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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Iran May Be Rebuilding Nuclear Facilities; Sources: Israel Warns U.S. Of Iranian Plot To Kill Trump; Trump Fires Election Assistance Commission Leaders; Killing Of Former UK Minister Ann Widdecombe; King Charles Hosts Prince Harry And Grandchildren; SK Hynix Soars On NASDAQ Debut; Satellite Images Appear To Show Iran Rebuilding Nuclear Sites; Spain Through To World Cup Semifinal. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired July 10, 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]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. Jim Sciutto is off. You're
watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, new CNN reporting reveals Iran may be rebuilding its nuclear and missile sites. It comes as President Trump says the ceasefire
is over, but the talking continues. In England, a man is arrested over the killing of former British government minister Ann Widdecombe. And Spain
grabs a late winner against Belgium and heads to the semifinal against France. That story and plenty more coming up.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he's told Iran the ceasefire is over. At the same time, he also insists talks will continue. Fighting has paused for
now after a flare-up of strikes this week. According to sources, Qatari mediators are in Tehran to kick-start negotiations with the U.S. And Iran's
foreign minister is expected to travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
Kevin Liptak is joining me now live from the White House. And, Kevin, there are so many questions right now around what's next for this war, not the
least of which being what the president means by the ceasefire being over.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, I think the president clearly finds himself at a strategic crossroads. Does he resume the war in
earnest, even though he has said himself that that would result in economic catastrophe, or does he allow some of the diplomacy and the negotiations to
play out? And it seems as if at this moment, he is going to allow some of the talks to proceed.
And we've just been hearing from senior American officials in the last hour or so who are describing some of what they need to see from Iran if the war
is not to resume in earnest. They say they expect Iran to make a public statement saying that the Strait of Hormuz is open. And by that, they mean
both channels of the Strait of Hormuz, the northern channel and the southern channel that runs closer to Oman.
They want Iran to say that they will stop firing at commercial vessels that are trying to transit the waterway. And they want Iran to say that they
made a mistake in firing at those ships earlier this week that resulted in the U.S. retaliation.
Now, what happens if Iran doesn't do that is something of an open question, although they do expect to hear this from Iran by the time the foreign
ministers meet in Oman tomorrow. If they don't hear that from them by then, what one U.S. official said was that, quote, "it's not going to be a good
day for them."
And so, you hear the U.S. really sort of hardening the position here. In their view, they believe, and they have heard this from the Iranians, that
those strikes earlier in the week came from what one official called an errant sect of hardliners. They still detect this power struggle underway
inside Tehran between some moderates who are trying to pursue the diplomacy here and those hardliners who are trying to undermine the memorandum of
understanding that President Trump signed several weeks ago now.
Now, what one official said is that this was, quote, "a wait-and-see moment," as they sort of expect Iran to own up to some of the errors that
they claim to have said that they made behind the scenes here. And it all, I think, adds up to some questions about what is the state of the nuclear
diplomacy that was supposed to be underway. You know, they were supposed to be in this 60-day negotiating period to try and work out some of those very
sticky questions about how Iran would give up some of its nuclear ambitions, including how it would destroy that stockpile of highly enriched
uranium.
And you do hear American officials starting to question just how serious Iran is in giving up some of those nuclear capabilities if they can't even
meet some of the commitments that at least the American side says that they made in that initial memorandum of understanding. And so, it is a fraught
moment, very tense moment. And I think, as the official accurately described, it's a moment of anticipation to see where Iran will go next.
But, certainly, the president isn't giving up the diplomacy, but all sides seem to be downplaying the prospect that it will necessarily result in a
final deal.
[18:05:00]
ABEL: And depending on how things play out, the president might find himself at a crossroads with Congress and the War Powers Act as well. Kevin
Liptak for us at the White House. Kevin, thank you.
And later in the show, we'll have exclusive satellite imagery obtained and analyzed by CNN, which shows Iran may be rebuilding its nuclear facilities.
That's in about 25 minutes.
President Trump says a plan is in place to bomb Iran in the event he is assassinated. According to two sources, Israel has shared intel with the
U.S. about an Iranian plan to kill Trump.
Earlier this year, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.- Israeli strike. And all of this comes after President Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey on an older version of Air Force One. The newer version
was a gift from Qatar, while the older one was built from scratch with the president's safety in mind.
Joining me now, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, as always, it is great to talk with you. If, heaven forbid, the president was
assassinated, the chain of command adapts. It transitions to the vice president. So, would those instructions still be considered orders at that
point of time? How would that play out?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Yes, that's an interesting question, Brian, and it's actually great
to be with you. One of the things to look at when it comes to this is, what is the situation at that moment in time? So, God forbid, something like
that happens, then what would happen is, you're right, the vice president would take over, and the orders would actually have to come from the vice
president.
You know, as a matter of course, there's only one commander in chief, there's only one president of the United States, and that person, whether
it's the previous president or the new vice president coming in to take over, those orders of that person who is living as president at that time
are the ones that would have to be followed. So, technically, a vice president acting in that capacity would be able to countermand any orders
that are left behind in terms of instructions.
My suspicion is, if this were to happen, that they would probably follow President Trump's instructions just because they tend to be loyal to him,
but you never know. In a situation like that, there might be all kinds of exigencies that come up, and it could very well change the course that the
military would take in response to an act like that.
ABEL: And hopefully, we'll never have to know.
LEIGHTON: Yes.
ABEL: Let's turn to Air Force One now. Around the time that news broke of Israel alerting the U.S. of a plot, the president was flying on the older
Air Force One, reporters being told to put their windows up. Trump said it was for security, and the older plane was being used because of security
concerns.
Help us understand this, because the president has boasted that the U.S. couldn't build a plane like this gifted one by Qatar, but I imagine if the
U.S. were to be building it, it would have these advanced security measures needed for overseas travel.
LEIGHTON: It certainly would. I mean, that would be part of the requirements process, and actually, that is one of the things that was part
of the contracts that Boeing had to build the new Air Force One. So, basically, what happened is those contracts had some issues with them.
There were some overruns, cost overruns, and some technical issues in building the new Air Force One, and that's why President Trump stepped in.
He got impatient that they weren't putting out a new Air Force One in time for him to use it, so he was looking around for something that would be
more modern and more, in his view, commensurate with his position.
So, that's where they basically mounted a worldwide search, and they found that of all the existing Boeing 747s that were in the category that would
be about right for an Air Force One, there were only about 11 or so that were of the right kind all around the world. The one most likely to be
quickly refurbished to meet the president's standards was the one in Qatar. So, that's why they picked that one, and that's also why the Qatari
government was, you know, approached and then was willing to donate it in quotation marks to the United States for the purposes of making it a new
Air Force One.
ABEL: But this plane, Colonel, was stripped down, right? So, was there not an opportunity then to add these needed systems?
LEIGHTON: So, some systems were added, Brian, but the problem is that when you build a plane like the 747 for Air Force One-type purposes, there are
things besides, you know, the usual bells and whistles that you see on a commercial airliner. So, it's not just, you know, putting in a new first-
class cabin or something like that, but what is also put in there as part of an Air Force One package are defensive systems that include the
electronic capacity to jam signals of a service-to-air missiles, for example.
[18:10:00]
So, -- and you also prevent a heat-seeking missile from hitting the plane. So, those are the kinds of things that are built into the real Air Force
One, the one that we had for over 30 years now. And when it comes to the one from Qatar, some of those measures were put in there, but others were
not.
We're not sure exactly which ones were left out and which ones are part of it, but we do know that when we look at the aircraft from the outside,
there are certain pods that are in different places for the aircraft that the president has gotten from Qatar, and then those pods are not only in
different places, but they're also in different aspects, and that is something that becomes part of the defensive suite, if you will, and it's
not complete on the new Air Force One.
ABEL: OK. Colonel, quickly, if you can, you have a 10-year history of service with particular knowledge of air combat and defense, and Air Force
Colonel, you've dealt with air defense systems. Is this acceptable, in your opinion, for the President of the United States to be flying on a plane
that's lacking?
LEIGHTON: No, it's not. And it's -- you know, this is something that, you know, if I were advising him, I would tell him to stick with the old plane
until a new plane with the proper measures was put in place.
ABEL: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, always appreciate your expertise, sir. Thank you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Brian. Thank you.
ABEL: Election officials are sounding the alarm after President Trump fired all three city members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on
Thursday. The EAC was created by Congress in 2002 to help officials carry out elections. The administration's decision to oust these members is now
raising serious concerns about interference just months before the midterms.
Oregon's Democratic Secretary of State, Tobias Read, oversees the state- level election administration and voter registration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOBIAS READ, OREGON SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I think this is just the latest example of the president's effort to sow distrust in our elections.
It is desperate, it is reckless, it is irresponsible, and there could be some disruptions. But let's remember what the Election Assistance
Commission is charged with doing. It is helping to make the administration of elections easier and to increase voter participation. That's it. They do
technical things, and this shouldn't be a partisan issue.
So, I'm disappointed, but I also want to assure people that states are ready to step up, and we will have the safe, accurate, and fair elections
that this country needs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: British police say they've arrested a man on suspicion of murdering former government minister Ann Widdecombe. The 78-year-old was found dead
in her home on Thursday. Police say they don't believe that the killing of the former conservative MP is linked to terrorism or that it was
politically motivated.
Our Anna Stewart has more on the investigation into Widdecombe's death and the shocked reaction from across a political spectrum.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): British police were called to a shocking scene. Former lawmaker and household name Ann Widdecombe was
found dead in her home in southwestern England, her body bearing serious injuries. Forensics teams on the scene are searching for answers, piecing
together her final moments. Police say the investigation is moving swiftly. A 26-year-old white man has been arrested, police say, on suspicion of
murder, but a motive remains unclear.
Widdecombe's death recalls deep scars in British politics. Nearly five years ago, conservative lawmaker, David Amess, was stabbed to death by an
attacker inspired by ISIS. And 10 years ago, Labour lawmaker, Jo Cox, was shot and stabbed during the tense Brexit campaign, the first sitting MP to
be killed in office since the 1990s. Her attacker was a far-right extremist.
Police emphasize this is not currently being treated as a terror-related incident. They've warned the public against social media speculation. In
the U.K., online rumors are a highly sensitive subject, especially after misinformation triggered nationwide riots following the Southport stabbings
two years ago. Police say that so far, there is no evidence of a political motive, but Widdecombe's death has nevertheless rocked the nation. Tributes
are pouring in across party lines.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it's a huge, huge loss.
STEWART (voice-over): Widdecombe was a polarizing, Euro-sceptic conservative who later joined the Brexit party and then the Reform Party.
She became an unlikely reality TV star, endearing herself to millions. Labour politician and interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, called her a true
servant of her constituents, and conservative MP, Priti Patel, called her a much-loved member of the Conservative family.
[18:15:00]
A combative, forceful figure in British politics for decades, whose untimely death is now being mourned across the entire political spectrum.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Still ahead, U.S. traders snapped up shares of South Korean tech giant, SK Hynix, Friday. The memory chip maker's debut on the NASDAQ was
one for the record books, thanks to the ongoing A.I. investment boom.
And a royal reunion. King Charles and Queen Camilla host Harry and Meghan and their two children at Highgrove House. It's the first time they've been
together in four years. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ABEL: Welcome back from Royal Rift to Royal Reunion. Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, hosting Prince Harry and his entire family on Friday.
The get-together took place at the king's country residence west of London. It was the first time in four years that they've all been together. The
rare private gathering, giving the Royals a chance to hopefully heal their strained relations and a chance for Charles to get to know his
grandchildren, Lilibet and Archie better.
Kristen Meinzer is joining us now, and she is a Royal Watcher and the host of the "When Meghan Met Harry" podcast. Great name for a podcast.
In the six years since Prince Harry moved across the pond, this family has certainly experienced some turbulence, right? Both his father, King
Charles, and his sister-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, diagnosed with cancer, rifts between family members, and most recently, Harry losing
a tabloid battle. That is a lot on the table to discuss for this meeting.
KRISTEN MEINZER, HOST, "WHEN MEGHAN MET HARRY" PODCAST: It is a lot to discuss, and if anybody should understand all this drama, it is Charles
himself. Let's not forget Charles had his own tell-all book that he collaborated on in the 1990s with Jonathan Dimbleby. He had his own drama
with the tabloids throughout his entire career as a Royal, but also especially during his time with Diana and the aftermath of that.
He knows what it's like to deal with drama in the press, in the Royal court of opinion, as well as, you know, just as a man. So, I think they have a
lot that they can talk about. They can understand each other. And of course, this is a father and son above all else, regardless of what their
jobs are in life.
[18:20:00]
And of course, why would they not want to reconnect as, especially as Charles has been surviving with his cancer?
ABEL: Yes. You know, and it seemed to be even a bumpy road just to get to this meeting. How unexpected was it?
MEINZER: I think this has been very surprising for a lot of people who love watching the royals, because the news coming out of both Harry's camp and
Charles' camp, it's been going back and forth. One day it'll be, oh, the, you know, royal family, Charles and Camilla, they have extended an
invitation. Oh, no, they haven't. Oh, Harry accepted the invitation. No, he didn't accept the invitation. It just seems like there's been a lot of
back-and-forth news going on about what's happening.
And so, I think a lot of people weren't sure if Harry was actually going to be seeing his dad, much less whether or not there would also be his wife
and kids there, Meghan and Lilibet and Archie. And so, it's delightful news for anybody who's cheering for all of these folks to get along well, anyone
who's cheering for Harry not to just be treated like a pariah in this family.
And you know, who doesn't want to cheer for a grandfather and his grandkids being able to spend quality time together, right?
ABEL: Right. You know, Kristen, can you just tell us -- share with us just how deep the divide, the rift was or is between these groups of family
members and what needs to be done possibly to heal it?
MEINZER: Yes. You know, obviously there have been some challenges here. When Harry and Meghan decided that they wanted to step back from royal
duties, that's kind of unprecedented over the last -- almost the last century. You know, the last time that happened was back -- you know, back
when we're talking about the Queen's uncle when he stepped back, you know? This is a very long time ago, the last time anyone stepped back from royal
duties on this level before.
And so, that alone was a big deal, and how was the family going to adjust to that? But then not everybody was comfortable with the fact that Meghan
and Harry also gave interviews to the Netflix team for their TV series, and then also their Oprah interview that they gave, and then of course Harry's
book.
So, you know, there was a lot to deal with as far as how comfortable or uncomfortable is Charles and the rest of the family with their dirty
laundry being aired. Even though, as I already mentioned, Charles had his own tell-all book where he was also airing dirty laundry. This is something
that many family members have done, unfortunately. They've had to adjust to, oh, no, information about the family, secrets from, about the family
have been spilled. How do we adjust to that?
So, you know, it's been a tough road to hoe. Charles and his mom somehow were never estranged even though Charles didn't always say nice things
about his mom in, you know, interviews and in his book. And I hope that Charles can think about that as he tries to mend fences with his son.
ABEL: Yes. And royal watchers certainly have a long memory. Very much appreciate you joining us, Kristen Meinzer. Thank you.
MEINZER: Thanks for having me.
ABEL: In today's Business Breakout, solid gains on Wall Street on the last trading day of the week. The S&P 500 was the big winner, thanks to strength
in many big tech names. Meta rallied almost 6 percent, closing out its best week in more than two years. Investors feeling more confident about the
company's A.I. strategy and its focus on A.I. cost efficiencies.
Also, today, a mega lawsuit in the world of tech, with Apple filing suit against OpenAI. It's accusing the parent company of ChatGPT of stealing
trade secrets for a new A.I. gadget still in development. OpenAI has been working with Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive, on the project.
Meanwhile, a historic day on the NASDAQ. Shares of SK Hynix rallied more than 12.5 percent on its first day of U.S. trading. The South Korean memory
chip maker raised $26.5 billion in the massive public offering, the largest foreign listing ever on Wall Street, and the second largest U.S. stock sale
behind SpaceX.
SK Hynix company already lists in South Korea, where its stock has a market cap of more than $1 trillion. It's also the second largest publicly traded
firm in South Korea, only behind Samsung. The company's CEO had this to say about the company's future today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KWAK NOH-JUNG, CEO, SK HYNIX: We are providing the essential memory technologies that power the global A.I. infrastructure. We are here to
build the future with you, because A.I. will be everywhere, and wherever A.I. goes, SK Hynix will be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Bob O'Donnell is joining us now, the founder, president, and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research.
[18:25:00]
And, Bob, for some perspective here, the last non-U.S. company with a record U.S. debut was a little company called Alibaba back in 2014, which
raised 25 billion to SK Hynix's 26.5. So, this is huge. It's just behind SpaceX's explosive initial offering. But SpaceX was more or less a
household name already, right? Hynix isn't. So, how did we get here, Bob?
BOB O'DONNELL, PRESIDENT, FOUNDER, TECHNALYSIS RESEARCH: Well, thanks, Brian, for having me, first of all.
Well, look, the way we got here is there are certain critical components that are being used to build all the A.I. infrastructure driving OpenAI and
Anthropic and Meta, as we were just talking about, and all these other companies. And there's -- the three biggest companies that make these
memory components are Micron in the U.S., Samsung, and SK Hynix.
SK Hynix is the only one of those three that's not really a household -- well, Micron really isn't either, but certainly SK Hynix wasn't, because
it's based in Korea. And of course, the big deal today was the fact that now American investors can get easy access to what they call the ADRs, the
depository receipts, and that's what went on, it went into the market today.
And there is massive demand for this stuff. There's only, like I said, three critical players. They're all completely sold out for the next
several years. So, people are seeing this as a goldmine opportunity because they know that everything that they build is going to be sold for the next
couple years.
Now, further out? Hey, nobody -- who knows? But what really got us to this point is the fact that we are limited, and they make this critical
component for so many people.
ABEL: OK. So, you're talking about this A.I. boom, SK Hynix and others expanding their productions. I do want to have you pull out that crystal
ball for a second here if you can. Is there a ceiling for just how high these types of companies can go in South Korea or elsewhere, or could there
be a looming bust in the future?
O'DONNELL: I mean, eventually we all see booms and bust in tech and lots of other industries. So, I'm sure at some point things will start to slow
down.
What I would say looking into the crystal ball is, given how much demand we've seen for A.I. services, given how much infrastructure is being built,
just the power grids in the U.S. and across the world to power these data centers, all the chips that NVIDIA sells, AMD, all these other companies,
and then the memory chips being sold by these guys to NVIDIA and all the others. Plus, oh, by the way, those are the things that go into our iPhones
and our PCs. All that uses memory as well from companies like SK Hynix.
All of that demand, I think, continues to be very robust for quite some time. How the market eventually reacts, that's a tougher call, to be
honest. But certainly, there's opportunity moving ahead.
ABEL: All right. Bob O'Donnell with TECHnalysis Research. Bob, thank you.
O'DONNELL: Thanks, Brad, for having me.
ABEL: Yes. Checking some of today's other business headlines now. A bidding war appears to be underway for discount airline EasyJet. The European
carrier says it's backing a more than seven and a half billion-dollar potential bid from U.S. asset manager Apollo. Just a few days ago, it
agreed in principle to be bought out by U.S. private equity group, Castle Lake, for $7 billion. It now says Apollo's bid is superior. No word yet on
Castle Lake's next move.
And bad news for air travelers hoping for cheaper fares in the months ahead, especially if you're traveling on Delta Airlines, because Delta says
in its latest earnings report that ticket prices will remain high even though fuel costs have fallen sharply in recent weeks. Delta says it can
keep prices high because of the strong demand. Delta reported stronger than expected Q2 results and raised its profit forecasts for the current
quarter.
Heat waves are becoming more intense in Europe, and Eurostar is getting ready. Europe's high-speed train operator says it's ordering a new fleet of
trains that will be able to withstand temperatures of 131 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 55 degrees Celsius. Now, those temperatures are normally
associated with countries like Saudi Arabia. The new trains won't be ready for service, though, until 2031.
Making Patriot missiles could be a lifeline for Ukraine against Russia, but how soon might that happen even with the U.S. president's green lights?
We're going to dig into it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
ABEL: Welcome back to "The Brief," I'm Brian Abel. Here are the international headlines we are watching today.
The United States expects Iran to publicly declare in the coming days that the Strait of Hormuz is open. That is according to senior U.S. officials.
U.S. officials who suggest Iran will face consequences if it doesn't do that. President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran was over, following
Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait this week. Those attacks triggered several days of renewed U.S. strikes.
An attorney is casting doubt on U.S. federal officials' accounts of what led to a fatal shooting in Texas. Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an immigration operation. U.S. authorities say the agent opened fire after Salgado Araujo rammed his
vehicle with his van. But the attorney says three other men in the van say Salgado Araujo did not ram the agent's car, and the agent was never in any
danger.
A surprise royal family reunion. King Charles and Queen Camilla hosting Prince Harry, Meghan, and their two children, arching a little bit today.
This was at the king's private country residence, Highgrove House. It's the first time King Charles has seen Meghan or his grandchildren in four years.
Prince Harry has been in the U.K. for the one-year countdown to his Invictus Games in Birmingham.
Satellite images obtained exclusively by CNN appear to show Iran rebuilding nuclear and missile sites in the past several weeks. That time frame may
violate the memorandum of understanding Iran agreed to with the U.S., an agreement that's now in serious jeopardy amid renewed fighting. Here's CNN
investigative reporter Katie Polglase.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This image, one of several shared exclusively with CNN, may show signs of Iran
attempting to rebuild its nuclear facilities. This is one of several locations across the country where we've identified recent activity, both
in nuclear and missile sites.
The activity in nuclear sites in particular raises questions as to whether Iran violated the memorandum of understanding it signed with the U.S. in
late June, even before President Trump seemed to signal its end by launching fresh strikes.
In it, Tehran had agreed not to procure or develop nuclear weapons. This site in Parchin is believed to be holding explosive material for nuclear
weapons. Before the U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran built this concrete shield around it, a sign of its importance. It was then struck multiple times
during the U.S.-Israel bombing campaign this year. The targeting was precise. You could see the holes left behind by bunker-busting bombs.
[18:35:00]
Now, a new imagery from June and July, analyzed by CNN in conjunction with the Institute for Science and International Security, we can see Iran
appeared to be taking steps to repair and reconstruct the site. You can see temporary covers placed over the impact holes. Then, weeks later, with the
memorandum still in effect, the covers are removed and replaced with a mesh. Concrete mixing trucks are visible nearby. Experts say these trucks
are a sign the Iranians are intending to seal the holes.
POLGLASE: For weeks, we've only had glimpses of what's been happening on the ground inside Iran. Providers have been withholding satellite imagery
across the region at the request of the U.S. government. Now, those restrictions are loosening, and we've been able to see new images across
Iran of which sites they've started to clear and repair first. A sign, perhaps, of which they see as the most important.
POLGLASE (voice-over): This is Pickaxe Mountain, another site where Iran is believed to be advancing its nuclear capabilities deep underground. And in
recent weeks, vehicles could clearly be seen going in and out of the tunnels. Experts told CNN this was likely a violation of the terms signed
with the U.S., which required Iran to maintain the status quo regarding their nuclear program.
In contrast, other prominent nuclear sites did not seem to have been touched, like Isfahan here, Bordeaux here, and Natanz. There has been
activity at some missile sites. The U.S. and its allies have long been concerned about Tehran's missile capacity, and the latest imagery suggests
Iran has already started repairing some storage sites.
This is new paving laid out at Tabriz missile base in recent days. And at another missile base in Kermanshah, we can see excavators and tunnel
entrances being cleared. Lastly, we've also spotted repairs at air bases in recent days. You can see a crater being filled in here at Tabriz air base.
With the U.S. resuming its attacks on Iran, a peace agreement is seeming increasingly out of reach.
Katie Polglase, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: A glimmer of hope for Ukraine against Russian attacks like this. My next guest was in Kyiv when ballistic missiles rained down. What it's like
to live through that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ABEL: Ukraine is getting a glimmer of hope that it might have a fighting chance against Russia's ballistic missiles. It's been promised a U.S.
license to produce Patriot interceptors. They are the only weapon that can shoot down some of Russia's most advanced missiles. They are the only
weapon that can shoot down some of Russia's most advanced missiles.
[18:40:00]
But as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports, the promise comes with questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Trump just suggested Ukraine could make its own Patriot missiles. If that
actually happens, it could change the fate of the war and Ukraine. The first question is whether Trump really has the power, he claims, to force
U.S. manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to give up their greatest commercial secrets quickly. He may do.
But then it comes down to how quickly Ukraine can replicate the sophisticated missiles. Probably quite fast, to be honest, given this is a
matter of life and death for them, and they've been studying the life- saving machines for months, hoping to make something similar themselves. Expect the timelines of years, suggested by some experts, to be compressed
to months. Remember, Ukraine is building attack and intercept drones that are world-leading, improving them daily through front-line use. Wartime
countries are faster at things, period.
Then there's the question of what happens in the gap. Does this mean the United States doesn't expect to give Ukraine any more missiles? Canada just
announced a new air defense package. Will Ukraine be vulnerable until it makes its own?
But the largest question here is wider in scope. What happened to make Trump change his mind? Next to Zelenskyy, he was willing to give the man he
once said had no cards the U.S.'s near-best technology and said he approved of Ukraine's escalation, hitting Russian refineries, and that might bring
peace closer.
Trump vacillates a lot. But this latest flip to Ukraine will delight Kyiv and leave many wondering what the Kremlin can do to change the narrative
and president back in their favor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: And as Nick mentioned, time is of the essence for Ukraine. In just the past week, Russian drone and ballistic missile strikes have killed
nearly 60 people in Kyiv alone and injured hundreds. Some of those deaths may have been prevented if Ukraine had enough missile interceptors.
My next guest was in Kyiv last week during this attack by Russia. Tamar Jacoby joins me now. She is the director of the Progressive Policy
Institute's new Ukraine project. Tamar, good to be speaking with you again. I do first want to talk about --
TAMAR JACOBY, DIRECTOR, NEW UKRAINE PROJECT, PROGRESSIVE POLICY INSTITUTE: Nice to be back.
ABEL: Of course. I want to talk about that massive bombardment by the Russians. You were there. Give us a sense of what that experience was like.
JACOBY: Yes. I mean, you learn to manage your anxieties is sort of the bottom line here. It's very anxiety-provoking, obviously. And you know
early in the evening that a big raid is coming. You get a lot of information on telegram channels, on like app social media. And so, you
know, it's going to be probably a big bombardment that night. And you know it's going to involve drones and missiles. And you know the pattern.
But then as the night goes on, you get even more information. You know, it's coming to this neighborhood, or it's coming to Kyiv, or it's coming to
the Kyiv region, but not the city. And so, you know, in some ways that helps. And other people find that it's more anxiety-producing because, you
know, you worry all evening kind of.
But then people make decisions about what they're going to do. Are you going to stay in your bed? And I do know people who do stay in their bed.
They just don't want to be driven out of their bed. And other people go to a room with no windows. And other people go to a shelter. And I sort of
have a hierarchy. It depends what's coming and what's close. I play a sort of a risk calculation, which is probably foolish. It's probably really
going to save me. But you just -- you can't go -- I can't go to the shelter every time the alarm sounds. So, I calculate what I think the odds are, and
I respond accordingly.
When -- even when you're in the shelter and the ballistics are landing nearby, you know, literally the ground moves, right? You hear a horrible
loud noise and the building shakes. And it's terrifying. But again, it's odd how over the years I've kind of learned to -- and I think everyone
does, learn to put their stress and anxiety somewhere, you know, lock it in a box. I've seen how newcomers are, and where the stress is just
overwhelming, they can't really deal with the panic. But most people in Ukraine have learned how to get through it.
So, it is what it is. It's horrible. War is hell, as General Sherman said, but, you know, war is hell.
ABEL: Those in Ukraine certainly have experience with it at this point. We've also certainly seen U.S. support for Ukraine, as Nick was
highlighting, at least coming from the Oval Office, ebb and flow. Yet here we are, years into the war, and now the U.S. is poised to allow Ukraine to
manufacture these Patriot interceptors that can eventually help defense against some of the, at times, more than 100 ballistic missiles per month
that Russia is launching.
There's only two other countries with that kind of permission for these interceptors, Japan and Germany. What do you make of the timing of this
policy change and its potential impact?
JACOBY: I think Trump likes winners. It's the simple, you know, cynical truth that people have said all along. When you're losing, Trump doesn't
like you, and he thought Ukraine was losing, and now he thinks Ukraine might be winning. You know, rightly so. They have the upper hand now. And
so, he likes it. He wants to be on that side.
[18:45:00]
You know, will he follow through? We don't know. You know, how long will it take -- can he follow through? Can he get industry to do what he wants? We
don't know. How long will it take Ukraine to produce them? I agree with your correspondent that it might be quicker than some experts think, but it
won't be overnight.
And, I mean, they are good at using them, right? They've already, in the years that they've had them, you know, it used to take something like three
or -- I think America thought it would take three or four or five to hit a missile. Ukraine has figured out how to do it one-to-one. So, they're --
you know, they're very clever. They're very good at it. They have a lot of practice. So, they can be economical with the interceptors they have. But
it's not an answer for tomorrow. It's not going to make tomorrow better.
ABEL: And, Tamar, the price tag for a system like this is not cheap. Estimates are roughly, what, north of a billion dollars for a battery? And
then a single interceptor is about $4 million. So, does Ukraine have this kind of cash to build up a strong Patriot defense system?
JACOBY: Europe has that kind of cash. And Europe will use it in this case. No, you know, no one in Europe wants -- I mean, what Europe knows is that,
you know, if God forbid, Putin were to prevail in Ukraine, he would be on their doorstep next. And, you know, he's likely to be on their doorstep
next, even before he's really -- you know, even without success in Ukraine. But -- so, they really want to keep things tied up in Ukraine, and they
want to keep -- they want to frighten Putin to think that the West has the capability to withstand him. And so, I think, you know, Europe will find
the money for PAC interceptors.
ABEL: OK. Tamara Jacoby, thank you for sharing your time and insights with us. I appreciate it.
JACOBY: Thanks for the opportunity.
ABEL: All right. Spain is through to the semifinals after a late goal against Belgium. The head will run through today's World Cup action and
look ahead to this weekend's quarterfinal matches.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ABEL: Parts of East Asia are bracing for Typhoon Bavi. The storm isn't as strong as it was a few days ago when it hit the U.S. Pacific Islands as a
super typhoon. That's the equivalent of a category five hurricane. But Bavi is set to hit Taiwan as well as parts of Japan and China in the coming
hours. Meanwhile, Europe is once again suffering record heat, fueling wildfires in southern Spain. Derek Van Dam has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, all the ingredients are in place for fire growth to continue into southern portions of Spain. Look at
the strong winds just fanning these flames. Firefighters doing everything they can on the ground to battle the front lines, but the topography, the
dry conditions, the extreme heat and of course the wind now adding to the misery.
I want you to see the mountainous terrain here in the background. This is going to be crucial going forward because this allows for additional
wildfires to begin. Embers can often create new spot fires because they get carried by strong winds.
[18:50:00]
This part of Spain, as we head closer into the southern portions of the country, this is the Straits of Gibraltar. This is like a wind tunnel,
right? It doesn't take much to produce strong westerly winds here. And that has been the setup for the past several days, and it will likely continue
because of the wind direction. It is likely to traverse up and over mountain ranges. And as it does so, it often dries out and heats up the
temperatures near the coastline. This is what makes battling wildfires along the southern coastline of Spain so dangerous.
The persistent heat dome that we've been talking about now in place across the western portions of the Iberian Peninsula, temperatures soaring into
the middle 30s, even nearing 40 degrees in some locations across southern France. Yes, very hot, very dry are persistent drought conditions in place.
That is the recipe that increases the fire risk. In fact, we can monitor that with this Copernicus fire danger forecast. Anywhere you see those dark
shades of red, those are the areas that have a high likelihood of fire weather.
And of course, there's no rain in sight, or at least any measurable amount of rain for this region. So, that's not going to help with the firefighting
efforts on the ground. Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait this one out and hope for the best as conditions remain very challenging into the
Iberian Peninsula. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Another thrilling finish in the World Cup. Spain grabbing a late goal to beat Belgium 2 to 1 in their quarterfinal match. The Belgians hung in
right up to the end, but one mistake from a substitute keeper spelled the end of the Red Devils World Cup dreams this year. Spain will now face
France in the semifinal next week.
And CNN's Patrick Snell is joining me now. Patrick, Spain hasn't lost a match since June of last year. Do they have what it takes to beat France?
Formidable opponents.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi Brian, that's the big question. Yes, they're La Roja now on a 36-match unbeaten streak. But they did prove
they're human after all. Why? Because they actually did concede a goal on Friday to their opponents from Belgium.
I first of all do want to say my heart goes out to the Belgian goalie, Sonny Lammens, who just come on the field to play as a replacement for
Thibaut Courtois, the regular keeper who got injured. Those fans there in Madrid absolutely delighted with the fact their team are now through to the
last four of the tournament for the first time they've done that since they triumphed on South African soil in 2010, 16 years ago. Spain, Brian, they
just find a way, don't they, to get the job done, to go on and get the win. This is without their star team player, Lamine Yamal, yet firing at all
cylinders.
But what a moment for Miguel Moreno, the super sub, who's done it for the second straight game, winning it for his country. He got the winner in
stoppage time against Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal in the previous round. Now, he's come on there and taken full advantage of an error from the
keeper I mentioned and it's into the net and it's a priceless win, I tell you. But their reward, if you can call it that, is to take on Kylian Mbappe
and France replacing the final, Brian.
ABEL: Well, so many heart-stopping endings already. Tomorrow we see Norway facing England and Switzerland going up against Argentina in the last of
the quarterfinals. How do you expect these matches to go?
SNELL: Well, there we go. As a Brit, as an English person, Brian, I'm hoping England can go all the way and win this World Cup for the first time
in 60 years. The English won on home soil in 1966. They're looking to end a drought that spans six decades. It won't be easy though against Norway,
who've had a great tournament and they are led, of course, by their superstar striker, Erling Haaland. But Harry Kane, you see there, he'll be
hoping to get his team going.
But don't we all love this video from Norway's fans? The row, the row, row, row your boat is incredible stuff. We have a team on the ground there in
Miami. They've been speaking to Norway fans on South Beach ahead of this matchup. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, it's bringing people together in a way that I have never seen. It's gotten more meaning than I ever thought was possible.
It was just supposed to be a chant for our national team, you know, to support them. But I think it's doing something in Norway and that's, that's
amazing to see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I rode in Boston at the escalator. I wasn't in the movie, but I then went to New York for the next game and we went to Times
Square. OK. The first night there's maybe like a hundred or 200 of us there. OK. And then it spreads. And we come back the next day and it's like
4,000 Norwegians.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're seeing the pictures from Oslo, it's hundreds of thousands of people just sitting, rowing, and they're cheering for
Norway. And it's so beautiful to see because it brings us together.
[18:55:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have wind in our sails. We have crafted the Viking ships. We know how long this ship will last. And it took us over to
America, how many thousand years ago? We are back and it's even better now. So, it's staying. We're in it for the long run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Right. Norway and their fans. Just a great story. And I think we're all absolutely loving. I know I'm going home practicing my rowing
technique. Although not too much to be said about that. Back to you.
ABEL: Yes. I know you want the other side to come out victorious, but I'm sorry, Patrick. I want to keep, keep them rowing.
SNELL: Yes, I hear you.
ABEL: I want to keep seeing it.
SNELL: I hear you. It's great video. It's great. Their fans are amazing. Really amazing.
ABEL: Yes, absolutely. Patrick Snell, you as well, my friend, great seeing you as always.
Thank you all for your company. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. You've been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
