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Isa Soares Tonight

President Trump Reveals The U.S. Knows Where Iran's Supreme Leader Is; Israel-Iran Attacks Continue For A Fifth Day As Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender; Canada To Assist Ukraine With $1.5 Billion In Military Aid; Trump Calls Supreme Leader An "Easy Target"; Trump Meets With National Security Team; U.S. State Department Press Briefing; Russia Strikes Ukraine; Dozens Killed In Gaza While Waiting For Aid; Kraft Heinz To Remove Artificial Dyes From Products. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 17, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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


[14:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello to you, I'm Max Foster in for ISA SOARES TONIGHT. President Trump issuing a veiled threat to Iran's

supreme leader, we know where you are, and adds that the Ayatollah is an easy target. Meanwhile, missiles have been falling for a fifth straight day

across Israel and Iran.

We'll be live in Tel Aviv. And help for Ukraine. Canada will provide over $1.5 billion in military aid as the G7 Summit draws to a close.

Unconditional surrender. That's what the U.S. President is demanding as Israel and Iran trade a fifth day of strikes. At any time now, Donald Trump

is set to meet with his national security team after cutting short his time at the G7 Summit.

A short time ago, the President posted this stark warning to Iran, quote, "we know exactly where the so-called supreme leader is hiding. He's an easy

target, but it's safe there. We are not going to take him out, at least not for now." Trump also saying, we now have complete and total control of the

skies over Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SIREN BLARING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, the U.S. looks for a quick end to the fighting. Air raid sirens were going off in central Israel. Iran says a new wave of missiles

has been launched in just the last few hours. As tensions rise in the region, Israeli officials are insisting they have no plans to topple the

Iranian government. Earlier, Israel's Foreign Minister spoke in a neighborhood struck by Iranian fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIDEON SA'AR, FOREIGN MINISTER, ISRAEL: We have very clear goals. First of all, to severely damage their nuclear program. We hadn't finished with

that. We still have objectives. We still have targets that now we can target easily because our Air Force now can relatively fly freely there,

and we still have objectives.

Secondly, to severely damage the ballistic missiles program of the Iranian regime, and thirdly, to severely damage their plan to eliminate the state

of Israel. Regime change is not an objective of this war. It can be a result, but it's not an objective we put to ourselves in this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Nic Robertson joins us now from Tel Aviv. I just want to ask you about these posts from the President. It just feel like the language is

moving towards the idea of military action from the U.S. with Israel.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Is either to moving towards military action, it either refers to military action that may be

underway, and it potentially is an indication of the amount of pressure that President Trump is trying to put on the leadership in Iran to change

course, to change position.

Of course, it's anyone's -- it's not anyone's guess if that will -- if that would -- if that would actually be effective. The reality is, you know, a

climb-down in the face of pressure from President Trump for the Iranian regime could be an existential threat, given the -- given the way they run

the country, and given the mood in the country at the moment.

But I think just, you know, picking up on the Israeli perspective and how that's being perceived, you just ran a clip there from the Foreign

Minister, and it was very interesting because he talked there about how we have -- we -- you know, Israel has now got control of the skies over parts

of Iran.

And President Trump framed that as a "we", now have that and claim some credit because it involved U.S. equipment. Now, I think that's generally

being perceived here in Israel as President Trump coming further alongside the position of Israel. But I don't think anyone here would really want to

second-guess the President on what he's going to do.

And that's what we heard from the Defense Minister who was also out visiting the site of one of these Iranian strikes. And he spoke about, you

know, the United States being a good friend. It's giving good support in the defense of Israel, not on the offense at the moment. And it was up to

the United States to make and President Trump to make the right decision in the national security interest of the United States.

But yes, this language really does seem to be falling much more in line with the position that Israel would like to see the United States and

President Trump adopt, to the point that they would join Israel.

[14:05:00]

The U.S. Air Force would join in some of the critical military assets needed. These 330 ton, rather bunker-busting bombs for Fordo, Iranian

nuclear power plant. That's enrichment facility that's under a -- under a mountain. So, Israel wants that to happen. It's not going to try to pre-

empt and pressure President Trump into that, because they know it could be counterproductive.

But the amount of U.S. military assets that seem to be now maneuvering in the region refuel air -- refuel air tanker aircraft for fighter jets, this

sort of capability, that's really seen an uptick over the past 24 hours. You know, it's indicative of a shift up of gears of the U.S. military

posture. We've seen President Trump raise the position before where he has -- he has turned a military operation around at the last minute.

We have seen him try to use, you know, his words and military pressure as a tactic to get the other side, Iran, in this case, to back down for

negotiations. That's where we seem to be tonight. And the perception here in Israel is a sense that they're happier about the American position

around the leadership here than they have been. This is a more comfortable place they're in right now.

FOSTER: OK, Nic, thank you so much for joining us from there. Iran's Foreign Minister spoke to -- spoke a short while ago with several top

European diplomats. He told Ministers from France, Britain, Germany and other EU countries that Iran wants to find a diplomatic solution to this

conflict. But he said that Iran is focused on deterring more Israeli attacks.

European nations have called for a de-escalation of the fight, but say Israel has a right to defend itself from Iran's nuclear program. I'm joined

now by CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, I wonder if I could just ask you first, your reaction to this or how much read this post from the President saying he

knows where the Ayatollah is, but he's safe.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: I mean, it is essentially just throwing the United States into this war. I mean --

FOSTER: Yes --

WALSH: It's hard to read that and not consider the U.S. to be a party, particularly when you call in block capitals for unconditional surrender --

(CLEARS THROAT)

WALSH: And essentially, threaten the leader of the country you're talking to with death.

FOSTER: Yes --

WALSH: Maybe not now, maybe at some point. So, it is a remarkable post, but it is clearly part of a wider, if effort by this particular White House to

increase the rhetorical pressure on Iran to perhaps agree to some kind of deal that denuclearizes it very quickly indeed. But it also potentially

points to what some sources are suggesting as well that, maybe Trump's thinking is edging towards getting militarily involved, perhaps not in some

wide American involvement in this war.

Because, let's face it, from what we're seeing over the past 24-48 hours, Iran's ability to hit Israel back seems to have been reduced or they

haven't exercised it as well as they have in previous days. And indeed, as we're hearing now, explosions in western Tehran after the Israelis have

said they will hit significant targets across the capital city there.

Clearly, Israel in the ascendancy, they do appear to have control of the skies. Oddly, it's President Trump who says we control the skies, putting

himself on the --

FOSTER: Yes --

WALSH: Same side very firmly as Israel. A total change in the rhetoric from a man who a week ago said, don't bomb Iran, whatever you do. He clearly, I

think, sees that Israel do have the military upper hand and perhaps thinks that they can get the best outcome from suggesting they may join in. The

ultimate question here, really, the outstanding thing that Israelis seem to need American help with quite publicly is, do they use the GBU-57 bunker-

buster bomb to hit the fordo nuclear enrichment plant under the mountains near Qom?

That is something they desperately need U.S. assistance for, and that could be the full extent, frankly, that Trump tries to contribute. But it makes

the U.S. party to this war, and therefore, the U.S. owns all the circumstances that come after it --

FOSTER: You think especially about what --

WALSH: Unexpected that there may be --

FOSTER: You know, what's the backlash going to be to that? I mean, what price are they paying for getting involved in this in such a direct way?

WALSH: It's an unknown. Ultimately, Iran looks so weakened as far as we know in terms of its ability to fight back right now, and the sort of

rhetoric now which seems to be trying to angle for a diplomatic solution at some point without expressing that weakness to openly or seeming to

surrender. The consequence of the United States might be smaller, if indeed Iran continues to appear as isolated as it does right now.

But the unexpected is an exceptionally dangerous force in the region in particular, and there's not a great history of things going to plan. But

one thing we have been looking at, Max, is exactly what is left in Iran's arsenal at this stage. And a key question is how long could they

potentially keep up any counterattack from Israel launching the ballistic missile waves that we've seen? And here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): The loudest clock ticking is how long this intensity of conflict can go on.

(WOMEN WAILING)

[14:10:00]

WALSH: Iran, under greatest pressure may reach a breaking point. First, they're estimated to have had a stockpile of up to 3,000 missiles, between

2 and 1,000 of them able to reach Israel.

BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, SENIOR FELLOW, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: The best estimate we have is, at best, a back-of-the-envelope calculation

of anywhere between 1 to 2,000 medium range ballistic missiles.

WALSH: But those stockpiles were challenged before this phase of the conflict. Iran fired about 120 at Israel on the 13th of April, 2024, and

then another 200 on the 1st of October that year. And in the last five days have fired an estimated 380, 700 used in a year and at very best, 1,300

left, others less optimistic.

EYAL PINKO, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MIGRATION & SECURITY RESEARCH: Taking into consideration that they fired around 400, 500 in the

last four days, and Israel destroyed some of the arsenal of what they had, I believe they stayed now with 800, 700 and more.

WALSH: But Israel has claimed success in hitting the missiles launchers, releasing this graphic of targets including at least a third, they say, of

Iran's surface-to-surface launchers.

PINKO: Israel is trying now not only to hit or to defend the missiles in the air, to intercept them, but also to destroy the vehicles before

launching. Because this is the -- this is the weakest part of the chain.

WALSH: Israel has claimed Iran could make 300 ballistic missiles a month like this Fattah-1apparently used in the recent attacks. But on October the

26th, three waves of retaliatory strikes by Israel hit Iran's air defense and missile production, in which the U.K. Defense chief said only a 100

bombs took down nearly the entirety of Iran's air defense system. "It has destroyed Iran's ability to produce ballistic missiles for a year", he

said.

TALEBLU: I don't even think they want to go below four digits, but it's certainly a bind that the regime finds themselves in. You know, for the

Islamic Republic, a quantity has a quality of its own. And having to expand these ballistic missiles during a time of war, rather than a time of

crisis, precisely puts it in this bind.

WALSH: The mystery number of how many missiles Iran has left dictating its actions and the outcome of this defining conflict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: I think it's fitting that this key indicator of Iranian weakness is something we actually don't know the answer to yet. They do appear to be in

trouble. They appear to have an undefended capital at this point. Explosions consistent. They appear to be reaching out for diplomacy, and

they appear unable to nightly deliver the same counterattacks they did maybe 72 hours ago.

But I think it's important to not forget the unexpected here. Things not necessarily going to plan, although it does appear we're dealing with an

extraordinary moment here in the power dynamics of the region changing.

FOSTER: Chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. Thank you. Our next guest just wrote an article in the Telegraph about potential

military operations concerning the U.S. and Iran. Tom Sharpe writing, "if the Iranians choose to close the strait, it will be difficult to do much

about it. Their mass mobility and dispersal makes striking back difficult.

The U.S. had to expend more than a billion dollars worth of ammunitions to pound Houthis into their current ceasefire. Iran would be much harder to

crack." Joining us now, retired Royal Navy Commander and Communications Consultant Tom Sharpe joins me. What was your reaction, Tom, to Donald

Trump's language today, saying we have control of the skies. It feels like he's all in now.

TOM SHARPE, RETIRED ROYAL NAVY COMMANDER & COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT: He really does. They've been -- I mean, Israel has been very successful in

what we would call suppression of enemy air defenses. I think more successful than most people expected them to be. Certainly, when I was last

involved in the planning of this, we thought that battle would be harder.

So, aircraft are now operating with near impunity over Iranian airspace, which is something we didn't expect to see. I think the point is down to

the south that has been left relatively untouched, and I don't think we want to open a second front down there, but Iran may wish to, if they feel

that they're threatened.

FOSTER: When you talk about the strait, it's obviously crucial to world economy, arguably, isn't it? Just talk to us about the challenges you've

been looking into there.

SHARPE: So, Iran have been setting themselves up pretty much since the end of the '80s to contest the strait and if necessary, close it. Through their

theater, ballistic missiles, their minelayers, their mini submarines, their ability to board vessels, and of course, it's their home patch. They have

excellent surveillance and awareness in that area.

So, there's an awful lot they could do there to cause disruption, much like the Houthis in the Bab al-Mandab. The crucial difference being there's no

alternative route for the oil that needs to come out of there.

[14:15:00]

And that's why the working assumption has always been that Iran wouldn't close the strait. China might not allow it, for example, unless they

believe the regime is under threat. And I'm not sure if we're at that point yet, but I think there's a lot more action to be seen down near the strait,

should they choose to do so.

FOSTER: Have you got any sense of what the Americans would want out of this? Do you think they're just going to take out the nuclear sites and

leave it there, or do they want something else? I mean, what are their interests in that region?

SHARPE: I think it's developing so fast. And the language coming out of the White House developing so quickly, I think that's nearly impossible to

tell. I mean, clearly there's a dotted line between ruining their enrichment capability and regime change. And I don't know which of those

two politically is the White House are after right now.

They're moving the pieces of the chessboard in place to do both. Thus, there's no doubt about that. And in -- again, in planning terms, that's

always been required. Iran, as the previous person said, Iran do have thousands of these missiles. So, they need the pieces of the jigsaw in

place before they can contemplate either.

And that's what's happening now, albeit with a slightly breathless increase in rhetoric this afternoon, which leads lots of people to assume that

strikes -- U.S. strikes on Fordo in particular are imminent.

FOSTER: Regime change isn't easy in Iran, is it? There's no obvious opposition, and it's very firmly entrenched, the current regime. And you

know, the Iranians are actually, you know, rallying around the flag, not necessarily the regime, but they're not necessarily going to support an

uprising from Israel.

SHARPE: I think that depends who you speak to. I know plenty of people very close to this who would probably contest that. Maybe we're just seeing

examples of those that are. Look, I don't know the internal workings of the politics within Iran closely enough to know which way this would be

supported.

And of course, as ever, if you replace this leader, who do you replace him with? And what does that look like? That is a huge unanswered question to

me. And perhaps, the reason why it's taken a little bit longer than some thought it would to date.

FOSTER: Yes, Tom Sharpe, really appreciate you joining us from Guildford, thank you. President Trump skipped a key meeting in Ukraine today -- on

Ukraine rather today after abruptly leaving the G7 Summit in Canada overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the final day

of talks without him as discussions centered on Russia's escalating war.

Zelenskyy had hoped a face-to-face with President Trump could help secure stronger U.S. support. Meanwhile, back in Ukraine, Russia launched a

massive overnight barrage on firing hundreds of drones and missiles. At least, 14 people were killed in the deadliest attack on the capital in

nearly a year.

Ukrainian officials say the strikes are growing more intense and harder to intercept. CNN's Paula Newton is in Dead Man's Flats in the Canadian

Rockies. So, it ended up as the G6. I mean, what's your Intel on that? Was he leaving Ukraine to the Europeans?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He most definitely was. And he said it himself on Air Force One saying, I did all I needed to do at the G7. Having

said that, there are American officials namely -- specifically Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is at Mark Carney's side there during these

meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

I want you to listen now, though, to Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself just a few hours ago, it must have been a blow to him to arrive at this summit,

understanding that he did not have the face-to-face with Donald Trump that he wanted. And also, as you point out, Max, on the heels of what was a

devastating night for people in Ukraine. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: I need support from our allies, and I'm here to thank you for the military package, it's important for our

soldiers to be strong at the battlefield, to stay strong until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations. We are ready for the peace

negotiations, unconditional ceasefire. I think it's very important.

But for this, we need pressure. And of course, I want to speak with Prime Minister today about sanctions, additional sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, Max, we are hearing about those additional sanctions from Canada, but also additional military aid. NATO Secretary-General is there

as well. Look, all of this is a boom to Ukraine, but not what they were looking for. They are hopeful, though, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was briefed

on this just a few hours ago about what the conversation with Donald Trump at the table with his G7 allies, what they told him about Russia's role,

about how he could step up his battle or negotiations, I would say more closely with Russia in order to try and get them to the table.

[14:20:00]

But as you point out, Max, look, there is a heavy lift right now for the United States. They only have so much bandwidth, and they continue to deal

with that crisis between Israel and Iran.

FOSTER: Yes, exactly, and that, you know, it does take attention, if not resource away from Ukraine, doesn't it? I mean, what does Ukraine really

want?

NEWTON: They want the full backing of the United States again. But more than that, to scale up that military aid in addition to that from the

United States. That doesn't seem like it's going to happen. What Europe is prepared for, what NATO is prepared for, is to try and fill in the gaps if

the United States does draw back its military aid, perhaps does not help as much, or even if the United States will not help out with the needed

military aid, that it will at least put more pressure on Russia to get to the negotiating table.

What is good for Volodymyr Zelenskyy is, he gets to have these meetings here, and then again, a NATO meeting coming up in just a few days, really,

where all of these leaders will be together again, and without a doubt, Ukraine will be the centerpiece of that meeting as well as NATO spending.

And perhaps he can lay the groundwork here for really getting some progress, not just with those NATO allies, but specifically, President

Trump.

FOSTER: Yes, Paula, thank you, up in the mountains there. Now, multiple firearms, masks and several notebooks still to come. The startling new

details in the investigation into the suspected Minnesota gunman who targeted lawmakers. Look at that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We are getting more information about the suspect in the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. Authorities say Vance Boelter

went to the homes of four lawmakers on Saturday with the intent to kill. But they say he only opened fire at two of them, Democratic State House

member Melissa Hortman, who he's accused of killing along with her husband and state Senator John Hoffman, who ended up injured along with his wife.

Now, authorities believe Boelter had been planning these attacks for months. They say he assembled a police-style disguise, even outfitting his

car with lights and a police license plate. Authorities have also found an arsenal of weapons and notebooks, with dozens of lawmakers listed.

[14:25:00]

CNN's chief law enforcement and Intelligence analyst John Miller joins me now from New York. I mean, you've been following, you know, all this

evidence as it emerges. What do you make of what we saw there in those extraordinary images?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, it's just shocking, Max. I mean, what you don't have here is an individual who

suddenly snapped and decided to take violent action against people who he thought was -- thought were on the other side of the political agenda. What

you do have is a person who apparently, allegedly, according to federal authorities, spent more than a year planning these attacks.

Surveillances, computer checks, gathering addresses, going to the houses, pre-operational surveys, gathering weapons, ammunition. And then when he

struck, because he had this vehicle from a security company he was trying to launch, he dressed himself up as a police officer, showed up with this

unmarked on -- what looked like an unmarked police car at these houses, banged on the door and said, police, open up.

And in two of the cases, as we know, opened fire allegedly. But here's the rub, Max. At the second location, after having shot Senator Hoffman,

allegedly, he is sitting by the side of the road, police have been sent there to check, to make sure that the other elected officials who live in

the area are OK, and the police see his car, a police officer pulls up next to him and she tries to engage him with conversation, saying like, are you

here on this call?

Are you from the capitol police? And he said -- the individual in the car just stared straight ahead. So, instead, she went on to check on that

residence where everybody was apparently OK. And during the time she was doing that, Boelter and his fake police car drove off to the next location

where he was actually encountered by other officers after killing the occupants, two of them, and then engaged in a gun battle with them. So,

what you saw was this very frantic effort to try and get a step ahead of him, and a missed step in the middle.

FOSTER: Yes, so, what happens next in this? I mean, the police did a good job, didn't they? Locking down the area. Thankfully no more people were

attacked, but there was a long list. But what are you expecting next?

MILLER: Well, you know, after that incredible manhunt that led to him crawling through a field near his own house 50 miles away from the scene,

now, it's really just going through the evidence to make sure of a couple of things. Number one, to be more than certain that he was acting alone,

that he didn't have help, or that there was no one else who knew about his plan and didn't say anything.

And then, number two, gathering all of the physical and forensic evidence that will tie him to each one of these crime scenes and each one of those

charges. So, I think you're looking at probably at least a year between now and trial. Federal charges first, then state charges.

FOSTER: Yes, and there's that whole debate, isn't there? About this, you know, divisive culture in the U.S., and whether all of those politicians

need more protection. John, thank you so much for joining us. Still to come tonight, President Trump says a ceasefire between Israel and Iran isn't

enough, as he calls for a real end to the escalating conflict. We'll go live to the White House for the latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:57]

FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump claims we now have complete and total control over Iranian skies. In a social media post earlier, Mr. Trump also

wrote that Iran's supreme leader was an easy target, but we're not going to take him out, at least for now. He warned Iran against attacking American

soldiers and added our patience is wearing thin.

My colleague, Dana Bash, asked Israel's ambassador to the U.S. about the prospect of regime change in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YECHIEL LEITER, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I think the Iranian people have to make a decision about regime change. It's their country, it's their

government. They have to make the decision. What our goal is very clear is that they cannot have a nuclear weapon and they cannot have ballistic

missiles that can be shot into our population centers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Our CNN's Chief U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny joins us from the White House. I gather, Jeff, the security councilors

meeting in the Situation Room. What's the intel about what they're discussing?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Max, that meeting did just get underway a few moments ago. We are told President

Trump, of course, flying back to Washington overnight, abruptly canceling his meeting in Canada with the G7 leaders to attend this meeting.

And look, the -- this is -- well, without a question, at least at this point of the Trump presidency, the most consequential foreign policy, a

decision he's been facing. And the questions are, is the U.S. going to essentially lend a hand to Israel to wipe out the Iranian nuclear

capabilities, the nuclear program? That is very much a controversial idea. Of course, inside the president's own party, inside his own movement, it's

an anathema to what he has long talked about himself, how he is largely been a critic of deepening engagements in the Middle East, but this is the

situation that is presented to him at this point.

So, he's getting a lot of advice. They're getting a lot of intel with the vice president, perhaps saying the most concrete thing earlier, saying that

you should trust the president on this and inched ever closer to U.S. involvement.

FOSTER: OK. Jeff, if you could hold, if possible. We're just going to cross over to the State Department, which is a briefing taking place there.

TAMMY BRUCE, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tammy, would the U.S. government like to see regime change in Iran?

BRUCE: I -- first of all, I'm not -- I'm certainly not going to remotely address that. It would require me to speculate or speak on behalf of the

president, which I will not do. What we've seen though is clear, is months and repeated statements that all he wants is a peaceful world. His activity

and the activity and the nature of the actions that the United States has taken and his special envoys have been rooted in one thing, which is

negotiations, looking for diplomatic solutions to generational problems that he wants solved diplomatically. That has been his constant posture.

And there has been nothing that has changed in his -- what he wishes for, what he would hope to accomplish. And so, of course, that's not something

I'm going to address.

[14:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the U.S. government and the Israeli government on the same page when it comes to the intelligence about Iran's nuclear weapons?

BRUCE: That is a question for the White House and perhaps the NSC. That's not something I can answer here. Nadia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Tammy. The president said you want to see Iran offers unconditional surrender. I'm not going to ask you to comment on

the president's statement, but I'm going to ask you if the secretary is involved in any kind of diplomatic emissions with his allies, with the

Germans, with the French, trying to offer something to the Iranians as a way out?

BRUCE: Well, I, again, would not speak on the details of any diplomatic conversations, if they occurred, between whom, what those details would be.

We know, of course, the secretary and the president were at the G7. Their constant work from the moment they came to office has been to -- and

certainly Secretary Rubio was to open up conversations and to lead the world through diplomacy to make a difference. But that's the only thing

that would guide me when it comes to the nature of the decisions they're making at this point. Yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without getting into the details of the conversations, is the door to diplomacy with Iran on its nuclear program still open from

the U.S. perspective?

BRUCE: That would be a decision made by President Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you heard from the Iranians signaling interest in continuing discussions?

BRUCE: That is not something that I can speak to. Yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank. Going back to the (INAUDIBLE) piece of this, in Israel. The latest security alert from the embassy there still says that

embassy is not in a place to evacuate or directly assist Americans. Do you have any timeline on when that might change for the Americans who are

stranded in that country? And just looking at how quickly the security situation has changed there, the travel alert was raised to a level four

from a level three for the entirety of the country. Is that a sign that the State Department was caught on its back foot a little bit by this change

because Americans still can't get help?

BRUCE: I can say the answer to that last question is no. We are working 24/7 to ensure the safety and the security of Americans around the world. I

can say that the Department of State is always planning for contingencies to assist private U.S. citizens departure from crisis areas, and we will

alert the U.S. citizenry community if there is -- and when there is additional information to share regarding their options during any crisis,

but certainly, this one as well.

When it comes to how quickly people can expect a dynamic, the American government, the State Department, our militaries, you've seen all of these

assets, all of these departments involved in this dynamic, in one fashion or another, are working exclusively for the safety of this nation and the

safety of the American people wherever they may be. Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Tommy. At the top you said that you're advising citizen -- U.S. citizens not to travel to Israel or Iraq -- or

Iran under any circumstances. Do you have any more general guidance for Americans in the Middle East, more broadly as a region? Are there other

countries that you're advocating people depart from?

BRUCE: Well, at our website we have our travel alerts. We also have moved them on our State Department Twitter, our social media accounts. Those are

for the public to see. Would there be -- what is the specific one for people to look to if they want to look for specific country travel alerts?

Is it travel.state.gov? So travel.state.gov, and you'll see every travel alert there for you depending on if you're going to be traveling. It's not

just for the Middle East or if you're in a country right now. You can get your information there. Yes sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two questions. (INAUDIBLE) you also recognize American - -

FOSTER: State Department speaking there. Jeff is still with us. I mean, it does speak to the authority of the White House right now. So, many of those

questions being sent to the State Department, she was sending right up to the White House, saying these are decisions for the president. But they're

all similar, aren't they? Does he want regime change? How involved is he going to get in this?

ZELENY: Max, and those answers are yet to be coming from the White House. And those indeed are decisions that the president will make and articulate.

So, as the State Department briefing is happening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J. D. Vance, that the defense secretary and other

members of the security council are meeting here at the White House, in the White House Situation Room, going through these very questions.

But it's extraordinary, Max, when you sort of step back and look at the totality of really the question here is, is the United States going to

reengage, deepen its engagement in a Middle East incursion, a Middle East war? And this is something that Donald Trump has long campaigned against.

He's been very critical of the previous administrations, from the Bush administration to the Obama administration, to the Biden administration as

well.

[14:40:00]

He believes that his America first agenda was the right way forward until, of course, these challenges have present himself. And you're hearing from

allies like Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina, telling the president, it's a historic chance to go forward and really strike Iran.

Mike Huckabee, of course, the ambassador to Israel doing the same thing.

So, President Trump is hearing from many allies, telling him to go for it, essentially. We will see if that is what happens here. But there are many

indications that the U.S. is much more inclined to help out with a military engagement than it seemed even a couple days ago.

FOSTER: Jeff, appreciate it. Back with you when we get the results of that meeting. Our next guest is Negar Mortazavi, the editor and host of the

"Iran" podcast. She's also a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. Thank you so much for joining us.

I mean, we could find out very soon whether or not America's effectively going to war with Iran. It's extraordinary.

NEGAR MORTAZAVI, EDITOR AND HOST, "IRAN" PODCAST: It is extraordinary. I just wanted talk about a little bit of the civilian toll on the --

especially, you know, the population. I spent almost all night talking to relatives and loved ones, trying to help them navigate how to evacuate Iran

after president posted that post yesterday on Truth Social, telling a city, a metropolis of 10 million people, that everyone should get out of Tehran

immediately. I also think that's very irresponsible. I don't know if that's an indication of U.S. involvement, of some major bombing coming or it was

just, you know, a way for him to add to his leverage and negotiate.

And I honestly don't know what the end goal is here. Is this a regime change war? Is this a U.S. war? Is this an Israeli war? Benjamin Netanyahu

has been trying to push for a war with Iran for the past two decades, very publicly. It's not been a secret. He's also trying -- been trying to

sabotage diplomacy between Iran and the U.S., and that seems to be at least the one goal that has been achieved here with the calls with the talks

called off for the Sunday in Oman.

FOSTER: Describe what regime change could actually look like. There isn't a prominent opposition, is there? And it's very hard to dismantle.

MORTAZAVI: I mean, there's opposition to the regime. They have a legitimacy crisis within the population. People have grievances and they're not happy

with the status quo. There's also a strong civil society, but as far as having a regime in a large country, a strong central government, 80 million

people population, to overthrow -- you know, this is not a video game. We're talking about Iraq and Afghanistan, potentially even bigger and more

devastating.

You know, the regime not just going to up and leave and forget -- sort of surrender on its own. We're talking about sustained air campaigns, boots on

the ground. This is the kind of war that's ahead of the United States. And let's also not forget, Iraq and Afghanistan, at the beginning, nobody was

talking about going in for 20 years. There were promises that this is going to be fast and quick, nation building, democracy, really bad actors that

they're -- they have to go against and get rid of. And then, look what came out of it.

And I think that's why the American people understand, and polls have shown there's no appetite, no interest for yet another big war in the Middle

East. And that's why President Trump won the election in part because he presented himself as the president of peace. But we're yet to see how that

peace is going to come about In Gaza, we haven't seen peace, Israel, Russia -- Russia's attack on Ukraine. We haven't seen peace there. And in fact, we

see a third war starting under his watch.

FOSTER: So, without regime change, what's the alternative? I mean, that's clearly what Israel's talking about. America seems more focused on just

getting rid of the nuclear capability. What's your concern about what's left out of this, if, you know, the ayatollah, for example, stays in place?

MORTAZAVI: Well, I don't think the Israelis are being very clear or even honest about this, because they have been wanting the U.S. -- Benjamin

Netanyahu has been pushing for a similar sort of Iraq war since that era, since the past two decades, pushing the U.S. to do a similar operation on

Iran.

And for the U.S., you know, U.S. and Iran were trying to resolve the nuclear issue at the negotiating table. U.S. intelligence has again

reaffirmed today that Iran's program was civilian, that they didn't plan on weaponizing the program anytime soon. That in fact, it would take them at

least three years to actually build and deliver bombs.

So, this idea of a preemptive attack -- preemptive strike because there was an imminent attack coming at Israel is also manufacturers. The Israelis

haven't produced any evidence for that. So, I think the U.S. needs to sort of make this clear to the public.

[14:45:00]

Are they going in? Are they trying to sort of open this war -- enter this open war with Iran and start the next -- the third devastating war in the

Middle East, or can they go for an off-ramp? The off-ramp is going to look like a ceasefire with a lot of pressure and influence from the U.S., which

they do have in this context. And then, going back to the negotiating table and try to resolve the issue diplomatically.

FOSTER: Negar Mortazavi, you know, the way you speak, it does have so many echoes of the past, doesn't it? It could be a big moment for Iran tonight

after that meeting in Washington.

MORTAZAVI: It does.

FOSTER: We'll bring you all the details. Still to come tonight, Ukraine suffers one of its deadliest attacks in Kyiv in almost a year. We'll have

the latest on the Russian drone strikes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Officials in Ukraine are reportedly asking for an emergency meeting with the U.N. Security Council, that's according to the Ukraine Forum

Agency. This comes as Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv overnight, killing at least 14 people. As CNN's Clare Sebastian

tells us, it was the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital in almost a year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, by its scale, the number of drones used, 440, according to Ukraine's air force was close to a daily

record and combined with 32 missiles, a very high number. And also, by the level of destruction. This was the deadliest attack on the capital Kyiv in

almost a year, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

Now, Russia says it was targeting military industrial facilities. But look at this, the moment a drone slams into a high-rise Kyiv apartment block.

And this, the aftermath of a direct hit by a Russian cruise missile on another residential building, graphic visual reminders of why air defenses

matter so much to Ukraine.

Well, even as Russia has ramped up air attacks on Ukraine, it has not only faced no additional sanctions from the U.S., but this latest attack came

just hours after Trump told reporters at the G7 Summit in Canada that it was a mistake to kick Russia out of what was then the G8 in 2014. And Trump

has left the door open to Russia's offer to mediating between Iran and Israel, a move that would allow Putin to rebrand himself as a peacemaker.

Trump's early departure from that G7 Summit also meant he skipped a planned meeting with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. A crucial opportunity for him

to try once again to convince Trump to ramp up the pressure on Moscow.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:50:00

FOSTER: Now, the Palestinian Ministry of Health course today the deadliest day in Gaza in weeks. This after the Israeli military fired on people

waiting for aid in Khan Younis. At least 51 people were killed, more than 200 others were injured. The Israeli military says it's reviewing details

of the incident. Hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives near aid centers since Israel lifted its blockade on Gaza last month. We'll be back

in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The food giant Kraft Heinz says it'll remove all artificial colors from its brands in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The move comes as the

synthetic food dyes face renewed scrutiny from consumers and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell has

more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kraft Heinz is making this announcement, of course, after the FDA in April announced a plan to try to

phase out synthetic food dyes over the next two years. Now, some critics of that announcement pointed out that it was really voluntary that food

companies would have to go along with what the FDA was suggesting. And so, now we are seeing the first major brand coming out saying that they are

going to do this. Kraft Heinz saying that it'll remove all artificial colors from its brand sold in the U.S. within the next two years. And also,

that it won't release any new products with artificial colors starting immediately.

Of course, the company also notes though that almost 90 percent of its brands or products already don't have artificial food dyes in them. So,

this will really only affect a sliver of its portfolio, but some really iconic brands like Kool-Aid and Jell-O, which we all associate with those

really bright colors. So, those over the next two years will be getting a makeover.

But the company has already done this with some other really iconic brands, things like Kraft mac and cheese. A decade ago, the company switched to

natural colors to give it that really bright orange color we associate with Kraft mac and cheese. So, they use things like turmeric and natto and

paprika, which we all know from our own spice cabinets have these really bright pigmented colors. And so, they're going to be working on how to do

this over the next few years and we will see what they end up actually looking like.

[14:55:00]

Now, the companies have argued generally that these colors are safe, but have been moving in this direction already. Some of the health concerns

around artificial food colors have to do with things like cancer risk, that's particularly been seen in animals, as well as neurobehavioral issues

that have been suggested in kids who are more sensitive to these things.

So, some states like California have already moved to ban artificial food dyes, and more than half of states have some form of legislation on the

table looking at that as well, according to the environmental working group. A lot of these forms of legislation really target food dyes in

school foods, for example.

So, we'll see if other big brands follow suit, but we're going to see Kool- Aid and Jell-O potentially looking a little different over the next two years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: This just into CNN, multiple locations in Israel being targeted by a fresh wave of missiles from Iran. Israeli authorities are urging

residents to take cover as instructed in their area.

Thanks for watching CNN. I'll have "What We Know" coming up after the break. We'll keep an eye on those pictures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END