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Trump Threatens New Sanctions on Russia; IAEA Warns of Nuclear Arms Race Under Trump; Trump Confirms Talks with Hamas Over Hostages; Deadly Fighting Breaks Out in Syria; Analyzing Trump's Policy Shift on Ukraine and Europe; Short Animation About PTSD Wins Iran's Third Oscar; Netflix Debuts Meghan Markle's Cooking Show. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 07, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:46]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, welcome to our second hour of the show. It is 7:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi, and we are wrapping up
what's been a crucial week for Ukraine, punctuated by a bombshell post on social media from Donald Trump. He is threatening new sanctions on Russia.
Well, the head of the U.S.'s nuclear watchdog says the second Trump administration could be the driver for a new nuclear arms race. We speak to
the IAEA director, Rafael Grossi. Plus, deadly clashes in Syria between government forces and pro-Assad groups overnight. More on how the country
got here.
While diplomats talk, the bombs fall, Ukraine subjected to yet another massive Russian attack overnight. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying
Russian missiles and drones targeted infrastructure across multiple regions of the country. At least two people were killed.
Mr. Zelenskyy, echoing support for a plan first floated by the French president for a one-month ceasefire ahead of comprehensive peace talks. For
the beleaguered people of Ukraine, now struggling through a fourth year of war, peace cannot come soon enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm 81 years old. I fled the war, and now the war caught up with me. I'm from Kupiansk. I don't know what to
do now. I don't know what to do or what to see. It should have just killed me and it would be all over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that woman, 81 years old and displaced after her home was destroyed.
Nick Paton Walsh back with me this hour.
Nick, these attacks happening amid word that President Zelenskyy will be heading to Saudi Arabia next week, ahead of talks there involving U.S. and
this time, Ukrainian officials. What can we expect at this point?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does seem with this latest post by President Donald Trump that there is a
bid potentially by Washington to at least seem like they might impose pressure on the Russian side. It is unclear exactly what sanctions in
banking sectors or elsewhere after three years of intense pressure from the Biden administration are left, that might make Moscow feel the pinch that
potentially areas of the energy sector which might be hit liquid natural gas, perhaps, but the shadow fleet that Russia uses to export much of its
oil around the world, well, as it says, quite hard to touch, hidden from a lot of those sanctioned regimes.
So a lot of complexity here, and I'm sure that many Ukrainians are asking, given that the Trump administration has to some degree put pressure on them
pausing military aid and intelligence sharing, not quite sanctions, but certainly removing the assistance they urgently need here. Why indeed, a
similar amounts of pressure not being applied on what Ukrainians see as the aggressor, Moscow here.
But again, here we raise the stakes, and it appears this is designed to get Russia potentially to consider forcefully whatever is likely to get put in
front of them. We don't know what the focus of Tuesday's talks are going to be in terms of the concrete details of a peace deal. We know that both the
Ukrainian and Washington sides seem to want this rare earth minerals deal signed. We know that President Zelenskyy will attend a meeting with the
crown prince of Saudi Arabia the day before, but then his staff and senior Trump cabinet members have a separate discussion.
I think the part of what you have to read into this intense pressure we've seen over the past five days after that extraordinary scene in the Oval
Office, and there have since been two meetings with European powers to shore up and show their solidarity with Ukraine, is that there may well be
a part of some details of a peace process that Ukraine is the last to sign on to on Tuesday. That is as yet unknown. It may well be just a healing of
their relationship and getting that rare earth minerals deal back on track.
[10:05:02]
But we, you know, are seeing here a lot of uncertainty as to what exactly is the piece that Trump wants Zelenskyy to commit to. He's had pretty much
his apology on social media. He's had him saying he wants to sign the deal, and he's had him say he wants to commit to peace. But we haven't had the
specifics yet, and that's what we may indeed hear in Saudi Arabia -- Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you, Nick.
While the war rages on, European governments scrambling to stiffen their own defenses in case they find themselves more isolated than they've been
since World War II. It comes as the Trump administration casts doubt on its commitment to NATO, and shows disregard for any rules based global order.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed Europe's fears earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Our nuclear deterrence protects us, protects French sovereignty right across the board,
and this has always played a part in the security and peace of Europe. But responding to the historic appeal of the German chancellor, I decided that
we have to increase our protection amongst our allies in Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, joining me now from Vienna is the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
It's always good to have you, sir. Thank you for making the time. President Macron said nuclear deterrence protects us. This is a step away from the
idea of nonproliferation and disarmament. How concerned are you particularly given that this is a strategy, of course, pursued by places
like Russia and North Korea?
RAFAEL GROSSI, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY DIRECTOR GENERAL: Well, thank you very much. And first of all, it's a pleasure to be with you to
have these discussions. I think it is clear that the consideration of nuclear weapons is gaining a lot of attention, which is in a certain sense
disturbing. You have two dimensions here, which were, I think, present in your question.
You have a dimension on possible nuclear disarmament, which these days seems to be quite a remote possibility, since what we are seeing is a lot
of talk about nuclear weapons, the role nuclear weapons can be playing in an evolving dramatically so international scenario. What we are responsible
for and concerned about from the IAEA perspective is the nonproliferation side, which is what you refer to.
Since in this current geostrategic, geopolitical tensions that we have obviously consideration of nuclear weapons, talk about nuclear weapons is
making them more attractive. There are countries that do not have in the case you were mentioning President Macron. President Macron has, the other
five permanent members of the Security Council are also the countries that are recognized as legitimate possessors if you want, owners of nuclear
weapons, in accordance with the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.
The thing is, those who are trying to be added to the list, trying to get nuclear weapons because they see a world where there is less certainty,
there is more insecurity, and everybody, including the big powers of the world, are talking more and more about nuclear weapons and how they can be
your real protection.
ANDERSON: The Trump administration has already upended most of the post- World War II, Cold War era. Do you worry about the impact? I mean, just how concerned are you about the impact this has on nuclear threats?
GROSSI: Well, I think it is clear that when you have problems, tensions that are increasing and that they are getting to a crisis point, the
perspective of the use of nuclear weapons is always there. We've seen this in the Russian-Ukrainian scenario. We are seeing this now at the discourse
level. We do not know exactly how this is going to pan out in the end with people talking about redistribution of nuclear weapons, use of nuclear
weapons eventually.
I think it's important to try to solve one by one this crisis. You have the case in the Middle East of Iran, where we are responsible, at least on a --
to a certain degree, trying to prevent Iran from acceding to nuclear weapons, which might have a domino effect in other parts in the near and
the Middle East.
[10:10:10]
The same applies to the Korean Peninsula and so on and so forth. So here I think what we have to pay a lot of attention to is to how there is this new
consideration of nuclear weapons, which from being in the past a deterrent, something that was, you know, looming large in the horizon, but in a
certain sense, like in a passive way. Now all of a sudden, they are at the forefront of every discussion.
ANDERSON: Right.
GROSSI: And this is a bit disturbing. Absolutely.
ANDERSON: Look, you mentioned Iran. So let's do that. Iran has greatly increased its enrichment since President Trump pulled out of the JCPOA or
the nuclear deal. A report in February showed that Iran has been enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity. What does that mean in terms of creating a
weapon?
GROSSI: Well, that means that they are tantalizingly close to nuclear weapon grade. Nuclear weapon grade, the degree of enrichment that you need
to have in the uranium you are using in your device must be 90 percent. Between 60 percent and 90 percent there are just a few steps, technical
steps. Technically speaking, you could even say that they are already there in terms of the material, in terms of the material needed.
That doesn't mean automatically or should be construed as to say that they have nuclear weapons now, but that goes a long way into that direction. So
at the moment, what we are seeing are the first movements to try to see whether we can go back to a negotiating table. There are conversations
among the so-called E3. This means the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Iran.
On the one hand we are waiting for the start of a process involving in one way or the other. You may remember that during the Biden administration,
there was a sort of back-channel kind of conversation, not in the open between the U.S. and Iran.
ANDERSON: Right.
GROSSI: And of course, we are there as the inspectors and we are talking to everybody. Now, the thing is, are we going towards an agreement or what is
it going to happen? And this is the big question mark that we have at this moment.
ANDERSON: Right. Well, let's talk about that. Let's talk about that because there's been --
GROSSI: Yes.
ANDERSON: Yes, there's been a lot of talk about a possible deal. Now, Donald Trump says he has written to the supreme leader on Thursday. He's
talked about that and announced that today. He's written to the supreme leader saying he would rather do a deal than have Iran have a nuclear
weapon and to have to deal with that militarily. So, you know, how confident are you that there is a, you know, there is a possibility that,
one, Iran can be stopped in building a nuclear weapon and that you think that there's a deal to be cut at this point.
What are you hearing?
GROSSI: Well, the first thing I would say is that it is very good, and it's positive that we hear the president of the United States, President Trump,
reaching out to the supreme leader. You know, in Iran, there is a very peculiar political system where you have a president and you have a
government, but on top of it, there is a supreme leader, spiritual leader that has also, I would say, terrestrial powers.
And they, of course, need to come to some sort of understanding. Without that, I mean, in international politics either you want to have an
agreement and have a diplomatic solution, or you let a problem fester until perhaps there is a military conflict or a war. We don't want that to
happen. So I think that this is a good thing. And I think, it must be, of course, considered in that sense.
Of course, after this, and we have to see what kind of reaction this letter gets, we have to go into the technical work. The technical work is how you
make sure that all the activities, and we have to say that the nuclear program in Iran has grown enormously. They are enriching at these levels.
They have many more facilities, laboratories, fuel fabrication plants, et cetera, et cetera, where they are doing lots of activities.
So this has nothing to do with the kind of situation we had when this first deal, nuclear deal was struck back in 2015. So you have to look at it in a
very different way, in a more comprehensive way, including other things. So this is where we from the IAEA can -- you were asking whether it is
possible, of course it is possible. Of course it is.
[10:15:02]
It is possible provided we have an opportunity to verify what we need to verify. And there is a commitment on the part of Iran to do this. The
Iranian government, and we are now closing our session of the board of governors of the IAEA here in Vienna, and they have repeated again that
they do not want to proliferate and so on and so forth. Of course, as President Reagan used to say, we trust but we need to verify.
So this is what we need to do. And quite clearly, there will have to be a deal. What President Trump is referring to the contours of that deal is
what is going to be discussed. What are we going to put into the pot? What are we going to be verifying? On the nuclear side, we can, of course have
ideas. And I think everything could be in place to move towards that agreement.
But of course, in arms control, Becky, in disarmament, things work top down, not bottom up. So we have to have the leaders deciding that they want
to have an agreement, and then the rest, of course, it can work.
ANDERSON: Do you have confidence that Iran is looking for a deal at this point?
GROSSI: They have said so. I was in Tehran and I had an opportunity to discuss with President Pezeshkian. I am hoping to return to Tehran in the
next few weeks. And this is what they are telling me. And I think if they are telling me this and we see President Trump saying he wants a deal, now
I think what we have to do is to fill in this gap with a technically viable deal, which will give the international community the guarantees it needs.
But as I said, it's going to be trickier than in the past.
ANDERSON: Understood.
GROSSI: In the past, the Iran of 2015 had nothing to do with the Iran of today, where they are really -- they have made huge strides that make them
or put them closer to a nuclear weapon.
ANDERSON: Sure.
GROSSI: If they decided to do that.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Your insight is, of course, extremely valuable. Thank you very much indeed.
GROSSI: My pleasure.
ANDERSON: The head of the IAEA.
Coming up, we're following developments of what may be the biggest security threat yet to the new Syrian government. More on that is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Hamas delegation has now arrived in Cairo to discuss this Gaza ceasefire deal and push for a potential second phase of that
agreement. That is according to Egypt's State Information Service.
[10:20:03]
Talks have stalled with Israel refusing to allow aid into Hamas unless Hamas agrees to new terms to extend the first phase of that deal. Well, it
comes as Donald Trump has confirmed his administration is holding direct talks with Hamas about releasing the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Jeremy Diamond has more on what is going on.
Jeremy, let's just get an understanding from you as to where we are and how Israel is reacting to this.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard President Trump yesterday directly confirming that the United States has indeed, for the
first time ever in terms of any publicly known conversations, engaged directly in negotiations with Hamas.
We understand that Adam Boehler, the hostage envoy for the president, spoke directly with a top Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, in Qatar. Al-Hayya has
been the one leading Hamas's negotiations in Qatar since early on in these indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Publicly, Israel has said very little about how it feels about the United States speaking directly to Hamas. But a tersely worded statement that it
issued earlier this week gave us some indication that they perhaps were not all too thrilled, in which they said that they had simply conveyed their
views to the United States about those direct negotiations.
But now we are learning from reports in Israeli media that indeed, Ron Dermer, the minister of Strategic Affairs, who is now leading negotiations
for the Israeli side, expressed his disagreement directly to Adam Boehler about these negotiations and, in fact, that the Israeli side had conveyed
its -- the fact that it was against any direct U.S.-Hamas negotiations much earlier, even before these talks actually happened, and that the United
States still went ahead with it.
So clearly, some crossed wires there between the United States and Israel. But it is important to note that overall, the Trump and Netanyahu
governments are very much in agreement, very much both pressing this kind of hard line against Hamas and that the United States seems much more
focused on pressuring Hamas than it does on pressuring Israel in terms of the next stages of these negotiations.
ANDERSON: Jeremy is in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, thank you.
Well, we are getting new eyewitnesses from or eyewitness video in from western Syria where intense fighting broke out overnight. Have a look at
this.
Now, these shows the Syrian Army opening fire after an ambush attempt along the Aleppo-Latakia highway. Dozens have been killed in that fighting.
Officials say Assad-linked militia are responsible for the attacks, but no group has actually claimed responsibility yet. This is the worst outbreak
of violence we've seen since the transitional government came into power.
Ibrahim al-Assil is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. He joins us now live from Washington, D.C.
Latakia, the heartland of the Alawite minority sect, which Assad was a big part of, of course, how big a security challenge is this for the new
government going forward? What do you understand to be happening on the ground?
IBRAHIM AL-ASSIL, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Great to be with you, Becky. I would say the last 24 hours were the most challenging for
Syrians since the day that Assad fell on December 8th of last year. It started with some militias and forces loyal to Assad ambushing and
attacking and surrounding checkpoints of -- for security forces belonging to the new interim government on the coastal area, where it's heavily
populated by the Alawite sects. That's the sect that Assad himself came from.
But of course, also we've heard lots of reports over the last three months that locals were mistreated by some of these fighters and some of these
checkpoints. However, I would also add and highlight that those attackers and those militias themselves also mistreated the locals and prevented them
from having their own leaders to talk to the interim government in Damascus. It's a very complex situation there because the challenge is
security, is political and social as well.
And I would add the final point here to show the complexity that there are also reports about Iranian efforts to support these militias. The remnants
of the Assad regime on the coastal area, and to smuggle weapons from Lebanon into the coastal area, hoping that they would destabilize the
situation inside Syria and find a way to go back and have some influence inside Syria in the post-Assad era.
ANDERSON: Rebuilding Syria is a massive challenge, and getting sanctions lifted will be absolutely critical for this new government if it is to be
successful. The E.U. and the U.K. have begun lifting some restrictions. The U.S. has not. Is that going to delay things further one assumes so?
AL-ASSIL: Thank you so much for this question. It's very important because everything I was describing comes on top of a dire economic situation
inside Syria. We have some indicators show that unemployment is somewhere between 35 percent to 40 percent, and it goes up in some regions, up to 85
percent to 90 percent among the population. And we're talking about a wide segment of society that's young, that's angry, and it's hungry as well.
And they don't see that things will get better on the near future with sanctions are still in place. Lifting sanctions or waiving at least some of
those sanctions for six months to a year by the United States is crucial to stabilize Syria with all the challenges that it's facing domestically. And
add to that the regional challenges. I mentioned the Iranian challenge. And also there is the Israeli challenge with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying
that the government in Damascus won't be allowed to deploy forces in the south.
In the northeast, we have another challenge with the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the United States. So Syria is divided today. To unify
it we need some -- show some support, and probably at least allow some economic recovery in the country to happen so we alleviate some of that
anger and tension going on within the Syrian society.
ANDERSON: Yes. Until these sanctions are lifted, of course, it's difficult for countries who want to get involved in the reconstruction or at least
the support at this point, Qatar being one of them, Saudi Arabia perhaps being another, difficult for them to actually get equipment in, you know,
start any effort in support and reconstruction because they are prevented from doing so by these U.S. sanctions of course.
It's good to have you, Ibrahim. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, it's a rare enough for a film made in Iran to make it to a global audience. To then win an Oscar, well, that is even rarer. Coming up, we
meet the filmmakers who defied the odds in more ways than one and went home with an Academy Award.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:29]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, from our Middle East broadcasting headquarters here in Abu Dhabi.
Your headlines.
Security forces are headed to western Syria after intense fighting broke out there overnight. Local officials say government checkpoints and patrols
were attacked by pro-Assad militia in Latakia province. Dozens have been killed or wounded in those clashes.
Donald Trump says his administration is holding direct talks with Hamas about releasing the remaining hostages in Gaza. President Trump said the
U.S. won't give cash to the militant group, but stressed the need for negotiations. The new approach goes against the decades long U.S. policy of
refusing to talk with groups it sees as terrorists.
Well, parts of Ukraine are reeling today after what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says was another massive attack on Ukrainian infrastructure. This
latest assault coming amid word Mr. Zelenskyy will head to Saudi Arabia next week ahead of talks there between U.S. and Ukrainian officials aimed
at repairing ties.
Well, in the seven days since that infamous Oval Office meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, we have seen a seismic shift in U.S. policy
towards Ukraine. It's had real world implications. A pause in U.S. Military aid and intelligence sharing, and a wholesale rethink about Trans-Atlantic
relations.
I want to connect you to some of the analysis that I'm seeing on this rapidly moving story, starting with some of the most fiery and viral out
there. This from center right French Senator Claude Malhuret in his own language with subtitles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAUDE MALHURET, CENTER-RIGHT FRENCH SENATE MEMBER (through text translation): The American shield is slipping away, Ukraine risks being
abandoned, and Russia is being strengthened. Washington has become the Court of Nero, an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And spoiler alert, the Court of Nero, to which Washington, D.C. was compared in that clip, didn't end well. Malhuret goes on to call
Trump's actions a betrayal, but points out a silver lining.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALHURET (through text translation): The shock is severe but it has a virtue. Europeans are emerging from denial. In a single day in Munich, they
understood that Ukraine's survival and Europe's future are in their hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Look, Europe seems to be experiencing real existential fear. Fear that is motivating the bloc to mobilize not only its own defense but
reportedly toward a reasonable end of fighting.
The political editor of iTV, Robert Peston, pointed out on X, "Macron, Starmer and Rutter are working around the clock with Zelenskyy to draft a
framework for a ceasefire that would then allow formal peace talks to start. Trump has, if anything, massively increased the importance of
formulating such a ceasefire plan as expeditiously as possible."
So if Mr. Trump wants peace in Ukraine and a Europe that pays for its own defense, he's making progress towards those goals. But the way in which he
makes gains matters. If he sides with a dictator over a democracy, that matters. Well, in contrast to the Ukraine policy, he's not rocking the boat
on long held U.S. support of Israel.
An opinion piece in "The National," the paper of note here in the UAE looked at the similarities and differences between Mr. Trump's approach to
the two crises, Israel and Ukraine, both invaded. Ukraine losing Trump's support, while Israel is given a green light by an overtly pro-Israel
administration to, quote, "finish the job."
East Asian Affairs columnist Sholto Byrnes writes this, "If Mr. Trump sees Hamas as so irredeemable that Israel has every right to try to eliminate
it, and Russia as a great power with a legitimate grievance, then he would feel no need for consistency, a concept he does not view as a virtue in any
case."
[10:35:00]
Mr. Trump does not appear to value consistency. The tariff U-turns we've covered daily illustrate that. There are key and obvious differences
between the Ukraine and Israel issues, though. For one, Zelenskyy defied Trump once during his first term by not investigating Joe Biden, and
Ukraine does not have a powerful voting bloc in the U.S. like Israel has.
But even if the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in lockstep with Mr. Trump, it's worth asking will the U.S. administration keep
Israel's priorities front and center in its new direct talks with Hamas? Or will the Trump team put America first again?
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, a huge success for Iranian cinema at the Oscars this year. Iranian filmmakers and couple Shirin Shahani and Hossein Molayemi's film
entitled "In the Shadow of the Cypress," won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. The third film from Iran to ever win an Academy Award.
Well, this 2-D dialogue-free. Sorry, this 2-D dialogue-free animation short film tells the story of a former captain who lives with his daughter in a
remote home by the Persian Gulf. His character suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder following the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Their lives take
an unexpected turn when they discover a beached whale, setting them on an emotional journey of profound healing.
The production and work around this film took over six years, and just a day before the awards ceremony in L.A., the couple wasn't even sure they
would be able to attend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIRIN SOHANI, IRANIAN FILMMAKER: We hadn't obtained our visa until yesterday, and we were totally disappointed. So disappointed. And now we
are here and the statue. Oh, my gosh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, they made it. And what an achievement it was for them. I caught up with Hossein and Shirin about what this win for them and for Iran
really means.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW GARFIELD, ACTOR, OSCAR PRESENTER: The Oscar goes to "In the Shadow of the Cypress."
SOHANI: I still need time to digest what happened that day on the stage at the Oscars. I couldn't -- I still cannot believe it.
HOSSEIN MOLAYEMI, IRANIAN FILMMAKER: Yes, obviously, we are on the moon, and all those years that we were working on this project fortunately paid
off.
[10:40:06]
ANDERSON: Well, I know production for this film took over six years. When you look back at some of those moments, and at times, it must have been
grueling, did you ever imagine that you'd win such an accolade? Just take me through that process.
SOHANI: You know, when we started working on this project we thought that it would take maybe three or four years, but because we had a lot of
difficulties and challenges for making this film, we found out that it's impossible to finish the project in three or four years. But we loved our
film. We loved our story. We wanted to give the voice to those PTSD veterans. We knew that it would take a long to accomplish the film. We
couldn't believe that someday it would win an Oscar.
ANDERSON: Hossein, you've been very outspoken about the financial difficulties that Iranian artists and filmmakers face. Just talk to us
about some of the challenges that you faced in making this film.
MOLAYEMI: It's years that we are under sanctions and unfortunately our people are suffering from the consequences. And we are not exceptions. And
because of that it was a very hard for us to fund the film. We were relying on our own pocket for making this film. For example, the other problem that
we had was a lack of skilled animators. In the majority of them either had left the country or didn't work anymore because they thought that it was
not a lucrative business to make animation anymore.
We are going to dedicate our film and this precious award to all those who are still fighting in their inner and outer battles, heroically, and nobody
knows about that, especially to our fellow Iranians who are still suffering.
ANDERSON: Do you believe Iranians might use this as an outlet to release and talk about these inner battles?
SOHANI: After receiving this recognition from the Academy, we received a lot of messages from Iran, and we saw that there's kind of explosion in
Iran. People are beyond happy for this win. And they we wanted that prize for our nation, to be honest, because we knew that it can make our nation
happy. They need hope. They need some very, very good news.
MOLAYEMI: This Oscar is the first Iranian Oscar for an Iranian animation and the third Oscar in general for Iranian cinema. And we are very honored
for that.
ANDERSON: Do you have a favorite moment in the film?
SOHANI: I remember we see the father, he's trying to get up because he already fell on the ground. And he's trying to get up. And the daughter is
standing behind him in front of the veil. And I remember that when we were designing this plan, I was asking Hossein that, do you think that someday I
can watch this plan on the big screen? Do you think it's -- it will happen someday? And, you know, at the at the first time that I saw that plan in
Venice Film Festival, the premiere of the film, you know that dream came true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That is a really beautiful film.
Well, Britain's King Charles is sharing his favorite tunes in a new show that's released next week, along with an Apple Music playlist that he has
curated. In it, the king talks about what music means to him and about the artists that he's picked for his personal soundtrack. The songs come from
across the commonwealth, and the show goes to air on March 10th to mark Commonwealth Day.
Well, included in the royal playlist everything from reggae legend Bob Marley, played by a military band, to Grammy nominated singer Raye.
[10:45:02]
Well, this week Meghan Markle returned to television with a new cooking show. The Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" features the Duchess of Sussex
diving into the lifestyle genre. Here's a quick look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: You see where our rainbow is coming together here, and you don't have to do a big platter of this. You could do
this with one small row for your kids for breakfast, genuinely, and it makes the morning a lot more fun. But can I just show you if you've just
made one? Just like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please yes.
MARKLE: Just a little morning plate. It's a real delight in being able to be a present parent, and it's a luxury sometimes because we all have to
work. We all have a lot of stuff to do, but when you can take a minute to just --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saturday morning.
MARKLE: Yes. Finding the fun in those moments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it is her first return to the screen in several years. Critics, well, they are already weighing in with some pretty harsh reviews,
some describing the show as totally out of touch.
Well, Erin Vanderhoof is a writer for "Vanity Fair," joining us now live from New York.
And, Erin, you have watched all eight episodes, and afterwards you wrote a piece headlined "The Most Personal Part of 'With Love, Meghan' is the view
into the Duchess's closet." Just explain if you will.
ERIN VANDERHOOF, WRITER, VANITY FAIR: Well, you know, it's a little bit of a joke, but pointing out that, though the show was not filmed in her house,
it was filmed in a place down the street, I think the idea was that it's kind of hard to have 80 kids when you also have security guard, I mean,
sorry, 80 crew members, and you also have security guards and stuff. But she did actually use a lot of her clothes, her own personal clothes that
we've seen her wear over the last five or six years.
And so I think in that way, it's like you can kind of tell that where she did have a lot of -- you know, that she was really hands on in picking the
clothing and picking sort of the vibe of the show. And even, you know, you see her playing kind of executive producer little moments. You hear her
say, OK, cue the Archies when she's talking about sugar. And so I think that that's the, you know, we're not getting revelations about her personal
life, but it is probably one of the biggest views into her personality and the things she cares about, really she's ever done.
ANDERSON: Right. OK. What did you think of the content? I mean, a lot of these reviews have been pretty harsh. "The Economist," I think it was who
wrote that it was totally out of touch. Not relatable and not authentic is what I've heard a lot of people suggest about this. What did you actually
think of the content at the end of the day?
VANDERHOOF: Yes. So I think, as Drew Barrymore said when the duchess went on her show yesterday, she's one of the most famous people in the world.
And so it puts her in a tough position because people who are watching the show, they are probably not the ones who watched Selena Gomez's show with
the same executive producer or Joanna Gaines of Magnolia, let alone the sort of cooking content on YouTube that I think Meghan is really pulling
from.
And I think that she did a really good job of kind of elevating that more like low key. I think that the critical response, I think, was that it was
slow and a little unrevealing, and I think that there is definitely something to that. But the -- I think the biggest frustration is that the
hard stuff in her life was just turned into, as you said, the before, the during and the after. Not like Harry and Meghan, where it was much more
about getting everything on the table, much more -- it felt, you know, much more reality than this one.
ANDERSON: And isn't that perhaps the crux of this, that it's the interest in her and Prince Harry. It's the interest in Meghan Sussex, as she now
calls herself rather than Meghan Markle, as opposed to the sort of who she is in her kind of content and lifestyle sort of character. And after all,
let's be fair to her. I mean, she had a blog before she got married, and she's clearly wanting to sort of continue that.
I just wonder, do -- you know, there was an unsuccessful podcast series, but this is now part of a $100 million Netflix deal that she has. What do
you see her future in content creation to be at this point in the industry?
VANDERHOOF: Yes. So when Meghan and Harry, when it became clear that they were focusing on making more than just, you know, one tell-all documentary,
one of the things that they said in starting Archewell Productions is that they wanted to focus on making uplifting programing, which, you know, I
think it can feel a little bit corny or unspecific, but they mean something really specific when they said that.
And, you know, she's funded research into how caregiving is portrayed on network TV, and she and Harry have participated in research work about
mental health and loneliness and social isolation.
[10:50:03]
And so I think the show and her future in television and media makes the most sense in that context. Somebody who's seeing their work as like a bit
more of a social mission than necessarily aiming for, you know, like the biggest number of eyeballs.
ANDERSON: Right.
VANDERHOOF: And it seems like, you know, Meghan has a really tight knit community of fans. She even went and met with some of them on Monday. I
think that they're going to be satisfied with that, but I think at the same time, you know, one of the ways that her career is going to be going
forward and she's going to have to deal with this, is that she has what some media theorists call an anti-fan following, which is, you know, that
there are a lot of people who watch her just because they don't like her. And that's -- I think it's a hard thing to deal with. But it means that the
way that you measure success is going to be a little bit different than, say, if somebody is, you know, trying to become a more non-controversial,
like A-list movie star.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Erin. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Right. After the break, Malala Yousafzai goes on an emotional visit ahead of International Women's Day. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Saturday is International Women's Day and we want to remember the hundreds of millions of women across the globe taking on one
of the most important roles in life as primary caregivers. It's a role that is often expected of women.
So for our "Parting Shots" tonight, we want to show you a piece from our "As equals" series, highlighting the caregivers who make so many sacrifices
to take care of their loved ones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIWA KING, CAREGIVER IN LONDON: I've never had any other role in life that is, as challenging, but as fulfilling as caregiving.
JENNY HUIE, CAREGIVER IN LONDON: I care for my youngest son. I've been doing this for 23 years? My husband thought it was my responsibility.
SANDY OHKI, CAREGIVER IN TOKYO (through text translation): I definitely was someone who really liked her job, not being able to work at all because of
caretaking for my parents. It's painful. Life is not enriched.
GRAPHICS: Around 708 million women worldwide were unable to enter the labor force because of unpaid care responsibilities.
ANGELA AWUAH, CAREGIVER IN LONDON: I care for my parents. I've been doing this since I was 16, and since then I've been caring for them and my
siblings. I was making food, making sure my younger siblings were OK. I was the breadwinner of the home, so bringing in money to help support with
bills and also pay for food.
SHASHI JOHAR, CAREGIVER IN DELHI, INDIA (through text translation): I worked in a bank. At home I had a lot of responsibilities. Many times, I
wouldn't get enough sleep so I would be sleepy at work.
OHKI: It's so difficult to describe my feeling because I feel sorry and I feel sad and I feel angry.
AWUAH: I feel like a lot of my teenage years was lost caring for my loved ones.
HUIE: I've sacrificed part of my life. Yes. Your life is on hold for them.
AWUAH: I used to mask it and go to college, and people used to think I was moody or I was just angry all the time, but they didn't know what was
happening back at home.
[10:50:02]
ANNA OGECHI ENEH, CAREGIVER IN LAGOS, NIGERIA: Caring for myself, it's one thing I don't see myself doing any longer. I don't see myself since I had
my child.
HUIE: And keeping that sort of smiley, happy face the whole is hard work. So it's a battle. Financially, mentally and physically.
AWUAH: Wow. Where do I find joy?
OHKI: When my mother said thank you, when she smiles, when she eats.
(Through text translation): I'm sorry, I can't stop crying.
KING: I feel so blessed that I am the person that gets to make his life incredible. It's hard, but it's the most perfect, most fulfilling, most
amazing thing that I will ever do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And one of Pakistan's most famous daughters, Malala Yousafzai, has returned to her hometown for the first time since being shot by the
Taliban. She wrote on X, "This place is very dear to my heart and I hope to return again and again."
International Women's Day on Saturday. Let's celebrate.
Well, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
