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Saudi State Media Says Mohammed Bin Salman Urged De-Escalation In Call With Donald Trump; Death Toll Rises In Gaza Amid Renewed Ceasefire Effort; Crews Race To Fight Uncontained Wildfires In Washington State; Two Dead After Firefighting Helicopters Collide In Greece; Ceuta Grapples With Aftermath Of Mass Border Surge; A.I. Data Centers Have Become The Latest Target For Strikes; Moscow Mayor: Deadly Bomb Blast A "Terrorist Attack". Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 03, 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)
[10:00:32]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in London, where the time is just after 3:00 in
the afternoon. Wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome.
President Trump says talks between the U.S. and Iran are expected to resume today after the U.S. called off threatened strikes.
Hundreds of homes destroyed and tens of thousands evacuated as massive wildfires burned through the U.S. state of Washington.
And could this be the end of Gianni Infantino as FIFA president? The England FA set to withdraw its support for his FIFA re-election bid,
joining Wales and a growing backlash against his leadership.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called off his latest threatened attack on Iran. He explained why to reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force
One. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you got to sort of say, well, let's
see. And the reason they ask is, I think there's a deal. There's a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it
the denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Iran today denying negotiations with the U.S. are happening, but the foreign ministry says talks with Oman are underway to
create what it describes as a safe temporary corridor for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
All right. Look, let's get some analysis on this and try to work out where we are at. Zachary Cohen with us this hour. We're also joined in Washington
by Stephen Collinson.
And Stephen, let me start with you. This decision to pause U.S. strikes came, as we understand it, after Gulf intervention, particularly from Saudi
Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We do keep seeing the same pattern, the escalation followed by diplomacy, or at least talk of
diplomacy, then, a return, it seems, to confrontation.
An official with knowledge of the situation has told me this hour that ongoing talks are directly between the U.S., Iran, and Oman at this point,
and where do you make -- what do you make of where this conflict is and is headed at this point?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, President Trump's little excursion, as he called it, is now entering its sixth month, and it
seems unclear, as unclear as it was at the start, what the way out might be.
As you say, we've had these repeated oscillations by Trump between massive violence and the threat of massive violence, and then I think overplaying
progress or prospects for talks, which seem to indicate that he is the one that's desperate for a deal rather than Iran.
This latest development, I think, does point to one possibility, and it's that countries in your region may be the only way out of this. If there
could be perhaps a temporary deal between Oman and Iran on the Strait, that might open the way for wider talks in the region about how to manage the
Strait of Hormuz going forward. There's been a little bit of talk about this in the think tank community in recent weeks, but of course that would
be only tackling the issue that was already solved before the war started, and that is the passage of tankers through the Strait.
How we get from there, even if it happened, to talks about Iran's nuclear program seems very difficult to perceive, simply because Iran seems to
indicate that it has very little interest in getting to those issues.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump's latest, and let's call it a U-turn here. Certainly, his detractors will be calling it a U-turn in this Iran
conflict. Has added another chapter to a pattern that his critics have called TACO, short for Trump always chickens out.
Now, you and I have spoken about this before, but I wonder whether you think that's a fair criticism of the president in this instance. Is this
sort of effort to try and find a diplomatic offer up not better than the alternative, which is back to war at this point?
[10:05:03]
COLLINSON: Yes, and if Trump had gone ahead with what he said was going to be the most significant action since World War II, I mean, I think we can
take that with a pinch of salt. But if it had gone ahead with these massive attacks over the weekend, everyone would now be arguing that the president
is pursuing a war with no end in sight, risking lives in the U.S. in Iran, especially among civilians, for no purpose.
So, you know, U.S. history is full of examples in which presidents have used military force and escalated wars that seem to be lost just to
preserve their own credibility.
So, that is one point about this. But the problem is, every time Trump threatens escalation and then doesn't go ahead, he weakens American power,
not just the perception of that power in Iran, but around the world. This way of waging war, which is erratic and volatile and doesn't seem to have
any strategy, is what got him into this situation in the first place.
ANDERSON: Zach, let me bring you in. Stephen, touching on it, but I do want to discuss further the fact that in the past hour, an official has told me
that the ongoing talks and they exist are directly between the U.S. Iran, and Oman. I'm feeling a sense of deja vu here.
Before this conflict broke out, of course, six months ago, there were direct talks between the U.S. Iran, and Omar mediating in order to try and
get a kind of comprehensive deal. Now it seems these talks are very specifically about the Strait of Hormuz, and of course that waterway is,
you know, a key focus on this conflict. What do you make of what we're hearing?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Becky, in a lot of ways, we've gone backwards since the signing of the MOU. We're now, as you
mentioned, hyper focused on the Strait of Hormuz, and that, as Stephen said, was open before Donald Trump and Israel started this war more than
six months ago.
And so, what you're seeing now is the urgency, though, there -- I'm also told that for the U.S. side, opening the Strait of Hormuz, trying to find
some sort of a diplomatic, negotiated agreement that would effectively reopen this waterway by securing a pledge by Iran not to threaten shipping
that's trying to transit it is really the central focus here, and that does leave all the other objectives that Donald Trump has stated for starting
this war still out there, and really a lot of uncertainty hangs over how and if he may go about trying to achieve them.
And we're reporting today too that even the U.S. military is crowdsourcing new ideas for how to ramp up the pressure on Iran and taking a hard look at
its strategy and the options militarily that it has available to the president in order to achieve some of these goals, namely push Iran to the
negotiating table on Donald Trump's terms.
That's something he has effectively failed to do for multiple reasons to this point, and one that obviously the military is now sort of reassessing
how they can better serve as a tool in that pursuit as well
But ultimately too, Becky, we had some reporting recently about how part of the issue here is the question of who is actually in charge, who has the
authority on the Iranian side to agree to anything with the U.S. or the Omanis. The IRGC, as predicted in this scenario by the U.S. intelligence
community, has taken a very firm grip on power inside of Iran as of now.
There's elements in different factions within the IRGC itself that raises concerns among Gulf allies. I know that this conflict could go on for a
while because there isn't really one unified voice that speaks with authority for the Iranian regime.
So, ultimately, we'll have to see how this plays out there. But a lot of people asking themselves a lot of questions, taking a hard look in the
mirror about how do we go forward here during a conflict that's gone on for six months longer than Donald Trump effectively laid out at the beginning.
ANDERSON: Yes, of course, he promised six weeks. We're now into the sixth month.
I do while we're talking, and I'm going to bring Stephen back in at this point. Let's just bring up that graphic that shows the traffic in both the
Strait of Hormuz, the waterways outside of that, and indeed the Bab-el- Mandeb. Just look at that. There's a reason why these two waterways are absolutely key here.
Just look at the amount of global traffic in those waterways and the importance of those two real chokeholds The Bab-el-Mandeb to the left-hand
side of your screen, just there down at the point of Saudi Arabia, and up there in the Strait of Hormuz
[10:10:00]
What you are seeing on your screen is why the focus is on these waterways. That is partly, to a degree, how the world gets, you know, its stuff, its
oil, its supplies, all the stuff that comes out of petrochemical and why it is that now we are seeing such a focus on getting these waterways free for
navigation.
Stephen, you write that, "Trump is juggling some of the gravest issues confronted by a modern president, like the war, and some of most trivial,
including a dispute over Washington's reflecting pool." Are you saying that his presidency is suffering from a genuine failure of strategic focus, or
that Trump believes these cultural and symbolic fights are, you know, equally as important as war and the economy at this point?
COLLINSON: I think both are true. Both of them seem to hold equal importance in Donald Trump's mind and his political priorities. The
scattershot way that he conducts his presidency, he can flip between all of these different issues, grave and preposterous and unserious as many of
them are.
I think that interesting thing that plays into this about that map is you saw those ships in those two waterways, geography hasn't changed since the
start of this conflict. It was pretty obvious to anyone that has only a thin, you know, knowledge of this region that a war could easily block up
these two waterways, and that gets to the question of why there was not more focus and more strategic planning by the president before this war
started, and I think that is something that is reflective of his presidency as a whole.
In a lot of these situations, Trump lashes out, he makes a gut decision. He doesn't necessarily think about the second and third order consequences of
what he does, and that is why he has so many of these crises cresting at the same moment.
If those ships stay in the waterway for another month, say there are going to be serious problems with reserves, oil reserves, crude reserves across
the world. We're getting closer to the European winter gas supplies are very important there because they don't keep a lot of liquid national
natural gas in reserve. Diesel prices will go up. That affects agriculture. All of this is happening as we're less than three months before a midterm
election.
So, the political and economic pressure rising on Trump, I think, does partly explain why he might want to get out of this more quickly. The
problem is Iran knows that. Iran knows the way the president has managed this war and everything else, and that is, I think, giving it the capacity
to be the dominant figure that's controlling escalation in this conflict.
ANDERSON: Just before I let you go, I've got to ask you about Todd Blanche rescinding Donald Trump's anti-weaponization fund. Just remind us why this
is so significant.
COLLINSON: Yes, so this is a fund that was set up from a rather extraordinary judgment that Donald Trump was owed billions of dollars by
the government for the investigations into him during before he was present again.
So, he set up this plan for a $1.8 billion weaponization fund, which would compensate people who were convicted in relation to the Capitol riot when
Trump left office, remember after the disputed election, which he said was disputed, which wasn't fraudulent in 2021 There have been a couple of
Republican senators who have stood up against Blanche's confirmation as Attorney General, the top law officer in the United States, unless the
president agrees to give up on this plan for this weaponization fund.
Overnight, Blanche has said that he's come to a deal with the Republicans in the Senate to rescind this idea for a fund completely. That was a
condition for his confirmation.
So, now we will see in the coming days whether that up sort of frees up the nomination process in the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, and he goes on
to a full-time -- full vote in the Senate to be Attorney General.
But this is, I think, just like the decision by the president not to go ahead with military action in Iran over the weekend is another climb down,
and it is a sign, I think, that for all his pretensions to be all powerful, there are emerging some limits, at least politically, on the president's
room for the maneuver.
[10:15:04]
ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, the Board of Peace's top official headed to Israel today to discuss the next steps in a plan to disarm Hamas. According to sources, U.S.
President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough last week in efforts to advance the ceasefire agreement, but the diplomatic push comes as Israel
stepped up strikes across Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond covering the latest from Tel Aviv, and those strikes have been called out by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's main guy in
trying to get these efforts on the part of Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw, called out today by in a post by Mladenov.
I mean, officials estimate at least 1,230 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the October ceasefire. Just bring us up to speed on
the latest on the ground, if you will.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, there certainly have been near daily Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since this ceasefire came
into effect last October. But what we saw over the weekend, even in the context of all of that, was a definite ramp up in Israeli attacks over the
weekend, and most notably, it came, you know, only hours after President Trump announced what he described as a historic agreement that would see
Hamas disarmed in the Gaza Strip.
But Hamas has made clear that it will only disarm if Israel comes back into compliance with the October ceasefire agreement, namely by ceasing fire.
And so, it was notable that while we haven't gotten any official Israeli government response to this latest agreement, the only response that we did
see was with these strikes over the weekend. The Israeli military said that they were targeting a number of senior Hamas commanders and militants,
including some who were involved in the October 7th attacks.
And yet, what we also saw today was Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for the Board of Peace, going to Israel to meet with the
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to try and get Israel to comply with this agreement.
U.S. and Board of Peace officials had indicated up until now that Israel would abide by this agreement. With one U.S. official saying that President
Trump would be, "Very very disappointed if Israel did not."
And so, we will see what the outcome of that meeting will be between Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace,
and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But again, in order to get to that next step of Hamas's disarmament, the U.S. Bord of Peace officials, you know, all have made clear that it
requires Israel to come into compliance with this agreement. So, a lot hinging on Israel adhering to this deal.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Sir (PH). Thank you.
Well, we are witnessing an extraordinary fire season in various points across the globe. Next up, the latest on some of the worst hotspots from
Greece to northwestern United States, where fire crews are facing a critical window in the coming hours.
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[10:20:35]
ANDERSON: Words like heartbreaking, devastating, and unprecedented are being used to describe wildfires tearing through parts of the Washington
state in the western United States. Fire crews in the heat of battle right now. Three fires burning out of control in the Spokane area. Hundreds of
homes there have been destroyed, and tens of thousands of families have had to evacuate.
And one fire official says this will go on for weeks. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones spoke to my colleague Kate Bolduan earlier from the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not a regular Monday in Spokane. People are waking up to see just the extent of this tragedy. As
you mentioned, 65,000 residences evacuated to places like this, to shelters where they're faced with that uncertainty of whether or not they will even
have a home to return to, and some of them who have been able to go and see their properties completely destroyed, engulfed by the fire, and just spit
out as just almost charcoal
They had really interesting insight into whether or not they could even return and build a life in these areas again. Take a listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I'm going to rebuild here because I don't ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill again. And I've been
in Spokane my entire 64 years because my little brother died in an accident when he was 6. And that's why I stayed close to my family. I think it's
time for me to leave Spokane.
VARGAS JONES: It's so heartbreaking, Kate, to hear that kind of thinking coming from these residents. We saw so many people grappling with that very
decision as we drove past these neighborhoods with row after row of home destroyed.
Now officials here from the National Guard is urging people to please be patient. It will take some time to return to their homes. There's a lot of
work to be done here.
As you mentioned, the fire is still at zero percent containment, so there is that part of the work being done, but also clearing the roads, clearing
debris for people to come back that can take some time. Still, 10,000 people without any kind of electricity around this area. It will be a
difficult path.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, blazing hot temperatures continue to put Europe on edge. In Italy, nearly all major cities are on the highest heat alert in Hungary,
the country's only nuclear plant on the brink, is shutting down due to record low water levels in the Danube River. And in Greece, two pilots died
after helicopters crashed mid-air trying to contain a wildfire northwest of Athens on Sunday. Journalist Elinda Labropoulou reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Dozens of fires still burning across Greece. New fires are breaking out every single day.
Just to give you a sense of scale, over 200 fires have been -- have started in the last 24 hours. The biggest fire, mega fire, as experts have started
calling it by now, is going for the fourth day, it's raging just outside Athens, 40 miles of Athens, and it is there that the two pilots died
yesterday during that collision.
At the time, there were extremely strong winds in the area. Generally, there have been gale force winds blowing for three days, so much so that
most aircraft has not been able to fly at all for three days. The Greek Prime Minister, just hours before the collision, said sometimes there is
not much you can do, no matter what means you have, and he meant that all the aircraft was on the ground, unable to move just because of these strong
winds.
Of course, the news of this collision has been absolutely tragic, and it comes just after three firefighters died last week battling fires in Crete,
on an island on the island of Crete, and in the mainland as well. And mass evacuations continue in that area.
There is a glimmer of hope, simply because, although you can see that it's still very windy behind me, the winds have dropped, but the country will
remain on high alert tomorrow too, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Before I let you go on that collision, do we, as yet, understand why it happened?
[10:25:01]
LABROPOULOU: It's hard to know. It's very early days. I mean, there is a police investigation that's underway. What we do know is just how difficult
the conditions that the firefighters were operating under were. The gale force winds, you know, you can see in the videos that there's plumes of
smoke. Very difficult to be there in the first place. So, that's all we know for the time being.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And Myanmar's military government has released
a photo of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi meeting with a Red Cross representative, and this comes as concerns over the 81-year-old's health
have been mounting. She was, of course, jailed by the junta in 2021, and her son recently demanded proof of life.
Well, most of the nearly 60,000 migrants who entered Ceuta last week have now returned to Morocco. Spain's prime minister says European allies
provided little support during the unprecedented influx, and he is calling for an emergency meeting of E.U. interior ministers set to take place
tomorrow.
CNN's Saskya Van Dorn with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VAN DORN, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Although most of the migrants have now returned to Morocco, last week's events really have laid bare the deep
divisions within Europe when it comes to this sensitive issue of migration.
Now, to try and deal with the crisis and the political fallout, E.U. ambassadors are meeting today and on Tuesday, E.U. interior ministers are
expected to meet over video conference call, and they will essentially be trying to answer two very difficult questions.
Firstly, how do they ensure that crossings on this scale never happen again? And secondly, how did it happen in the first place?
Because it appears that what fueled the sudden surge wasn't in fact the people smuggling networks, but rather messages that were circulating
online, encouraging people to head to Ceuta.
Now, there are also efforts to try and defuse tensions between European leaders. That's because Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister, is furious.
Over the weekend, he accused some E.U. leaders of attacking Spain during this crisis, of essentially playing political games, weaponizing what
happened in Ceuta rather than showing solidarity, and that was, of course, aimed at Italy.
Following those dramatic pictures in Ceuta, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has long been critical of Spain's immigration policy, announced
that Italy would be suspending its visa-free travel agreement with Spain for about a month.
So, there are now random visa checks taking place in seaports and airports in Italy on travelers arriving from Spain. Now, Sanchez isn't just feeling
the heat abroad, he's also feeling it at home. Far-right Spanish politicians were in Ceuta this weekend, saying that Sanchez's government
has lost control of its borders.
Now, meanwhile, Spain is reinforcing its Ceuta border. It has built a 1,600-foot barrier that will sit on the sea on that border with Morocco.
Saskya Van Dorn, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: More coming up, A.I. data centers have become the latest targets of strikes in the Iran War, we're going to have more on why and the impact
on the global economy up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:56]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. These are your headlines.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has called off a planned massive attack on Iran, and that negotiations are resuming.
Iran says talks are not happening now, and that it is negotiating with Oman to create a safe temporary corridor for vessels transiting the Strait of
Hormuz.
Well, a deputy fire chief in Washington State says wildfires near Spokane are expected to burn for weeks. Three fires in that area in the states
remain at zero containment. They have destroyed more than 700 homes and forced nearly 65,000 families to evacuate.
UEFA, Europe's football association, threatening to take legal action against FIFA over President Gianni Infantino's failed plan to inject
private money into the World Cup. The organization warning that any potential evidence should not be destroyed.
The Iran war is turning into an AI -- let me start that again.
The Iran war is turning to A.I. data centers, turning them into military targets. They are typically the target of cyberattacks, but now there is a
new tactic. The centers are getting bombed. Iran and the U.S. have attacked at least five data centers in the Gulf region. The technology most vital to
the global economy's future, now, looks like potentially a sitting duck.
CNN's David Goldman has been reporting on this story. Joins us live from New York.
I mean, the Gulf has spent years trying to diversify beyond oil, and it will continue to do so. But certainly, we have seen a change in the sort of
potential target list for Iran, as it focuses on the sort of key economic drivers.
Just how exposed are these data centers as sort of geopolitical risks at this point?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: They are very exposed. And I love that you said sitting ducks, because that's really what this is. You
basically have all of these American data centers that effectively just are having an American flag target sitting on their roofs, and Iran is proving
that this is an incredibly vulnerable new target in war.
We had targets two in Bahrain. We had one in Tehran. We had a couple in the UAE just over the past few months. And the one in Bahrain, I think, is
particularly interesting.
It's actually spread over two targets in Zallaq and Askar. And I think that, you know, when we saw this first attack on this Amazon center on
April 30th, I think, there was an alarming sort of come to, you know, realization that this is something that is new in this war. We have seen
lots and lots of attacks on data centers, but through cyberattacks.
Never physical attacks until this year. And on April 30th, it became that new reality. And then, it was attacked again just a couple weeks ago on
July 21st. And this means that, you know, not only are they being attacked, they can be attacked again. And this is something that I think the entire
industry now needs to reckon with.
Now, Iran says that these are legitimate military targets, not just Amazon, but Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir. All of them have data centers in
the Gulf region. It also listed 24 other targets Iran says that these are legitimate military targets. The reason why is that a number of these
companies are doing business with the Pentagon.
There is a $9 billion contract between Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and the Pentagon that lasts through 2028.
It's a lot of money, and they don't separate the military from the commercials. So, they could be serving A.I. to, you know, ChatGPT
customers, and they could also be serving the U.S. military.
[10:35:07]
That's why Iran says that these are legitimate targets.
Now, the Gulf nations, to your point, Becky, have invested a tremendous amount of money. $2 trillion-in commitments to U.S. A.I. infrastructure,
with the exclusion of China. Because the Gulf region is trying to become a third choice between China and Silicon Valley in the A.I. race.
It is their path out of, you know, just making everything about oil. Now, A.I. is the new investment du jour, and they are really putting their money
where their mouth is. Iran understands this, and that's why it is targeting all of its neighbors. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, and talk to anybody in the region about this significant investment, both domestically in their A.I. and advanced tech space, and
indeed in the U.S., as many of these sovereign wealth funds are increasingly invested in A.I.-related assets in the states, and they say
these investments will continue.
There is no sense that they are kind of going to pull back from the U.S. partnerships. I mean, you see a massive partnership, for example, between
the UAE and the US, and that will we are told is solid and will continue. But there, I guess, are economic consequences if insurers begin pricing
this sort of data centers in the Gulf as high-risk assets. Correct?
GOLDMAN: That's right. I mean, property insurers don't like when there are targets surrounding their data centers, and they might stop writing
insurance policies.
Now, for the time being, and you are absolutely right, there are still data centers that are being built in the region. However, if you can't get
insurance, or it's so costly that it's not worth getting that kind of insurance. Well, maybe some of these companies will think twice. But and I
think this is where you are going. Saudi Arabia has an enormous sovereign wealth fund with an incredible amount of money pointed at this problem.
This might win out over some of those fears, eventually.
ANDERSON: Yes, and I think, you know, in conversation around the Gulf, you know, it's become clear that the data centers and the, you know, the
infrastructure that powers A.I. going forward will be protected, you know, as part of the sort of defense strategy going forward, as much as, for
example, energy infrastructure and the like.
It's been a really interesting sort of development and one to watch. Good to have you, David. Thank you.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Still to come, we are following a deadly blast in Moscow. Russian authorities investigating what they call a terrorist attack at a
restaurant. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:08]
ANDERSON: Russian authorities are investigating a deadly blast outside a Moscow restaurant that they are describing as a terrorist attack.
State media reports at least four people killed and 19 others wounded after a bomb exploded outside the restaurant on Saturday.
Now, that blast appears to have targeted a private event being held there. Last hour, I spoke with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, who is in Moscow, about
this deadly incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're actually right outside that restaurant, the Balzi Rossi restaurant, very much in
central Moscow. In fact, you can see behind me that at that restaurant right now, there is some repair work that's already going on. It seems as
though it was that column where you see that gentleman there working where all of this took place.
And you're absolutely right that the authorities say that there was a private function, a private event that was going on at this upscale
restaurant, which, by the way, is in a very historic building here in Moscow. If we pan up, we can see it's a historic building.
There is seven such buildings in Moscow. They are called the Seven Sisters. So, this is definitely one of sort of defining areas of the Russian
capital. But at around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night, the authorities say that this woman came towards the entrance of that restaurant as that
private function was going on, which seemed to have a lot of security around it as well.
And one of the security guards got suspicious, confronted the woman, and then as he was searching her, that's when this improvised explosive device
went off.
The authorities are saying that they are not sure whether or not the woman really knew what she was carrying there. It could have been a courier. But,
and at the same time, obviously, at this point in time, they say that the investigation is still very -- stages.
So far, what we have not heard from the Russian authorities is who might have been the target of this bombing, which the Russians, as you point out,
are calling a terrorist attack. There were some rumors going on online that possibly high-ranking military may have been here.
None of that is confirmed yet, however. At the same time, they have not pointed the finger of blame at anyone.
One of the interesting things that we need to point out is that there have been bombings in Russian cities in the past. For instance, a very well-
known Russian blogger was killed in 2023 in a bombing in Saint Petersburg. There were also several top-level or high-level Russian generals that were
killed by bombings as well.
In those cases, the Russians have pointed the finger of blame at the Ukrainians. So far, they have not done that. But of course, one of the
things that we can feel is that security here in the Russian Federation here in Moscow has been on a very high state of alert for an extended
period of time. Certainly, continues to be so. That's at the same time, of course, what the Russians still call their special military operation
continues in Ukraine. At the same time, of course, they know that a lot of their top-level people also could be targets far away, including inside the
Russian capital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: When we come back, FIFA president, Gianni Infantino's re-election bid crumbling. We explain why after this.
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ANDERSON: The standoff between UEFA and FIFA's Gianni Infantino is escalating. The European Football Association now threatening legal action
against FIFA's president over his failed proposal to inject private money into the World Cup.
Now, this comes as Infantino's bid for re-election weakens, with some FIFA member states withdrawing their support. England's Football Association,
for example, expected to follow Wales in refusing to back him.
Here is what former chairman of the English FA David Bernstein told CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:45:01]
DAVID BERNSTEIN, FORMER CHAIRMAN, ENGLISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: I think that UEFA have taken a very strong line, and they threatened to, of course,
withdraw from the World Cup next time if the proposal was not withdrawn. Well, it has been withdrawn, so that's good.
Well, I think they should maintain that position, pending Infantino's leaving FIFA. Because the deal and Infantino are now joined together at the
hip. And I think they have got to absolutely push maximum at this time now to get him out and move on.
Otherwise, football is going to be bitterly divided over the next period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: For more, I'm joined now by Pedro Pinto, is a former director of communications for UEFA, former colleague of mine here at CNN, now the CEO
and founder of Empower Sports.
Look, you and I know there is no love lost between UEFA and FIFA. That's despite the fact that actually Infantino's, you know, history was once with
the European Football Association.
What we have just heard from David Bernstein there? What do you make of his comments?
PEDRO PINTO, FORMER UEFA COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Becky, great to be back on your show. It's been quite a whirlwind, hasn't it, over the last week or
so since that proposal from Ethan (PH) was leaked, and it's really created complete havoc in the world of international football.
UEFA have been so strong to try to make sure that they can protect and promote the integrity of the game by really fighting back immediately and
threatening to boycott all FIFA's national team competitions. And we have seen the Welsh Football Association and the Finnish Football Association
publicly renounce their support of FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the next elections of FIFA president that are scheduled for next March in
Rabat.
Before all of this happened, of course, Gianni Infantino was a shoo-in to win a third term as FIFA president, especially after what many people
consider to be quite a successful year and a successful World Cup on the pitch.
However, that has all changed ever since this proposal happened, and we have seen more European nations start to voice their disapproval at the
whole process, which led to this proposal. UEFA was, of course, very vocal in quite a few statements that were issued over the last few days, also
announcing that they had lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's leadership.
So, what do I make of this particular statement coming from the U.K.? I'm not surprised at all, and I expect more national associations to renounce
their support of Gianni Infantino, to rebel against the FIFA president, and I would say that there is a lot of pressure, and that pressure is
increasing on Gianni Infantino to either resign or certainly to admit to mistakes that he made and explaining why those mistakes were made and what
are the next steps.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean he does have still you know support from strong backing from federations in Africa and in South America, for example. So,
it's not an absolute sort of slam dunk that he wouldn't make it through, but you are making a very good point.
Look, UEFA, as you rightly point out, came out with a number of statements, not least this damning statement, saying, The World Cup is not for sale."
But, you know, FIFA, as an organization does, you know, include private -- you know, money from -- you know, outside of sort of the public domain. I
mean, is they -- do you believe that there is an acceptable model where private capital can or could play a role in football's biggest tournament
and others without compromising the integrity or governance of the competition?
And I say governance sort of loosely termed here, because I think, you know, there is a real question about sort of governance across the board,
as far as sort of FIFA is concerned.
PINTO: Becky, what's clear so far is that there is been a near unanimous position from key stakeholders around football rejecting this proposal. Not
only the proposal itself, but the way in which it was constructed behind closed doors.
As you mentioned when we started this interview, I was a former communications director at UEFA. I saw firsthand all the work that goes on
between UEFA, in this case, and key stakeholders to have a consultation process, discussion process, a democratic process to make sure that
everyone is included when a decision such as this is made.
I think, here, what is simply unacceptable was the fact that this was made between a handful, or a couple of handful of influential people in Gianni
Infantino's inner circle, and it was kept secret until it was leaked by a journalist in the U.K.
[10:50:01]
And this has, in a way, helped to galvanize the world of football against something which, if it had been proposed officially, could have been a
complete disaster for the game. So, we have seen that even though there has been some isolated support from certain federations for Gianni Infantino,
the overwhelming majority has been against not only the proposal, not only the process, but the lack of transparency, the lack of governance that we
have seen.
ANDERSON: Yes.
PITO: And this means that football is standing united to make sure that the integrity of the game is protected.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, Pedro, I think -- you know, I think it's the idea of this was a stitch up, effectively that has -- and I think that's your
point, has provided this sort of momentum, and you know, for this backlash against.
I want to say, not necessarily FIFA, although it is FIFA because, you know, that's the body. But it really is Gianni Infantino that the backlash has
been against, at the end of the day.
So, this is the first time the FIFA's had these controversies, and they have been sort of they predate Gianni Infantino's leadership, of course.
But who could replace him at this point, or who are you hoping might replace him at least?
PINTO: Well, as I mentioned, we are kind of on the final straight counting down to the next FIFA elections. What I've been hearing from a lot of
different sources and stakeholders is that they want to keep the pressure as high as possible on Gianni Infantino --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: To help, to hold him accountable for his actions, and the pressure is intensifying for him to resign and to admit that this was a huge mistake
which was made on his part.
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: As far as potential candidates, I would say that certainly there is a lot of jockeying for position behind the scenes, according to reports
that I have been reading, there is maybe a chance that the current president of CONCACAF, the North American Confederation, Victor
Montagliani, could be -- could be the candidate.
But I think at this point, these are just rumors.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Understood.
PINTO: That it's just speculation. So, I think it's a little bit soon to start discussing who these candidates are because you need to come in,
Becky, and guarantee that you have a chance of competing. Right?
If UEFA and CONCACAF join forces and go against Gianni Infantino, that's 96 votes.
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: You have got 211 votes. So, you need obviously a majority of that. You only need a few more. So, you only need a few dissidents from other
confederations to have a chance of winning the election and overturning Gianni Infantino.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Understood.
PINTO: So, it will be very interesting to see who arises and who can join the confederations to have that kind of power shift.
ANDERSON: Pedro, a conversation that will be continued. It's good to have you as ever. Thank you, sir.
Well, before we go, I just have time to do this for you.
Just 19 years old, Fatima Al Awadhi is already reaching heights most people only dream of. The Emirati mountaineer from Abu Dhabi has conquered four of
the world's Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent.
And now, she has set a goal of completing all seven summits before her next birthday. Here is more of her incredible story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FATIMA AL AWADHI, EMIRATI MOUNTAINEER: I discovered mountaineering while looking into the peaks in the distance, and at the time I was going through
a great deal in my life. My father was in a coma for, you know, four years. He unfortunately later passed away. And I carried a lot of weight in my
life, and I needed, you know, an outlet to turn my pain into my power, and that's what mountaineering now represents for me. It's part of my grief
journey after losing him. It's helped me rebuild my confidence, find my purpose, and again, I always say, turning my pain into my power and my
strength.
And my goal has since developed into not just climbing the seven summits, the highest mountain on each continent, but skiing the last degree to the
South and North Pole, and though his loss affected me a lot, he is my strength, and his memory is my strength.
ANDERSON: He would be so proud of you, I am sure, as you try before the age of 20 to make the explorers grand slam.
Just walk us through what that means effectively.
AL AWADHI: Well, the Grand Slam consists of two parts. It consists of the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on each continent. I've done
four of them so far, and I have three left.
[10:55:00]
And skiing the last degree, so, the last 16 nautical miles, to the South Pole and the North Pole.
ANDERSON: What's been the toughest to date?
AL AWADHI: I would say the toughest to date would be Lenin Peak, which took me to Kyrgyzstan for three weeks, which is the longest I've ever spent away
from home, away from my mother. And the hardest part is having the endurance to keep going every single day for three weeks. I'd have to hike
a long distance in the heat, carrying my heavy backpack, and I'd know I have to do all over again the next day.
ANDERSON: Talk to me about what comes next. What are you doing from now on in to nail this grand slam ahead of your 20th birthday. So, what happens
between now and then?
AL AWADHI: Between December and June or July of next year, I'll be completing climbing three of the seven summits. So, Aconcagua, the highest
mountain in South America; Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Everest, where I hope to do Everest and Lhotse within 24 hours to 8,000-
meter peaks. And skiing to the South and North Pole, as well as climbing the highest volcano in the world, while also continuing to study.
ANDERSON: I know how important it is for you that what you are doing inspires not just young Emirati women, but young women around the world.
Just talk to me about that.
AL AWADHI: Well, exactly. My journey goes beyond summits and personal achievement. A story does not end with the person who tells it; it creates
movement in the listener.
And I hope my story encourages others, not just women, but people in general, of all ages, to seek exposure and say yes to unfamiliar paths and
step outside their comfort zones and embrace challenges they never thought was possible. Because it's through exposure, we discover who we are, what
we are capable of, and where our deepest passions truly lie. No matter how difficult life becomes, we all have the ability to rise and rebuild and
shape a different future.
And, you know, I'm not special. I'm human. And the ability to rise and rebuild is something human that I'm here to remind people that it's
possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: How inspiring is that? I want to leave you with that.
That's CONNECT THE WORLD this Monday. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD", up next.
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