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Iranian President Pezeshkian to Attend UNGA; U.S. Secretary-General Addresses World Leaders at General Assembly; Republicans Call for Diesel Export Ban; Trump to Meet with Gulf Leaders Amid Iran War, Rising Tensions; State Attorneys General Agree to Settle Paramount Lawsuit; Trump to Address UNGA Amid War with Iran. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired September 22, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, it is 09:00 a.m. in New York, and you are looking at a live feed of the United Nations, where world
leaders are gathering for the General Assembly. President Trump expected to speak in just about an hour.
This UNGA week, unlike any other, two conflicts in the Middle East, the leader of a nation at war with the U.S. coming to the United States. The
ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a global AI threat, and economic turmoil. We will be covering all of that all this week closely. It is 05:00 p.m. in Abu
Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World".
Also coming up, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu responds to criticism from New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor called him a war
criminal. Meanwhile, the deal between WBD and Paramount clears a major hurdle on the path to a mega merger. We're just about 30 minutes away from
the start of trading on Wall Street, and if we take a look at the numbers, the markets, I think it's fair to say are mixed today.
Well, the U.S. war with Iran, concerns about AI, questions about America's global influence. Against this backdrop, U.S. President Donald Trump set to
give his speech to the U.N. General Assembly later this hour. And he could face a tough room filled with other world leaders.
A major reason for that, the U.S. war with Iran, nearly seven months old, no immediate end in sight. Iran's President expected to arrive at the U.N.
General Assembly later today after the Trump Administration allowed a quote core delegation to attend.
CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the U.N.'s New York Headquarters. I think you know we've set the stage to a degree. It is sort of day one there in New York,
the real day one. What can we expect, particularly when it comes? And of course, we're broadcasting from the Middle East here, particularly when it
comes to any U.S.-Iran meeting and the potential for any deal.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, I think all eyes on what President Trump is going to say to world leaders on this stage just
later this morning, particularly the message that he sends on the Iran war. Also, the message that he sends to the Chinese ahead of a state visit that
he's having with President Xi in Washington DC later this week.
But when it comes to the Iranians, there were some interesting remarks just this morning from the Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that President
Trump would be open to the possibility of meeting with the Iranians while the Iranians are here in New York for the General Assembly. Nothing is
scheduled at this time, he was sure to say.
But I also think it's important that in one of those interviews this morning, he went on to couch the possibility of any meeting and to
effectively say that even if it were to happen, the United States wouldn't know if it would really be effective because those that Trump would
potentially be meeting.
The President of Iran, the Foreign Minister of Iran, who U.S. officials have met with multiple times, of course, as they tried to broker an end to
this conflict, which has so far been unsuccessful, he said that they are not the ultimate decision makers. Of course, in Iran, it's the Supreme
Leader.
So already saying, if Trump does it, there might not be much that comes out of it. But obviously, watching to see if a meeting like that does come to
fruition on the sidelines here in New York. Also, when it comes to the expanding conflict in the Middle East, the Iran War, of course, the Houthi,
the Iranian-backed Houthi militia group's escalation in the Red Sea and with the Saudis.
Rubio said that the United States is working with Saudi Arabia on this. He said that they are trying to get this problem fixed. Obviously, it hasn't
been fixed. This Houthi confrontation has only spread. They've only been making gains. The Saudis obviously asking the United States for additional
support.
So that's an area for us to watch too, and of course to see what President Trump says to that effect while he is speaking with world leaders here
later today.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Kylie. Thank you, setting the stage for us from New York outside the United Nations. President Trump's upcoming
speech, then at the U.N., expected in about an hour, and there is a lot going on involving the president on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
For the second straight year, he'll be meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He will also meet with Gulf and other Arab leaders as
this war with Iran drags on.
[09:05:00]
He has, as Kylie said, even floated the idea of meeting Iran's President, who is attending. On Thursday, President Trump welcomes the Chinese Leader
Xi Jinping to the White House for what is a highly anticipated state visit.
CNN's Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier joining me today. Not quite sure where we should start. Suffice to say, this feels Kim like one of, if not
the most consequential UNGA meetings in a generation. I mean, absolutely, all roads lead to New York this week in what is a really important time for
global politics and affairs. Thoughts?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, President Trump will be trying to communicate to the General Assembly that the U.S. is in a
position of strength, even as U.S. allies are questioning that in almost every way. You have Gulf and Middle East allies who feel like they are
bearing the brunt of the continuing conflict with Iran.
A conflict they feel that the U.S. invited, and that they don't see a way out of the Strait of Hormuz situation without giving Iran some semblance of
control and the ability to charge some sort of fees to get traffic through there. So, you've got that situation.
You've also got the U.S. in a sense over the barrel in that it needs some way out, some face-saving way out of the Iranian crisis. And with Xi coming
to town to the White House, they may be providing just that. If the U.S. stops providing weapons to Taiwan, which the Trump Administration has done
in its first administration and in this term, then Xi may offer to intercede with Iran and get it to back down.
Then you've got some hope in that both Iran and Trump are signaling that they might be willing to sit down with each other. Iran desperately needs
economic relief, and Trump needs those oil prices to stay down.
ANDERSON: He is heading into all of these conversations six weeks out from the U.S. midterms, with new polling that shows Americans not in favor of
President Trump's handling of the war. Less than a 30 percent approval rating across the board when it comes to his handling of sort of foreign
affairs.
Do you think these, you know, new lows for his for the way that he is managing things will sway his decision making as he makes sort of this big
decision that he's teased?
DOZIER: Well, I think that opinion polls are partly the reason why we see him continuing to nearly go back to striking Iran and then drawing back
from the brink. With the latest decision coming this past weekend, with him reportedly in consideration of striking Yemen and then pulling back from
that, because at this point the Houthis in Yemen are only attacking Saudi Arabia.
If Trump joins in that fight, as Saudi Arabia wants them to do, the Houthis would expand their attacks. They could shut off the Bab Al-Mandab, shut off
traffic that is going through the Suez Canal by doing that, and jack up not just oil prices but commodities of all sorts, and that would be noticed
again by the American consumer.
So yes, while President Trump says he doesn't care about polls, he is tracking them. And the Republicans who are running for office in the
midterms are also communicating to them -- to him that they need his help by somehow tamping down this war and these prices.
ANDERSON: You talk to people, you know, in Washington. I'm sure you know sources aligned with, if not with, this White House administration. All of
what Donald Trump faces at the moment, including this incredibly sort of important meeting with President Xi towards the end of the week.
All of this, these wars, the economy. It all needs some sort of what feels like new and very creative thinking. Is that what's going on in this
administration? Is there anything new out there at this point?
DOZIER: Well, you know, you do have President Trump looking at his legacy, and because of that he does want to leave in place an idea of a more
muscular America.
[09:10:00]
And that is what he is messaging to his own followers. And in large part, when you talk to people who are MAGA minded, they believe it. But when I
talk to European officials, Eastern European officials, and Middle East officials, even officials from Asia, what I hear uniformly is that the U.S.
is declining in the world because they see the U.S. as having invested its resources in a fight with Iran that has exposed its weaknesses to countries
like China, and China is going to take advantage of that.
The other thing I consistently hear from these various allies, fans of Donald Trump, even, is that he is too mercurial this time around, and they
can't trust him to stick with the decision, and that makes his White House unreliable overall.
ANDERSON: Well, I know from speaking to people who are part of the UAE delegation that there is sort of message of optimism and resilience coming
going into these meetings from a country in a region where, frankly, things have been very tough. It would be great to get to the end of the week with
a sense of sort of optimism and a sort of you know a direction of travel that felt like we were going in at least the right direction.
Let's see where we are back end of this week. It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed, Kim. More from you as we move through the next couple
of hours. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is speaking at the General Assembly. He's kicking things off. Let's listen in.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: -- cooperation, justice, and collective security. Looking ahead, our future will be shaped
by how we address four great tests of power? The power over war and peace. The power that concentrates wealth and drives inequality.
The power fueling climate chaos and war on nature. And the power unleashed by artificial intelligence. Excellencies, the first great power test in the
21st century is peace and security. Peace is far more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of restraint of power by law. It is the
recognition, as enshrined in the U.N. Charter, that force cannot be the final arbiter of whose lives, rights, and future matter.
Today, that principle is under profound strain. Across the Middle East, conflicts are cascading. So-called ceasefires have amounted to little more
than lesser fires, with civilians continuing to pay the price, enough is enough. I appeal to the leaders in this chamber to maximize this high-level
week for de-escalation and dialog.
And together, let's send a clear message from this all, the fighting must stop. Humanitarian aid must flow, and navigational rights and freedoms must
be fully restored in accordance with international law. Amid the turmoil engulfing the region, we must not lose sight of the devastating situation
in the occupied Palestinian territory.
It is nearly three years since the abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on 7th October. But what followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza, with a
scale of killing and destruction, and like anything I have witnessed in my years as Secretary-General.
The International Court of Justice has issued legally binding provisional measures in the case entitled, and I quote, application of the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. End of quote.
In the advisory opinion last year, the court was clear that United Nations need to be allowed to perform our mandates in Gaza, and for our staff and
humanitarian personnel to be protected. All parties must comply with international law and the court's orders.
Meanwhile, violence, displacement, and settlement expansion by Israel in the Occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the
specter of ethnic cleansing. We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes.
[09:15:00]
In Ukraine, Russia's full-scale invasion has subjected the sovereign country to a brutal war in blatant violation of the charters. Civilians
continue to be killed far from the front lines, mainly in Ukraine, but also more recently in parts of Russia. Homes, energy, and water systems and
transport have come under repeated attack, threatening food and energy supplies and supply chains globally.
In Sudan, a war for raw power, fed by outside actors, has become a war on civilians, millions displaced, anger spreading, drones striking hospitals
and homes, sexual violence, and ethically driven attacks escalating, and the country being torn apart as the world looks away.
And in Myanmar, another crisis at risk of slipping from global attention, with escalating violence, mass displacement, and expanding transnational
crime. Excellencies, these and so many other conflicts show what happens when power gets out of control, force out spaces' diplomacy, military
budgets soar, and accountability goes out the window.
The test before us is whether power will be exercised with the law or beyond it, and we must pass that test. We must defend the Charter without
double standards, protect civilians without exception, ensure humanitarian access without obstruction, shield humanitarian personnel without fail,
advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament without delay and demand accountability without fear or favor.
And we must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today's world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today's challenges demand.
The Security Council was designed in the aftermath of World War II, but the world has fundamentally changed since then.
A change that is far from reflected in the Security Council. The most stunning example is Africa. When DIWA (ph) was founded, most of Africa was
still under colonial rule. Today, Africa still has no permanent representation on the Council. A 21st-century Security Council. A 21st-
century Security Council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible. These must change.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ANDERSON: And the U.N. Secretary-General addressing world leaders gathered for what is the opening day of the U.N. General Assembly, and alluding to
what is going on in the Gulf. Paula Hancocks, joining me now, alluding to what is going on in the Gulf alongside, you know, a series of other
important issues there.
Let's just get our viewers up to speed on what we understand to be the latest. Certainly, we know that Marco Rubio said Trump would not be averse
to meeting Pezeshkian, the Iranian President, while he. What do we know at this point?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's an interesting thing that we did hear from Marco Rubio. We'd heard similar from President Trump,
suggesting he was open to diplomacy. Iran has been saying it is open to diplomacy, but it's been quite clear as well. It does have conditions that
it would like the U.S. to agree to before ending the war.
Much of that refers back to you know remember that document, the memorandum of understanding many months ago. So, it is possible there could be a
meeting. Certainly, I think that is the hope of many that finally they are in the same building, so potentially face-to-face, more could be done.
[09:20:00]
We did hear, though, from Masoud Pezeshkian on his way over to New York. He was talking to Iranian state media on the plane. And he said that what he
wants to do, because he's talking on Wednesday, is that he wants to highlight the deadly strike against the elementary school in in Minab,
which happened at the beginning of the war, killing at least 120 students and a couple of dozen teachers as well.
So certainly, he is going to be using his speech to show exactly what has happened during this war, so there's not going to be any punches pulled we
understand from the Iranian side. But the fact is there could be some kind of discussion between the two. And again, the other interesting part of
this as well is President Trump meeting with Gulf leaders, and that will be coming up later today.
That is going to be a key meeting, especially when you consider what is happening with the Houthis with Saudi Arabia. We understand from our
sources that Saudi Arabia did ask Trump for help. That was not forthcoming at this point. Although we do know that the UK has offered some air-to-air
refueling help for at least for a limited time.
So, it will be an interesting conversation because you have the leaders who do not agree on everything. Of course, they agree they do not want to go
back to where we were several months ago. Here, they do not want the U.S. to renew these significant military strikes against Iran. So, potentially
they will be trying to pull President Trump back from the brink as they have in the past.
ANDERSON: Certainly, I want to see at the table and a you know a clear hand in shaping what any U.S. Iran deal might look like? And what a sort of post
war Iran relations might look like, not as united as a GCC bloc in the latter. But yeah, it'll be good to see what happens.
So, that a really important meeting, and this is Gulf and Arab allies, their representatives in that meeting with Trump later on today. All right,
Paula, thank you for that. We are watching. You are watching "Connect the World". We are watching what is going on at the U.N. General Assembly in
New York.
All roads lead to New York this week, so keeping an eye on exactly what is going on there. President Trump is due to speak within the hour there at
U.N. buildings, U.N. Headquarters in New York. Still to come, experts warn a Republican plan to stop the fuel crisis may hit American pockets.
And later outrage over the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant by an I.C.E. agent. What the man's lawyer is saying about his condition and the
treatment or lack thereof that he has received.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:25:00]
ANDERSON: U.S. President Donald Trump is under pressure from Republicans to stop exporting diesel to Americans' friends and allies in an attempt to
curb skyrocketing prices back home for farmers and for truckers. Well, the cost of a gallon of diesel soared to more than $6.50 over the weekend. That
is the first time on record in the states.
But experts are warning an export ban will only make the situation worse. Senior Reporter Matt Egan joining me now from New York. What exactly are
Republicans calling for at this point, Matt?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Becky, the president is under intense pressure from his own party to do something to lower sky-high diesel
prices. Remember, diesel is the MVP of the fuels, right? This is the fuel that's powering the trucks, trains, tractors, construction vehicles, and
ships that power the modern economy.
And some Republicans they're arguing that this is a break the glass moment that it's time to keep American energy at home instead of sending it
overseas. However, analysts tell me that not only would an export ban fail to make diesel cheap again, it could actually backfire and make diesel even
more expensive.
Let me show you how this might work. So, if there was an export ban imposed, analysts do think that yes, U.S. diesel prices would drop.
However, they think it would be temporary and it would be localized, local to the Gulf Coast, where there's a lot of refineries and the Midwest, where
there's a lot of refineries.
The problem, however, though, is that overseas, foreign diesel prices would likely surge because of the loss of U.S. diesel. That's an issue for the
West Coast in the U.S. and the East Coast. Both areas rely on imports, and so they could actually see higher prices. And then, how would refineries
respond?
They would likely produce less fuel because they have less demand from overseas. That would mean less gasoline, less diesel, and likely higher
prices. I think this helps explain why Veteran Analyst Bob McNally, he told me that he thinks that this is -- this would be what he calls an ape, an
authentic policy error. In fact, he said it would be king of all apes.
And Becky, the White House is not embracing these calls for an export ban. A White House official telling me that the administration is not
considering limits or a ban on exports at this time. Back to you.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Matt. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Up next on "Connect the World", the start of trading and the business news headlines, including a major merger, potentially the biggest
ever in U.S. history. Media and film merger that is now. It's one step closer to reality. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World". Here's how the DOW is starting trade. Just seconds in
to the U.S. trading day, and the market up by about four tenths of 1 percent. We were really looking at a very mixed picture out there.
Perhaps not surprising, we have seen the oil price coming down somewhat. Still waiting to see whether this week in New York, President Trump can
make any progress with Iran Gulf Leaders in New York today in talks that could prove to be pivotal at a crucial juncture. And this comes against the
backdrop of the Iran war and escalating tensions, which are of course threatening to widen the conflict in the region.
Last week, Mr. Trump told "AXIOS" he's weighing if he wants to, and I quote him here, annihilate Iran's regime. Well, now the challenge remains if Gulf
leaders can steer the president away from further escalation. The region, of course, braces for what comes next. Certainly, the region and other Arab
leaders want a seat at the table.
They are meeting Donald Trump today, a couple of hours from now. Want a seat at the table. Want to be there, helping to shape what any U.S.-Iran
deal might look like. Shape the thinking behind the scenes at the White House, it's a really important week in New York. We've been saying this is
perhaps the most consequential meeting of global leaders in a generation. All roads do lead to New York this week.
Firas Maksad is a Managing Director at the Eurasia Group, where he oversees the team covering the Geopolitics of the Middle East, is a recognized
expert on the region, a regular on this show, joining us live from Washington. It's good to have you, Firas.
And I do want to concentrate very specifically on two things. Firstly, we've heard from Marco Rubio, who says President Trump is not averse to
meeting the Iranian President in New York when he's there. Where that would be, of course, if Pezeshkian were to agree, is a big question because the
Iranian delegation only allowed to move in a very, very, very limited way in New York.
Be that as it may, worth having a discussion about that with you. And indeed, you know this what I think is a very crucial meeting with GCC and
other Arab leaders with Donald Trump later on today. Let's start with where your head is at when it comes to U.S., Iran, and the potential, indeed, at
this point, for a meeting between the two leaders.
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR MIDDLE EAST, EURASIA GROUP: Let's start there, Becky. I mean, is a meeting between Donald Trump and Pezeshkian, the
Iranian President, possible at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly? Of course, Trump loves these moments.
Trump has been wanting to hold that kind of summit for quite some time now. What's new is the evolving, changing Iranian position. Caught my attention
today, "The Reuters" report that the Iranians are putting forward a new, more flexible proposal on the table, one that would reopen the Straits
within seven days if the American side agrees to lift the blockades and ease military restraints and conditions around Iran.
That is a proposal that is significantly more flexible than what had we had heard previously. Certainly, no return to the memorandum of understanding,
which the Iranians had been insisting on beforehand, and Trump had refused outright. And I think what's new here is that the fact one, the American
blockade is having a significant impact on the Iranian economy.
I know there's been plenty of debate whether that will move the needle in Tehran, whether that will translate to a different position, a different
diplomatic posture? And we might have an answer today that it is having an impact and translating into a more flexible Iranian diplomatic posture.
And the second is the American success together with these GCC countries. And we'll talk about them in getting more crude out of Hormuz. The UAE, in
particular, is up back up to exporting some 100 percent of pre-war crude levels. The Saudis also loading quite a bit, although now they're more
restricted, perhaps with the Houthis and the Red Sea.
But back at now, Hormuz loading considerable amount of oil last week. And so, there are changes that are happening that are tilting the balance, at
least as far as diplomacy is concerned, to the American in America's favor. But that that said, again, this is not clearcut, and we all know that
particularly refined products, diesel and otherwise, are increasingly a problem and a challenge on the American side.
[09:35:00]
So, might we see diplomatic movement on the Iranian U.S. track in New York? I think there's a good chance of that.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about this Gulf GCC plus Jordan and Iraq representatives going in to see President Trump today. We know that Gulf
Leaders, you know, are sort of calling for a sort of mindset change on Iran. I mean, that's a line specifically being used by the UAE President's
Special Adviser Anwar Gargash.
And it does feel as if you know there is certainly a kind of united front when it comes to the GCC wanting to ensure that it is at the table having
discussions with the U.S. as the U.S. potentially shapes a deal with Iran, which is going to suit this region where I am and where you travel to so
often.
So, it does seem to be, you know, somewhat of a united front by the Gulf. The vision for how to deal with Iran post-war, which will also be
discussions that will be being had at present. Perhaps not as aligned when it comes to the bloc that we're talking about, the GCC. What do you believe
these Gulf and other Arab countries are hoping to achieve with this meeting with Donald Trump today?
MAKSAD: Becky, I think you're right that there's a commonality between these countries and what they want to see long term in their dealings with
Iran. They want a normalized Iran, one that they can deal with a resumption of shipping, particularly crude through the Strait of Hormuz.
And I think it's important to point out that all these countries, to varying degrees, have in the past made their arrangements with the Iranians
as difficult as that has been. The UAE and Dubai in particular, long standing commercial and financial relations with the Iranians. The Omanis
were the lead mediators between the U.S. and Iran.
The Qataris share a gas field with the Iranians, so they all share that desire to go back to a semi-normalized relationship with Iran. But the
challenge is on the Iranian side. You mentioned and referenced the UAE Presidential Adviser, Dr. Gargash, making that statement yesterday that
they very much would like to engage the Iranians, but the Iranians don't deal with them on an equal footing.
They're happy to talk to them about tactical issues. But on the strategic level, the Iranians want to very much leap over the GCC and have that
discussion very much with Donald Trump. What I think we can anticipate from the conversations today is the GCC sharing its views, but also very much
being in listening mode from President Trump?
And that's because in the short term, again, as you alluded to, the GCC doesn't have a shared path forward. The Omanis very eager to reach a deal
with the Iranians. In fact, they very much have a proposal on how to reopen the Straits that would see a sharing of control between Oman and Iran over
that crucial waterway.
Saudi Arabia didn't see eye-to-eye. In fact, helped scrap a meeting between GCC Leaders and Iran that was due to be held in Oman last week. The UAE,
perhaps the more hawkish of the group, particularly because the UAE, as mentioned, is now able to get 100 percent, perhaps 100 percent plus of its
crude out of Hormuz as Iran loses control.
So, there are differences of views within the GCC, but they share the longer-term objective. And they're eager to see what President Trump has to
put on the table today.
ANDERSON: Yeah. And just on that point, Majed Al-Ansari, who is the Adviser to the Qatari Prime Minister, at an event just yesterday proposing a Gulf
Iran economic interdependence plan and highlighting the geographic bounds of this conflict. It is definitely worth having a listen to him for our
viewers. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJED AL-ANSARI, OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR QATARI MINISTY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Whatever Iran looks like, however it is governed, we're going to
have to live next to them, and therefore we need a diplomatic resolution that has a sustainable element when it comes to regional dialog.
But at the same time offers the security guarantees for all of us in the region that we would never be targets of a future, you know, attack by Iran
whenever there is an external threat. And that there would not be an external threat that would threaten the rest of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And this, Firas, is the intractable truth of any conflict in this region, of course, the neighbors, the geography doesn't change.
[09:40:00]
You know, Qatar has actually managed this fairly well in the past. Do you believe that the other countries around the GCC will ultimately look to
implementing some sort of Gulf Iran alliance?
MAKSAD: Becky, you and I have spoken about this. Dr. Ansari, somebody that I saw when I was last in Abu Dhabi, I saw him here in DC a couple of days
ago too. They are more active than most on that diplomatic front, particularly because Qatar cannot get most of its LNG out in the current
situation,
So, they have that much more of an incentive to facilitate an American Iranian understanding. Now, other GCC countries in particular are not open
to the idea of having to pay tolls that the Iranians want to levy, let alone accepting greater Iranian control over the waterway.
So, this idea, this construct of a joint council potentially dangling out their GCC investments in a post-war era, a post-war situation in the
Iranian economy, helping integrate Iran further and giving it a stake in the region. That is an idea that's out there, and that might be more
palpable as these GCC leaders meet with President Trump and talk about what a post-war settlement with Iran could look like?
But you also need the Iranian side to buy into these ideas. And if there's anything I've taken from my travels and conversations in the region is just
how difficult it is to get decision makers in Tehran on the same page with the decapitation strike that the American and the Americans carried earlier
in the year.
The leadership in Tehran has just fragmented. And so, you have the hardliners and the IRGC on one hand, and then you have the Foreign Minister
Araghchi, you have the President Pezeshkian, and others also negotiating of a different mindset.
And one challenge that the mediators keep coming up against is that they're talking to a certain spectrum of the Iranian political leadership, but they
are not at all sure that those that they're talking to can deliver. And so that's going to continue to make it exceptionally hard for President Trump
and the interlockers to try and get on the same page with the Iranians.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you, Firas. Thank you very much indeed, Firas Maksad in the house for you. He is in Washington. Time is just before
quarter to 10 in the morning there, it is 17:42 here in the UAE. A settlement has been reached, allowing for one of the biggest mergers in
U.S. history. The details of the Paramount and CNN parent Warner Brothers Discovery agreement just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
ANDERSON: A landmark settlement has been reached in the 12 U.S. states antitrust lawsuit, which originally sought to block Paramount from
purchasing Warner Brothers Discovery, which is a parent of CNN. Now this clears the way for one of the largest media mergers in American history.
The deal still being finalized, but the CEO of Warner Brothers Discovery expects it to close no later than early October. Well, CNN's Brian Stelter
takes a closer look now at the details of this new agreement.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Paramount has cleared the final hurdle in its year-long quest to take control of Warner Brothers'
Discovery. The announcement came on Monday from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had been leading a 12-state coalition suing to block the
deal on antitrust grounds.
Bonta said that the state AGs, those 12 state Democratic Attorneys General in states like New York and Connecticut and Oregon and Arizona had all
agreed to settle rather than taking the case to trial. That is what clears the way for Paramount to complete one of the largest mergers in U.S.
history.
And already the settlement terms are proving controversial. But this resolution means that this channel, CNN, and the rest of Warner will soon
be controlled by the Ellisons, the billionaire family that's assembling a global media empire with the help of Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds
and other investors.
The merger is likely to take effect in the next 10 days or so, and many of the impacts are yet to be known. But there will almost certainly be layoffs
and other cost-cutting moves because Paramount will be under pressure to pay down its debt and to prove on and deliver on the synergies that it
promised to Wall Street.
Now, California and those 11 other states sued to block the deal in July, and at the time they talked about wanting structural remedies like asset
sales or divestitures in order to let Paramount move forward. There was a trial date set for March, but Paramount pushed hard for a settlement
agreement and seems to have prevailed on many counts.
Bonta said that Paramount is making more investments in domestic film production and legally committing to releasing 30 films in theaters per
year. But those are behavioral remedies, not the more severe structural remedies that Bonta said he was seeking. Paramount is also staying put in
California after weeks of talk about a possible relocation, so Bonta can call that a win.
But I spoke with sources in other state attorneys general offices who said they were disappointed by the outcome. In Connecticut, for example, that
state wanted Paramount to be forced to divest to sell off both CNN and Paramount's CBS News division. That is not happening.
But there is language in the settlement agreement that calls for an editorial independence board made up of journalists appointed by Paramount
who are meant to ensure ethical coverage and editorial freedom. Who those board members will be what they will do, whether it'll be effective,
whether viewers and readers will buy it? All of that remains to be seen.
But we will be hearing more about what the combined company might look like in the next few weeks. Brian Stelter, CNN.
ANDERSON: And we will be back with more news after this quick break, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:50:00]
ANDERSON: All right, President Trump making some comments just moments ago, ahead of his speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Mr. President, two thirds of Americans, two thirds of Americans don't think the U.S. is winning the war with Iran.
When will it?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, it's an honor to be here. I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me.
COLLINS: The United Nations allowed us in, sir.
TRUMP: You should not be here covering me. You said you won't going to cover me. You shouldn't be covering me.
COLLINS: Two thirds of Americans don't think that the U.S. is winning the war with Iran. When will it end?
TRUMP: We're making a lot of progress. Our country is doing really, really well. Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Americans don't think the United States is winning the war with Iran. What's your message to world leaders today? Will you ban oil exports,
Mr. President?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, soon U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to face a room of full of fellow world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly likely to be
quite a quiet room. Big challenges loom, hanging over his address. Multiple wars and economic strains testing the international cooperation that the
U.N. was built upon.
I'm joined now by CNN's Stephen Collinson, Kim Dozier, and Firas Maksad. And Stephen, let's just tee up a speech which is expected to be delivered
by the U.S. President just moments from now. What are the expectations?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think you will hear the president argue that the Iran war, which everybody believes is turning into
a bit of an international and domestic and financial disaster is actually going very well. He'll put a positive spin on that.
I think world leaders will obviously be braced for what he's going to say, especially considering last year he spent much of the speech berating
allies and telling them that their countries were going to hell. And as the questions by our colleague Kaitlan Collins of CNN show, there the president
has a very important domestic audience here.
Just a few weeks before midterm elections, a new CNN poll this morning shows that the war is an absolute political catastrophe in electoral terms,
potentially for the president. Only 29 percent of Americans approve of how he's handling foreign affairs. And only 26 percent approve of how he's
handling the war in Iran.
Big majorities say that the war is not worth the loss of U.S. lives and U.S. dollars. So, he's in a very difficult domestic position at a turning
point, I think, as you say, for the world, which is increasingly volatile, and for his own political fortunes.
ANDERSON: 90 seconds before I need to take a break. I'm going to keep you all with me through the top of the hour. But Kim, your sort of early your
opening thoughts, as it were, before we get to listening, certainly to what will be the key moments from President Trump's speech. How would you tee it
up?
DOZIER: The audience in the assembly room they will be braced to get berated by Donald Trump for how much the U.N. costs, for his usual
complaints that it doesn't do what it was initially set out to do. And also, to vow that Iran won't get a nuclear weapon.
And then to praise the administration for how President Trump, in his terms, believes that they ended, for instance, the conflict in Gaza. But
what people in that room will be listening for also are signs of real progress. They want humanitarian aid to get into Gaza.
And they want to see Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank draw back or draw down. Something that President Trump hasn't been able to
convince the Israeli leaders to do.
[09:55:00]
They'll also want to see signs that perhaps Iran and the U.S. will come to some sort of agree-to-disagree resolution, where each side declares war and
goes home. President Trump could say, for instance, we're just letting Iran charge the kind of fees that they do in the Malacca Strait.
ANDERSON: OK. Got it. I'm going to have you all back. I've just got to take a very quick break. Stand by, if you will. We will take a couple of minutes
and come back. Donald Trump is due to be speaking to those gathered at the U.N. General Assembly Hall there just moments from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
