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U.S. And Iran Said Agreement To Be Signed In Geneva Friday; Dt Arrives In Europe For G7 Summit; Israel Says It Opposes Withdrawing Its Forces From Lebanon; Spain Set To Open Campaign Against Cape Verde; Trump Arrives In France For G7 Summit. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 15, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:41]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Where the time
just after 6:00 in the evening. I'm Becky Anderson for you.
Any moment now, Donald Trump set to arrive in Geneva, a city front and center of the diplomatic stage this week. The U.S. President attending the
G Summit just over the border in France, fresh from announcing a breakthrough agreement with Iran after more than 15 weeks of conflict that
will be signed in Geneva on Friday. It will be the end of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, as we understand it, as well as the reopening of the
Strait of Hormuz, but there are still big question marks. The U.S. rejects Tehran's claim that the agreement includes the release of billions of
dollars of frozen Iranian funds. Iranian media also contradict President Trump's claim that almost will be, "Permanently toll-free."
On top of this, the status of Lebanon is unclear, with Israel insisting it will not withdraw from the South.
Well, the U.S. Vice President told ABC that the MOU was signed digitally yesterday, and he told CNN -- sorry, CNBC, Washington hopes to release the
exact text this week.
Nic Robertson following developments from London. And Nic, whether you're in Riyadh, Islamabad, or London, you've been our key asset across this
story from its earliest days, 111 to be precise. How would you characterize where we are at with this MOU agreement to open discussions right now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We're sort of at the verge of getting into some of the toughest negotiations that seem
incredibly challenged by the timeline that they'll have to be made on. Incredibly challenged because of the vagueness of language, and we don't
have the details of the language yet, but the vagueness of the language to get both sides, the U.S. and Iran, to sit down at the table together,
that's what this second phase was designed to do, to put forward an MOU that they could agree on the MOU, and then discuss everything after.
So, we're on the verge of something that looks like it will take a long time, that there's intense disagreement that we're already seeing shadows
of that disagreement about what United States obligation is on those frozen Iranian assets that they want on the -- on the nature and timing of the
opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's intention to have a new management of the Strait of Hormuz, they say not a toll, but it will
potentially amount to that.
So, these things were incredibly fragile as well. Before you even get to the discussion about those really tough issues, the nuclear enrichment,
Iran's commitment not to have a nuclear weapon, an inspections regime, all of these will be sensitive, and Lebanon, of course, part of that picture,
and so many ways that this is all not locked in, even when you get into the after the signing, a physical signing after you get into these 60 days of
discussions, that it could break down again, that there's a number of reasons that that could sort of end the process, get either side to revert
back to a previous position.
So, it is an achievement to be at this moment, it seems, yet the challenge ahead is monumental, and I think the scale of it is, you know, is what I
reflect on at the moment.
ANDERSON: Right. And we are wheels down, or certainly we are not. The U.S. president is wheels down in Geneva, and that is Air Force One on the tarmac
there, and he will then, as I understand it, get a chopper to the other side of the border in France, Evian -les-Bains, which is where the G7 will
meet.
Nic, have a listen to former President Barack Obama weighing in on this MOU.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a
significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place and had worked for for a long stretch of time before we, the United States,
pulled out of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:23]
ANDERSON: Look, let's be quite clear about this, we. No idea where these negotiations are headed at this point after this memo takes effect, but
there is every argument to suggest that Barack Obama is indeed right there, and this will not be particularly different from the JCPOA signed under his
administration back in 2015. A deal that was ripped up by Donald Trump and described as the worst deal in history. Where does that leave
us?
ROBERTSON: Look, I think what's happened since 2015 when that deal was made, and what has happened since February the 28th when President Trump
decided to go to war against Iran, is it's changed the perceptions of the Iranian leadership. It's changed the Iranian leadership. It's brought in
what appears to be a younger, more dedicated, more hardcore, some might argue, leadership in Iran that has recognized that it does have significant
leverage that it can exercise over the international community in the United States, in particular, to get what it wants, and that's called the
Strait of Hormuz, and that is an immediate control on international energy flows, and therefore, and therefore, international finances.
So, Iran is in a much stronger position than it was back in 2015 in its own mind, it is aggrieved at being attacked by the United States. It has
withstood the attack of the United States and Israel. It has withstood significant internal pressure to overthrow the leadership back in January
this year, and they've emerged, they believe, with a money-making mechanism with leverage able to make demands about their proxy in Lebanon, for
example, Hezbollah.
So, I think when President Obama -- former President Obama, says this deal doesn't look any stronger, Iran certainly believes it has the mechanisms in
place to make what President Obama is saying correct, because it does seem unlikely at this moment, all we seem to have from this deal is getting back
to the status quo ante on the Strait of Hormuz, and even that's not the status quo ante, Iran threatening to make money out of it.
The nuclear part of it, that part of the deal hasn't even been broached, and when Iran feels stronger, they're not as likely to make commitments
that they've made in 2015.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, you know, when you -- when you look at social media, the Iranian diaspora, those who are no fans of this regime, really don't
seem to feel that this is an agreement headed in the right direction, as far as they are concerned. You've got to wonder, what the 80 percent of
Iranians inside the country who aren't regime supporters are feeling.
Although the opportunity for a stronger and more robust economy, I guess, going forward could be a good thing for those Iranians who live there, but
that could be sometime down the road.
I mean, this is a -- this is effectively a road map that we have at this point for discussions. Look, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey playing
crucial and many say commendable mediating roles here, despite best efforts.
I mean, this agreement effectively kicks a can down the road on exactly what you've been discussing, core threats to the region, nuclear being one,
ballistics and proxy files being the others, of course. So, where do you think this leaves the Gulf?
ROBERTSON: Look, I think this leaves the Gulf countries, be it the UAE, be it Qatar, be it, -- be it Bahrain, be it Kuwait, be it Saudi Arabia, be it
Oman, Pakistan, a neighbor of Iran as well, all recognizing that the power dynamic, the global power dynamic, has changed. President Trump has been
shown here to have come out of this looking not as strong as he went into it, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz isn't open yet, and there's a
dynamic at play here that may not work in his favor, it may not work.
So, it leaves these countries now looking to themselves and to each other to make bilateral arrangements with Iran not to get into an escalation. It
makes the situation much more in the Middle East much more fragile, if you will.
[10:10:02]
And I do come back to that point that Iran will have been through this and, at a certain level, feel strengthened and emboldened, although you do have
people like the president, you do have people like the Foreign Minister in Iran saying that the country needs to look essentially to unity, but its
economic stability, its best long-term interests, meaning another war isn't in their best interest.
But that's not the only voice in Iran, and that's the difficulty of where we're at. It doesn't matter how many politicians you're dealing with in
terms of negotiations, if the people with the real power, the IRGC are able to exercise that and styme, you know, steps at overcoming differences with
the United States. It leaves the situation very open to the potential for return to escalation of conflict in the future, and it's not what -- it's
not what all those countries want, and that's why they'll look to themselves and direct relationships with Iran to offset the possibility of
that in the future.
ANDERSON: Right. And Donald Trump wheels down in Geneva, he is headed for the G7 in France, then back to Geneva for a signing.
Frederik Pleitgen has recently returned from Iran. He joins us now, and Fred will keep one eye, obviously, on these shots, and we will watch Donald
Trump as he comes out of Air Force one day after his birthday, of course, he was 80 yesterday.
You've been in and out of Iran for us, helping us to understand the Iranian regime's perspective, and indeed the perspective of people on the ground
there who aren't necessarily regime supporters, the average Iranian who are, you know, incredibly important in all of this. What is -- let's start
with the regime. What's their thinking on this agreement, and what do we expect to see next?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Either Becky, well, certainly I think for them these were also very tough negotiations to
get to this point. If we look at how long it took and how many back and forth there were, and ups and downs, and times when it seemed that this,
even this memorandum of understanding, would be almost impossible to achieve. Then certainly you could see that they believe that this is quite
a big achievement that was made late last night, really, when finally this signing, or this electronic initialing, if you will, was announced.
I think for the Iranians, there are several very important points that I've sort of gleaned, especially in the last couple of days that I was actually
in Tehran. On the one hand, it is, of course, the Strait of Hormuz. Nic was talking about that a little bit with the President of the United States,
saying, "Look, there's not going to be any tolls, but the Iranians, for their part, saying that the situation of the Strait of Hormuz is not going
to go back to what it was before this war, that there are going to be fees, they are not going to be called tolls, but they could, for instance, be
environmental fees, administrative fees."
And if you look at what the Iranians have been doing, they're already putting together a sort of Strait of Hormuz authority that they then want
to have together with the Omanis, because one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is the territorial
waters of Iran and Oman, and they said that they want to administer that with these two countries together.
Nevertheless, they do say that there is going to be free passage, but they also say that there is going to be a fee. It's quite interesting because
the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry was asked about this today. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ESMAEIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We have always said that we are not seeking to collect transit
tolls. However, in return for the services that we will provide, including navigation services, environmental protection, potentially ship insurance,
and other services offered by Iran and Oman, the necessary costs will be covered, and corresponding fees will be collected. Therefore, the matter is
quite clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, there you can see how both sides appear to have tried to find a sort of language that lets both of them say that they are, you know, the
ones who are right in all of this. The Americans able to see if there's not going to be any tolls, the Iranians able to say that yes, they are going to
be making money out of the Strait of Hormuz, even though they say that shipping is going to be free to go through that waterway.
I think one of the other things that was very important to the Iranians is the lifting of the US naval blockade, once all of this is signed, which
means that they can also start exporting oil again. One of the things we have to keep in mind is that Iran was losing a lot of money because of this
naval blockade.
But one other thing, Becky, that was really important to the Iranians when I spoke to politicians there, members of government on the ground, as they
said the unfreezing of those assets, and there I think it's going to be interesting to see the language of the memorandum of understanding as to
how exactly that is worded, because we are hearing from the Trump administration that they say no money is going to be unfrozen with the
signing that it's all performance based, where the Iranians are insisting that they immediately want some of that cash that's frozen again, speaking
about $24 billion. One senior Iranian official telling me for them it's really important they see it as a trust building measure by the Trump
administration towards the Iranians to show that they're serious about this process, Becky.
[10:15:29]
ANDERSON: Donald Trump's on the ground in Geneva, in Switzerland, being welcomed to the country. He will be back in Geneva on Friday, a trip from
there by chopper, as we understand it now, to get him into a Evian -les- Bains, where the G7 will be held over the next three days. Good to have you. Iran, Fred, I'm sure will absolutely dominate these discussions over
the next three days. Thank you.
Want to bring in CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. Let's just talk about the optics for a moment, which, as we know, are everything to
this, U.S. president heading into the G7 with an agreement after celebrating his 80th birthday with a truly mind-boggling display of the
manosphere at the White House UFC fight.
You write that quote, the Middle East cellmate between the U.S. and superpower and its weak arrival lacks the clarity of knockout blows landed
in the octagon on the South Lawn on Sunday, this war widely seen as a loss for the U.S. President, Stephen. Does that even matter to Donald Trump at
this point?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think what matters for Trump is getting a great signing ceremony where he can use his black
sharpie and put that big signature on some kind of agreement rather than necessarily what is in the agreement. This is obviously far from the
unconditional surrender of Iran that Trump repeatedly predicted, and as Nic and Fred were saying, the real difficult tasks lie ahead here.
So, from that perspective I think that it's -- you know, it's seen one way inside the White House, and one way for the rest of the world. The fact
that the United States and Israel unleashed their full military power on a weaker country, Iran, and that Iran has emerged with the regime changed,
but intact, and perhaps even reinvigorated for a new era of repression, I think, will be seen around the world, not necessarily inside Washington, as
a sign that should raise real questions about American power relative to other countries, and also the leadership of Donald Trump.
ANDERSON: It's worth pausing for a moment to reflect on the spectacle of that UFC fight, and let me just tell the viewers, Donald Trump is now in
the chopper and headed for France.
So, let's go to Sunday, yesterday, his birthday, joining Donald Trump's family and cabinet there again, interest in the optics here. Mark
Zuckerberg, Tarek Mansour, the CEO of Kalshi, David Ellison, who owns Paramount, has just been approved to take over Warner Brothers and CNN,
amongst others. Our Donie O'Sullivan, our colleague of mine, caught up with excited fans. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: For the people who said there shouldn't be a cage fight at the White House, what do you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They might be right, but since it's here, we're going to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't agree with everything Donald Trump has been doing this term, but I'm here and I'm enjoying the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, there you go. There were also moments of real controversy, particularly when UFC fighter Josh Hokit called Michelle Obama a man during
a brief smile from Donald Trump, it has to be said. How much, Stephen, do you think this was this event was a representation of Donald Trump himself?
COLLINSON: I think to a great extent it's a metaphor for the kind of kinetic politics that he loves, and it's a sign of how he sees life. UFC
fighting is about dominance, it's not like boxing, there are far fewer rules, it's dirty fighting, as someone might argue, who followed, you know,
the greats of boxing, like Muhammad Ali, for example. Anything goes, and that is exactly what Trump sees in life and in politics. The win is all
important. It doesn't matter what you do to get there.
I think also UFC fighting is seen by many in his MAGA movement as an antidote to what they see as political correctness and wokeness, and it is
a sport that is increasingly popular among young males, especially a very difficult voting cohort for politicians to reach.
[10:20:07]
Donald Trump tapped into this in his 2024 election campaign, even though, as those comments suggest, there some of that support has started to
dissipate for other reasons, but it was very important for him to reach this young male culture as something that spans, you know, demographic
differences of race and the economy, and it was politically very valuable to him.
So, it really, I think, showed a lot of political observers that there is changing demographics in American politics, and Trump was one of the first
to recognize it.
ANDERSON: Yes, that's a really -- that's really interesting insight.
Looking ahead to the midterms, November, it remains to be seen whether the economic effects of this war can be undone before Americans hold their
referendum on the Republican Party. We have seen the price of oil down significantly since the announcement of this memorandum of understanding.
Increasingly, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a known Iran war hawk, called Vice President J.D. Vance the architect of this deal, he was not
massively gushing about the deal. You know, read between the lines, it's not one that he likes.
And it feels like there is a push, is there not, by the neocon wing of this Republican party to blame Vance for this war and the way they've gotten out
of it. How should we be thinking about that balance within the party between the Neocons frustrated by Trump's decision and the America First
MAGA wing that wants this war to be a Hoover? Caveat J.D. Vance, of course, is supposed to personify that MAGA wing of the party.
COLLINSON: Yes, this is an interesting angle, because Vance actually has been very prominent on television last night and tonight inside the United
States, selling this deal, so as someone that is trying to build his own and distinctive coalition separate from everything that you know feeds into
MAGA-ism with an I am the 2028 election that is very interesting in itself.
Lindsey Graham and another bunch of Republican hawks were quite instrumental in getting Trump to change and try to edit the terms of a
previous draft of this deal, which delayed the signing and the agreement, such as it is with Iran, by a couple of weeks, so he does have to worry
about backlash on Capitol Hill from people like Graham. Republican senators could be critical if the president wants to lift some of the sanctions on
Iran later on into this.
So, there's a real shifting dynamic in the Republican sphere here. There is, I think, great concern among these hawks that the more isolationist
tendency that is represented in many ways by Vance may come out of this deal, and in fact come out of this presidency with more influence, and the
fact that the president launched a war that he said he wouldn't do in 2024 that hurt his support among some base Republicans.
And I think that's what we're seeing here is the stirrings of an ideological battle to see what the Republican party will look like after
Donald Trump leaves office.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it? And as you talk, we're just bringing up the oil price, I wanted our viewers to see the WTI crude, the
U.S. benchmark has fallen below 80, certainly for the first time in three months.
I mean, when this war broke out, 111 days ago, these prices were still significantly lower than that, but Donald Trump had said once we get an
agreement, these oil prices will drop like a stone.
Look, they're not so low that gas prices are going to go back to where they were before this crisis started, or this conflict started, but they are
certainly headed that way. We'll keep an eye on those for the viewers. Stephen, thank you.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel tells us why he sees a chasm opening up between the leaders of the U.S. and Israel.
Details on that is up next, or are up next.
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[10:26:58]
ANDERSON: Hi, welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, here on CNN, from our Middle East programming headquarters.
And there has been a strongly negative response in Israel to the MOU that the U.S. and Iran says they are about to sign. We are hearing criticism
from politicians from very different political camps, it has to be said, and Israel's defense chief says the country's military forces won't be
leaving Lebanon.
But Pakistan, a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran, says the agreement means an immediate end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Well, my next guest says, "Despite close coordination between U.S. and Israeli leaders and their militaries from the earliest days of the Iran
war, the two countries' interests and objectives, and their leaders' political priorities and constraints have increasingly diverged. The once
modest gap between them has opened into a chasm that will not be easily bridged."
Well, Daniel Shapiro is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, joining us from London today. And Dan,
it's good to have you. Thank you for your time.
Netanyahu has been rather quiet. Other than posting an 80th birthday message to Donald Trump yesterday, where does this agreement leave him and
the U.S.-Israeli relationship more broadly, do you believe?
DANIEL SHAPIRO, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Well, Becky, he strongly opposes this agreement, although he won't have a public confrontation with
President Trump about it, different from how he handled a agreement that he didn't like when President Obama signed it in 2015.
But he fundamentally wanted to be able to continue the war, to continue to weaken Iran's regime and do further damage to Iran's nuclear facilities and
its ballistic missile program. Those are threats that Israel genuinely has to worry about and deal with, but he wanted to continue the war.
What he doesn't have to face in the same way that President Trump does is the global economic fallout, including, of course, in the United States
with high gas prices and inflation that were has been caused by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
So, there's a real imbalance and divergence of prioritization of interests. It became, it reached the point that for President Trump, the most
important thing was to get the Strait of Hormuz open. Unfortunately, something that was open before the war started, which makes the reason for
this war very, very questionable.
Whereas Israel didn't feel those economic disruptions in the same way and wanted to focus on the Iranian threats, so there's a real difference of
opinion about what the reason for ending the war and should be, and whether it should be done now.
[10:29:56]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And Donald Trump due on the ground at G7 momentarily and we'll let just bring up a shot for our
viewers. When the shot settles, the choppers do down there in every and back, and it is Strait of Hormuz, and this deal that he will be, or
disagreement that he will be leaning into the g leaders with, and looking for support from them on what happens next in order to keep that strait
navigable and free going forward.
There is a pretty clear political consensus in Israel, from liberal leader Yair Lapid, all the way to far-right extremist Ben-Gvir.
The disagreement is bad for Israel. Can you just briefly explain why they take that position, and what you see is the diplomatic domestic political
fallout of that.
SHAPIRO: The agreement is really only an agreement, open the Strait of Hormuz, to end the blockade, and end Iran's closure, and then, to begin
negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.
So, Israel, of course, would like to see the Iranian nuclear uranium enriched stockpile completely eliminated, and a permanent ban on any
Iranian enrichment, and full verification of that.
That's not guaranteed in this agreement. All that's guaranteed is that the United States and Iran will speak about those issues and try to reach
agreement on the disposition of the enriched uranium and on some moratorium on further enrichment, and the verification question hasn't even been
addressed.
There are other threats, such as Iran's ballistic missile program, which definitely can do damage to Israel, and Iran's support of terrorist proxies
like Hezbollah and the Houthis, and other militia proxies that have attacked Israel, that are not even going to be addressed in these
negotiations.
So, from the Israeli perspective, many of the threats that Iran poses and that they have had to deal with for years are not really being addressed in
a deep way, or they certainly have no confidence that what the outcome of those negotiations will be.
And so, that has led many Israelis politicians and Israeli citizens to criticize Netanyahu for getting into a war that was supposed to produce a
kind of final addressing of this Iranian threat, and then, ending the war, not because Israel, Israel decided to, but because Donald Trump decided to,
without really having achieved those goals, and with the diplomatic process ahead, that probably will leave them very, very disappointed.
ANDERSON: And where does this leave Lebanon? We are still a way away from Friday's signing ceremony. Donald Trump will leave Evian-les-Bains and go
back to Geneva for that, and that photo opportunity.
Is there a possibility, do you believe that Benjamin Netanyahu could or will play a spoiler role before then?
SHAPIRO: Well, Lebanon definitely is another area of divergence between the U.S. and Israel. Donald Trump wants Lebanon to remain quiet, because if it
flares up again, if Israel attacks in Beirut, Iran may pull out of the talks, may close the strait again, may attack Israel, and then, we could be
back into fighting.
Of course, that gives Hezbollah a certain amount of leverage as well. Israel doesn't generally just attack Lebanon for no reason; it often is
responding to attacks against its own citizens by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy. So, there is a real question whether both sides, Iran to Hezbollah
and Israel to the United States, Israel will be able to restrain those two, keep that theater quiet, so that the diplomacy that's being launched by
this MOU will actually get some traction.
There is definitely the possibility, though, that a Hezbollah strike that Netanyahu feels because he is under great domestic pressure, he has to
respond to in a very strong way, including strikes in Dahiyeh, the Beirut suburb that Hezbollah has as its stronghold, might be the kind of
disruption that could take this MOU and the diplomacy that's supposed to follow off the rails.
So, it's definitely on the -- you know, definitely in the balance, whether Lebanon could be a spoiler for the diplomacy ahead.
ANDERSON: Yes. Dan, always good to have you. Thank you, sir.
SHAPIRO: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Dan Shapiro is out of London for you today.
Still to come, the countdown to kick off for Iran's opening game at the World Cup is on tensions, perhaps, unsurprisingly already running high.
Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:36:52]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in the UAE.
Here are headlines:
U.S. and Iran say they have reached an agreement aimed at ending hostilities, and will formally sign a memorandum of understanding on
Friday.
U.S. Vice President tells ABC a digital version has already been signed. Trump says the U.S. will lift its blockade on Iranian ports, and the Strait
of Hormuz is now reopening, saying, ships are starting to move freely, but questions remain, including over whether Iran will charge fees, for
example, for the use of that waterway.
Israel says it won't withdraw its military from southern Lebanon, even though Iran says the ceasefire agreement includes an end to the conflict
there.
Israeli forces struck Beirut hours before the agreement was announced. In an interview Sunday, the U.S. president calls Israel's Prime Minister, "a
very difficult guy".
Well, the Iranian football team get their World Cup campaign underway in a few hours from now. They held a training session in California ahead of
Monday's opening match against New Zealand, but not all Iranians are behind the team. Protesters gathered outside the squad's hotel, accusing the
players of representing Iran's regime and chanting "Shame on you" as that team arrived.
European champion, Spain about to kick off their World Cup campaign as they take on Cape Verde, Atlanta Stadium. CNN's Patrick Snell joining us now
from one of the fan zones.
It is remarkable to consider that Spain actually hasn't won the World Cup since 2010. It feels like it's been so much more successful than that over
the past like 16 years or so, and in Europe it has, but that's where they are at. Can they -- can they go all the way in this?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Oh, hi Becky. Yes. I think so. Absolutely. Welcome to the Atlanta Fan Zone, in the
heart of downtown.
To answer your question, yes, it does feel like a long time. 16 years is a long time, but this is a star-studded La Roja squad, boasting, of course,
team phenom, Lamine Yamal. I like Spain's chances. No question about that. I also like France's chances, and dare, I say it, England as well, Becky.
But look, they are the reigning European champions, and they, until recently, they were the number one ranked side in the world. It's now
Argentina, the world champions that lead the way. But let me just get into the atmosphere here in this fan, so, we had Ludacris in the house here on
Sunday today.
The gates opening to this Fan Zone just over half an hour or so ago, and it was incredible scenes, as literally, we saw dozens and dozens of people,
the moment the gates actually opened, come running in, sprinting in, and let me tell you, it's already pretty hot here. It didn't matter, they
wanted to get in, they wanted to be among the first to get in here, and who knows, maybe they wanted their World Cup bracelet. Bracelets. You can get
your bracelet made up here for free.
And certainly, some of them going straight into the lines there and trying to get a nice spot on the lawn here behind me. You can see the Fan Zone,
the live music, this is the place to be.
[10:40:01]
And if you can't get a very expensive match ticket, then, absolutely you can get in here, and it is for free as well.
But let's talk more about the fans, because Saturday night, a lot of my CNN buddies attending the fan zone here for the Brazil-Morocco match. Thousands
here, just under 10,000 fans packed in for that one. And over 20,000 over the course of the day as well.
So, really iconic viral scenes, the gathering here in Atlanta for that match, Becky went viral, and just setting the scene, and just outside the
gates here. We had the fans become a tradition of this World Cup. Spain's fans were marching, doing their march towards the stadium.
The video picked up everywhere online, again, another viral moment ahead of kickoff. That's something we're going to be seeing a lot of throughout this
World Cup.
But Lamine Yamal, wants to keep an eye on. Will he play? We don't know that for sure, of course. He is recovering from an injury. I would be surprised
if he is risked. But you know what, Becky, I've been wrong before.
And spare a thought for Cape Verde as well. They have been making it very clear they're not just here to make up the numbers, they are the third
tiniest nation in history to play at a World Cup after Iceland eight years ago, and Curacao.
ANDERSON: Yes, they had a pretty ropey start, but I'm -- you know, it's great that they are there, and it's great that they are competing. Stay
hydrated, it's going to be hot out there, and we'll be keeping a keen eye on what goes on in Atlanta in the hours ahead.
Pat, it's always good to have you. Thank you.
So, look, we've been keeping across the games featuring teams from this region. We promised to do so. And why would you be a show from and on the
region if you didn't provide support for the teams from around this region, and so, we are wedded to that, determined to do it, and we'll bring you as
much sound and vision and interviews from these teams as we can get going forward.
Let's bring you up to speed on where we are at after the weekend, then. Qatar drew one all with Switzerland, good for. Am securing their first ever
World Cup point, that was thanks to a 94th minute Swiss own goal. Never mind, they got the point.
Morocco scored for the first time ever against the South American side when they took on Brazil, an equalizer late in the first half, so, the game draw
ended a 1-1, draw. It was a resounding defeat, I'm afraid, for Tunisia, thrashed 5-1 by Sweden.
Later tonight, Iran play New Zealand, Egypt face Belgium, and Saudi Arabia take on Uruguay. And we'll keep bringing you more of these highlights, more
interviews as the tournament unfolds. Right.
Donald Trump is on his way down onto the lawn at Evian-les-Bains in France. Let's just get you those shots.
ANDERSON: That is the Alpine resort, where this year's G summit is convening. Just leave you with those shots. Donald Trump pretty much wheels
down there in Geneva, arrived last hour in -- sorry, in Geneva, and now, just landing there in France, just across the border. Short chopper ride
from Geneva Airport. He will be back in Geneva for what, as we understand it will be a signing ceremony and a photo opportunity of some sort on the
U.S.-Iran deal on Friday.
So, that U.S.-Iran deal, a conflict here in this region. I say here because, of course, we are broadcasting from Abu Dhabi in the UAE. We'll be
front and center. How to get that straight up of Hormuz, which is promised reopened by the end of this week? How to have that policed by an
international body or coalition of countries to ensure freedom of navigation, to ensure no economic terrorism as it has been described in
this region ever again.
So, Donald Trump will be leaning heavily, I'm sure, into these G7 leaders to see what they are or are prepared to pony up to that degree on the
Strait of Hormuz.
We are going to take a very short break. We will be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:46:35]
Right, U.S. Donald -- President Donald Trump has just arrived in Evian-les- Bains in France. He is joining other G leaders there for this year's G summit, and that is the chopper. It is 4:46 there. So, late afternoon, been
a long trip. Donald Trump, of course, celebrated his 80th birthday in style in Washington, with the UFC fight on the lawn at the White House yesterday.
Jumped on that flight down -- wheels down about an hour ago in Geneva. Chop a ride over to Evian-les-Bains there for three days, and then, we expect to
see Donald Trump back in Geneva for what has been suggested will be a signing ceremony, a real signing ceremony on this U.S.-Iran MOU.
We have been told by J.D. Vance today that a digital signing of that document has actually taken place, Sunday. But surely the photo opportunity
Friday will be available to Donald Trump, and he is taking that.
Melissa Bell standing by in France for us. You are there on site. What can we expect?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have just seen, Becky, is the president's chopper fly overhead, under -- heading it towards
(INAUDIBLE) itself and just landing now.
Now, a lot more hope at the beginning of this summit that things may go well between G7 leaders, simply because he doesn't quite have an agreement
in his pocket, but at least that digitally signed memorandum of understanding. And we know that, that for President Trump, given all his
anger over the course of the last few weeks and months with G7 leaders and European leaders about the fact that they had not been more closely
involved in trying to force open the Strait of Hormuz will give him some measure of victory, as he lands to speak with these leaders amongst whom --
with whom there have been so many tensions these last few weeks.
Now, from the point of view of the other G7 leaders, there is going to be great keenness to have a look at the actual text of this memorandum of
understanding. They are all expressing a sort of cautious optimism, specifically the Europeans. They have been speaking to the fact that they
want to get closely involved now in these peace negotiations.
President Macron says that the military assets involved in that Franco- British-led, but much more global initiative to keep navigation open on the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities have ceased, those assets are now in
place. So, the G7 leaders he is preparing to meet are poised and ready to help and get involved. Clearly, this had been a summit that was always
going to be about Iran, but also about Ukraine. President Zelenskyy will be here tomorrow. There had been other issues that would be discussed, but
Iran was always going to be central, with the Egyptian presence and the leaders of Qatar and the UAE expected here as well tomorrow, Becky.
But clearly, given the momentum of this, given the possibility that this memorandum of understanding could be signed just further there on Lake
Geneva, down in Geneva itself on Friday is now going to dominate a great deal more, and the G7 are really going to be looking to get involved and
try and help in any way that they can, an American president who's long been hoping they would get more involved, now they will -- they hope that
their chance has come. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. And aside from Iran and the conflict here, and the presence of the Gulf allies and others from around the region, which
will be crucial.
[10:50:09]
Ukraine, of course, on the agenda, and A.I.
BELL: That's right. I mean, just to your first -- to point about A.I., Becky, I think what's so interesting is when you look at how the French
have crafted both the stagemanship at this -- at the stage managing of 2these next few days, the agenda itself.
This has really been designed in order, first of all, that the American president would stick it out; second of all, that they might try and find
some understanding on issues like A.I. You are going to have a number of A.I. leaders here as well, on issues like global imbalances.
That's been put at the heart of this g because one thing that the Americans and the Europeans agree on is the fact of this Chinese trade surplus and
the fact that they believe this is something that needs to be addressed.
So, every point of agreement they might have been able to find has been put at the center of this summit. The Ukrainian question is essential, because,
of course, President Zelenskyy arrives here tomorrow morning. That's what the day will begin with.
And what the Europeans are hoping to do. Becky is really hoping to wrestle back some control over potential peace negotiations between Ukraine and
Russia. They believe they are keeping Kyiv afloat financially, and they want a greater say. Becky.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Melissa Bell is in Evian-les-Bains.
Well, an escalating A.I. dispute is taking center stage in Washington. Reports say Anthropic's senior staff meeting with the Trump administration
after the White House hit pause on some of that company's most powerful A.I. models. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Axios reporting that senior staffers from Anthropic are in Washington to try to resolve what is an escalating A.I. dispute with the
U.S. government.
Now, this comes after Anthropic suspended access to its Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models. These are its most advanced A.I. systems. The company made the
announcement on Friday, after the U.S government blocked foreign nationals from using those models, citing national security issues.
Well, CNN's Hadas Gold following this story for us from New Yor. And just break this down for us in the context of Anthropic's back and forth
tensions, of course, with the Trump administration. I mean, this is significant news.
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: This is significant. This all stems from Mythos, which is the new model from Anthropic that really spooked Wall
Street and the government because of its capabilities when it comes to cyber security.
It was so capable that Anthropic decided not to release it publicly and only releasing it to a select group who could sort of test out its
capabilities, because it's like having a million of the best hackers working for you 24/7 or a million of the best defenders. There is a lot of
concerns of what would happen if that gets into the wrong hands.
But last week, Anthropic released what they said was Mythos with guard rails for general public use. They called it Fable 5. But within just a
couple of days, on Friday, Anthropic said they got a sudden phone call from the government warning them that they had discovered a jailbreak. A
jailbreak is what's known in the A.I. world as a way to get around these safety guard rails.
That's significant, because if you can jailbreak Fable and be able to use its full capabilities, the full Mythos capabilities, and you are a bad
person, then, that could lead to some bad results.
There is a bit of a narrative fight of kind of what happened then. The government sources are saying that they wanted Anthropic to fix the
jailbreak or pull it all right away. There is a back and forth of how Anthropic responded to this.
[10:55:02]
But what we know is a few hours after that initial phone call, Anthropic released a statement, saying that they were pulling Fable and Mythos for
everybody, because the government had put an export control on these models. Meaning, no foreign national could touch these models, including
Anthropic employees. Anthropic, of course, would have a very tough time verifying any random user is a foreign national or not, and so, they pulled
access for absolutely everybody.
Now, Anthropic says that they worked with the government before releasing this, that they got approval to release Fable as a general use. They also
argue that this jailbreak, which we now know was actually flagged by Amazon, that Amazon researchers found this jailbreak. They say that it's
relatively a simple jailbreak, one that any other model is also susceptible to, and then, it doesn't demonstrate an actual flaw in Fable's safety
system.
I'll read to you part of anthropic statement. They say, "We disagree that the finding of a narrow potential jailbreak should be cause for recalling a
commercial model deployed to hundreds of millions of people. If this standard was applied across the industry, we believe it would essentially
halt all new model deployments for all frontier model providers."
Now, the government has said that they essentially had to do this. This is a safety issue. But what we are seeing is the government trying to figure
out how they can regulate this powerful new tool in real time.
Now, David Sacks who was the A.I. czar. He says that they hope that they can remedy this issue and do it as soon as possible. They -- he is actually
accusing Anthropic of not complying with their safety requests, of course. Anthropic disputes this, and sources are telling me that Anthropic is
working closely with the government to try and fix this issue. Becky.
ANDERSON: Got it. Always a pleasure, Hadas. Thank you. We are back up against our break. That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE
WORLD" is up next,
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