Return to Transcripts main page

One World with Zain Asher

Trump Suggests Iran Agreement is "Unconditional Surrender"; Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Renew Ceasefire; USA Set to Face Australia after Impressive Opening Win; Scotland Fans Drink Boston Bars Dry Ahead of Morocco Game; High-End Private Social Clubs Thriving in London. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired June 19, 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)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. And Bianna is off today. This is "One World". Fast-

moving developments this hour as fighting in Lebanon strains a U.S.-Iran agreement to end the war within the last hour or so.

Though sources say that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to renew a ceasefire. It comes after a deadly night of crashes in Lebanon. One

Hezbollah attack killing four Israeli soldiers, and in response, Israel carried out a wave of strikes in Lebanon, killing at least 21 people.

According to a diplomat, Tehran has demanded a guarantee that fighting will end in Lebanon before it's willing to begin a new round of negotiations

with the United States.

Meantime, U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing back on criticism of the U.S.-Iran agreement, saying the deal amounts to quote an unconditional

surrender by Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you learned about not just the exercise of power, but the limits on your power as a result of the conflict?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There are no limits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

TRUMP: No, not. I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but you know, there are no limits. We defeated them totally militarily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beginning a conflict, you had talked about you only wanted unconditional surrender, and well, the MOU doesn't look like

unconditional surrender.

TRUMP: Well, it really probably is unconditional surrender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His?

TRUMP: I think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Let's go straight now to Nic Robertson, who's keeping a close eye on all of these developments from Lucerne, Switzerland. So, Nic, just in terms

of the news we got just moments ago that Israel and Hezbollah are agreeing to this ceasefire.

I mean, when you think about the fighting that has continued to take place, how likely is it that this ceasefire is going to hold between these two

sides, especially when you think about the amount of pressure that Netanyahu is under on multiple fronts.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I think if we think about the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding enough at a level enough

diminution away from the sort of big strikes we've seen in the past 24 hours, or like we saw over the past weekend, where Israel was striking at

Hezbollah targets inside of Beirut.

I think if we see that kind of diminution stay down, then that would create the space for the talks to potentially continue. But I think there will be

a lot of concern going forward that the Lebanon ceasefire is something that's going to be fragile, that tensions between Hezbollah and the IDF

could escalate again.

The understanding about the ceasefire in Lebanon, from sources I've been talking to, is it really involves those sorts of bigger strikes that we've

seen in the Bekaa Valley today, overnight in Nabatea strikes, for example, in the suburbs of Beirut again, unless -- less what happens along the so-

called sort of yellow line between IDF troops who are sort of inside of Lebanon.

Despite the fact that the memorandum of understanding, the first clause there, says that Lebanon is part of a ceasefire, that the Lebanese

sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, which in many circumstances would indicate that you would not have Israeli troops inside

of Lebanon.

But I think if you can separate out those small amounts of tension, which is significant, and the bigger strikes, that's the window to get the talks

going. But to really answer your question, is this issue going to come up again? I think very, very likely. I think most experts on the Middle East

would very likely agree with that.

ASHER: And just in terms of Netanyahu's calculation in all of this, for many reasons, he has been reluctant to hold off striking Southern Lebanon,

especially when you look at the memorandum of understanding from the Israeli perspective, there's a lot in there for the Israelis to be

concerned about.

And then you have Itamar Ben-Gvir, essentially saying that all of Lebanon should burn. It also indicates that Netanyahu is going to be under a lot of

pressure from the far right, those who live in Northern Israel also concerned about security. Plus, there's the elections in Israel happening

this year.

Just walk us through how Netanyahu is walking this very fine line, especially when it comes to maintaining a relationship with President

Trump, but also showing Israelis that he is their security guy?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, number one, he does need to show Israelis that he hasn't damaged the relationship with the United States, who that is the biggest

supporter and backer of Israel militarily, as well as diplomatically, geopolitically.

[11:05:00]

It kind of ring fence Israel's security in a very sort of dramatic and dynamic way. So, Netanyahu cannot afford to lose that perception, that

image. And the fine line that he is walking right now. I think we got a sense of that from J.D. Vance, the Vice President, yesterday when he spoke

about the hardliners that Itamar Ben-Gvir is within Israel's cabinet, within Netanyahu's cabinet.

That they need to wake up and smell the reality when they criticize the United States for this memorandum of understanding. There is a new, not

only picture, geopolitical picture that's emerging in the Middle East, but there's a new definition around the relationship between the Prime Minister

of Israel and the White House that is going to go through some tough, potentially bumpy times, and that is most difficult for Prime Minister

Netanyahu.

As you say, this is an election year. I think we're expecting elections potentially by October. He is being heavily criticized for not only

potentially damaging the relationship with the White House, but specifically for being beholden to a ceasefire that doesn't, for the

majority of people in Israel, doesn't seem to underpin and strengthen their security in the region, and that's the concern.

It's very hard for the Israeli Prime Minister to play this right, as well as those domestic issues at the moment that are outstanding, the sort of

let the criminal issues that sort of hang over his head, the court issues there he denies, obviously. But they also weigh on him, as well as he's had

an immensely long and at times incredibly successful and dynamic political career.

And he would have hoped that he could have seen that deliver sort of a bigger peace deal for Israel in the Middle East, and it doesn't seem that

that's going to happen. So, therefore, what is his legacy that's at stake? So, it's a huge amount going on here, so an incredible amount of pressure

on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

That said he is a politician that's been able to hand these -- to handle these pressures, but what does that mean when it comes to a ceasefire in

Lebanon? It's going to put pressure on him to respond where he sees he needs to respond because of the internal domestic pressure at home.

ASHER: All right Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much. CNN's Oren Liebermann is joining us live now from Jerusalem. So, Oren, I just

want to talk about the issue of trust here, because you have a situation whereby there is very little trust between the U.S. and, of course, Iran.

There's very little trust between Iran and, obviously, Israel. You have nobody trusting Hezbollah, other than, of course, Iran, but obviously the

U.S. and Israel do not trust Hezbollah at all.

And then you have a situation where, when you look at this memorandum of understanding, you have a lot of Israelis looking at that and not

necessarily trusting that the U.S. is going to have their best interests at heart going forward. So, based on all of that, it really underscores how

fragile this ceasefire is likely to be Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Absolutely, a lot of what you said there, Zain, was both very accurate and very much felt like an

understatement. And it's also worth pointing out that Israel has long been skeptical of Iran's intentions in these negotiations. That's a message that

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to get through to President Donald Trump, but Trump is favoring diplomacy.

He wants this deal. His priorities are reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lowering gas prices in the U.S. Those are not, to put it mildly,

Netanyahu's priorities going forward here, especially as he's in -- as he's in an election year, and gas prices are not the top thing on the agenda

here.

It's security, and when everybody here, pretty much across the political spectrum, looks at the memorandum of understanding, they see Iranian

victory there. They see Iran, Iran's regime strengthened with a more hardline leadership. They see Iran getting the windfall of reduced

sanctions, selling its oil, and much, much more in exchange for negotiations about Iran's nuclear program, not an end to it, but

negotiations about it.

So that leaves us in this situation where Israel also views the job in Lebanon as unfinished, with Hezbollah though weakened, its rocket arsenal

is depleted. They're still very clearly able to carry out deadly attacks on Israeli forces. They're still there in Southern Lebanon, in Beirut, they

wield political power in Lebanon.

Even as there are supposed to be, and there are talks between Israel and Lebanon moving forward on a broader agreement. Hezbollah is very much in

the picture, and that's what we see here now. We've seen ceasefires before between Israel and Lebanon that are supposed to include Hezbollah.

Those ceasefires earlier this month, in April, in November, 2024 have fallen apart within sometimes just a matter of days. And now we need to see

if that happens once again here. But it has far larger consequences, because it could derail the U.S.-Iran negotiations, and that's why you see

Trump stepping in here and very much putting in a boundary around what Israel is allowed to do in that conflict in Lebanon.

[11:10:00]

ASHER: All right, Oren Liebermann, live for us there. Thank you so much. And, as we've mentioned, reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a key part of

the U.S.-Iran deal. Now, Iran says that ships crossing the Strait must register to ensure safe passage. Registration and insurance are free for

the first 60 days, covered by Wednesday's agreement, but Iran has indicated that it might charge fees after that.

The deal does not address whether Iran will ultimately retain control over the Strait. Here's a look, a live look at the traffic. We know that 25

commercial ships reportedly crossed through the Strait on Thursday, that is the most, by the way, since April.

And in other news, now in what many fans are calling Britain's most consequential by-elections, Labour's Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield

seat by over 9000 votes. The small town of Makerfield quickly became the center of UK politics after Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, entered

the race. The win opens the way for Burnham to challenge Keir Starmer for the country's premiership. The Prime Minister says if there's a contest, he

will not step down without a fight. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing between a fox and a trash can, a surreal picture to end a five-week

whirlwind campaign, the Labour's Andy Berman, the man who may now challenge British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his job, making it clear he plans

to shake things up.

ANDY BURNHAM, UK MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Everyone knows that politics is not working. Everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be.

Tonight, could just could be the turning point.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The scale of that victory may now strengthen his case for change. Burnham secured 55 percent of the vote, a comfortable lead

over Robert Kenyon of Nigel Farage's hard right Reform UK Party, who came in second place with 35 percent. It was a campaign fought on the doorsteps

of a collection of former coal mining towns in North West England.

BURNHAM: We're doing everything possible. We're not taking anything for granted.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Burnham, a former cabinet minister who has been the popular Mayor of Greater Manchester for the best part of a decade, talked

as little as possible on the campaign trail about his larger leadership ambition, focusing instead on local issues.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM UK: What really happened here is it was vote Burnham get Starmer out.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Reform Leader Farage admitting Friday he's disappointed in the result, his party beaten at its own game. Meanwhile,

uncertainty ahead for Starmer and for Labour as Burnham plots his next move.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run, I will stand, and I have said

repeatedly I am not going to walk away from that.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Another battle may lie ahead for Burnham, but first a victory lap.

BURNHAM: The word Makerfield in the future must be known as a byword for the change that came to British politics.

SEBASTIAN: Andy Burnham, speaking to supporters at a local football club, isn't directly addressing the big question when and how he could challenge

Keir Starmer's leadership, instead focusing on what the campaign now believes won it for them, that core message of hope and the promise of

change. Clare Sebastian, CNN in Ashton in Makerfield, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right, turning now to Colombia, where voters are heading to the polls again for a runoff election this Sunday. Leftist Candidate, Senator

Ivan Cepeda has vowed to fight for the poor and negotiate with the country's armed groups, much like outgoing President Gustavo Petro.

Right-wing lawyer and outsider Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed a hardline response to cartel violence and crime in the region, a defining

and long-running campaign issue. All right, the U.S. face Australia at the World Cup in just a few hours from now. And the big question is, will the

U.S. Star Christian Pulisic play? A closer look at the matchup just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:00]

ASHER: All right, the United States face Australia a few hours from now at the World Cup in a critical match in Group D. Today's other matches include

Scotland versus Morocco, Brazil versus Haiti, and Turkey versus Paraguay. CNN's Andy Scholes is live in Seattle, where the U.S. is about to face

Australia.

What I love about this World Cup is that we have seen so much, I mean it's been so unpredictable, right? And so, you never quite know who is actually

going to win. Just walk us through what we can expect today, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, Zain, we've -- it's been a fabulous World Cup thus far. And I tell you, what? The optimism with the U.S. fans

right now, it's never been higher. You know, before the tournament, Coach Mauricio Pochettino, he said to all the fans, why not us?

But a lot of people well still thinking U.S. really doesn't have any chance of winning this World Cup, but after that dominant performance against

Paraguay, a lot of fans now walking around saying, you know what? Why not us? But they're about to take the pitch for their second match in the group

stages against Australia in just a few hours.

The big question today is, will star attacker Christian Pulisic be able to play? He aggravated that left calf injury in the first half against

Paraguay. He hasn't had a full training session all week long. Pochettino said yesterday they were going to get together late last night to make the

decision of whether or not he is going to play today.

Now, since the World Cup went to three group stage games, the U.S. has never won their first two games. A win today and a Turkey loss or draw

would clinch first in the group for the U.S. Now, Australia is also riding high right now after upsetting Turkey, and the U.S. knows they are going to

be in for a battle today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLER ADAMS, U.S. MIDFIELDER: We just need to continue the same approach. We can't get too ahead of ourselves. It's time to flip the page. Australia

is an incredibly tough opponent, so yeah, that's where the focus needs to be.

TIMOTHY WEAH, U.S. FORWARD: We know what they're capable of. We have a huge respect for them, and you know we want to go into the game with the right

mindset and well prepared.

ANTONEE ROBINSON, U.S. DEFENDER: The performance has definitely got the country excited in the world, you know, to kind of recognize that. Yeah,

we're a really good team, and we can do things in this tournament, which I don't think people expect for us to do beforehand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yeah, U.S. certainly has their fans excited. Now, so far this has been a good week to be a host nation. Mexico, thanks to some poor

goalkeeping from South Korea, won yesterday, 1-0. They're the first team to clinch a spot into the knockout rounds. Canada also a huge 6-0 win

yesterday over Qatar to get their first ever World Cup victory.

The wind tied for the largest margin of victory for a host nation, Jonathan David. He had a hat trick in the game. Qatar saw two players sent off with

red cards. There was a sad moment for Canada, though. Midfielder Ismail Kone had to be stretchered off with a severe leg injury, but a winner tie

now in their final group game against Switzerland, and Canada will win their group.

So, so far, Zain, great, great news for Canada, Mexico, and U.S. fans as they are hosting this World Cup. And for the U.S., Zain, they are 6-0 all

time at this stadium behind me here in Seattle, so they're certainly hoping to keep that streak going against Australia here in the group stage of the

World Cup.

ASHER: Very, very well. All right, Andy Scholes, live for us in Seattle. Thank you so much. All right, Boston is dealing with an unexpected side

effect of World Cup fever. It is running low on beer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 150 kegs to tenants (ph), so four left, I think, right now until tomorrow. So that's pretty impressive, chasing kegs about

one every three, four minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We sold just last week over 3000 pints of Boston Lager, equaling like 70 kegs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Bar owners blame the Tartan Army. They say that with Scotland fans in town. They've gone through four times the amount of beer they would sell

on a normal holiday weekend.

[11:20:00]

One compared the alcohol consumption to the Champions League Final, and St. Patrick's Day rolled into one. Scottish fans have blooded Boston for the

past week as their men's team play in their first World Cup in 28 years. They're set to play Morocco later on today. The pubs, of course, have been

stocking up.

All right, ranch dressing is having a moment as some World Cup fans visiting the U.S. and around the world are discovering the dressing for the

first time. Videos of international fans trying ranch has gone viral. Now craft is leaning in with a TSA friendly travel kit, so fans can take the

dressing home. The kit includes small packets, a clear bag that meets airport rules, and even a ranch-themed luggage tag. There you have it.

Meantime, a pet duck has become Mexico's official World Cup Ambassador. His name is Merlin, and he's waddled his way into the hearts of football fans

from every pond. CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wearing this perfectly fit jersey, this is Merlin the duck. He's became so famous in the last two weeks. And he was

waddling through the streets during the celebrations in the opening match in Mexico City.

KARLA GOMEZ, MERLIN'S OWNER: We were just working at the time. We never imagined it would go so viral. We were walking down Reforma Avenue when a

young woman filmed this, and that's when everything took off.

LEON: And we're here with Cristian, his owner?

CRISTIAN GOMEZ, MERLIN'S OWNER: I gave it that name because it's magical to me.

LEON: You need to hold it like here. OK. Oh, he's so cute.

LEON (voice-over): But long before social media discovered him, Merlin was already a familiar face here in Mexico City's historic center.

OMAR TELLEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT: It's surreal. It really represents the lifestyle of Mexico City. Mexicans always find creative ways to keep

everyone happy and bring people together.

LEON (voice-over): Now he has millions of views and fans counted in the thousands.

LEON: He draws smiles everywhere he goes. You can see surrounded by fans from all over the world.

RICHARD GOLDSCHMIDT, GERMAN TOURIST: We have seen the duck in the city yesterday it was. Yeah, we have seen the duck. Yeah.

LEON: What do you think about that?

GOLDSCHMIDT: I mean, when the duck has fun, it's OK.

LEON: This unofficial mascot is going to become the ambassador named by FIFA today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Merlin is now Mexico City's official FIFA host city Ambassador. Merlin may not know much about football, but the timing

couldn't be better for this duck.

LEON (voice-over): Once his video went viral this stop became one of the most visible faces of the World Cup, proving that the biggest stars of the

tournament sometimes aren't on the pitch at all. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right, nightclubs took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the industry is still trying to recover. But high-end exclusive social

clubs are thriving, especially in London. CNN's Anna Cooban tells us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: If walls could talk, then these would tell over a century of stories starring London's elite.

COOBAN: I've been given a peek behind the curtain of this notoriously private industry.

COOBAN (voice-over): The Sloane Club is one of more than 130 private members clubs in the British Capital. Many charge thousands a year to sign

up.

COOBAN: So, since the pandemic, this industry has been thriving in London and New York. And I just want to know why you think that is?

NEENA JIVRAJ STEVENSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SLOANE CLUB: I think since the pandemic, people have emerged back into the world, and they're living life

very differently. AI is wonderful, but it's also terrifying, and so people are really seeking that human connection.

There aren't that many social spaces where you feel like you can find like- minded people. And I think that is the sort of priority and the privilege of private members clubs,

COOBAN (voice-over): And while the top end of city social life thrives, for the rest of us it's a more complicated story. According to the Night Time

Industries Association, there are 16 percent fewer nighttime venues in the British Capital since the pandemic.

Cameron Leslie is the Co-Founder of Fabric, an Iconic London Nightclub going since 1999. He said the capital's nightlife is under pressure.

CAMERON LESLIE, CO-FOUNDER, FABRIC: I would say for the average working individual in London, it's an incredibly expensive place. You know there

are clearly people, this is a global city, who have a fair bit of money.

[11:25:00]

And you know, perhaps this is where this divide is now coming out, in that, you know, for many Londoners, being able to go out is still a very

expensive pastime.

COOBAN: So, the big question is, is city socializing increasingly members only?

ANDY JORDAN, SLOANE CLUB MEMBER: This is my favorite room in the whole building, actually, because it's kind of like a secret.

COOBAN (voice-over): Andy joined the Sloane Club last summer.

JORDAN: A friend of mine, who's a member here, said, you should come and look around, it'll work perfectly for you and your work and your lifestyle.

And I was like, oh, great, came here, I was hooked instantly.

COOBAN: How much do you pay for it? Let's get to the crux of the issue.

JORDAN: Right. So, let me put this into perspective first. Less than I was paying for my gym, and my gym wouldn't allow me to open a laptop.

COOBAN: And do you go to just like normal pubs and bars?

JORDAN: Sadly, yeah, I do. I love them.

COOBAN (voice-over): Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right, CNN Creators is coming up next. I'll be back with more "One World" in about 30 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

(CNN CREATORS)

END