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UNGA General Debate Underway; U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Six Killed in Saudi-led Airstrikes; Trump Addresses World Leaders at U.N. General Assembly; New York Mayor Doubles Down on Criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 22, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching the second hour of this show from our headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. And as

we've been reporting throughout what was special coverage on CNN U.S., president Donald Trump will be speaking shortly at the U.N. General

Assembly.

It's the Brazilian leader speaking currently. Despite the White House barring CNN and other news organizations from the presidential press pool,

we do have a live signal of the president's remarks provided by U.N. TV that we will be monitoring. And we will be bringing you any newsworthy

moments as they happen.

There is, though, a lot to discuss in terms of global diplomacy even before the U.S. president takes to the podium today. For that, I want to bring

back our panel, Kylie Atwood at the U.N.; CNN's Stephen Collinson in Washington and guests who've been with me for the past hour, Firas Maksad

and Kim Dozier.

Thank you all for being with us and for the -- for you to sticking around.

Kylie, you'll be monitoring this Trump address as it happens so let's just start with you.

How do you expect him to approach this platform with so many conflicts and challenges on his plate?

What is the atmosphere there as he's already renewed the fight with CNN just moments ago on his way in to the hall?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right. The atmosphere here is not one of great hope when you talk to the diplomats

from around the world are here because, as you said, there are so many flashpoints, so many active conflicts around the world right now.

And, of course, drawing those to an end really hinges on action from the United States. We've seen president Trump try and drive an end to the war

with Iran.

But recently he hasn't been actively pursuing that, as he has said that the status quo for him is working all right. And he is determined to make sure

that Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon.

But one interesting part of what we have heard this morning from members of his team, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, saying that president Trump

is open to potentially meeting with the Iranian delegation while they are both here in New York for this leaders' gathering.

[10:15:00]

That is interesting, because president Trump has not sat down --

(CROSSTALK)

ATWOOD: -- his officials have. And so it'll be interesting to see if that actually comes to fruition. But the other parts that we'll be watching for

in president Trump's speech have to do with the ongoing Ukraine war.

What does he say about that?

We know it is top of mind for him. He's posted about it just yesterday on Truth Social, saying that there is a need to end that conflict, also saying

that the Russian energy system energy situation is in a really dismal spot right now. So we'll watch to see on those fronts.

But there isn't a sense that there is growing momentum behind ending these conflicts right now. And that has led to some of the frustration that I've

talked to diplomats about on the sidelines of this gathering here.

ANDERSON: OK. All right. The view from Kylie Atwood.

And Kylie, I'm going to let you go because I know there's an awful lot going on and you need to continue your reporting. Thank you.

Stephen, I want to discuss this latest polling that we have. It is a big number; seven out of 10 people polled disapprove of Trump's handling of

foreign policy. Just break down what we understand from that.

And can you explain how that might or might not impact, you know, his next moves?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. One of the most interesting things that Trump said in his second inaugural address as he

started his second term last year, was that his term would be remembered for the wars that America did not fight.

Yet just over a year on, here we are. The president, like many of his other predecessors, is seeing his presidency mired in the political backlash of a

war in the Middle East that he started with a great deal of shock and awe and cannot get out of and which has had major international financial and

political effects.

And, of course, in the United States, with problems like massively high gas prices, that CNN poll that was released today shows overwhelming lack of

confidence in the president's handling of foreign policy generally and the war in particular.

That is a huge problem as he heads into midterm elections.

I don't think anything that he's likely to achieve, even if he did meet the Iranians and there was some kind of agreement that emerged from this U.N.

visit, will actually mitigate many of the bad effects that Trump is going to face and his Republican Party heading into the midterm elections.

And, of course, he's created a huge problem for all of the world leaders that are going to listen to him. They are also facing the same kind of

political backlash from the war in terms of energy prices, the impact on their ravaged economies.

So I think he's in a real spot domestically and internationally. And I think those poll numbers really reflect how that is coming home in the

United States.

ANDERSON: Firas, Trump, as Stephen's rightly been pointing out -- and you and I have also discussed this -- he's told his advisers he'd like to meet

Iranian officials in New York if, quote, "conditions are right."

I wonder what you understand conditions would need to look like from the Iranian perspective at this point.

FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Becky, the Iranian perspective is changing. They have held a much

harder line up until today.

Essentially, their position has been that they want to go back to the memorandum of understanding, the MOU that was signed earlier in the summer

that was generally viewed as being more favorable to the Iranian side but which fell apart as we moved into the conflict.

The Iranians were unable to successfully monetize that deal very much through tolls and the easing of American sanctions waivers issued by the

U.S. Treasury for them to sell oil. The Chinese just simply weren't buying that much oil.

And so we went back to an escalating conflict. What we're hearing today is that the Iranians are more flexible in now a negotiation that is ongoing

through GCC intermediaries, not exclusively but primarily through the Qataris but also the Omanis of how to actually operationalize that

agreement.

Potentially opening the strait within seven days if the U.S. does, in fact, lift the blockade. I've been listening with great interest to some of the

commentary so far in the show.

And I think it's absolutely correct that there is pain on the American side and that president Trump finds himself in a bit of a difficult spot, not

knowing how to exit a war that he started and thought would be a quick win for him.

But this was always going to be something that's painful. I think the point to make here is that president Trump today is less focused on the midterm

elections and the domestic impact.

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I think that's pretty much baked in that he's losing the House, increasingly looking like he's going to lose the Senate. He's much more

focused on his legacy and his standing on the global stage and his standing and his family standings and relation, I should say, business relations to

many in the GCC.

And it's very important for the president not to come out of this war being seen as being handed a defeat and having an honorable exit. And I expect

that that's what much of the conversation today between president Trump and these GCC leaders is going to be focused on.

And potentially, yes, we're very much eyeing a potential meeting between the Iranian president and president Trump as Iran demonstrates greater

flexibility getting into UNGA today.

ANDERSON: So -- thank you, Firas.

Kim, let me bring you in here. What the Iranians have been absolutely clear about and Firas is absolutely right to point out, you know, the sort of,

you know, the -- what feels like some flexibility to a degree from what has been a very hardened stance by the Iranians today on negotiations.

What they've been really clear about, though, is that whatever happens and however flexible they may be on the Strait of Hormuz and various other

things that were in the MOU, the original MOU, they want assets unfrozen and they want to see the rolling back of some of the at least historic

sanctions.

So I guess my question to you, what will conditions need to look like from Donald Trump's position, were he to meet with the Iranian officials in New

York this week?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, in a very real way, each side needs both economic relief. And they need to make it look like a

win to their domestic audiences.

President Trump needs to portray the campaign thus far as having defanged Iran militarily and having made it near to impossible for Iran to get a

nuclear weapon. And he needs prices to return to normal and commerce to flow.

From Iran's perspective, they need to keep a hold of the Strait of Hormuz because they've lost everything else pretty much militarily, other than

their drones and their missiles. I think Gulf nations understand that.

So there's a certain willingness on the ground to concede, OK, we'll let you charge what's charged in other waterways -- passage charges for

environmental protections, things like that; fees as opposed to an official, you know, toll for getting through that strait.

So we're in the land of shades of gray, no real wins. But each side needs to walk away with enough so that it, especially Trump, can say there's a

reason to pull out the 17 some-odd ships that I've got patrolling at great cost to keep the strait open.

But it keeps this war going and it keeps the friction going. And he knows domestically he needs to stop that.

ANDERSON: Firas, you and I have been discussing this past hour or so the meeting between Gulf and -- Gulf allies and Donald Trump.

That meeting will include representatives from Jordan and Iraq, two other Arab countries around the table, you know, flushing out, or certainly

having a discussion about what happens next with any diplomacy with regard to U.S. Iran and possibly, you know, talking about what a postwar

relationship with Iran might look like for this region.

Let's just hear what the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman and adviser to the prime minister suggested at an event there in New York just in the past

day or so.

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MAJED AL-ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY: Right now, we are so siloed when it comes to our economies that it does not cost the other

party anything when the other side of the of the Gulf is threatened one way or the other.

We need to build for our people economic interdependence that would allow the people of Iran to enjoy prosperity, our people to enjoy their security

and for our dreams to be, you know, applied together rather than just being against each other in this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: I wonder, you know, what economic interdependence might look like for these Gulf countries. We've been discussing that. And indeed, if

we can go just one step further, Firas, what a Gulf-Iran alliance might look like going forward. This is not a new idea. It has been floated over

the years by Tehran.

What are you hearing at this point?

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MAKSAD: So first question first. I think this is -- my answer is a variation of what Kim pointed out, which is the GCC countries are not open

to the idea of pulling on the Strait of Hormuz.

But then they are open to creative thinking that would channel some funds over to the Iranians and perhaps soothe over some of the differences and

allow -- and bridge the difference, the gap there in order to get a diplomatic outcome that ends the war.

Your second question I find much more interesting, which is it within the realm of possibility that we get to a place where these GCC countries,

perhaps Saudi Arabia chief amongst them, come to a broader, longer-term and deeper accommodation with the Iranian, perhaps with the Iranians, possibly

partnerships?

The Saudis have been pioneers in that sense. They have been hedging and diversifying their relationship away from the United States. And since

2023, in a Beijing-brokered accord, they have essentially entered a detente with the Iranians.

It's far from perfect. Iranian proxies continue to attack Saudi Arabia, whether it is the militias in Iraq or the Iranian allies, the Houthis in

Yemen. They pose a challenge. But Iranian direct attacks against the kingdom have been fairly limited and focused only on American bases and the

American embassy.

So there is this idea out there, Becky, that, if the U.S. is failing as a security guarantor, its traditional role in the region, to protect these

GCC countries in return for all the oil money that is recycled through the U.S. economy.

Through their purchase of Treasuries, their purchase of arms, the, you know, hundreds of millions, if not more than that, trillions of dollars, I

should say, that they've promised president Trump to invest in the American economy.

If president Trump and the U.S. is reneging on that traditional role, well, then maybe they should consider an alternate route, one that includes

accommodation with Iran.

ANDERSON: Yes.

I do want our viewers -- thank you, Firas -- before I bring you back in, Kim, I do just want our viewers to know that, we've been reporting

throughout these past couple of hours that president Donald Trump will be speaking momentarily at the U.N. General Assembly.

Despite the White House barring CNN and other news organizations from the presidential press pool, we do have a live signal of the remarks that the

president will make from U.N. TV.

We will be monitoring that signal and we will be bringing you any newsworthy moments as they happen.

Kim, with regard relations between the U.S. and Gulf countries and very specifically that of U.S.-Saudi relations at present, Marco Rubio speaking

on FOX News earlier on today. when asked about Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

He said, we are working to see if this can be fixed. But ultimately, he said, if it comes down to it, the United States will always stand with

Saudi Arabia and support them because we have an agreement with them to do so.

That said, he said, that is a very dangerous and complex conflict that preexists our history.

Your sense of where the U.S. stands with regard the kingdom at this point?

DOZIER: The U.S. wants to keep its relationship with the kingdom but thinks they've got MBS over a barrel enough that they can avoid getting

directly into the Houthi fight.

Look, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have gone to war against the Houthis multiple times, the latest being last year in the opening months of the

Trump administration. And the U.S. spent billions. And it didn't work.

The only way the fighting stopped then was with a ceasefire peace deal with the Houthis related to resolution in Gaza at that time. So Trump knows how

low the defensive stocks are on the U.S. side.

He doesn't want to get embroiled in another military conflict that further draws down the stocks that are hardest to replenish and also risks the

Houthis shutting all traffic through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, not just Saudi traffic, which also thereby threatens -- since Bab-el-Mandeb is in

the mouth to the Suez Canal, that threatens --

You know, remember when that ship got stuck in the Suez Canal a few years back and fell on its side and prices around the globe rose?

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From everything, toys at Walmart, food, et cetera, because so much passes through that, the U.S. doesn't want to trigger a closure of that strait. So

yes, they want to stay on the Saudi side without committing any further firepower.

ANDERSON: Stephen, in your analysis, you have framed this week as an opportunity for Trump to accelerate the, quote, "chaos."

You write, "Washington's foreign policy is now an extension of the commander in chief's personality, marked by the use of threats and

leveraging force in pursuit of material gains.

"But while Trump envisages the U.S. as supreme, its power looks newly brittle."

Not everybody watching this will agree with you but I just want to give you an opportunity to expand on the conceit of your argument there.

COLLINSON: Yes, we understand what the president will tell the UNGA, that he has made the United States more powerful than it has ever been. And this

is a refrain that he often uses, saying, we are stronger and more respected than it's ever been.

Some critics would argue that, by failing to quickly win a war against a much smaller nation that is fighting asymmetric warfare with drones, like

Iran, the president has exposed some weaknesses in U.S. powers.

Other would argue that his disregarding of alliances, which have formed the force multiplier of American power for many years, is also a sign that U.S.

power and influence around the globe will ebb.

The president has used these UNGA addresses to signal that he's making a break with almost the consensus of almost every Republican or Democratic

president in terms of how U.S. foreign policy is conducted.

His foreign policy is very much an expression of his character. It's bullying, it's transactional. He's looking for deals and material gain. And

in that sense, the U.S. is much more of a unilateral actor, I think, in the world than it has been for much of the past 70 or 80 years.

I think one very interesting question is how this ends. Firas was talking about the president's legacy, which is very important to him.

And while I think it's clear that the world that he leaves behind when he leaves office in a couple of years will be much different than the one he

inherited in 2017, has he created the kind of new ideological framework and structure that will push American policy forward, according to his vision?

Or has he done a lot of destruction and pulling things down and leaving a rather volatile vacuum in its place?

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Stand by, everybody. I want to take a very short break. On the other side of this, we'll be back with this story and our other headlines. Stay with

CNN.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines this hour.

And U.S. president Donald Trump now addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York. At the same time, a source says the president would like to

arrange a meeting with Iranian officials at UNGA if, in his words, conditions are right.

Well, new video appears to capture the moment an airstrike hit Yemen's southwestern coast. It's not clear where the projectile came from or who

fired it. It comes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels carry out a major offensive in their war with the Saudi-backed government, in what is a worsening

conflict between the two sides.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responding to criticism from New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mr. Netanyahu posting a video on social media with this message for Mamdani, in part, "I'm coming to the U.N. I'm going to tell the truth about

our heroic soldiers and I am going to tell the truth about you."

ANDERSON: Yemen's Houthi rebels claim that six civilians were killed in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the port city of Mocha earlier today.

That's according to the Houthis' Al-Masirah news channel. CNN has not independently verified those claims.

The latest strikes do come as Houthis continue to hold territory around Mocha, near the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. CNN has reached out to the

Saudi government for comment. CNN's Paula Hancocks joining me now.

I don't think we have any comment as of yet from the kingdom.

What do we know about these latest strikes and what these strikes may mean for regional stability?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, what we are seeing is an intensification of things on the ground in Yemen. We are seeing a number of

Saudi airstrikes against Houthi positions.

In fact, the Houthis said on Monday alone there was more than 150 strikes or missile strikes as far as they were concerned.

We are seeing a worsening humanitarian situation on the ground as well. Hundreds of thousands are believed to be displaced at this point. But we

have, over the past 10 days or so, seen a remarkable assault and advance by the Houthi rebels.

So this is what the Saudis are trying to prevent at this point. We understand that they're trying to prevent the Houthi rebels from getting to

the southern port city of Aden, for example.

This is where the internationally recognized government is based. At this point, there's a mountainous area of Taiz, which is where this -- the

government's troops are getting their supplies from. The Houthis are trying to attack in that area as well.

It is a very fluid situation. And at this point, it appears as though the Saudis are fairly isolated in the way that they are having to fight. We

understand the U.K. has said that they will have air to air refueling for a limited period of time. The U.S.' intelligence sharing, it is targeting

support at this point with the kingdom but nothing direct.

We understand that the crown prince had asked for help. That hasn't been forthcoming, although secretary of state Rubio did say in the past few

hours, we will live up to our commitments to them and have been, going to try and work out, he says, to see if this can be fixed.

ANDERSON: Yes, we are working to see if this thing can be fixed. Ultimately, though, if it comes down to it, the United States will always

stand with Saudi Arabia and support them because we have an agreement with them to do so. Paula, thank you.

And we will be right back after this.

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ANDERSON: U.S. president speaking to the U.N. General Assembly -- excuse me -- against the backdrop of major conflicts and challenges. This comes as

CNN has learned Donald Trump would like to arrange a meeting with Iranian officials also attending the U.N. gathering in New York.

Some questions around a potential meeting on the sidelines center on whether it would be meaningful in finding an off-ramp for the U.S. war with

Iran. CNN's Jim Sciutto joining us now from outside U.N. headquarters.

And you've been monitoring this Trump address.

Anything standing out to you as yet?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, just now, Becky, president Trump, after listing what he called America's

successes in the war so long, again claiming to have obliterated its nuclear program, et cetera.

He said -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- but he said that he now has a choice to help Iran become, as he described it, one of the greatest nations

in the world via negotiations or to annihilate Iran. He used that word annihilate again. That's something you've heard the president threaten

before.

And then he went on to say that he believes there will be negotiations. So that's the carrot and stick, if you want to call it, approach from

president Trump to Iran that we've seen since the beginning.

In effect, if you negotiate, we can get to a place where both nations are happy and prosperous, et cetera. If you do not, then I, the president, will

order further military action to annihilate you.

Now to date, as you know, that combination of carrot and stick has not yet brought Iran to the negotiating table. There have been some negotiations.

They fell apart. But to your point, as you said, Becky, coming in, the administration is again saying that at least be willing to talk here.

The trouble is, the Iranians representing their country here in the U.S., the president Pezeshkian, the foreign minister Araghchi, while they may be

interested in negotiations, you, of course, have this split in the country, which the administration often refers to, where more hard line elements in

the IRGC, et cetera, may not be so interested.

And so here we stand once again at what seems to be a standoff. Whether there would be a breakthrough here of some sort, diplomatically, certainly

remains to be seen.

ANDERSON: Jim, before I let you go, it does feel from here, you know, watching things develop in New York and seeing the world leaders gather.

But this is a particularly consequential week in New York with two wars, that of in the Gulf and the Ukraine-Russia war that continues with so much

going on with regard to the global economy.

A big sidelines meeting between Xi and Donald Trump this week.

Does it feel like this is, you know, this is a very consequential week to you in amongst it?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, consequential in the sense that you have major meetings, right, and major challenges.

The ongoing war in Ukraine and expanding hybrid war against Europe by Russia, which European officials I've been speaking to here are very

nervous about; a continuing war with Iran, which has expanded to another front, with the Houthis threatening shipping through the Red Sea.

[10:45:00]

And you have these meetings, you have the possibility held out, at least, of U.S. and Iranian officials meeting here. You have a confirmed summit

between Xi and Trump to discuss stabilizing the relationship between the U.S. and China.

The question is, will there be consequential results?

Right?

Because we've seen those diplomatic contacts before. We had a -- we had a U.S.-China summit in Beijing months ago. Perhaps the best you could

describe the outcome there as something of a truce but certainly no resolution of their issues.

We've had negotiations between the U.S. and Iran prior but the war continues. And president Trump has been holding out the prospect of talks

with Russia over Ukraine since the very start of his administration. But that war not only continues, it expands.

So consequential in the sense of the challenges and the contacts.

The question, of course, will be, is there any progress on any of these fronts this week?

And that's an open -- that's an open question

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. It's good to have you, Jim. Thank you. Always a pleasure.

Jim Sciutto in New York outside the United Nations there.

All right. We have a lot more news ahead for you. Stay with CNN.

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ANDERSON: President Trump referencing the Iran conflict during his U.N. address just moments ago. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But I have a big decision to make.

Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the

Middle East, or even the world?

Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?

Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?

But I believe we'll make a deal right after the election because it doesn't make sense for them not to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Kim and Firas standing by still.

And Kim, we just got that sound in.

So I just wonder, what do you make of what he just said?

And for the benefit of our viewers, why after the election?

Why not before, Kim?

DOZIER: (INAUDIBLE) Iran that there is an opportunity here and also signal to his base and the markets that he is trying to end this war and a

resolution is possible, even as he opened up by saying, here's all of the ways we defeated Iran and all we've accomplished thus far.

Without mentioning the fact that, even with all that destruction, Iran is still able to menace traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and menace Gulf

allies and allies as far away as Jordan.

ANDERSON: Firas, what do you make of what we've just heard?

MAKSAD: Yes. President Trump clearly laying out the case, laying out his argument for having to have gone to war against Iran. This is language that

is meant for his base as we lead up to elections. But what was very interesting to me is him, again, referencing that opportunity to get to a

deal with the Iranians.

[10:50:06]

Yes, he very much revisited the bellicose language of annihilating the Islamic Republic. That's all expected from president Trump.

But highlighting that an opportunity exists and that he can go in a different direction and referencing that this will probably come after the

midterm elections, not before, the reason for all this, Becky, is one, obviously, president Trump wants to talk down oil prices.

He's done that time and again to try and ease the pressure off energy markets and financial markets globally. That's something that he and the

U.S. in general benefit from.

But the second reason for this is that he doesn't really believe that the Iranians want to give him, perhaps for that same reason, don't want to give

him the win before the elections.

And that's why we heard president Trump say, the Iranians seem to believe, others seem to believe that I am making those decisions based on electoral

prospects. And in fact, I am not at all.

And that is actually the point that I was making on the air earlier with you, that president Trump is really not focused on the domestic and the

immediate right now. He is much more focused on his legacy moment in the Middle East, his standing on the global stage.

And I actually believe president Trump when he says he's not making decisions on Iran based on elections.

ANDERSON: Firas and Kim, thank you so much. You've been with me for the past 1.5 hours, nearly two hours. It's been a great pleasure having you

both and your analysis and insight so important to us. Thank you to both of you.

And before we go, just a couple more minutes with some of the other news headlines that we've got. So let's do this one for you.

"Shame on you."

That is a response from Benjamin Netanyahu after New York's mayor doubled down on his criticism of the Israeli prime minister. Mayor Mamdani said no

one should be above international law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: I have been clear about the way that I see the world and I always owe New Yorkers that honesty.

And when it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu, I have described him as I believe him to be, a war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the

Palestinian people.

And I've also been honest with New Yorkers that New York City does not have the authority to carry out the ICC's warrant, which, as you said, has been

issued for prime minister Netanyahu.

And that I do believe that that is something that should be honored, because what we want to see -- and we've been talking about this today --

is a faith in our politics, a faith in accountability.

You know, I recently met the mayor of The Hague here at U20. And the key thing he kept emphasizing to all of us was the importance of the rule of

law.

And if the International Criminal Court deems someone worthy of an arrest because of a violation of those laws, then who are we to say that anyone

should be above that?

And I think very clearly that everyone should be held accountable to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, prime minister Netanyahu, responding to Mamdani's criticism in a video posted on social media saying this, and I quote him,

"Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani.

"Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews. I'm coming

to the United Nations.

"I'm going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers and I am going to tell the truth about you."

Well, back to Mayor Mamdani for now. He met president Trump in New York on Monday. Christiane Amanpour also asked the mayor about that political

relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It looks like the president is on his best behavior when he's around you. He is

dignified, polite, speaks gently and of substance. It seems like he quite likes you. It's quite a rare thing for a leader to have that kind of

encounter with his president.

So I just want to know whether you have a trick, whether you have a way of dealing with him.

What do you talk about of substance behind closed doors?

MAMDANI: Well, I think of the many differences of opinion the president and I have. We have one thing that brings us together, which is a love of

New York City.

And we are both New Yorkers. And what I focus on in those conversations with the president is how we can make life better for the people who call

the city their home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Mamdani also discusses political ideology and strategy, telling Christiane that he proudly adopts the Democratic Socialist label and he

says this can be a winning strategy for Democrats nationally

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: I think this will absolutely translate on a national level. And the reason that I believe that is, while we are an exceptional city, as the

greatest city in the world, we also know that the struggles that New Yorkers are facing are the struggles that working class Americans are

facing across the country.

[10:55:00]

I often say that there's only one majority in this country. It's the working class. And their inability to afford housing, child care, even

public transit, that is something that goes beyond any one city.

And when we think about what are the most successful political programs looked like in this country, one of them comes back to the New Deal. I do

think it is a is a sad fact that, to find ambition in the Democratic Party, we often have to look to history books. And I'm hopeful that that is

changing in this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Zohran Mamdani and that full interview will air on "AMANPOUR" about two hours from now. That is today, 1 pm Eastern, 6 pm if you're

watching in London, 9 pm here in Abu Dhabi on CNN International and CNN All Access.

Right. Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. You can find me online @BeckyCNN on Instagram and X. From the team working with me here, it is a

very good evening. Stay with CNN, though. "ONE WORLD" is up next for you.

[11:00:00]

END