President Trump Signaled to Retaliate Iran Then Pulled Back; Protesters in Hong Kong Not Giving Up Their Fight; Georgians Furious About a Russian Visitor; New York Times, Trump Approves Iran Strike, Then Pulls Back; Protest In Hong Kong Over Extradition Bill Continue
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: A new report says the U.S. president approved and then called off an attack on Iran. We're live on Tehran for reaction.</s>GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: For the third time in less than a week, thousands of people take to the streets in Hong Kong protesting the controversial extradition bill with China.</s>ALLEN: Also, this hour, a handshake that took 14 years to happen in North Korea. President Xi Jinping of China heads home after his historic visit to Pyongyang.</s>HOWELL: Welcome to our viewers around the world. We're live in Atlanta. I'm George Howell.</s>ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen from CNN world headquarters. Newsroom starts right now. And we begin with a startling report from the New York Times that U.S. President Trump approved military strike against Iran but abruptly pulled back Thursday night. They were meant as retaliation after Iran shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz.</s>HOWELL: That right. That report says the operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off. This according to a senior administration official who spoke with the Times. "Planes were in the air and ships were in position but no missiles had been fired when the word came down -- came to stand down," the official said.</s>ALLEN: The Times reports it is not clear whether President Trump change his mind or the strikes were called off for logistical reasons. It is also unclear if the operation might still go forward.</s>HOWELL: In the meantime, the military its released coordinates which it says proved the surveillance aircraft was over international waters at that time. But Iran says that the drone violated its airspace. Let's go live to the region, CNN covering every angle of the story with our correspondents around the world. Fred Pleitgen live in Tehran and Sam Kiley in the United Arab Emirates. Let's start in Tehran with you, Fred -- in Iran -- in Iran. So, to get a sense, Fred, is there any reaction given what we're hearing from the New York Times about the U.S. president of course, giving the go ahead for the strike but then it being pulled back?</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, George. At least so far at least officially there hasn't been any reaction to that New York Times report. Obviously, it only came out a couple of hours ago. Plus, today it's Friday when most officials have their day off. So, news is going to be a little bit slower and reactions are going to be a little bit slower as well. But you could feel yesterday already, George, that the Iranians were ramping up their public efforts and their diplomatic efforts as well to really tell their side of what they believe happened there in the Persian Gulf as that drone was being shot down. It was interesting to see that the Iranians shortly after the U.S. released its sort of grainy black and white video showing that drone falling or allegedly showing that drone falling from the sky with the smoke trail behind it themselves release video which showed the missiles allegedly being fired at that drone and then hitting it shortly after they had been fired. And you know one of the things President Trump indicated last night when he was at his -- when he has the press in the Oval Office. He was saying, look, it might have been some sort of mistake that this drone was shot down, some rogue commander might have done it. The Iranians are saying that's not the case, they say they shot the shot drone down deliberately because they continued to say that it was over their airspace. It's something that Javad Zarif, the foreign minister even tweeted. Yet a pretty detailed tweet where he outlined what he said was essentially the entire flight of that drone. He said it took off shortly after midnight, he said it was flying in stealth mode which is something that other Iranian officials have said as well. Which seems to indicate they say that it had turned off its transponders so was not to be easily identified, he said that it violated Iranian airspace after several hours of flight. It was shot down at 4.05 a.m. Now the Iranian foreign minister like the U.S. gave coordinates about where this drone was shot down and that's really where the big difference comes between the U.S. and Iran. The Iranians are saying that the coordinates are about -- we looked it up, it's about nine miles from the shores of Iran which obviously would have put it in Iranian territorial waters and the territorial airspace. Of course, we know that the U.S. coordinates put it outside of that, I think about 20 miles off the coast. But that was really Iranian side of the story. So, they're not saying that this was some errant commander or some commander acting in a rogue way. They are saying this was deliberately done because the drone violated their airspace. Of course, we've heard already yesterday a lot of the pretty strong reaction is coming, for instance, from the Revolutionary Guard. Which is the unit that shot that drone down saying that this is the way that Iran deals with its enemies, saying that airspace is a red line. And then last night, George, you had the Iranians officially writing a letter to the United Nations condemning this incident and complaining about this incident, also saying by the way that they had allegedly tried to contact this drone several times and warn it off its territorial airspace, George.</s>HOWELL: The U.S. president opening the door saying it could have been a mistake. Iran insisting no, we did it, we did for a reason. Fred Pleitgen with the reporting. Fred, thank you.</s>ALLEN: Well, let's cross over to the United Arab Emirates now and CNN senior international correspondent Sam Kiley who is near the area where that drone did come down. Sam, are you hearing any reaction to this strike news that almost happened by the United States?</s>SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the only reaction we've had since this incident or rather particularly since the New York Times reporting on this has been from the Saudis reiterating their support for action, any action taken by the United States. Really, the Saudis are in lockstep with the hard-liners really within the Trump administration, not yet siding entirely with John Bolton who wants regime change but very much in the camp that believes that very tough line indeed should be taken with Iran. But that's very different to the response or the attitude struck here in the Emirates which has been consistently ever since those four ships were attacked in the Emirati waters allegedly by Iran according to the United States and the United Kingdom, and indeed since the attack on two other ships in the Gulf of Oman behind me last week. The Emiratis have interestingly insisted that whist they believe a state actor was behind it resisted the temptation to point the finger at Iran because of the dangers of escalation. And in that context, the New York Times reporting that the mission of retaliation against Iran over the downing of a drone, an unmanned drone will be created in the Emirate with considerable relief since an escalation would have direct impact here not only on the potentially on the lives of individuals but of course on the economy of an oil exporting nation having to use into some degree the Strait of Hormuz to export the oil. So, there is a palpable sense of relief here in the Emirates but still a degree of pressure coming from the wider U.S. allies to continue to maintain pressure against Iran. I should also stress that on the street in the Middle East the downing of a drone is one thing. But retaliation that could've killed people inside Iran would have been seen as a very significant possibly even entirely unjustified retaliation for the shooting down of effectively as a flying robot, Natalie.</s>ALLEN: Absolutely. Very, very tense times here in the region. Thank you, Sam Kiley and to our Fred Pleitgen there inside Iran for us.</s>HOWELL: And again, we do want to emphasize it's not clear, you know, if these military strikes against Iran might still go forward, it's also unclear why President Trump called the mission off, whether he changed his mind or if it was for logistical reasons.</s>ALLEN: CNN's military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton provide some insight.</s>CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The reason I think that the president may have done this was basically he wanted to do this as a show of force. So that's on the positive side of things, you know, he wanted to show the Iranians what we could do without actually doing it, so that's one possibility. The other possibility is that he could have in essence gotten cold feet and decided that he didn't want to go that far because he became concerned after thinking about it, what Iran might do in response to this action. So, you know, the risk of ever-increasing escalation is extremely high in a situation like this and it's certainly a possibility that he may have decided that this was not worth doing it at this particular point in time. If I were in the Iranian shoes I would see it as a show of force, because it may -- even if it is a set of cold feet it could still be something that tells me that the Americans are coming in or doing these things that they have the capability of doing certain things. Their targets may have been command and control notes, radar sites and things like that. And so, I would certainly be very cautious at this point about we're sending Tehran. Now Iran is, you know, definitely has its vulnerabilities, has its weakness. But the Iranians are also very experienced fighters and they've been doing this for quite some time. They fought in Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. They fought all kinds of paramilitary actions through their proxies as well as through the Revolutionary Guards. So, they're a very experienced fighters and they've also had a lot of time to develop tactics and techniques that they would not have otherwise developed had they had more, peaceful or amicable relations with the United States. So, the Iranians are not only a difficult foe but a very dangerous foe and that is something that people in the White House and throughout the corridors of power here in Washington will really have to take a look at. It's an opportunity for a reset if both Iran and the United States choose it to be that. It could, you know, in effect be a pause but the element of surprise is gone for the United States that we said at the moment. And that's a -- you know, it presents its own problems as well. So, when you look at exactly what the state of play is here it's definitely fluid. It could go in many different directions, but it's definitely very dangerous situation right now in the Persian Gulf and it's something that I think we're going to have to watch very carefully, you know, probably not just a few days but for the next few weeks.</s>HOWELL: All right. And also, this from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. That agency put out restrictions on U.S. airlines flying over the Gulf region.</s>ALLEN: They put out a notice saying this. "All flight operations in the over water area of the Tehran flight information region above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman only are prohibited until further notice due to heightened military activities and increase political tensions in the region which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. aviation operation and potential for miscalculation or misidentification." So, stay with CNN, we'll continue to follow this breaking story.</s>HOWELL: And of course, we will update you as we learn anything new. Right now, thousands of protestors are in Hong Kong, they are out in the streets.</s>ALLEN: Once again, they don't seem to be going anywhere and they want the government to completely scrap a bill that would make anyone in Hong Kong subject to extradition to mainland China. Police have strongly condemned the protestors for blocking the main highway near government headquarters.</s>HOWELL: And in the middle of it all our Anna Coren live in Hong Kong this hour. Anna, just about an hour ago, there is a lot of activity happening around you, what's happening at this point?</s>ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, I've just going to show you from our vantage point these protestors are covering the CCTV cameras here and just applauded the guy who's covered them with plastic. They were taping ones further up. Look, the police I must say are being very, very patient. We are yet to see them come out in force. We saw the police officers beforehand with helmets, with batons and shields within the police headquarters. And I should add, this is police H.Q. here in Hong Kong and it is currently surrounded every entrance exit is currently blocked by protestors. And as you can see, they are continuing to cover each of those CCTV cameras. How long please tolerate this? This is anyone's guess. But I am sure that it is only a matter of time before there is some sort of reaction. As you can see there, they are putting the umbrella up there to stop it from viewing all these protestors. Look, these people have turned out in the thousands. And I just want to take you now down to the main protest. They've turned out in the thousands and it is one of those things that it started off with just a few hundred people, thousands have now gathered. They've walked from LegCo, the legislative council to where we are at the police headquarters and they have gathered here at the front. And it is a scene which is currently peaceful, but protestors are certainly prepared for the worst. They have come with their gas masks, they have their helmets, they've got cling wrap in case there is tear gas. So, this is a situation that could get ugly very, very quickly, and certainly if police decide to retaliate and they will need to clear out these public areas, I mean, that road that I showed you just beforehand, (Inaudible) Road. that is a major artillery road here in Hong Kong and that has been blocked. Steel barricades, plastic barricades were put onto the road by the protestors earlier this morning and they have stayed in place. Police are being very patient, obviously they have condemned these actions. They say they are highly irresponsible; they could cause serious problems if emergency services require. They've asked for the protestors to remain peaceful. But we have to remember, these are very busy areas. This is an international city. This is a major financial hub that needs to function. The protestors they are saying, they are not going anywhere, they are not going anywhere until their demands are met. Those demands being the complete withdrawal of that very controversial extradition bill that would allow for extradition to mainland China. The resignation of the city's chief executive Carrie Lam as well as those people who have been arrested to be released. They also want the police officer who were involved in last week's ugly clashes with police who used excessive force, they want those people charged. And they also want the government and police to revoke the claim that it was a riot. So, these protestors are saying they are not going anywhere until their demands are met. But George and Natalie, we should stress that the 1st of July, that is a major date in the calendar, not just for Hong Kong but obviously for these protestors. The two million people that we saw last Sunday they could very well turn out again on the 1st of July. That is of course the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, it's one of (Inaudible) special administrative region and Hong Kong has enjoyed the freedoms under these arrangement for the last 22 years. Where the people here they say that they are fighting for their freedom, they want to continue enjoying these freedoms, they say they are fighting for their future.</s>HOWELL: Anna Coren, live. Anna, thank you.</s>ALLEN: We will of course stay in close contact with Anna in that situation. We turn now though to Georgia where the capital city of Tbilisi is on edge after a night of violent protests there.</s>HOWELL: Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd and several people were injured there. Our John Vause has this.</s>JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands gathered outside the Georgian parliament Thursday, protesting a controversial visit from a Russian lawmaker to the Georgia's capital of Tbilisi. The protest quickly turned chaotic, Georgians furious their parliament invited Sergey Gavrilov, a member of Russian communist party to their country. Some carrying signs saying, "stop Russia."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is the expression of -- the peaceful expression of the protest to show to them that we will not tolerate Russia (Inaudible) to Georgia and we will not tolerate the rationalization of Georgia, which is happening unfortunately under this government for the last seven years.</s>VAUSE: Gavrilov told Russian state news he believed he was met with protest because of his alleged participation in the separatist conflict in Abkhazia in the early 1990s. Gavrilov denies ever being involved in any armed conflicts. Tensions flared between Russia and Georgia in August of 2008, when a Russian-backed separatist movement in the province of South Ossetia when Georgian troops tried to regain control over the self-proclaimed autonomous region. Russia responded by moving tanks and soldiers through South Ossetia further into Georgian territory. Opposition representatives even protested Gavrilov's appearance infuriated when he sat in the speaker's chair at the Georgian assembly session. Protestors were met with tear gas from police. Some seen holding bloody faces while officers fired rubber bullets towards the crowd. Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling on protestors to immediately stop the violations of law of violence. "Do not follow provocations, obey police request and leave the territory of the parliament. Otherwise, police will take measures provided by law." One protestor say, the government should be held responsible.</s>ELENE KHOSHTARIA, MEMBER, EUROPEAN GEORGIA PARTY: It's a big shame, and a big insult for Georgian society that the Georgian government has made it possible to see the Russian occupant, an enemy of this country in the chair of the chairman of parliament. This is not acceptable for Georgian public. You see so many people protesting this. And this is unfortunate, the result and responsibility of the government. The government has to pay the price for that.</s>CNN. HOWELL: Rekindling an old friendship. China's Xi Jinping was in North Korea for an historic summit with Kim Jong-un. A summit that's taking place there. How these two leaders hope to benefit from stronger ties.</s>ALLEN: That's coming up here. Plus, meet the last man standing in the race for prime minister of the United Kingdom. When we come back, we explain what still ahead for these two.</s>HOWELL: And Ebola kills nearly 70 percent of the people who catch it and the terror of the virus spreads much faster, much further. Later, how the Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with a fierce outbreak there.