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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Trump Cancels Iran Strikes, Says Agreement is Close; Shadow of War Looms Large Over Start of World Cup; SpaceX IPO Set for Liftoff Friday on the NASDAQ; Trump Threatens to Take Over Key Iranian Oil Hub; U.K. Defense Minister Resigns Over Military Spending; White House Set to Host UFC Fight on Sunday. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 11, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York today,
and you're watching "The Brief."
Just to end this hour, President Donald Trump cancels U.S. military action against Iran and suggests a, quote, "great settlement," his words, could be
signed this weekend. Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez talks to me about the road ahead as his country navigates a very new relationship
with Washington. And the World Cup has officially kicked off. We're live in Mexico, where co-host Mexico beat South Africa. Those stories and plenty
more coming up.
We begin in Washington with a day of sharp, sometimes head-spinning reversals. President Trump says the signing of a deal to end the Iran War
could take place in Europe as soon as this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran. And we're going to be subject to finalization of documents. We
should get done over the next few days. We'll probably have a signing maybe in Europe. The documents are in pretty final shape. So, we'll see. We'll
see. Very good. Should be done. That should be done pretty quickly. They want it every bit as much as everybody else wants it. And I think a lot of
good relationships can ensue from this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The president said he believes Iran's supreme leader has approved the deal. Tehran, however, has not confirmed any agreement with the U.S.
Earlier today, Trump said that he was canceling a new round of strikes on Iran just hours after he threatened to strike the country, quote, "very
hard," and even seize control of Iran's oil hub on Karg Island.
Kristen Holmes is at the White House. And, Kristen, forgive me for a dose of skepticism here, because we've heard so many reversals and so many
claims of a deal being at hand, which, frankly, didn't pan out here. Have White House officials put any meat on the bone as to what this actual
agreement is and what the timeline is?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No meat on the bone and no timeline. And, of course, we should be skeptical, given what we have
seen for the past several months, President Trump announcing a deal is imminent. The one difference that is happening now is that we're seeing
other nations acknowledge that they have signed off on this deal.
We've also heard from mediators. They told a source familiar telling our Jeremy Diamond that these mediators felt cautiously optimistic, that they
were crediting some of the talks of the Qataris being in Tehran for these negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday as being part of some sort of -- they
called it a breakthrough.
Moving forward, I think what's fascinating was President Trump put out this statement on social media saying that these nations had signed off,
including Israel. And we learned from sources close to Netanyahu that he was taken aback by this announcement.
Now, the two men have since spoken, and President Trump says he's gone through this with all of these various leaders. The question here remains
whether or not they can get this across the finish line. There is nothing in writing yet. President Trump said that they believed they could get to
the signing as quickly as Saturday.
He said he wouldn't be there, but Vice President J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner would all be there. It could be in Europe. He said the second
that it's signed, that this would open up the Strait of Hormuz and they would be moving forward.
Do keep this in mind. We're not talking about them signing a peace deal here. We're talking about them signing a memorandum of understanding, which
is essentially the seeds being planted for a peace deal. This is still the beginning step.
Now, President Trump wouldn't put a deadline or a timeline on when this memorandum of understanding could become an actual peace deal. They have to
still iron out quite a bit of things. But he was very optimistic that they were moving forward here. And as you noted, he said he'd been told that the
supreme leader had signed off on this.
[18:05:00]
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because you mentioned one, I imagine you could call this a concession by Iran to the U.S., which would be opening up
the Strait of Hormuz. Did he have White House officials articulated what the U.S. is giving here? Because, as you know, Iran has been demanding
quite a good deal of money, right, from frozen assets, sanctions, et cetera. Have they signaled what's on the other side of this MOU?
HOLMES: No, they haven't. And we know that the assets is a very, very point. It's a point of chaos, essentially, for both sides, because
President Trump has said giving any assets over at least immediately is a red line for him. And Iran has said they need to see some kind of assets
either unfrozen or turned over as part of a sign of good faith. So, where this goes, we don't know.
Now, what's interesting about the memorandum of understanding is that while President Trump was calling it detailed at times, he also made it clear
that it's a conceptual idea. I mean, he was asked specifically about enriched uranium, for example, something we know has been a sticking point.
And he said that conceptually Iran has agreed to giving over their enriched uranium, but then said also it's also so far underground that nobody can
get to it anyway. So, that's not very clear.
A lot of this is a concept, but at least they believe, they being the mediators, they being President Trump, that this gets them closer to a
peace deal and at least gets President Trump or gives President Trump the ability to get out of this war, which is just tanking his poll numbers and
tanking the economy, driving up gas prices and putting Republicans in peril ahead of the midterms.
SCIUTTO: No question. And warnings of an oil supply shock within a couple of weeks weighing on all this as well. Kristen Holmes at the White House,
thanks so much.
I'm joined now by Democratic Congressman Adam Smith. He is the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thanks so much
for taking the time.
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA), RANKING MEMBER, U.S. HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Well, thanks for having me, Jim. I appreciate the chance.
SCIUTTO: So, I'm going to begin with a very basic question. Do you believe there is a credible and lasting outline for an agreement on the table?
SMITH: On the table, I guess what I believe is that we're really not that much closer to an agreement now than we've been before. Nothing has
fundamentally changed. Iran's position is, to crudely sum it up, pass to open the Strait. And we're talking about what does open the Strait look
like and how much money, as you just asked about. And that's always been there. I mean, frankly, this was an agreement that President Trump could
have accepted a couple of months ago if that is, in fact, the agreement.
Now, as far as what's on paper, have they fleshed out some of those details about what opening the Strait would look like, about where the money would
come from? I suppose it's possible that they crept a little bit around the edges. But then on the other piece of it, on what we want around the
nuclear program, and keep in mind that the other options about support for terrorist groups, you know, ballistic missile programs, all that's not even
being talked about.
On the nuclear program, it's just sort of a debate over what sort of weasel words Iran is going to be allowed to use about their intentions in the
future. And please do remember that it has always been Iran's position that they're not going to build a nuclear weapon.
Now, we've never believed them. But if all Trump gets out of this is for Iran to continue to say, trust us, we're not going to build a nuclear
weapon, then that's not really much of an accomplishment.
SCIUTTO: So, the way you just described it there, if a agreement -- by the way, you know, we're not there, you know, as Kristen Holmes was saying,
even if there is something announced this weekend. If you have an agreement that does not address Iran's ballistic missile program, does not address
its proxies around the region, around the world, releases a lot of money to Iran and does something for its nuclear program, but not permanently, that
sounds very familiar to me. Perhaps it sounds familiar to you, because that was the Trump and Republican criticism of the JCPOA.
SMITH: Yes. Well, I mean, you can argue that actually the Obama deal had specifics in it. Now, there was the complaint that after, I forget, 15
years or whatever, you know, a lot of the restrictions would go away. But in that agreement, it did also have Iran saying, we will never build a
nuclear weapon. Now, some of the enforcement mechanisms to make sure of that went away over time.
But yes, I mean, the odds are the agreement that President Trump winds up getting is worse than the JCPOA, and it has come at enormously high cost,
because now Iran has achieved basically a stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, which wasn't out there before. You know, starting this war has
weakened the U.S., even putting aside the cost that we've seen in the short-term, because it's strengthened Iran's position with regard to the
Strait of Hormuz.
SCIUTTO: You, of course, serve on the House Armed Services Committee, which means as part of your job, you speak to people in the Pentagon, but
you also speak to our allies and military leaders from our allies. What do you and what do they make of the wild swings in U.S. defense policy?
[18:10:00]
I mean, just today, within a few hours, we had a presidential threat of a ground invasion of Iran, and then a great deal agreed to by everybody, and
everybody's happy. I mean, does -- can anybody make out a consistent U.S. military approach to the world?
SMITH: Yes, there's a small caveat to this, which I'll get to at the end. But basically, how having the President of the United States, in the midst
of a war that is having a devastating impact on the globe, to have the president consistently babbling nonsense about, I'm going to invade this,
I'm going to bomb that, I'm going to erase their civilization, All right. I'm not going to do anything because we've got an agreement, all of which
has turned out to, as I said, complete nonsense.
I mean, just not even arguable, just -- he's just making crap up and flying by the seat of his pants, is very unsettling to the world. We are the most
powerful country in the world, economically and militarily, and if we have a leader who you are questioning whether or not he is operating within the
realm of reality, that's a problem.
Now, what the Trump people will say is, ooh, it's all part of a grand strategy. He's trying to keep them off kilter by throwing a whole bunch of
stuff out there. That's not reassuring, OK? And it has not yielded a positive impact. As I said, it's put us in a weaker position. It's shut
down the Strait of Hormuz.
So, this Trumpian argument that if they think I'm crazy, that's a positive, maybe certain isolated circumstances you can get a benefit from that, but
those are very isolated and very random. By and large, dangerous to have the president of the most powerful nation on earth babbling nonsense and
throwing threats out and making stuff up on a day-in and day-out basis.
SCIUTTO: All right. I mean, they called it the madman theory when Nixon was around. But before we go, I do want to ask you about a separate topic,
because President Trump and his allies are once again spreading unfounded allegations of election fraud, this related to the election in California.
This is a consistent message we've heard from him. And by the way, only elections that Republicans lose, everything else is just fine. Do you fear
that he is laying the groundwork to challenge or interfere in other ways in elections this fall?
SMITH: 100 percent. And I want to make sure that people really recognize this. Donald Trump would like to have an authoritarian takeover of our
country. He'd like to set up a situation where no matter how the election comes out, he and his team win. And if he has to overturn the elections,
claim fraud, he'll do it.
This is as fundamental a threat to our representative democracy as we've seen. And certainly, it's not just elections. It's the way Trump is using
the Justice Department. It's the way he's using DHS. It's the way he's using our military. It's the way he's threatening media outlets to try to
bend them to his will. He is using our government to advance his personal and partisan political objectives.
And I think there's every reason to believe that if he can figure out some way to overturn elections that don't go his way, he's going to do it. So,
absolutely, he is laying the groundwork for that. And every single Republican who gives credence to that in any way is every little bit as
guilty of undermining our representative democracy as Trump is.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Adam Smith, we appreciate you joining.
SMITH: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, as we continue to cover developments around the Iran War, our Fred Pleitgen is inside Iran, gauging Iranians' reaction. We must note,
CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, but we maintain full control of our reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While the Iranians acknowledge President Trump saying that he has cancelled military
action against the country, there still is a good deal of distrust and skepticism.
Iranian official and semi-official media is cautioning that so far the country's top leadership has not yet officially signed off on any sort of
draft agreement for a memorandum of understanding that would end the hostility between the two countries and at the same time pave the way for
larger peace negotiations.
However, one of the things that officials here have been acknowledging over the past couple of days was that messages were still being exchanged back
and forth and that some of the gaps had indeed been narrowed.
At the same time, the Iranians are saying that any sort of military action now, any more bombardment, would completely kill any of that momentum. The
Iranians had also said that if the U.S. continues to strike this country, that there would be severe retaliation from its armed forces, and if there
would have been a return to full-on war, that the Iranians would expand that war beyond the Gulf region, potentially to places like the region of
the Red Sea and the Mediterranean as well.
Nevertheless, the Iranians have said that they prefer negotiations, they want a deal. However, the military here also says that they are prepared
for any eventualities.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Zanjan, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the FIFA World Cup has officially begun. We're going to take you to Mexico, where big celebrations are underway after a big
opening match victory.
[18:15:00]
Plus, the countdown to what will be the largest IPO ever. Elon Musk's SpaceX is set for its market debut on Friday. Is it too risky for the
average investor? We're going to take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Well, the FIFA World Cup has finally kicked off with co-host Mexico beating South Africa in the opening match. It is the first time that
48 teams are playing in the cup instead of the usual 32. It's also the first World Cup in which a host nation as the U.S. in this case is actively
at war with a participant Iran. In less than four hours South Korea will take on the Czech Republic in the second game of the men's tournament
Czechia.
Patrick Snell joins us now from Atlanta. So, Patrick that opener. Wow. Three red cards. I believe that's the first time in an opening match?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's certainly the first time that we've seen real problems for the opposing team in this case South Africa, Jim,
who really were just depleted by the fact that this was decimated really the end of the game with just nine men. I was three people actually sent
off in that game. The Mexican player was sent off in stoppage time.
But look, what is key here is that Mexico have made a dream start to this tournament. They're co-hosting a little bit of a potted history here for
you. The country having previously hosted in 1970 and 1986 that great Pele inspired Brazilian team comes to mind from all those years ago. And on both
occasions El Tricolor getting to the quarterfinals. So, I think that's probably a good omen, I would say.
The iconic Azteca hosting this one. We had the opening ceremony Shakira grabbing all the headlines in that glitzy star-studded opening ceremony.
But once the action on the field of play did get going a dream start for El Tricolor who take the lead within the first 10 minutes of play through
Julian Quinones well taken strike, not the best defending, I will say, by the South Africans. But the 80,000 fans inside the stadium, the majority of
them at least, absolutely delighted with that start.
And then, with just over 20 minutes to go. Jim it was another one and a really special goal for the veteran striker Raul Jimenez.
[18:20:00]
And he just loves putting that one in the back of the net. Really special for him because it's his first ever World Cup goal. So, a wonderful moment
for him. 2-nil the final score and a really important start. So, important that the teams get off to good momentum here.
And just to pick up on those red cards, it was a bad day for South Africa. Two players sent off, Yaya Sithole early in the second half and then with
very near the end with six minutes to go, it's Themba Zwane who saw red. Cesar Montes for Mexico given his marching orders in stoppage time.
Now, as you also said, Jim, in a few hours from now we've got the tournament's second match. We've got South Korea and Czech Republic going
head-to-head. There's going to be much scrutiny on this one. There's going to be a lot of eyeballs on it.
The team's looking to raise their game for very different reasons. South Korea of course led by their star player Son Heung-min. He's really the
leading light for his country. And South Korea have got a lot to live up to because it was in 2002 when the tournament was played for the first time
ever in Asia that they went all the way to the semi-finals. So, certainly, a lot of heights to hit there for the South Koreans.
And Czech Republic as well, they haven't played at a World Cup in 20 years since Germany '06. That was in fact the last time they featured in this
prestigious tournament. So, much riding for both teams on this match. Let's hear now from both of the head coaches ahead of kickoff. Let's take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIROSLAV KOUBEK, CZECH REPUBLIC HEAD COACH (through translator): Well, Son Heung-min is a great name of World Cup football. He's a legend in his
country in Korea. So, my hat goes off to him.
Generally speaking, Korea is a high-quality team in the attacking position. They have other excellent players, great strikers and that's the greatest
danger for us. But our team has faced a lot of stars of the football world and they handled it. So, I believe that our team can deal with excellent
strikers from Korea.
HONG MYUNG-BO, SOUTH KOREA HEAD COACH (through translator): The World Cup is a dream stage for all of our players. I hope that we will be victorious.
The overall conditions of our players are quite good and we are all prepared. Our players will do their very best on the field.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: I don't think I've ever come close to saying this, Jim, but we've been preparing this for such a long time. But the World Cup finally up and
running 48 nations, three countries co-hosting 104 games in total. It's the biggest World Cup ever and it's now finally officially up and running. Back
to you.
SCIUTTO: Listen, I like to watch every game. I don't care who's playing. Of course, I'll be rooting for the U.S. and some other teams I like, but I
just love watching the football.
SNELL: It's a real football feast, isn't it? I'll be rooting for England if I may. We haven't won it since 1966, Jim. So, --
SCIUTTO: I'm aware, you know, that, you know, memories of '66 still hang over it all. Well, I'll be wishing England well. Patrick Snell, thanks so
much.
In today's Business Breakout now, U.S. stocks posted strong gains Thursday after, what, well, after President Trump said he was canceling new planned
strikes against Iran and claiming yet again that a deal with Tehran is very near. The NASDAQ rose two and a half percent.
Oil prices pulled back with Brent Crude settling down almost three percent. The Iran War, however, continues to push U.S. inflation higher. Prices on
the wholesale level, look at that number, rose to an annual rate of six and a half percent last month. That is a three-year high.
Global central banks are now taking action as inflation spikes. The European Central Bank raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point
Thursday. That is its first-by-first hike in almost three years. The World Bank is also cutting its global growth outlook for 2026 due to the Iran
War. It says the global economy will grow by 2.5 percent, the weakest level since the covid pandemic. The World Bank war warns it could further cut its
projections if the Iran War continues.
Well, Wall Street is gearing up for what is likely to be the largest IPO in history on Friday. SpaceX makes its long-awaited market debut. The IPO
priced at $135 a share is set to raise some $75 billion for the firm. It could make CEO Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. That is one
thousand billions. Paula Newton reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flight directors, go for launch.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From ground rattling rocket launches to a record shattering NASDAQ IPO, investors are suiting up for
SpaceX under ticker symbol SPCX. Space industry investors call it a transformative event.
CHAD ANDERSON, FOUNDER, SPACE CAPITAL: I don't think that there is a comparable company to benchmark SpaceX against.
[18:25:00]
I think you have to go back to the 1900s and the vertically integrated industrial giants like Standard Oil, Ford, to sort of understand the
magnitude of what's happening here.
ELON MUSK, CEO, SPACEX: Welcome to SpaceX.
NEWTON (voice-over): It's been a supersonic ride from SpaceX's early days to this IPO.
MUSK: That's my office over there.
NEWTON (voice-over): Elon Musk founded the company back in 2002, 24 years later, SpaceX generates billions in revenues from its satellite internet
service Starlink and its rocket contracts with the U.S. government, one of its largest clients. It is, however, currently unprofitable, with 2025
losses of some $5 billion. Some Wall Street watchers fear turbulent times for the stock.
WILLAM COHAN, FINANCIAL JOURNALIST AND FOUNDING PARTNER, PUCK: I would personally stay away from it because it's too risky. It's too highly valued
already compared to the underlying business. The good business in here is Starlink. But will it grow sufficiently to justify which probably by then
will be a $2.5 trillion valuation, $3 trillion valuation? Possibly. I doubt it.
NEWTON (voice-over): SpaceX, however, believes the sky's the limit. Its IPO perspective sees a head spinning $28.5 trillion in potential revenues.
It's looking to build a network of artificial intelligence data centers in space, and it will work to perfect its next generation Starship rocket.
GARRETT REISMAN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF SPACE OPERATIONS, SPACEX: I don't think it's possible to understate how important Starship is. A whole
economy is waiting for this vehicle to be able to do all kinds of new things in space. People are designing large satellites right now that need
Starship to get there.
NEWTON (voice-over): Elon Musk himself is a true Starship believer.
MUSK: This is a spaceship that is designed to make life multiplanetary, to carry millions of people across the heavens to another planet.
NEWTON (voice-over): Musk has a lot of money riding on SpaceX IPO as it rockets him to trillionaire territory. His biggest corporate payout,
however, comes later when and if SpaceX establishes, get this, a permanent human colony on Mars with 1 million inhabitants.
Sky high, perhaps high in the sky ambitions for a company that has caught the attention of global investors hoping for heavenly returns.
Paula Newton, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Checking some of today's other business headlines now. New legal challenges for the parent company of ChatGPT. A Canadian mother is suing
the firm claiming its chat bot encouraged her daughter to commit suicide. The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of negligence in designing ChatGPT. She says the
company failed to intervene even though her daughter told ChatGPT repeatedly she had suicidal thoughts.
Well, a new investigation says that Spotify has removed tens of thousands of phony podcasts promoting illegal online pharmacies. The study comes
after CNN and other news outlets exposed that very danger last year. The pharmacies promised to sell drugs such as Adderall and Oxycontin, in some
cases without a prescription.
U.S. mortgages are now nearing their highest rate all year as inflation worsens. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.52 percent this week,
just below the 2026 record it set just about two weeks ago. Mortgage rates loosely tied to the 10-year treasury yield, which has been rising as
inflation has risen.
President Trump says a U.S. settlement with Iran could soon end the war and open up the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier today, only an hour before that
statement, he had threatened to bomb Iran repeatedly. What is Tehran saying? What's the reality? We'll take a look next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is casting doubt on President Trump's claim that the final points of a deal to end the war are approved. The RGC
says Trump, quote, "repeatedly makes contradictory and inaccurate statements." Trump says a settlement to end the conflict, in his view,
could be signed this weekend.
Trump has named his next pick to be the Director of National Intelligence. Jay Clayton was the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission during
Trump's first term. He's now a federal prosecutor in New York. Trump said he still plans to make Bill Pulte the acting intelligence chief, despite
bipartisan pushback on his lack of any national security or intelligence experience.
Co-host Mexico beat South Africa with two goals in the opening match of this year's World Cup. South Korea will take on the Czech Republic in the
second match of the tournament. That's later. A record 48 countries are competing in this edition across three countries, Mexico, Canada and the
U.S.
Well, President Trump says a deal with Iran could be signed this weekend and has now walked back threats from just a few hours before that statement
to strike Iran, quote, "very hard," including its oil fields and refineries. He posted that he canceled those strikes and that the final
points of a deal have been approved. So, far, though, Iran has not given any confirmation.
Joining us now, Dana Stroul. She's the research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary
of defense for the Middle East. Dana, good to have you.
DANA STROUL, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY AND FORMER U.S. DASD FOR THE MIDDLE EAST: Good to be with you.
SCIUTTO: So, I wonder how not just Iran reads this dramatic back and forth, often within the span of a few hours, but also U.S. allies, Israel,
Gulf allies. You have an administration that threatens a ground invasion of Iran, it seems, and then a few hours later says, oh, we have a deal, we're
going to sign it this weekend.
STROUL: I think there's a lot of whiplash across the Middle East right now. So, the Israelis definitely seem to be surprised an agreement that
opens the Strait of Hormuz but doesn't address anything in a meaningful way regarding Iran's nuclear program, its missile program, its support for
terrorists and proxies across the region doesn't really address Israel's security concerns.
And a lot of our Gulf partners have been questioning U.S. security commitments to them because while we've had these clashes in this
escalatory cycle in recent days, it's Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and others who are on the receiving end of Iran's ballistic missile attacks.
[18:35:00]
So, for our Gulf partners, they probably, at this point, are breathing a sigh of relief that there's just going to be calm and are satisfied with
pushing off all the big issues for some period of time.
SCIUTTO: Yes. We know that where things stand do not meet Israel's definition of success in this war because Israeli officials have told me
and they've said quite publicly they won't consider the job done until Iran's nuclear program has been dealt with, particularly, you know, the
many hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
Do we know that Israel will stand by for any agreement? I mean, Trump could say he's satisfied, but conceivably Israel could say we're not satisfied.
Do we know that they wouldn't continue military strikes after any -- even if it's an interim deal, some sort of MOU for a ceasefire?
STROUL: Well, at this point, I think it would be very hard for Israel to undermine Trump's preference here to test the waters of diplomacy and
negotiation. So, what we're likely going to see is a minimalist deal here. It's a framework open for open and an agreement to kick all of the big
issues down the road.
The reality is that the United States and Israel have done significant damage to Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile program, military
industrial complex between the 12-day war last year and this 40-day war this year. So, while there's still serious threats and the regime's
behavior and commitment to terrorizing the region haven't changed, right now, this is something where the Israelis can at least give the Trump
administration time to test what is achievable through negotiations.
SCIUTTO: We have seen this president since the start of this war sometimes make statements that seem time to move the markets, right, in a more
favorable direction. There was a lot of talk in the oil industry of a supply shock coming perhaps within two, three weeks that would greatly
increase the price of oil with all the contingent economic effects of that.
Do folks in the region read the U.S. president as responding more to economic indicators than he is to the actual specifics of an agreement or
measures to, well, you know, rein in Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile program, proxies, et cetera?
STROUL: I think that our partners in the region understand that Trump and what his notions of success are have veered all over the place, all across
the spectrum from the beginning of this whole thing which started to protect the Iranian people from the Iranian regime, then regime change,
then setting back the nuclear program and the missile program, and now just getting them to open the Strait.
I think everyone is aware that Trump is likely thinking through considerations related to the midterm elections, that this war is
increasingly divisive among his Republican caucus, that he's sensitive to the parameters of a deal that look less than the Obama-era nuclear
agreement. But all of that bundled together, I think the United States has bled a lot of confidence in the region because it's been unable to prevent
Iran's retaliation against our partners.
And now, our munition stockpiles are going down, we have this huge military presence, it's really expensive, unclear how long we can sustain that in
the Middle East. And really what our Gulf partners want is to get back to business so they can stabilize their societies, rebuild and get trade
moving through the Strait of Hormuz again.
SCIUTTO: We'll see, the proof will be in the pudding. Dana Stroul, thanks so much for joining.
STROUL: Good to be with you.
SCIUTTO: After the break, I'm going to speak to a Venezuelan opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, about the state of the country and its new leader,
and whether promises to the opposition in Venezuela have been met. Our conversation just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Hours before President Trump canceled strikes on Iran, he threatened to take over the country's oil export hub on Kharg Island.
Trump posted on Truth Social, the U.S. would, quote, "assume total control of their oil and gas markets much like we have with Venezuela," which is
working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States.
In the span of less than two months, the U.S. deposed the president of Venezuela, then worked with Israel to carry out a deadly strike on Iran
that included, of course, killing its supreme leader.
Joining me now, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Good to have you back. Thanks so much for taking the time.
LEOPOLDO LOPEZ, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Thank you very much, Jim. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: You, of course, have been opposing the Venezuelan regime for many years and you've spent time in prison. More recently, after you publicly
supported the U.S. military operation that led to Nicolas Maduro's arrest, you say that regime authorities took over your home in Caracas, even killed
your dogs. Can you tell us what you experienced?
LOPEZ: Well, it's not that I said, it's what we lived. So, after I supported the deployment of the U.S. Navy to remove Maduro, this is back in
December, they went into my house, the only property I have in Venezuela, and they stole absolutely everything. This is the house where I spent a
year and a half as in house arrest, after spending four years in solitary confinement. It's the house where my kids grew up and they stole
everything. They tore the house down completely and they killed the dogs.
And last week, they re-inaugurated the house as a health care for the elderly. So, it's very clear the message in Venezuela that there is no rule
of law. And this is one case of thousands of cases of expropriations that have taken place in Venezuela. This has been going on for years, and now
it's happening under Delcy Rodriguez.
This is not a Maduro decision. This was Delcy Rodriguez that decided to do this, to expropriate, to destroy, kill the dogs, and then basically to try
to cover this with what they appear to present as a social program.
SCIUTTO: President Trump, as you know, has claimed that since he removed Maduro, that many political prisoners have been released, and that
Venezuela is on the path to something better than Maduro, something even democratic here. Has the U.S. let down the Venezuelan opposition?
LOPEZ: Well, I think we need to be very clear. We are much better off than what we were before the capture of Maduro. This is something that we
Venezuelans recognize, and we are grateful for the commitment of the U.S., of President Trump to remove Nicolas Maduro.
Is the country better off? Yes. Maduro is no longer there. Maduro is facing justice. 4That is very positive. Are the people in Venezuela already seeing
the benefits of having removed Maduro in their daily lives? No.
[18:45:00]
There is a lot of hardships that the Venezuelan people are continuing to go through every day. There is no electricity, no running water. Inflation is
still taking the people's possibility to have -- to buy anything. So, there's still the economic recovery in Venezuela has not been felt by the
Venezuelan people.
However, there is an economic opening. Oil companies are opening their efforts in Venezuela. Today, they signed a contract with before that, with
other oil companies. We think that is positive. It is positive that U.S. serious companies are going into Venezuela.
However, what we expect is that the transition takes place in Venezuela, which means that the Venezuelan people have a say in our future. That can
only happen if there are elections. And we understand that before the elections take place, there need to be different things that happen. The
electoral board needs to be designated. Once it is designated, they need to call for an election. That will take some time, but that needs to start
now. And it is very important that the commitment of the U.S. to a full democratic transition, where the Venezuelan people have a say through an
election, through their vote, happens and it happens in the best period of time.
SCIUTTO: In your latest piece, you wrote, the person now running Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, did not arrive from outside the regime. She
helped it. Are you saying that she is, in effect, a continuation of the Maduro regime?
LOPEZ: Well, of course, she is a continuation. She is the vice president of Nicolas Maduro. She has been working with Maduro ever since he assumed
power. Before that, she was working with Chavez. The people running the country today are the same people that were running the country under
Maduro.
But there is a huge difference. I think that this is very important for everyone to understand. There is a very heavy influence on the U.S. now. We
believe that that is positive. Before that, the influence came from Iran, from China, from Russia, from Cuba, from the Narcos of Mexico, of Colombia.
So, Venezuela has been under international tutelage for some time now.
Now, it's the United States that has a very important presence and has a lot to say about the future of Venezuela. And what we hope, what we expect
is that Venezuela can become fully democratic, that there can be a full recognition of the rule of law, and that that can bring prosperity.
They won't -- the Venezuelan people won't feel the prosperity, the benefits of the change happening until there is rule of law, respect for the rights
of the people. And that is not happening, as we have seen in different cases. There are still almost 500 political prisoners. There has been
release. We need to recognize more than 1,000 prisoners have been released, but there are still more than 500 prisoners today. There's no excuse for
that.
SCIUTTO: OK.
LOPEZ: Absolutely no excuse for having political prisoners today in Venezuela.
SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you this, because as you know, President Trump has said frequently the U.S. is making a lot of money off of oil in Venezuela.
Is it your view that the U.S. is taking profits on Venezuela oil that should be going directly to the people of Venezuela?
LOPEZ: No, I couldn't say that. But I think that there should be clarity on what the income to Venezuela from the proceeds of the sale of oil. I
think it's positive that the money that is coming from the oil benefits, it's not going directly to the Venezuelan regime, because they have a
history of stealing everything. The massive corruption of the Maduro regime was in place.
So, for more than a decade, the country collapsed, and all of that money was being stolen. However, there is no clarity in how much has gone into
Venezuela. There is no clarity how much oil has been sold, at what price, and where are those funds. And I think that it's very important that there
is transparency on this, that there is accountability on the fiscal income that the Venezuelan people should be knowledgeable of.
SCIUTTO: Leopoldo Lopez, we appreciate you coming back on the program.
LOPEZ: Thank you very much, and thank you and your audience.
SCIUTTO: Well, to politics in the U.K. now, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has lost another senior member of his government. His defense
secretary, John Healey, announced his resignation in a dispute of a military spending. Healey says the money proposed for the British Armed
Forces falls well short of what is necessary. Several other ministers quit the government last month, saying they have lost confidence in Starmer's
ability to lead Britain.
[18:50:00]
Coming up after the break, a cage-fighting ring in the middle of the White House lawn. You see it there. The gloves are coming off literally because
not everybody's happy about it.
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SCIUTTO: Well, it's definitely first for the White House. President Trump has invited the UFC to hold a fight on the South Lawn this Sunday. Tom
Foreman takes a look at the cost of the structure the president has built and a potential violation of federal rules.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Critics of this event say it just should not have happened. They're calling it a violation of the rules about how
such things can happen on public land. They're saying the structure should have never been built without more clearance, more environmental study. And
they're saying it's essentially a private event. They're saying you can say it's about Flag Day, you can say it's about the 250th anniversary of the
country, but it really, to them, feels like it's a celebration of Donald Trump's birthday. And he's invited a bunch of friends, military people,
VIPs, people he wants close to the White House. And they're just saying that is all wrong and should not have happened.
The White House has said no. First of all, it is a public event. It is all the things that they say it is. The White House says they did follow the
rules. This isn't a permanent structure. And just as importantly, they're saying it's way too late now for anyone to stop this. Too many people are
counting on it, too much money has been spent, and it has to simply move forward.
Now, the money, important, is about $60 million in the budget to do this. That's being paid by the UFC folks. They say they're doing it, and there's
been some hint that, well, it's well worth it to be able to do this on the White House grounds and get all this publicity. But that doesn't change the
fact that it is still going to be mainly for about a few thousand people close to the actual fight.
There will be tens of thousands more on the ellipse of the White House, which is basically a big park to the south. But they're not really going to
be watching the event as much as a big screen where they can see the event happening.
Still, all sorts of events over the weekend, a Zac Brown band concert, a ceremonial weigh-in of the fighters, a meet-and-greet with fans out there.
The White House and others are saying, hey, that's all great, it's never been done before, we're glad we're doing it. But the fact that they're
doing things like selling ceremonial gold and silver coins for thousands of dollars at a time when gas prices are so high, inflation is higher than
it's been in several years, we're at war with Iran.
The fact that all of that is going on, a lot of people are saying is just completely tone-deaf for this White House and adds to the list of things
that they're troubled about. The ballroom, the triumphal arch, and so on and so on. Those are for them the fighting words.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:55:00]
SCIUTTO: Well just days before the crowds arrived for that UFC match, the numbers 8647 etched in the grass on the National Mall in Washington. Those
numbers represent a sign of opposition to President Trump. You can see it faintly in these images here, there on the grounds. Not clear when exactly
they appeared. The Department of the Interior, which manages the mall, called the march to the ground an act of, quote, "deranged vandalism."
And finally, New York Knicks fans are celebrating the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say (INAUDIBLE), you say Knick.
CROWD: Knicks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: It was a subway car full of New Yorkers cheering on the Knicks, led by the train conductor. The home team erased a 29-point deficit to win
Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs. I mean, that shot there, that tip in, is going to live in New York history for a long, long time. The Knicks lead
the series three games to one and are just one win away from their first championship since way back in 1973.
Celebrities, a whole bunch of them were there. There's Taylor Swift doing a little dance with some Swifties. Timothee Chalamet, Jimmy Fallon, I mean
the list goes on and on. Seats are pretty expensive. While fans on board a flight from L.A. to New York City, they celebrated midair. Not a bad day to
be New York sports fan.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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