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One World with Zain Asher
Signs That Israel & Iran May Suspend Attacks on Each Other; Iran Suspends Attacks on Israel After Major Escalation; Trump Demands End to Fighting, Says Ceasefire Deal is Close; Flare-up in Israel-Iran Conflict Puts Peace Efforts at Risk; Israel, Iran Pause Attacks on Each Other After Trump Pressure; Protests in Albania Over Trump-Kushner Real Estate Project. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 08, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: A major escalation in the Middle East with tense negotiations and new strikes. "One World" starts right now.
Iran says that it is suspending attacks against Israel as long as the Israelis don't strike Lebanon. We'll have the latest from Tehran.
Plus, China's Xi Jinping is on a rare visit to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. And we're just three days away from the
2026 FIFA World Cup, and the excitement is growing. We'll look at what you need to know ahead of the biggest sporting event in the world.
Hello everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga, Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". Both Israel and Iran now signaling
that they will stop fighting each other after the most serious escalation since the ceasefire in April. Iran says that it will suspend military
operations if Israel stops targeting Lebanon.
And sources tell CNN that Israel will accept the U.S. request to halt strikes on Iran, but will continue attacks on southern Lebanon. The tit for
tat began Sunday. Tehran fired missiles at Israel, saying that it was retaliating against Israeli attacks on Beirut. Israel struck back, hitting
targets in Tehran and other places, including a petrochemical site in southwestern Iran.
Donald Trump took to social media, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Israeli sources say that he also spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister
earlier today, for the second time in 24 hours. In one call on Sunday, a U.S. official says that he told Netanyahu to hold off on retaliating
against Iranian attacks.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran and has the latest from the ground there. And a reminder that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the
government, but maintains full editorial control of its reports.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we heard early this morning is that first strikes by the Israelis hacked at around
04:45 local time, right here in the Tehran area. We personally didn't hear them, but certainly people in the west of Tehran heard some pretty loud
blasts.
That Israelis then also saying that they struck two other areas inside Iran as well, one of them the northern town of Tabriz, and the other one,
Isfahan, which is sort of in the center of Iran. And then there was that attack on that petrochemical site that's near the Iraqi border, near the
town of Basra, and Iranians said that they immediately struck back.
First and foremost, they said that they targeted two Israeli military bases, specifically the radar installations affiliated with those military
bases, but also then specifically in retaliation for the attack on that petrochemical facility, the Iranians saying that they struck a similar
facility, attacked a similar facility near the town of Haifa.
-- noting it, the Iranians now saying that they are suspending their military operations, for now they are saying that they have dealt what they
call a heavy blow to the Israelis at this point in time, right now, that military operation is suspended. But, of course, the big question now is,
is the diplomacy going to get going again?
How far away are the two sides, the U.S. and Iraq from reaching some sort of memorandum of understanding that could then pave the way for broader
peace talks. In the past couple of days, the Iranians have been saying that the going has obviously been very tough. I just spoke to a senior Iranian
lawmaker who also echoed that as well.
But at the same time said that if the Americans negotiate in good faith, then the Iranians certainly are up for negotiations as well guys.
GOLODRYGA: All right. CNN's Kevin Liptak joins me now from the White House with more. So, Kevin, no doubt this was the biggest test yet of the fragile
ceasefire that has been in place now for a couple of months. The president saying that both sides have agreed, or is calling on both sides to halt
firing at one another.
It appears that both sides have agreed thus far, at least Israel saying this publicly, as well as Iran, but the message that this sends, many would
interpret as the president less reluctant to pick back up with the fighting than Iran is at this point, and thus perhaps the leverage once again is on
Iran's side. How is the White House responding to that criticism?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, you know, I think they're breathing a sigh of relief this morning that at least both Israel
and Iran seem willing to de-escalate, but I don't think the impression is lost on anyone here that won the ceasefire that the president continues to
insist is in place is really in him only.
[11:05:00]
You know the firing hasn't ceased, both sides of this seem fully willing to start firing at each other if there is a provocation, and the president
seems sort of on the sidelines in a lot of ways. You know, in that phone call that he held with Netanyahu last evening. He did encourage him to hold
off retaliating to allow this diplomacy to continue, and at least in the immediate term, they did not.
Today, they do seem willing to accept the president's conditions here, but still saying that they maintain the right to go after Hezbollah in southern
Lebanon, leaving open the possibility that this could all just open back up again. You know, the president seems optimistic that this deal that he is
negotiating with Iran is in the final stages.
He says that the final negotiations on peace are proceeding subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in the way, but he's been saying this for
the last three weeks or so, that they are at the final point of trying to reach this negotiation, and it doesn't seem as if Iran is yet willing to
agree to some of the president's red lines.
And so, where all of this leaves him, I think, is unclear. It is also becoming evident that him and Netanyahu are somewhat divergent in their
views of how all of this is proceeding. Netanyahu clearly skeptical that this negotiation is going to yield anything that will both ensure Israel's
security, but also ensure that Iran not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Netanyahu, under very different political pressures from President Trump, you know, both of them have elections coming up. Netanyahu, I think,
unwilling to appear subservient to the president, but also, I think recognizing that President Trump's support is something that he will need
to rely on in the coming months.
President Trump very clearly eager to get this war over for his own political purposes, as the cost-of-living increases, as the war becomes
unpopular, even among many Republicans who are more and more willing to break with him on that particular subject. And so, it's a difficult
political predicament for him as well.
I think the problem with all of this is that the deal he's trying to negotiate with Iran is sort of underpinned on the assumption that he does
have an ability to pressure Netanyahu to not go back to war with Iran. You know, Iran isn't going to sign an agreement if it believes that Israel is
willing to go to conflict against the wishes of the United States.
And so, how that particular impression is resolved in these ongoing negotiations, I think, is something that is quite important, and at this
point we don't understand how it will necessarily be resolved.
GOLODRYGA: Right, and the deal that he's trying to negotiate in the immediate future, phase one consists of strictly reopening the Strait of
Hormuz to traffic, and that was not a crisis scenario, as we are now playing out around the world, and the impact that it's having on the
economy prior to going to war.
The president went in to put an end fully and finally to Iran's nuclear program, and that would, in best estimates, come up in negotiations in
phase two of this deal. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. I want to bring in Nadav Pollak. He's a Lecturer on Middle East Affairs at Reichman University
and a Former Research Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Welcome back to the program, Nadav. Good to have you on. So, Israel, for now, it does appear, has stood down on retaliating on Iran, even though he
did over the weekend, but I guess further strikes per pressure from President Trump. But they do, according to some reports, still have plans
to continue striking in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Is this a deliberate move on your part to try to decouple these two theaters, given that Iran is doing the opposite here?
NADAV POLLAK, LECTURER ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS AT REICHMAN UNIVERSITY: Yeah, I think right now this is a major issue right now for Prime Minister
Netanyahu and for the government. The fighting against Hezbollah is still occurring. We see it on a daily basis.
We have IDF soldiers are being killed in southern Lebanon. There are Israeli communities in the north. They're getting bombarded by Hezbollah
rockets and drones, so the fighting continues. And the president, the minister of defense, Israel cuts just this morning said we will continue if
they're going to continue on targeting Israeli communities in the north.
We're going to continue to attack Beirut. So, in kind of way it's true that we sort of all side ceasefire, meaning Iran and Israel, but it's sort of
hard to imagine how this is not -- how we're not going to see an escalation very quickly, because the fighting in Lebanon still is happening.
And if Iran decided to link itself completely into the war between Hezbollah and Israel, that means that we're going to see recurrent attacks
by the Iranian regime.
GOLODRYGA: And in terms of those initial retaliatory strikes that we saw from Israel overnight, they did seem to be more deliberate and calibrated
here, targeting a petrochemical facility, energy infrastructure there has virtual been left untouched.
[11:10:00]
Does that suggest to you at this point that Prime Minister Netanyahu could be more fearful of President Trump than what an Iranian response may look
like militarily?
POLLAK: Absolutely, I think that if -- I think that if we wouldn't have seen an objection by the president to sort of limit Israel retaliation, we
would have seen something much more escalatory targeting energy facilities than others. I think that's what Israel officials also said, that it's
going to happen.
But it's very clear that after what happened, after Iran attacked Israel, there was a conversation between the president and the prime minister. And
I'm sure that there were sort of some demands by the president to limit Israel retaliation, because if it was up to be -- if it was up to Prime
Minister Netanyahu, he would have chosen differently, because look, eventually, right now, as I said, Israel, it's a major issue we need to
break right now the linkage that Iran is doing right now with Hezbollah.
And a big part of it was sort of to show Iran that the price is too high to attack Israel after every time that Israel attacks Beirut. And right now,
what Iran has learned from all of this, they learned two things, first of all, that Israel is probably limited in its capacity to strike back because
of Trump.
And the Trump is putting above all else reaching an agreement, so it might mean to them they can continue with this sort of behavior, they continue
with the retaliation after Israeli attacks in Beirut, and that's a major problem to Israel right now.
GOLODRYGA: So much of Benjamin Netanyahu's calculations, as we've been covering, centers not only around national security but politically as
well, in his upcoming elections, but would you say that in this scenario any prime minister, no matter what their political standing at home?
How divisive they may be, how close they have campaigned on their relationship with the United States, would find themselves in a similar
situation here, because there is some pushback internally from some opponents of Prime Minister Netanyahu, specifically Naftali Bennett.
POLLAK: Completely, I think. Look, I think if we look back at the recent few weeks, there are other prime ministers that might have held it
differently, talking about today, when we see Iran targeting Israel after Israel targeting Hezbollah. I don't think that any other prime minister
would have acted differently.
You mentioned Naftali Bennett. He just tweeted yesterday that after Iran attacked Israel, Israel should go all in and do a shock and awe. So, he's
probably even attacking Prime Minister Netanyahu from the right. I think also, if you talk about Gadi Eisenkot, who also is running for prime
minister, and other candidates, all of them will say that Israel needs to retaliate against Iran for those attacks, and justifiably so.
I think the majority of the Israeli public will probably stand behind them. I think that many people also are very tired from all of this war. They're
tired of, you know, recurring attacks with Iran. You just need to remember today in Israel, for example, there were no schools.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
POLLAK: All kids stay home because of the threat of missiles from Iran. So, the population is sort of tired from all this. And having said that, when
you see Iran attacking Israel for a war that is not related to them, it's a war sort of between Israel and Hezbollah. It's true that there are some
connections, but eventually Israel did not attack Iran, and Iran decided to put itself into this war.
So, I would say the majority of Israel will support Netanyahu's decision to retaliate. They would support any other prime minister's decision to
retaliate. And there will support right now the continuation of sort of strengthening that deterrence and making Iran stop putting itself into this
war with between Israel and Hezbollah.
GOLODRYGA: It is quite fascinating to see criticism domestically here in the United States, in particular those critics of Israel calling it a
vassal state of the United States. And now hearing that same criticism internally in Israel directed at the prime minister for seemingly having to
make any choices based on a conversation with President Trump.
Given the ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon with Hezbollah, how severe severely is this current campaign degrading Hezbollah? Because there have
been reports, even among Israeli military experts, that they are quite surprised at the resilience that Hezbollah has proven to show.
POLLAK: Yeah. Look, I think that this specific campaign right now, and I think you know, I had first sort of advocated for not going in to a ground
maneuver. I thought that we should continue doing the airstrikes and other men and other sort of using other means and not doing a ground maneuver.
[11:15:00]
We are right now in southern Lebanon, unfortunately, but I think eventually, militarily speaking there are major achievements to the Israel
war against Hezbollah. You know, right now, when you're talking about there are large swaths of territory in south Lebanon that IDF currently controls,
so Hezbollah can entrench themselves on that.
They stopped using anti-tech missiles against Israel communities, because, or they don't have enough of them, or they can target it from the range
that the IDF currently is located. But they are still able to create damage in Israel eventually, you know, even if they fire 5, 10 rockets a day, fire
a little bit more drones.
It still puts the entire Israel north under the threat. So that's why I said from the get-go, there is a military solution.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
POLLAK: There isn't a military solution to the problem of Hezbollah. We can fight them, we can degrade them, as we did in the past, and we did in the
past 2.5 years. But eventually, to really eliminate Hezbollah, it's going to need to be a military session that is coupled with a diplomatic one.
Israel is not able or capable to conquer all of Lebanon, which basically you're going to need to do that if you want to disarm Hezbollah completely.
So, we need to talk to the Lebanese government. We need to bring the mechanisms that will help them and us to disarm Hezbollah, and you can do
that only through diplomatic means.
So, I think we militarily, we achieved much, but in order to achieve with the final objective, which is the summit Hezbollah, you need diplomacy as
well.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and there's a rare window of opportunity. Some would say, given the current leadership in Lebanon, some of that has been displayed in
interviews that the president has given to CNN and our Christiane Amanpour about the need for further talks, and also publicly condemning Hezbollah,
as well.
Nadav Pollak, we didn't even get into the Houthis re-emerging and firing rockets and missiles again for the first time now, as well. We can talk
about that later. Thank you so much for joining us.
POLLAK: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Really appreciate the time and your expertise.
POLLAK: Of course --
GOLODRYGA: All right, still to come for us, oil prices seesaw as traders try to stay ahead of developments in the Middle East. We'll have the latest
just ahead. Plus, experts say it's one of the biggest supply shocks in history. So, why hasn't the impact on oil prices been more extreme?
We'll look at what's really happening in this Strait of Hormuz.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right, we're going to take you now to Tel Aviv, where Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is speaking. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: As I say to my friend President Trump, with unity, determination, and wisdom, we will defend the State of
Israel and will bring back the security to the north.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right, there looks like we lost the connection. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the Israeli public, as you heard
there, through an English translator, to President Trump issuing a statement that further cooperation will continue to further degrade
Hezbollah and Iran.
He said that Iran and Hezbollah are weaker than ever, but that the war with them quote, has not yet ended. All right, welcome back to the program.
Let's take a look at how U.S. markets are reacting to all this uncertainty in the Middle East. There you see green arrows across the board there.
The DOW up nearly four tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 a little over 1 percent, the NASDAQ up nearly 2 percent There was, however, a jump in oil
prices as the fighting worsened over the weekend. Let's take a look at where that stands now. Brent crude up nearly at $95 up nearly 2 percent.
WTI crude up nearly 2 percent as well, at $92 a barrel. Prices have cooled a bit after rising earlier on Monday. As oil prices surge, the Strait of
Hormuz remains choked off. Traffic through the vital waterway is still sparse. And now experts say some tanker operators have found a workaround
amid one of the greatest supply shocks in history.
[11:20:00]
CNN's Matt Egan joins us to explain, so what is this work around, Matt?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Bianna, some analysts believe that some of these tankers, they are going through the Strait of Hormuz, they're
going through it dark by turning off their transponders, and that this may help explain how oil markets have been just so eerily calm about this
historic energy crisis, right?
Because you have a situation where the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively paralyzed for 100 days, it's a nightmare scenario. And yet, as
you can see on your screen, oil futures are well below $100 a barrel, even as this ceasefire looks increasingly fragile. And look, visible traffic
through the Strait of Hormuz, that's the vessels that can be measured with their transponders and via satellite, that remains very small, just a small
fraction of the pre-war level.
However, JPMorgan says that they believe that some of these tankers are getting through the double blockade by going dark. They're estimating that
about 2.1 million barrels per day of what they're describing as clandestine flows are getting through the Strait of Hormuz, and look, there's different
estimates out there.
Some analysts think that it's a little smaller, some things a little higher. Some are calling it clandestine flows, some are calling it ghost
transits, but whatever you want to call it, they're seeing this is perhaps one of the reasons that explains why oil prices haven't skyrocketed to
those really alarming levels above $150 a barrel that some analysts had been expecting.
The thinking is that some of this clandestine crude has helped the energy market absorb this shock, and explains why, as you can see, your screen,
why Brent oil futures are actually well below their highs of this crisis. Now there's other factors as well. There's the fact that China has really
slashed its oil imports, which is very notable, because China is one of the biggest energy importers on the planet, and they decided to rely on their
stockpiles instead.
And there's also other workarounds out there, there's some detours, like the East-West pipeline, that has been utilized to get crude from Saudi
Arabia to the Red Sea and to the rest of the world. But some analysts, they do worry that some of these workarounds, it may have been be kind of
lulling investors to sleep about the real dangers here on the ground in terms of this supply shock.
And they do think that as inventories continue to shrink, that we could see prices go even higher. JPMorgan says that if the Strait of Hormuz reopens
this month, which feels like a pretty big if right now, but even if that happens, they think Brent is going to average $104 a barrel this quarter.
And Piper Sandler, they're much more concerned. They see Brent averaging $130 a barrel this quarter, which Bianna, of course, would translate to
much, much higher gasoline prices here in the U.S. and around the world.
GOLODRYGA: And Matt, it is a bit surprising, and perhaps we've had some sort of explanation now, given the workaround's transponders being turned
off, of why we haven't seen higher energy costs given the magnitude of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked off.
But what we continue to hear as well is that even though these prices aren't as high as they could be. They could be here for a significant
period of time, even if the war ends tomorrow and the strait opens, and traffic resumes as it was status quo ante.
EGAN: Yeah, absolutely. Even in a best-case scenario, this is not like flipping on a light switch, right? It's going to take a tremendous amount
of time to get the tanker traffic jam out of the Gulf, and then get new tankers in. By the way, you've got to convince operators to be confident
that they can actually operate there safely.
And then there's the fact that we don't totally know just how much damage has been done during this war to energy facilities in the region, and how
much time it's going to take to get those facilities fixed. And to also turn back on the production that has been shut down by the fact that they
just ran out of space to put all the crude.
And just another point here is this war, this whole experience with the Strait of Hormuz is going to encourage the United States and other
countries around the world, especially in Asia, to really ramp up their stockpiles, right, their strategic reserves to try to protect against the
next crisis, and to invest in other detours and ways to get crude out of the Gulf.
So, you add all that together, and you can see why analysts are predicting that prices will stay elevated, even in the best-case scenario. Back to
you.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Matt Egan. Thanks so much.
EGAN: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Still to come, the worst escalation in violence since the ceasefire began. We bring you back to the latest on where things stand in
the Iran war. Plus, a rare and exclusive interview with Lebanon's President. CNN's Christiane Amanpour asks about Beirut's position in the
Middle East conflict.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here are some headlines we're watching today. Iran and Israel are
signaling that they'll stop attacking each other after they exchange fire on Sunday. Iran says that it will suspend military operation against Israel
if Israel stops targeting Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel has halted strikes on Iran, but sources say Israel will continue attacks on southern Lebanon. The
flare-up began Sunday after Tehran said that it retaliated against Israeli strikes on Beirut. President Trump is calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Earlier today, he spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu for the second time in 24 hours. Sources say on Sunday, he told Netanyahu to hold off on launching
retaliatory strikes on Iran. At least 32 people are dead and more than 200 injured in the Philippines after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the
southern tip of the Mindanao Island earlier today.
Officials say the massive quake triggered tsunami alerts in the region for several hours and caused widespread damage in General Santos City, home to
about three quarters of a million people. Pope Leo gave a historic speech to the Spanish parliament, becoming the first pontiff ever to address
lawmakers in Madrid.
He said the world is going through a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, and he described war as a quote, painful defeat of negotiations.
All right. Well, more now on our breaking news. The worst escalation in fighting in the Middle East since April's ceasefire. It began Sunday after
Israel struck what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.
That was followed by Iran launching missiles at Israel. Iranian state media has been reporting that Iran is prepared for a long war. Now all of this as
President Trump insists Israel and Iran both want a truce with immediate effect. The U.S. President has insisted for weeks that a preliminary deal
to end the war is close, but so far there has been no breakthrough.
[11:30:00]
Let's go to Jeremy Diamond now with the latest reaction from Tel Aviv. And Jeremy, we took the initial moments there of the prime minister addressing
the Israeli public, and unfortunately, our signal cut short. What else did he say?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we didn't get much new, frankly, from the Israeli Prime Minister in those remarks. He touted the
success that Israel has had so far in these strikes against Iran. He indicated that Israel will cease further strikes on Iran for the time
being, which is what we have been reporting today.
That both Israel and Iran are indicating that they are going to stop strikes on one another, but there is still a major caveat in that, and that
major caveat comes from a red line. I am sorry for the sirens that you can hear in the distance here, but that caveat comes from this new red line
that Iran is laying out, which is that if Israel carries out additional attacks not only against Iran but against southern Lebanon.
Then Iran is going to retaliate by striking Israel once again and is vowing to do so more forcefully than it did in these overnight attacks. And that
seems likely to happen, frankly, if Iran is true to its word here, and it has not been making idle threats lately, because Israel has indicated that
it will continue its attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
And so, we could be back to square one here just as quickly as both sides have agreed to cease attacks on one another.
GOLODRYGA: And Jeremy, we are seeing a number of officials in Israel, both those in opposition, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Israeli public in
general, pushing back and criticizing this notion that the prime minister's decisions militarily all depend on what President Trump says in a phone
call.
What are we hearing from some of the opposition candidates specifically?
DIAMOND: Yeah, that's right. Basically, you know, left and right of the political spectrum here, any viable candidate for the prime minister's
office in these elections that are to take place in three to four months' time. They are all criticizing the Israeli Prime Minister for his handling
of this war, for the lack of strategic gains, as many of them see it, in terms of this campaign in Iran.
And also, what Prime Minister Netanyahu is now contending with, with President Trump, phoning him last week to tell him to call off attacks
against the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and then calling him last night to tell him not to retaliate against Iran. And that's part of why it was so
critical for the Israeli Prime Minister to at least partially defy President Trump last night, who said that he was going to call Netanyahu
and tell him not to retaliate at all.
Netanyahu did move forward with Israeli strikes against Iran, two waves of strikes that took place overnight, but that were fairly limited in scope.
And then today he is indicating that he's going to stop those attacks again at the request of the U.S. Administration, but this puts Netanyahu in a
tough place, given what Iran is now trying to accomplish.
And Iran is seizing on this kind of split between the U.S. and Israel's priorities. They're seizing on the fact that President Trump doesn't want
to allow Israeli attacks in Lebanon to undermine the chances of a broader deal with Iran, and they're doing so by issuing this new red line, saying
any Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon are going to be viewed effectively as an attack on Iran and its interests, and therefore Iran is going to
strike Israel.
So, this is going to be a very delicate balancing act for the prime minister to manage in the coming days, and it's likely that he's going to
come under further pressure from President Trump and further criticism, perhaps from those people who are vying for his position in the coming
elections.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Jeremy Diamond reporting live from Tel Aviv. Thank you. Well, in the past few hours, Israeli sources have told CNN that Israel
will stop its strikes on Iran, as the Trump Administration has asked. However, the source says that it won't suspend attacks on southern Lebanon,
raising concerns about potential retaliation by Iran.
In a CNN exclusive, the Lebanese President is urging Israel to abide by the ceasefire. Joseph Aoun spoke to Christiane Amanpour late last week, saying
the dialog is key to ending the conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Here we are in the Presidential Palace, one of the areas of Beirut that have been struck. You
can feel it here in this palace, you told me when the bombings happen, you can see it from your balcony here. Are you powerless?
JOSEPH AOUN, LEBANESE PRESIDENT: As I said, nothing is impossible. My duty, my duty, and I'm committed to save the country. I'll do whatever it takes.
When there is a will, there is always a way. I'm not saying that it's very easy. It's easy. Can you imagine, or have you ever seen a 40 years conflict
or 50 years conflict end in one day or overnight?
So, but we have to struggle in order to save what's left of the country, and again, allow me to repeat that.
[11:35:00]
They can flatten the whole country, they can invade the whole country, but they will never be able to achieve their objective. On the contrary,
Hezbollah can drag the country into a protracted war, but they will never be able to achieve their objective as well. So, it's about time for both
sides to sit and talk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: On Amanpour's, you can watch Christiane Amanpour's full interview, exclusive interview with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on
today's Amanpour. That is about an hour and a half's time, right here on CNN. And still to come on "One World", a massive earthquake unleashes
terror in the Philippines.
We'll bring you all the details just ahead. Plus, Pope Leo gives a first ever speech to the Spanish parliament. What he said about human rights,
migrants, and international law. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Officials say a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed at least 32 people in the southern Philippines, triggering tsunami alerts and chaos.
Terrified children crouched down to try and stay safe as the ground shook at one of several schools affected. At least 200 people were injured by the
tremors.
The massive quake brought down buildings in General Santo City. The Philippines is in the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of geological fault
lines that gives rise to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Well, in his first visit to North Korea in seven years, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping has
called for deeper strategic cooperation between the two countries.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un welcomed Xi with a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang. Chinese state media says Xi told Kim that China will always
value its friendship with North Korea, no matter what else changes internationally. CNN's Steven Jiang has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un and his wife welcoming visiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife on
the airport tarmac in Pyongyang. It's Xi's first visit to China's isolated neighbor in seven years, and his first trip overseas in 2026.
Just a few weeks after he received both President Trump and President Putin, Russia and Beijing, reinforcing the image of Xi increasingly playing
a leading role on the world stage at a time when U.S. global influence is viewed to be in decline.
[11:40:00]
The White House has said Trump and Xi share the goal of denuclearizing North Korea, but analysts say Xi is unlikely to press Kim on the issue,
with Beijing seen as recognizing North Korea as a de facto nuclear power.
Kim has also continued to double down on the U.N.-sanctioned weapons program, despite Pyongyang's growing ties with Moscow, China remains its
most important ally, providing an economic lifeline to Kim's regime. Unlike during Putin's own rare visit to North Korea in 2024 few foresee Xi and Kim
taking turns at the steering wheel.
But they're driving home the message that North Korea's newfound love with Russia doesn't come at the expense of its special bond with China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to CNN's Steven Jiang for that report. Well protestors filled the streets of Albania's capital after Ivanka Trump
announced plans to develop a luxury resort on a protected beach. In Tirana on Sunday, some demonstrators waved Albanian flags, others carried
cardboard cutouts of flamingos, saying the bird's habitat is threatened by the resort project.
Albania's Prime Minister says no construction has begun yet, but protesters made their disapproval clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, I'm totally against it. Why would I want somebody, a foreigner, to come and buy my island, the land we've been here
2500 years? So, how can somebody claim that she found an island all of a sudden and pretended to be her home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The luxury project is backed by the U.S. President's daughter and her son- in-law, Jared Kushner. Well, Pope Leo described war as a painful defeat of negotiations today during an historic speech at the Spanish parliament in
Madrid. The pontiff, who has been outspoken in his opposition to the Iran war, was the first pope ever to address the Spanish government. CNN's
Christopher Lamb has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pope Leo giving an historic address to Spain's parliament. He's the first pope ever to address
Spain's parliamentarians here in Madrid. Leo, in his speech, emphasizing that war is a painful defeat for negotiations.
His remarks coming at a time when Israel and Iran are trading strikes in the worst deterioration of violence since the April truce. Now, Leo gave a
wide-ranging speech covering a number of topics, including polarization. Of course, Spain's political culture is very divided.
Leo emphasizing the importance of unity and also human rights, and migration was a theme too of the Pope's speech, calling for the defense of
immigrants and refugees. Leo was greeted by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez when he arrived here. And Pedro Sanchez is someone who is aligned with Pope
Leo when it comes to the war in Iran.
Sanchez has opposed that, and like Pope Leo, Sanchez has faced criticism from President Donald Trump for his opposition to the war in Iran.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, players and fans are on their way to North America for the Football World Cup, but as excitement builds, concern is
growing over security in Mexico and the U.S. We'll bring you up to speed right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, the World Cup is now just three days away. It's hard to believe. And this as the Mexican government is expecting more than 5.5
million visitors during the tournament, and that presents some serious security challenges. One of Mexico's host cities, Guadalajara, plagued by
cartel violence, and security experts say that warrants particular attention.
But, as our Valeria Leon reports, the city says that it's ready for the big event.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a celebration in Guadalajara, one of Mexico's three host cities for the 2026 World Cup. But
as the city gears up for the tournament, one question still lingers, is it safe for visitors? From FIFA's perspective, preparations are well underway.
MONTSERRAT HIDALGO, FIFA HOST CITY OFFICER: We built a board of technical experts that has been working on these challenges. These technical experts
are working on mobility, security, infrastructure, public policies.
LEON (voice-over): Guadalajara in Jalisco State is looking to turn the page after a wave of violence earlier this year, following the operation
targeting Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, one of the world's most wanted criminals. Former Mexican National Team Star Pavel
Pardo, a Guadalajara local, says the city is ready to welcome the world.
PAVEL PARDO, FORMER PLAYER OF MEXICAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: Jalisco is safe. We all saw those incidents of insecurity, which are not a good thing,
but today the city is ready to host the World Cup.
LEON: Standing here inside the Akron Stadium, you can get a real sense of the scale. It has a capacity of nearly 50,000 people, and it will be one of
Mexico's key stages for the World Cup. It will host four of the 13 World Cup matches played in Mexico.
LEON (voice-over): And the impact is already being felt. Guadalajara expects up to 3 million visitors during the tournament, and hotel prices
are soaring.
ALEJANDRO MORA, RIU HOTEL RESERVATION OFFICER: For two nights, it's almost $1,700 while a normal stay would be around $225 at most.
LEON (voice-over): Local businesses are betting on a major economic windfall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's always been a great atmosphere at the World Cup.
LEON (voice-over): For visitors already here. They say their experience contrasts with the security concerns surrounding the city.
SUE WAGNER, AMERICAN TOURIST IN JALISCO: I feel very safe. I like feeling safe as a single woman, and the people are very welcoming and kind. I feel
I love it.
LEON (voice-over): As the countdown to the World Cup continues, Guadalajara is working to show the world that beyond the headlines is ready for
football's biggest change. Valeria Leon, CNN, Guadalajara, Jalisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, joining us now with more is CNN's Sports Analyst Christine Brennan. Christine, always great to see you. So, look, a lot of excitement
about these games coming up, and it's an embarrassment of riches that we're talking about so much of this taking place here in New York City.
But I do have to ask you the security question, and the security concerns that are involved with all of this. The FBI is saying that there's no
credible threat right now, but you've got the finals, eight World Cup matches, separate of that, perhaps even a Taylor Swift wedding over the
July 4th weekend at Madison Square Garden has logistics and security trumped what should be the focus here, and that are these games, and more
specifically, tonight, Game Three, where we're all rooting.
Well, listen, I'll be biased. I am rooting for New York to win.
[11:50:00]
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Bianna, absolutely. Right now, it's all about everything, but sports. When those games started, the World Cup,
of course, starting actually in Mexico, and then in the United States, of course, and Canada as well. When those games start, the presumption is, and
certainly officials, FIFA officials hope that, that then becomes the story, and the games take over the headlines.
But this is such a far-flung Men's World Cup, obviously, U.S. has got the bulk of the matches, but Canada is a host and Mexico as a host. You know,
normally World Cups, if they're in Europe, it's a smaller country, and it's one country, or even in Asia, maybe two countries hosting.
So, just the vast nature of this, the amount of space that has to be covered by security, by police. Throw in, of course, the very serious
issues of the world right now. The fact that the United States is at war with Iran. The Iranian team couldn't stay in Arizona, now staying in
Tijuana, Mexico, and will play along the West Coast.
All of these storylines have developed and continued. No surprise at all that we're not talking about sports right now, very much like an Olympics,
which you and I have talked a lot about, where all of the issues of infrastructure and security, the heat, obviously it's already very warm in
the United States.
Those issues right now are taking center stage, and the key will be for the sports, the athletes to be able to turn the tables and start taking those
headlines themselves.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and you mentioned the heat, unlike the last World Cup, which we saw in Qatar, extremely hot there. Most of those games, if not
all, were indoors, I believe, and I think most of the games here this summer will be outdoors. Let's talk about tonight, Game Three, first finals
at the Garden since 1999.
No title here in decades for the Knicks. And we're going to have not only some of the most expensive seats and tickets ever sold, I think, in NBA
history, we're also having the world's most powerful man in attendance, and that is President Trump. Does a sitting president here also speaking to
what you were just talking about, the politics, the security of it all.
Does that take away some of the momentum, or does that actually add to, you know, value for those that are at the game and those that are watching?
BRENNAN: In this case, with the president's unpopularity and the way he consumes everything that he is a part of, and the security now that has to
be put in place for his arrival and for his presence at Game Three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, I think he takes away from it.
It's his choice he can do it, and we have never had a president in the United States, Bianna, who has ever been more affiliated with sports.
Donald Trump owns 16 golf courses around the world. He wasn't an athlete the way Gerald Ford or George H. W. Bush were, but he is a bigger presence.
I mean, my goodness, all the sports that he wanted to be an owner of an NFL team, they didn't want him, they said no, but he owned a USFL team. I was
interviewing him and covering him in the 80s and 90s through his connections to sports, so no surprise at all that he wants to be a part of
this.
Although in the garden with the crowd there, a New York crowd, obviously raucous, as you said, first time since 1999 they have hosted an NBA finals
game, and they haven't won an NBA Finals, a championship in 53 years. So, you throw all that in the mix indoors when you can only imagine the booing
that Trump will get, and the fact that all of these fans have had to go run the gauntlet of security, the perimeter, which is pushing the parties away.
New York is obviously, I think, these New Yorkers will be ready to boo. That is my guess. And then, of course, ready to cheer for their beloved New
York Knicks.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and if we are in full disclosure mode, back at the last time that they were in the finals, they were playing against my favorite
team, and that is the Houston Rockets, my hometown, and I'll never forget watching the Olajuwon, Ewing back-to-back, just the competition, the two of
the best centers in NBA history, no doubt.
But now you've got watch parties canceled, fans are asked to arrive two hours before you're going to have security even tighter than walking into
most airports now around the world, because of this. You mentioned the president's fascination with sports. Let's talk about UFC, and what we're
expecting to see on Sunday at the White House, which just so happens to be not only Flag Day, but the president's birthday.
Now, there are lawsuits to prevent this UFC fight, based on just financial mishandling and allocations. VIP packages are reported up to 1.5 million
dollars. The president is said to have a stake in UFCs, the parent company, as well. Set aside all of the legal questions.
[11:55:00]
Just talk to us about UFC, is this becoming more of a trend here in the United States? Is it with more of a particular demographic that appeals to
the president? Just walk us through this.
BRENNAN: Without a doubt, it's the demographic that Donald Trump wants to reach, even though he's not on the ballot, of course, in the midterms, but
so many of his candidates are, and he is effectively on it, without actually being on it, in terms of his job approval, and you know what is
happening in his world politically, and how he's running the country.
And so, yes, he's playing right to his base. UFC is not our national pastime, the NFL, football is our national pastime, even though, of course,
baseball, for years, has called itself the national pastime. There are so many other summer sports like baseball. Obviously, Washington is not
hosting any of the Men's World Cup games, but had there been that kind of connection, think of all the ways you could have tapped into sports that
are much more a part of the American fabric of all Americans.
But that's not Donald Trump style. Certainly, from a sports perspective, he wants to stick with golf, he wants to stick with sports that he wants to be
around. That's his choice. Again, he is the President of United States, he can do that. And so, this UFC thing is right in his wheelhouse.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah.
BRENNAN: What it looks like, the South Lawn, it's extraordinary, an eyesore for sure. And, obviously, as you said, there are legal battles yet to come.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the president perhaps even toying with it staying permanently, though we're not sure about how serious he is with that
statement. Christine Brennan, good to see you. Thanks so much. We'll be watching all these games, especially tonight. And do stay with CNN. I'll
have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
