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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Race Against Time for Rescue Missions in Nepal; Trump Warns U.S. Will Respond "Hard" to Iranian Attacks; Ben-Gvir Releases Provocative A.I.-Generated Campaign Video; Experts Question Legality of U.S.-Venezuelan Oil Deal; U.N.: 65,000 People Require Emergency Support; Lionel Messi Retires from International Play. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 31, 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 Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just at this hour, we are live in Nepal where it is a waste against time to find workers still missing in hydropower tunnels. Plus, as the U.S. and
Iran trade attack, President Trump warns that he will respond, quote, "hard." What exactly does that mean? And the end of an era. Argentine
superstar Lionel Messi says he is hanging up his boots, but just for international games for now.
In Nepal, rescuers are desperately searching for any survivors from the flash floods that devastated Nepal and China as the potential for further
disasters looms large. Efforts are focusing on a stretch of hydropower plant stations where workers are believed to be trapped inside tunnels.
More than 900 workers are missing. Nepal's prime minister says more than 1,100 people have been rescued so far. Nepali and Chinese authorities say
more than 950 people have been confirmed killed. More than 4,000 people remain missing.
And now, there are fears of the danger of another disaster. China says that more rain is expected along its border with Nepal. There's also a risk that
a glacier could collapse much like it did triggering this disaster.
Hanako Montgomery joins me now from the disaster stone where it is in the earliest hours of the morning. And, Hanako, I often think for folks
following a story such as this, it's hard for them to grasp the scale. They hear the numbers. They've seen the shocking videos. But as you're there
now, hearing figures like 4,000 people still missing, close to 1,000 confirmed dead, can you describe the effort now, but also just the number
of people affected?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, you know, we've been covering the story since it happened on Wednesday. And my team and I, we've
been in Nepal since Thursday early afternoon covering the story on the ground. And, you know, what we're witnessing now, I mean, I think there's
really only one way to describe it, and that is it's extremely grim.
Right now, we're in an area of Nepal called Bharatpur, which isn't very close to the main heart and the main devastation, but it's where a lot of
bodies have washed ashore. And rescuers are now retrieving those bodies and those remains from rivers as they've floated from the Himalayas.
We spoke to one of the police chiefs who was in control and who's monitoring a mass grave site right now that's being buried to store
unidentified remains. And I asked him, you know, how many more people do you expect to see or to be able to recover from this river? And he told me
he has no idea. That is just how huge the scale of this disaster could be and how much is still unknown.
One of the locations we visited yesterday, Jim, was a center where a lot of family members have been coming to see if the police have identified their
family members, their missing family members. And what we saw was, I mean, it was truly horrific. They had a slideshow of photos of people's remains,
of bodies that they had retrieved, and family members were trying to see if those remains were their missing loved ones. We spoke to one gentleman who
was looking for his son and he said that he wasn't able to find any details from that center.
And he told us about just how significantly, of course, this news is affecting him and his family. Listen to this.
SCIUTTO: Hanako, we may not have the sound, but maybe you could describe, describe what they --
MONTGOMERY: I think we're having trouble playing the sound right now.
SCIUTTO: Yes. If you could just describe what they had to say.
[18:05:00]
MONTGOMERY: Yes, of course. Sorry to our viewers for not being able to get that thought from that gentleman. But he told us that his wife, his son's
mother, was so devastated that she has suicidal thoughts. She doesn't know how she'll be able to make it through the coming days. His son also has a
wife and two children. And of course, the gentleman we were interviewing was very concerned about that family as well. His son was one of the
workers in the hydropower tunnels where rescue operations are currently ongoing as they're trying to locate as many survivors as possible.
And one thing to note, Jim, is a lot of these hydropower workers actually come from all across Nepal. They are people usually from the lower income
of society and they go work in these tunnels because they offer better pay. And with that better pay, they hope to educate their families, give their
own kids a better life than they might've had. And this gentleman's son was one such example.
Now, at this mass gravesite, Jim, also just to note, we saw diggers trying to dig more dirt so that they can make more room for unidentified bodies.
And when we were there, the authorities advised us to wear a mask because the scent of those bodies was just so strong. So, you can imagine how
frustrating and of course, how difficult it is for families right now as they try to grapple with this reality.
Of course, for survivors, it's really a near miracle that they were able to survive such a catastrophic disaster. But for many that we've spoken to in
Nepal, I mean, this disaster has touched so many lives, even if it's not their immediate family, it might be a cousin, it might be someone from
their village. I mean, they seem to all know someone who has lost someone. That is just how devastating and catastrophic this disaster has been, Jim.
SCIUTTO: And the idea that this was such a powerful flood, it forced people sometimes hundreds of miles downstream, as I understand it, that
must make identification that much more difficult, right? Because the people are found so far from where they were from. And I understand there
were even shortages of DNA kits, for instance, that relatives could provide so that they could then -- well, relatives, but also that they could take
from victims so that they could potentially identify them. I mean, this is a task that's going to go on for some time, I imagine.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, that's exactly right. I mean, for family members who are even able to travel to these centers to provide DNA to the authorities, of
course, that alone is difficult. But we've spoken to some people, some survivors who say that their village is just cut off. I mean, bridges
leading to and from their villages to other parts of the country have been completely cut off. They're not able to get out.
So, even if they get news that they've found their missing family members, they can't even travel to go retrieve those remains. And that is partially
why authorities have told us that so many bodies remain unidentified. It's just simply that families can't get to them.
And, you know, Jim, Nepal right now, it's very warm. And as you can imagine, that can accelerate a body's decomposition. And right now,
authorities are telling us that some hospitals are running out of space. Some morgues are running out of space. So, they are just trying to do their
very best to ensure that some of those missing relatives are able to, again, come to those sites and be able to identify those bodies as soon as
possible.
As again, you can imagine that in warmer weather and especially with a lack of refrigerators, what that can do with remains, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, Hanako, I know it must be difficult to witness in person for you and your team, but our hearts go out to all the many victims
and those affected. Hanako there in Nepal on the ground.
Well, as we reported earlier, the U.S. and Iran were trading military strikes once again for the first time in more than a month. Tehran says it
fired missiles towards U.S. military forces in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. This followed the U.S. striking rocket launchers on an island in
the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says Iran was trying to use those rocket launchers to mine the Strait. Just a short time ago, President Trump said
that U.S. military action against Iran will remain limited.
[18:10:00]
Kristen Holmes joins me now. Listen, the president is making quite clear he doesn't have a great appetite for expanding the war from here. I just
wonder if you're hearing any genuine progress towards resuming negotiations.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It certainly doesn't seem like it at this point, Jim. I mean, just last week, we were hearing
from both sides saying there were no talks happening, and it seems as through this idea of really focusing on the financial aspect of this, this
taking out the military operation, the U.S. instead implementing what they were calling an economic D-Day, that this was the new pattern to try and
potentially get Iran to the negotiating table, but also to kind of distance the United States from this war in Iran, since it doesn't seem like this
war is going to end anytime soon, kind of just waiting it out. Obviously, now we have seen more of what this administration didn't want to see, which
was a spike in global oil prices.
Now, President Trump, just between this morning and this evening, changed the tone of his rhetoric when it came to whether or not the U.S. was going
to go hard at Iran after they launched their strikes on various U.S. service members, saying this morning, we're going to hit them hard, there's
going to be a response, and then walking it back when he was in the Oval Office just moments ago, talking to reporters, saying it's going to be
limited, it's not going to be a big strike in whatever they do. And this, of course, comes after U.S. intelligence has shown that this kind of
repeated U.S. military strikes is not something that is moving the needle at all for where the Iranians' heads are at when it comes to negotiating.
Now, behind the scenes, those mediators, those negotiators, they are still working with both sides, trying to get everybody to the table, but we have
no indication right now that that's successful in any way. So, it does appear that after whatever it is that the United States decides to do in
this response, which has ranged, again, from going very hard to a limited strike or a limited response, that is going to be something that they then
transition back into focusing on the economics and the economic strangling of Iran.
SCIUTTO: Kristen, I'd like to ask you now about news that you and your colleague Kevin Liptak just broke, and that is that U.S. Army Secretary Dan
Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following quite public tension, it's seen, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. What more
are you learning?
HOLMES: I mean, this is something that my colleague, Zach Cohen, and I had been reporting for months, this kind of underlying tension between the two,
this idea that the Secretary of Defense was threatened by Dan Driscoll, and we've seen this escalating tension between them.
Now, of course, Driscoll has actually formally resigned. In the middle of this war, there had been some members of the administration who I had
spoken to, as it was starting to seem clear that the writing was on the wall, that I'd hoped Driscoll would stay longer, particularly as we
continue to have this back and forth with Iran, but it seems as though whatever this tension was, they decided or Driscoll decided that his time
should come to an end as army secretary.
I will also remind you that Hegseth fired through President Trump, the Secretary of the Navy, also while all of this was ongoing, so a lot of
movement over there in the Department of Defense.
SCIUTTO: No question. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thanks so much. We'll have more coming up on Iran and the impact the conflict is having on
people inside the country with my guest Negar Mortazavi. That's later in the show.
In Israel, the country's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, briefly posted an A.I.-generated video on social media, which shows
Palestinian detainees in a concentration camp. It's the latest in a string of videos he has posted. As far-right politicians compete for votes ahead
of Israel's October elections, Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: We have seen one statement after another from a number of far-right Israeli politicians basically
trying to outdo themselves in terms of how extreme they are sounding as it relates to Palestinians in particular and the security situation in Israel.
The foremost example of that is indeed the Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who released a video showing, that was generated
by A.I., clearly. It shows well-fed Palestinians entering an Israeli prison in what seems like a concentration-style video. Then they exit that prison
looking emaciated. The text on the video that Ben-Gvir put out says, we promised, we delivered, basically bragging about the starvation policies
and other extreme conditions that he, as the minister of national security, has imposed on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
[18:15:00]
He has previously pulled similar stunts in person, in real-life, visiting Israeli prisons, touting the poor conditions in which these Palestinian
prisoners are being held, including just yesterday when he put out a video of himself meeting with Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli prisons who
had complained about the conditions in those prisons. Ben-Gvir, in that instance, said that they would not have good conditions because the Israeli
hostages held in Gaza had not had access to shampoo and other basic needs that these Palestinian prisoners were apparently complaining about.
But again, it's not just Ben-Gvir. We've seen the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, boasting about expanding settlements, preventing the
creation of a Palestinian State. And there are a number of other far-right Israeli politicians, all vying to cross the 3.25 percent threshold in order
to be able to be seated in the Israeli parliament. And it seems that they believe that the best path to do so is to talk about these types of
hardline policies, including discussion of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Jeremy Diamond there reporting. Well, this comes amidst a recent surge, as he was noting, in settler violence against Palestinians in the
West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks, but claims it is limited to a handful of rioters violating the law.
New York's Metropolitan Museum has canceled a planned exhibition honoring fashion designer John Galliano tied to next year's Met Gala. The decision
follows growing public outcry over Galliano's history of antisemitic remarks. Following the decision, the designer issued a statement saying, I
remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past.
Just ahead, President Trump today hailing his new oil deal with Venezuela. The deal's lack of transparency, however, is raising alarm bells, not just
in the energy industry, but among many of those following political developments inside Venezuela. We're going to discuss with a former
Venezuelan government minister.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, across the board, losses for U.S. stocks on the last trading day of August. Stocks pressured
by rising oil prices once again as the Iran war flares up. Concern that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates as soon as next month. Also
weighing on sentiment.
[18:20:00]
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is attending the G20 Finance Ministers' Meeting in North Carolina, was asked about the interest rate
outlook today in a TV interview. He appeared to make an argument for why the Fed should not raise rates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you be cool now if the Fed raises rates in September?
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I'm not going to speculate on what the Fed may do or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the administration has been very resistant to that. President Trump does not want to see higher rates.
BESSENT: Again, it is my belief that we've seen a supply shock, and traditionally you don't raise until the supply shock unless you see second
or third order effects. And we are seeing the core inflation has remained very, very restrained.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: It sounds like comments on interest rates. At today's G20 meeting, European finance ministers are protesting the U.S. decision to
invite Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov. It is the first time a Russian finance minister has been allowed to attend a G20 event in person
since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Energy experts and lawyers are questioning now the legality of the unprecedented oil deal reached just last week between the U.S. and
Venezuela. They're calling on both nations to give more details on exactly what was agreed upon. And they say the U.S. might actually be increasing
long-term investment risks with this deal.
The agreement gives the U.S. control of some 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil. That is more than the total of all U.S. proven oil
reserves, which is about 46 billion barrels. Washington will take a 55 percent stake in a new joint venture with a private Venezuelan operator.
The White House says the 100-year oil field lease would create the world's second largest oil company and perhaps give U.S. oil majors the security
they need to make investments in Venezuela.
Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, insists her country continues to retain ownership and sovereignty over its oil. President Trump
had this to say about the deal today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're making a fortune and they're making a fortune. They're starting to make real money. And we have Exxon going in,
we have Chevron going in, we have our big oil companies going in, and everybody's bidding. And, you know, there are those that say it was the
greatest deal ever made. Let's see what happens.
But, you know, I have to stress, it was also a very good deal for Venezuela because you have the most powerful, the richest companies in the world
going into Venezuela, where before it was just -- it was this unbelievable value that was sitting dormant. But we're going to be taking all of that.
We're going to be taking that oil out. It's all coming to the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Ricardo Hausmann joins me now. He's a former Venezuelan minister of planning, also an international economics professor at the Harvard
Kennedy School.
So, President Trump says this is a win-win, but he does not shy away from saying that the U.S., as he said, there is making a fortune here. He's
taking -- the U.S. is taking all the oil out. Does this deal serve U.S. oil interests primarily or Venezuelan interests?
RICARDO HAUSMANN, FORMER VENEZUELAN MINISTER OF PLANNING: Well, President Trump has gotten us used to, you know, realizing that there is an enormous
amount of hype in what he says. What he has announced is simply not the Venezuelan law. Venezuelan law does not allow -- and it's -- by the way,
it's a law that was pretty illegitimately changed after they took out Maduro. But it allows for production-sharing agreements that are 25 years -
- for 25 years, not 100.
They were given to a fly-by-night organization created in 2024 that is private. It is in -- it has its offices in Barbados. It is -- it was
created by an insider of the regime who has been given -- he was given some oil rights with no competition, by, you know, by direct assignment, no open
bidding processes. He's a regime insider. And apparently, they're giving these production-sharing agreements only to him.
Now, apparently, he is turning around and maybe doing a deal with the U.S. government, but not with, you know, the secretary of energy, but with the
secretary of defense. This is all very murky.
[18:25:00]
But in any case, it is neither the U.S. government nor this company are any of the oil majors. The question is, why didn't they just -- if they were
going to auction 17 oil fields, which is what this is about, why didn't they just open it up for everybody to bid? Why do it with a shady company
that actually the relationship is with the government and this shady company, and then the shady company turns around with the U.S. government?
This smells horribly. This is really a kleptocracy in Caracas dealing with a kleptocracy in the U.S. This is not in the interest of the Venezuelan
people. It's an illegitimate deal that is done by an interim president that pretends to allocate, you know, 65 billion barrels of reserves.
She should be there just to elect -- to organize an election and have a permanent president and a permanent nationalist make these decisions. So,
this is --
SCIUTTO: She should be. And one would imagine the U.S. should be encouraging such elections, but the president says he's moving forward with
it. As shady as it is in your view, what stands in the way?
HAUSMANN: Well, I think Venezuelans will stand in the way. This is an illegitimate, illegitimate deal. It's not in the national interest of
Venezuelans. It is a secret deal. It is not something -- if something like this has to go to a national assembly, it should be open. We don't know
what the deal is.
Actually, you know, the president says one thing. Delcy Rodriguez says a different thing. Apparently, there's no deal between the Venezuelan
government and Delcy Rodriguez. It's only a deal between Delcy Rodriguez and one of her cronies. And this crony is going to have a deal with the
U.S., apparently. That's what she said.
So, -- and it's for 25 years, not for 100. And this guy, you can give him all the rights you want, but he doesn't have the capacity to expand oil
production in Venezuela. So, nothing is going to happen to oil production. Venezuela is maxed out. They announced, for example, that they were going
to dramatically increase oil production. It has been eight months since the U.S. is in control of Venezuela, and oil production has barely budged. Oil
production has barely budged.
Last print of inflation in Venezuela was for the month of July. It printed at 780 percent a year.
SCIUTTO: Right.
HAUSMANN: 780 percent annualized inflation for the month of July. So, this is an economic implosion that they're managing. This is a mismanagement.
They have not done anything for the oil production in eight months. And now, they are announcing a deal with a non-company that has no capacity to
execute. And it's a crony insider of --
SCIUTTO: Let's see where -- I mean, the president sounds invested himself. Let's see where it goes from here. Ricardo Hausmann, we appreciate you
sharing your views.
HAUSMANN: Thank you very much.
SCIUTTO: Well, deadly flash flooding in the Grand Canyon has claimed two lives, while 15 others remain missing. Our chief climate correspondent
joins us to discuss how global warming and climate change can cause rapid changes in weather patterns that might be responsible for tragedies like
these.
(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.
Rescue operations still underway in Nepal and China following last week's devastating flooding. Local authorities say at least 955 people have been
confirmed killed, more than 4,000 remain unaccounted for. Emergency crews are ramping up efforts to try to find workers who might be trapped inside
hydropower tunnels.
The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing President Trump to continue construction of a massive new White House ballroom while legal challenges play out. The
high court rejected a challenge from the preservation group seeking to halt the project. The ruling was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and the
court's three liberals dissenting.
More rain could be in store for Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park after flash flooding there left two people dead over the weekend. Officials say
rescue efforts are now underway for some 15 people who remain unaccounted for. 62 people were evacuated. The flooding began Saturday in one of the
most arid landmarks in the U.S. after waves of rain thrashed the region over a few hours. A water pipeline was also knocked out, leaving limited
resources in the area.
More now on our top story. Rescues -- rescuers desperately searching for survivors from the flash floods in Nepal and China. The U.N. says tens of
thousands of people in Nepal require urgent aid, including water and sanitation.
Ratindra Khatri joins me now from Kathmandu. He's a retired colonel in the Nepali Army, now a technical advisor to the organization Disaster
Preparedness Network Nepal. Good to have you, Ratindra. Thanks so much for taking the time.
COL. RATINDRA KHATRI (RET.), TECHNICAL ADVISER, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS NETWORK-NEPAL: Yes. Hi. Thank you very much for this opportunity. Let me
start with the exact figure I have of rescue operations. Altogether, 11,379 people were evacuated alive and 253 among them were the foreigners. And so,
far, 939 dead bodies have been recovered. And still, as per the confirmed list, 3,925 people are still missing.
We currently have 21,000 security forces on ground continuously involved in a search and rescue operation. Seven military helicopters are still
operational there, and almost the same number of civilian helicopters are also flying in the same area. As you can imagine, it's a small gorge
stretched up about 40 kilometers, where about 15 helicopters are maneuvering. That's quite challenging for the pilot to drive safely.
SCIUTTO: Of course.
KHATRI: And that is there.
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, if I can, Ratindra. Beyond the rescue efforts, what are the biggest needs now for the survivors, right? People
whose homes have been swept away, entire villages, their livelihoods swept away, and perhaps family members as well. I mean, this is a massive
humanitarian challenge.
KHATRI: Yes, indeed. And that is the main problem now. But simultaneously, the relief operation is also beginning, because there is a bunch of people
in different holding centers. They were evacuated from the rescue operation, and besides that, those dispersed in the surrounding area are
also gathered there. Providing them relief is also not an easy job, because there is no road beyond the place called Trishuli in Nuwakot toward the
China border side. And they are trying to open up the logistic route from the alternative way, which is very, very challenging.
And the government has started collecting relief material, and some assistance has arrived from the outside of the country too. But
spontaneously from the Nepali people also, there's a lot of relief that has been gathered. Even in the prime minister's relief fund, the people
spontaneously donated about 6 billion Nepali rupees equivalent money, which is quite encouraging. And from that money, the relief operation can be
started.
From the Nuwakot to some extent, things have been dispatched. But mostly in the northern side, in the Rasuwa district, it's very, very challenging. And
--
SCIUTTO: Yes. Can I ask you this, Ratindra? Given that this tragedy took place across the border of two nations and over many hundreds of miles, the
latest data puts the number of missing above 4,000. Is that number accurate? I mean, do authorities know for certain how many people are
missing, given how long, over how many hundreds of miles of territory this played out?
KHATRI: Yes, I understand that. Yes, the number is quite high, but not -- just about 4,000. As I gave you, the confirmed number, that is the 3,935,
that is given from the confirmed data. You know, just like the missing military, police, custom peoples, bank staff, those -- that's the confirmed
number.
But we have many unaccounted numbers of the people who have escaped to the -- I mean, the jungles, the rock, they might have trapped there. But the
number is certainly high. Not like that, that is true, yes.
SCIUTTO: Well, Ratindra Khatri, we appreciate the work you and your organization is doing, and we know you have much more work to do in the
coming days and weeks and months. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
KHATRI: Yes, thank you. Thank you for this. The main -- the problem there is this disaster has not just destroyed infrastructures, it has affected
the entire ecosystem of the region. The land configuration in this part of Nepal means the impact is compounding, not isolated. You know, that is the
thing.
And as you must be aware that in the last two days there was a lot of heavy rain that has created another havoc in the area, especially to the search
and rescue people who were in the ground at the river area when there was a flood. And it has damaged -- especially, you know, it hit to the main
supply route. You know, the Prithvi Highway is the main highway linking to Kathmandu and also supporting to the affected area where there is a place
called Krishna Veer. The whole road is collapsed. That is the serious blow for the country and also for the response operation.
SCIUTTO: OK.
KHATRI: Still, the whole effort is there. Yes.
SCIUTTO: Well, thank you very much for joining. We'll continue to cover this story closely as we do. Human created by climate change is making
natural disasters like the one we've witnessed there in Nepal more extreme and less predictable. That is something Nepal's prime minister has
expressed, saying that in the past few hours climate change is putting the Himalayan region at increasing risk. The U.N. sounded the alarm last year,
saying marginalized groups, including women and indigenous communities, are disproportionately vulnerable.
Our chief climate correspondent Bill Weir joins me now. Bill, I know it's hard to draw straight lines, right, between events like this awful event
we've witnessed in Nepal and China and climate change. But there are particular impacts, right, that you can't at least, I mean, the collapse of
a glacier and then all the water that followed.
[18:40:00]
Is it clear that something like this was made more likely by climate change?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIER CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dr. Hamish Pritchard is a British glaciologist and he had sensors about 10 kilometers from the
collapse there and recorded the highest temperatures in two years in that region and said that these temperatures weaken the snowpack, logically. It
filled the crevasses with water. It thawed the bonds between ice and rock that holds those glaciers in place. And if you look at a photograph of
what's left, there's a huge, huge wall of ice still standing there.
And unfortunately, Jim, you know, there's enough carbon pollution in the atmosphere that an age of glaciation, where these glaciers grow again, we
won't see in many, many lifetimes going forward, right? So, it's -- the question is, that ice is coming down. The question is, does it come down
drip by drip, which leads towards a water scarcity problem in Asia, which is enormous on its own right, or does it come down all at once to lead to
sort of these horrific inland tsunamis, right?
And this happened 14 months ago in the same checkpoint. And the Chinese officials went in there and they updated the warning systems. They had
drills. They did a lot of things, but they couldn't have imagined the enormity. And that's the thing. We live in this sort of -- we lack the
capacity to imagine the worst-case scenarios. And if it's a fire, it can be something like Paradise, California. If it's a glacier collapse or a GLOF,
it's one of something like this.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Does that at least provide the opportunity to attempt early warning, right? I mean, if you know the cause, temperatures are going up. I
mean, are there sensors? I mean, I mean, listen, I know some of this is there's so many inputs, right? It's fundamentally unpredictable to a T, but
does it at least create a possibility?
WEIR: Well, yes. I mean, you know, this thing moved at 120 miles an hour, like a 30-story building coming down that valley for miles at that speed.
So, I'm not sure you adapt to this. The best, you know, they were starting to break ground on barriers and dikes that would sort of protect. You can
go in the Alps -- this is happening in the Pyrenees and the Alps as well in the Andes in South America. And these really vulnerable, you know, quaint
villages high up maybe have snow shields around them. But this is completely different, right?
And the problem is, is that when glaciers were growing, they would make these moraines, these giant troughs that are now holding catchments for
water. So, every day this is building up a lot of these give way in places that nobody lives and nobody's the wiser. But if there's a way to focus on
the communities that are the most vulnerable, you know, the similarity with the Grand Canyon, the only similarity is that a warmer atmosphere holds a
lot more water, right? Every one degree Celsius, 7 percent more water, and it's exponential from there. So, there's always been flash floods in and
around the Grand Canyon.
And they've always been pretty deadly, because if you get caught between that rock, and it runs so fast, there's nowhere to go. Well, now the sponge
is getting bigger by the year that is ringing out over these events here and taking out bridges that would have survived maybe 10 years ago, right?
So, we have to get used to these new water cycles. And it's so much more predictable. And it's so expensive, Jim. But this is exactly the stuff that
was warned about in the IPCC reports, the last big one in 2023.
SCIUTTO: Yes, I was just going to say if only someone had given fair warning, and yet, sometimes folks don't listen. Bill Weir, appreciate it.
WEIR: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Coming up on "The Brief," a new exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran. Six months into this conflict, how the war is affecting ordinary
Iranians. That's next.
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[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: Back to one of our top stories now. President Trump says that U.S. military strikes on Iran will be limited. This after U.S. forces
struck some Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, Tehran fired missiles towards Jordan and the United Arab
Emirates, where U.S. forces are based. This comes after the Trump administration recently announced its shift to maximizing economic pressure
on Iran rather than military pressure.
Negar Mortazavi is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and host of the Iran podcast. Negar, good to have you back on the show.
NEGAR MORTAZAVI, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: Thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: So, the Trump approach has been for some time, use the threat of military action to force Iran to the table. It shifted somewhat to focusing
on economic pressure, but still holding that idea that, hey, well, we can strike you anytime we want to. Is there evidence that that approach is
working? If the ultimate goal is to get Iran to the table and to make concessions, what evidence is it that the Trump strategy is making
progress?
MORTAZAVI: Thanks for having me, Jim. No, there's no evidence. To the contrary, I mean, let's just do a quick rewind even before from the first
Trump term. Campaign of maximum pressure, which was maximum sanctions launched on Iran to bring them to the negotiating table. It didn't happen.
Now, we're two wars down. In the middle of this war, there was a ceasefire, a memorandum of understanding accepted, and then that unraveled, and then
back to gradual military conflict here and there. Then there was announced the economic D-Day, essentially ramping up economic pressure.
The question also is, how much more pressure can the U.S. exert on Iran on top of maximum pressure? And now, we're sort of, again, seeing gradual
conflict back and forth. Did economic pressure work in the past as far as putting actual pressure on the Iranian economy? Yes, it has. And who pays
the price for that? Ordinary Iranians, working class, middle class Iranians. Inflation is very high, prices going up rapidly, especially
throughout this war. But did that bring policy change in Tehran? No, absolutely not.
SCIUTTO: So, tell me how Iran is managing through this, right? The economy is certainly suffering, and the Iranian people are the ones bearing the
lion's share of the burden of that through inflation and a whole host of other costs here. The regime, it seems, is willing to suffer through that.
What about the people?
MORTAZAVI: Well, Jim, it's very difficult. I mean, we're talking about dire economic conditions. And, you know, a testament to that is regular
protests. Many of them have economic sparks. It's just become very difficult. But it's not something that the Iranian State hasn't seen or
tolerated in the past. If we go to the previous large war, they were involved in in the 1980s, when Saddam Hussein attacks Iran, the Iran-Iraq
war. I grew up in Tehran during that war as a child.
I remember the economic situation was arguably even worse. People had to line up for milk. And it hasn't gotten to that point yet. So, yes, the
pressure is high.
[18:50:00]
And we hear officials, even as high as the president, constantly talking about that, that this pressure is not sustainable. It's not something
people can tolerate long-term. But at the same time, you have military commanders very much, you know, in power, consolidating. And from their
viewpoint, this war is an existential war. This is a battle for survival. And they're playing the long game here, willing to tolerate more of this
economic pain at the cost of ordinary Iranians mainly, but not capitulate or surrender to this pressure from President Trump.
Just quickly, the logic or the thinking is that if they surrender, if they capitulate, this will only invite more pressure and more war.
SCIUTTO: And that seems to be, well, the cycle that we're in. Negar Mortazavi, appreciate having you on.
MORTAZAVI: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still to come tonight, big announcement from Lionel Messi. We're going to tell you what the football superstar said about the future of his
career.
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SCIUTTO: The end of quite an era in Argentina, as perhaps its greatest football star, Lionel Messi, has announced his retirement from the national
team. The 39-year-old, of course, led his country to a World Cup title back in 2022 and two other finals in 2018 and just, well, about a month ago.
Even though he is retiring from international play, he will continue to suit up for his MLS club, Inter-Miami.
CNN World Sport's Don Riddell joins us from Atlanta. I mean, the career, hard to pick a better one. This would be quite an end.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes. I mean, I think Argentina fans are going to be really, really upset and really sad and sorry to see him
leaving the international stage. But I don't think anybody can be surprised. I mean, I would argue that the last four years have been a bonus
because after 2022, many of us expected that he would step away. But he came back for one more go, the World Cup tournament in North America and he
almost dragged his country to yet another World Cup title of just falling just short against Spain in the final.
But, you know, if you're watching him during that tournament, you could see that he was quite emotional after some of the games, particularly after the
final. It's now been revealed that he was probably going to walk away very shortly after that final, but then he suffered real heartbreak with the
loss of his father, Jorge. And so, that led to him delaying this announcement.
But, you know, you look at his career and what he achieved with the national team. It was just quite extraordinary. Winning the World Cup, as
you say, in 22, he won two Copa America titles, played over a period of 21 years. That's amazing. 207 games, 125 goals.
[18:55:00]
But what's fascinating is that the first half of his career with Argentina was not at all happy. The fans in Argentina really criticized him because
he was living in Spain where he'd been since quite a young age and he was doing so well for Barcelona, but he couldn't replicate his success with
Barcelona with the national team and that prompted him to retire in 2016. He quickly changed his mind and came back.
But all this success with Argentina didn't come until he was in his mid- 30s. That is absolutely remarkable. He's 39 now. You know, I think he's got a lot of success with Argentina, but he I think it would have just been too
much to expect that he could stick around for another four-year cycle and play his seventh World Cup when he was 43. So, I guess the time is right.
But he's not done. He's still playing for Inter-Miami. He scored four goals at the weekend in Major League Soccer. So, he's still got a lot to offer,
just not any more for the national team.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Where all those detractors now. Don Riddell, thanks so much.
RIDDELL: All right.
SCIUTTO: Thanks so much to all of you for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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