to follow in his father's footsteps in spreading terror. I'm going to take a closer look at Hamza bin Laden now

confirmed killed in a U.S. operation. Also, this hour, new unrest in Hong Kong is another protest descends into violence. We'll tell you how that

all played out after this.

[11:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN's CONNECT THE WORLD. It is nearly half-past seven here. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi for you. It has been another

one of those weekends in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy demonstrators staged an unauthorized march. Police fired tear gas as you see here in water

cannons.

Authorities say some demonstrators threw petrol bombs, smash glass, and set fires. The protesters say that despite recent government concessions, more

needs to be done to protect Hong Kong from interference by the central Chinese government. We'll CNN's Ivan Watson reports from Hong Kong for

you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the 15th straight weekend of confrontations and protests here in Hong Kong. And

this is a very typical site here. Large numbers of riot police deployed after demonstrators conducted a protest march which had not been authorized

by the police through the downtown of Hong Kong Islands.

And then it was followed up with scenes of demonstrators horsing through the streets. Tear gas, water cannons, it's a scene that has repeated

itself week after week. We witnessed on this evening a group of demonstrators beating a man quite badly on a street corner. We're not sure

why he was targeted but he left dazed and bloody.

Now the fact is that hundreds of people have been detained, thus far, arrested and this has taken a toll on the Hong Kong economy. Hotels have

large numbers of vacancies, airplane ticket sales are down, retail sales are down as well, and Hong Kong's reputation has taken a beating.

The Hong Kong government has taken some steps to try to meet some protester demands, but at this stage, there seems to be no settlement in sight. And

as you can hear, many ordinary citizens now view the police as targets of derision. Police commanders have told CNN, it will take years to recover

from the damage that their reputation has suffered through this cycle of confrontation. Ivan Watson, CNN Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, up next, the U.S. is calling it a blow to al Qaeda. We'll have more on the death of Osama bin Laden's son and heir-apparent. That

after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ANDERSON: Just after half past 7:00 in the UAE, you're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. And if you just joined us,

you are more than welcome.

Our top story, France strongly condemning the attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The French foreign ministry expressing its full support for

Saudi Arabia and says actions like Saturday's drone strikes exacerbate tensions and must stop.

Lebanon's prime minister echoing that message, condemning the attack and calling it a dangerous escalation that threatens to expand the conflict in

the region.

Let's bring in Robert Malley, in Washington. The former special assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama, and a former White House coordinator on the

Middle East, North Africa and this Gulf region, the region that is very familiar to you.

Sir, before we talk about who is behind this attack And from where this strike might have originated, I just want to get your response to what has

happened Saturday morning and how significant do you think this is?

ROBERT MALLEY, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's obviously very significant. It was one of the most devastating attacks on Saudi oil

facilities, certainly, in recent memory. And it could -- it's part of a region that is combustible that is explosive, in which anyone incidents

could provoke a region-wide concentration.

And the fact that you said that we don't know who is behind it tells us something about the fact that there are so many potential culprits, so many

possible reasons why somebody, some group, some country, may have wanted to attack Saudi Arabia at this time.

[11:35:02]

ANDERSON: Yes, this region is not black and white. Robert, you discussed the blame for the attack on your Twitter, writing, "Maybe the Houthis are

behind it, as they claim. Or maybe Iran is behind it as Secretary Pompeo alleges."

The lesson you say in either case is the same and you go on to suggest de- escalation both in Yemen and with regard to U.S.-Iranian relations or Saudi-Iranian relations. Not according to those who wholeheartedly

disagree with the Obama administration's position on Iran.

Those who say that Iran is a malign actor in this region but their proxies wreak instability and insecurity in Yemen and Lebanon and in Iraq. And

that their ballistic missile program which may have been behind this is a credible threat not least to U.S. assets across the region.

How can de-escalating the threat from Iran at this point? Be anything more than it came to appeasement, sir?

MALLEY: Well, let's start with what the Trump administration and others thought they were doing by escalating pressure on Iran. And I think what

we're seeing, whether it's Iran or the Houthis, it's the failure of policies that give those parties against which the pressure is being

exercised. Nothing to lose and everything to gain by escalating.

The problem with the policy towards Iran of economic asphyxiation and pressure, and isolation and sanctions is that Iran is going to respond.

And Iran is going to respond precisely in the way that the policy is designed to prevent, which is by escalating, intensifying its regional

behavior because that's the tool that has and one doesn't have to justify, and I'm not justifying Iran in behavior by saying that this is precisely

what some of us have predicted.

That once if the U.S. gives Iran no way out other than surrender, Iran will try to send a message to the U.S. that it too can inflict harm. And so, if

it is behind this, and it is possible, it would be exhibit A in the fact that the policy has failed.

And that if the goal was to "moderate" Iranian behavior is producing exactly the opposite effect.

ANDERSON: On Monday, just before this attack or sometime before this attack, U.S. President Donald Trump, said a meeting with Iran's president

was possible. So, have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you meet with Rouhani? Would you meet with Iranian President Rouhani?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It could happen. It could happen. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When?

TRUMP: No problem with meeting. Iran should straighten out because, frankly, they're in a very bad position right now, and they should

straighten it out. Because they could straighten it out very easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Given what has happened in the last 24 hours, and given that Donald Trump has spoken to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He has

offered support. Do you expect to see the Trump administration continuing to leave the option of a meeting on the table at this point? Or is that

now not going to be possible?

MALLEY: Well, I don't think it's going to happen. But let's get this straight. It's the -- it's President Trump who's wanted to meet with

President Rouhani from more than a year ago.

He's asked to meet with President Rouhani even as he imposed his sanctions. That is par for the course for the president. He believes that by putting

maximum pressure, he will get them to meet with him and he'll be able to convince them to do what he wants them to do.

It's the Iranians who need convincing to meet with President Trump. I think at this point, given what happened, probably neither side is going to

pursue this. They had been an option where if Iran had taken certain steps, and the U.S. had taken certain steps, the French will trying to

choreograph some kind of encounter between President Trump and Rouhani.

The Iranians did not exhibit at this point interest in it and I think what just happened is going to deflate whatever interest might have existed on

the U.S. side as well.

ANDERSON: In your experience in working in this region on behalf of the Obama administration, in and around the JCPOA signed in 2015, which has now

been closed out by the American -- by the Trump administration acts, are the Iranians trustworthy?

MALLEY: I don't -- you know, in my view, is that's not -- that's not the right question, you know, they're not trustworthy, I'm sure they don't

think that the U.S. is trustworthy. I think what the Iran nuclear deal tried to do is to build a deal that could resist a lack of trust and lack

of good faith on either side.

It didn't work. Obviously, one side decided to walk away from it but it wasn't the deal that was based on trust. I think that's why it had so many

inspectors and so many ways to try to prevent or to detect any violation by Iran. And then, mechanisms to respond to Iran in the event of a -- of a

violation.

Turns out the party that violated it was the U.S. The mechanisms were not quite as clear in that case because, frankly, it's not what some of us

expected what happened.

[11:40:07]

ANDERSON: Very briefly, given your experience in those negotiations, given your experience of this Iranian administration, do you expect to see de-

escalation or something that this region really doesn't want going forward?

MALLEY: Honestly, I think we're at a fork in the road. I think it's clear, President Trump would rather avoid escalation. I think the Iranians

would rather avoid escalation. But for that, you need to give them an off- ramp. And that off-ramp, the Trump administration has not yet given and that's why and given what happened yes, that even more so, there is a risk

of an escalation, there is a risk of war.

And that's why I called foreign the tweet and crisis group has called for some time, the escalatory measures, get Iran back into compliance, get the

U.S. back into compliance, and let's start real diplomacy.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, sir.

MALLEY: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump, says the death of one of Osama bin Laden's sons will weaken al Qaeda. He says Hamza bin Laden died

in a counterterrorism operation. Reports of his death surfaced weeks ago. But this is the first time that they have been confirmed.

My colleague, Ben Wedeman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was seen as the likely heir to al-Qaida, an emerging leader with a distinctive name. Hamza

bin Laden, son of the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in an American counterterrorism operation somewhere in the Afghanistan-

Pakistan area according to a statement put out by the White House.

American officials declined to say exactly when he was killed. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department issued a $1 million reward for any

information on the Jr. bin Laden. Stating that he had released video and audio messages online calling on his followers to launch attacks against

the United States and its Western allies, in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by U.S. military forces.

On the same day, the U.S. Bureau of counterterrorism called for United Nation's member states to freeze his assets and enforce a travel ban. As a

response, his home country of Saudi Arabia said it had already revoked his citizenship.

In 2015, al Qaeda promoted Hamza as a top leader in its jihadi movement. He has been featured in al Qaeda propaganda videos as a child, but only

posted audio messages in his later years.

The most recent footage of him was released by the CIA in 2017, showing glimpses of his wedding to the daughter of a senior al Qaeda leader, which

had occurred years before. Those videos were retrieved from Osama bin Laden's computer when it was seized during the Navy SEAL raid that killed

him in 2011.

Hamza is but one of Osama bin Laden's sons to be labeled by U.S. intelligence as a significant threat. And the third to die while trying to

follow in his father's footsteps.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, much-needed aid is arriving in the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. This flight landed in Nassau with 50 metric

tons of supplies, including water and hygiene kits for 10,000 people.

Many people in the Bahamas is still living without shelter since Hurricane Dorian struck the islands two weeks ago. Well, the islands just avoiding a

second disaster. A Tropical Storm Humberto moving away at this hour.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher joins us now live from Nassau. That must have been a frightening prospect for so many people there. Just describe how people

are getting on and how they will get along going forward.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, and you said a frightening prospect. It's that re-traumatization, right? Feeling that

impending doom once again just two weeks after Hurricane Dorian. Absolutely obliterated two of the Bahamian islands, watching that as the

storm track, as it was coming by.

Narrowly missing, for the most part, the island of Abaco and Grand Bahama. It did impact in some small degree. The relief aid that was being given to

the people who live there.

We've actually seen in the two weeks since Dorian hit, people who evacuated Abaco and have since gone back. The shelter situation here is not ideal in

the short term and it's definitely not fit for long term stays of thousands of people whose homes just don't exist anymore on that Island.

But a lot of them would rather go back to where maybe they can find a cinderblock and a cabinet and start to rebuild where their life was rather

than stay in these gymnasiums with thousands of people.

So, we're seeing them return. And that was the major concern of these relief agencies because they knew that the structures couldn't withstand

tropical storm-force winds. So, they were going around with the heavy plastic tarps, trying to do as much as they could.

That aid that you just talked about there that arrived yesterday, we were there on the ground and I can't tell you how excited USAID and other

organizations were that it had arrived. Because among those hygiene kits were also those water bladders, things to help with water filtration on

those islands to prevent the spread of disease in the aftermath.

[11:45:34]

ANDERSON: Dianne, thank you for that. Let's bring in meteorologist Allison Chinchar who is in Atlanta. Just walk us through where we are at

so far as these weather systems now are concerned.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, the storm itself is starting to intensify. In fact, the latest update, we just got at the top

of the hour now, has winds increase to 100 kilometers per hour. That's the sustained winds. The gusts are up around 120 kilometers per hour.

The forward movement is north at 11 kilometers. This is very important because this means it's moving away from the Bahamas and also away from the

United States. And in fact, in the short term, we anticipate this to start to make a rapid sharp turn to the north and east away from the United

States. And actually heading towards Bermuda.

Now, in doing this, it's going to encounter a much more favorable environment. Ocean temperatures are expected to be much warmer out here.

That's why we expect the storm to intensify even more.

In fact, it's likely to get to a Category 1 hurricane at some point in the next 12 hours or so. Perhaps, even up to a Category 2 storm by Tuesday or

even Wednesday of the upcoming week.

The concern becomes that window of Wednesday into Thursday because that's when if it is going to make impacts to Bermuda, that's the timeline in

which it would likely do. So, again, Becky something we're going to have to keep a very close eye on in the coming days for the island of Bermuda

now.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Allison. Live from CNN's Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson

for you.

After a bizarre art theft at one of England's fanciest stately homes, police say -- well, they don't have much to go on. I'll explain after

this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:19]

ANDERSON: With the deadline for Brexit fast approaching, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told The Mail on Sunday that the U.K. would explode out of

its manacles like The Incredible Hulk if no deal is reached.

Meantime, Mr. Johnson catching some flak from one of his predecessors, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, says Johnson never believed in

Brexit and only backed it to further his political career.

Well, Mr. Cameron also apologized for the confusion after the referendum. A referendum, of course, that he called in 2016 when he was prime minister.

That is according to the memoirs that have been published by The Sunday Times.

But, your "PARTING SHOTS" tonight, far from bog standard, we've got a real- life whodunit for you, in fact, right now, British police trying to flush out the criminal masterminds who nabbed the piece of art that you might

call the Sistine Chapel.

Nick Wallis plumbs us in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WALLIS, REPORTER, ITV NEWS: This solid gold privy was installed at Blenheim Palace on Thursday, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. By 5:00

this morning, it had gone. Thankfully, police do have something to go on.

RICHARD NICHOLLS, INSPECTOR, THAMES VALLEY POLICE: A group of offenders broke into the palace and stole a high-value toilet made out of gold that

was on display. We believe they use, at least, two vehicles during the offense and they left the scene around 4:50 a.m.

WALLIS: The golden commode is actually a fully plumbed in work of art called America. It first appeared here at the Guggenheim Museum in New

York three years ago and was installed in a cubicle at Blenheim Palace as part of an exhibition by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Visitors

were free to use it at their convenience.

The overnight theft caused significant water damage to the palace which was closed to the public all day as police worked on locating the missing

lobby.

NICHOLLS: The artwork has not been recovered at this time but there is a ANDERSON: Well, a new dad. Prince thorough investigation and the process

have been carried out.

WALLIS: A 66-year-old man has been arrested. The palace says it will reopen tomorrow.

Nick Wallis, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Harry will find out about potty training when his baby son Archie, of course, gets a bit bigger. But today, it is all about the Duke of Sussex

himself, who is turning 35.

Reports say that for his first birthday as a father, the prince's wife, Meghan Markle, has put together a collage of his quiet moments with baby

Archie and the Duchess of Sussex. We're told she has -- and if we got all of those images, we'll let you know.

A famous folk band did making dreams come true for a special needs group in Louisville in Kentucky. Twelve adults got a larger-than-life surprise when

they met the band, the Backstreet Boys.

In fact, this group calls themselves (ph) Backstreet Dreams, echoing their heroes' name. The pop stars reached out when they saw the group lip-

synching the Boys' 1999 hit, "I Want It That Way," on social media. I want to look at their performance here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BACKSTREET BOYS, VOCAL GROUP: The one desire. Believe when I say I want it that way. But we are two worlds --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Lovely. Well, on Friday, members of Backstreet Dreams were feeling the love hanging out with the Backstreet Boys on their world tour,

hugging and taking pictures.

Well, do remember to join us for CNN special coverage of the Israeli election. I'll be there with my colleagues bring you all the news that you

do need to know. An important election that is Israel votes and on -- the time is shown on your screens there.

I am Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD from our programming hub here in Abu Dhabi. Thank you for watching wherever you are in the world.

I hope you have a great good morning, good evening, good afternoon.

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END