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U.S. Military Base, CIA Station and Embassies Hit by Iranian Strikes; Mounting Frustration for Americans Stranded in Middle East; CNN Reports, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Headed to Republican Senate Runoff. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 04, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, Iran unleashes a new wave of attacks across the Middle East, striking the largest U.S. military base in the region, as the U.S. faces backlash for having no plan to execute -- to evacuate, excuse me, stranded Americans. We are standing by to hear from the Pentagon next hour.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful Republican incumbent senator still fighting for his political career and headed to a runoff now. And the Democrats, they know who's going to be at the top of their ticket come November. The dramatic results of the first primaries of the midterm.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And the body camera that saved an officer's life, not by filming, it took a bullet headed for his chest.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner, and this is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: The breaking news, we're standing by for a press briefing at the Pentagon this morning, as Iran steps up its retaliation against U.S. assets in the Middle East. And American citizens in the region are scrambling to evacuate with little help. The U.S. consulate in Dubai, a CIA station in Saudi Arabia and U.S. based in Qatar, the largest in the Middle East, all coming under fire.

The Pentagon has also identified four of the six U.S. service members killed in an Iranian drone strike on Sunday. They are 33-year-old Captain Cody Khork, 20-year-old Sergeant Declan Coady, 39-year-old Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor and 42-year-old Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, all of them Army reservist assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based out of Iowa.

A new image from inside Iran now, as Israel unleashes a broad wave of strikes targeting launch sites and aerial defense systems there. This is Iran's tenth wave since the war began. This is Israel's tenth wave of attacks since the war began. The IDF also says that one of its fighter jets shot down an Iranian F-35 over Iran's airspace in the first dog fight of this war.

Three U.S. embassies are now closed after several were hit by Iranian strikes. All non-emergency personnel have been ordered to leave. But the Trump administration is facing scrutiny after President Trump said there was no evacuation plan for U.S. citizens because the joint strikes on Iran, as he put it, happened very quickly.

We have live team coverage across the region and here at home. Let's start with Bijan Hosseini, who is in Doha, Qatar. What is the latest there and what has happened to the U.S. assets that have been hit?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Hi, Sara. Yes, well, last night, the team here hearing some of those interceptions taking place again for what -- overnight, one of those missiles did get through and hit Al Udeid Air Base. As you know, Al Udeid the largest U.S. air base in the region, some 10,000 personnel are usually stationed there at any given time.

We know about six weeks ago when tensions were starting to flare up between Iran and the U.S., they began evacuating non-essential military personnel from that base. But contradicting that, we also saw a military buildup of equipment there, some air transporters and some air refuelers taking place for what is now being used in this war.

We also heard overnight from Qatar state news agency last night that authorities detained ten suspects that they say were cells, IRGC cells, that's Iran's Revolutionary Guard. And they say that of the ten, seven of those were tasked with gathering knowledge of key infrastructure, some national and government facilities, and we also heard that three of them, this is from authorities in quote, I'm quoting this, they were assigned to conduct sabotage activities and trained in the use of drones.

Authorities also adding to that statement that they were found with coordinates and key locations of sensitive facilities, as well as communication devices and technological equipment.

SIDNER: Bijan Hosseini, thank you so much for your reporting there from Qatar. Over to you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Fear, confusion and frustration mounting now as thousands of Americans are stranded in the Middle East by this war, and they're looking for now any help to get out.

[07:05:05]

The secretary of state has said that more than 1,500 Americans have reached out to the State Department about evacuating the region, but President Trump has just said that there is no evacuation plan in place ahead of time because the strikes happened so quickly.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for much more on this. Kevin, what are you learning about this aspect of this? Is there a plan in place now to do something to help Americans get out of the region?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There is a plan in place now, but I would describe it as a scramble to essentially try and put up escape routes for Americans who want to leave the region. The State Department says it is trying to put together charter flights, book military aircraft, help Americans book commercial flights to leave the Middle East.

But, of course, that is going to be extraordinarily limited. The airspace atop some of these major transportation hubs, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, have been intermittently closed. So carriers have been canceling flights, essentially left and right, and it has created an enormous amount of frustration from Americans who feel like they are stranded without any way to get out, and suggesting that the administration did not have a plan in place before this war began, despite the fact that this massive military buildup, it had been going on for weeks and weeks.

As one American told us, I feel like a sitting duck, you know, President Trump suggesting that this all happened so quickly, that there wasn't able to be, you know, this coordinated evacuation plan ahead of time. We also know, you know, he told Jake Tapper this week that his biggest surprise in all of this is that Iran was retaliating towards some of these very wealthy Gulf state nations.

Now, listen to what Marco Rubio said yesterday about this effort to get Americans out of the Middle East.

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MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have identified and continue to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats.

The problem is, or the challenge we are facing is airspace closures. If a country closes their airport, for example, in some cases the airports have been hit, so the airport in Kuwait was hit. So if an airport's been attacked or the airspace is closed, then we can have the planes lined up to go, but we can't get them to land because we don't have the permissions to land there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, the State Department says it's facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They're also waiving requirements that Americans reimburse the State Department for their travel expenses. As of yesterday, the State Department said that had been in contact with nearly 3,000 Americans. 9,000 Americans have found a way out, although not all of those were relying on government services.

You know, that's all well less than the hundreds of thousands of Americans who live in the Middle East. They're encouraging Americans to call the phone number 202-501-4444 if they need assistance. More than 120 people are manning that line 24 hours a day. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And as we've learned, one of the issues when calling that line, as Brian Todd and other reporters have done so, is they get a message that says, do not rely on the U.S. government for evacuation right now.

Kevin, thank you so much. John? BERMAN: All right. What a night in Texas, election night, incumbents fall, others head to election overtime. What has Republicans and Democrats across the nation buzzing this morning?

And naughty word alert, the MAGA enthusiast questioning the president's Iran strategy, and why Megyn Kelly says, if people don't like that, they can suck it.

The dramatic high speed chase that ended with no charges. Find out why.

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BERMAN: Breaking overnight from Texas, election overtime. There will be a runoff between Republican incumbent Senator John Cornyn and the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton. They both failed to get 50 percent of the vote in the Senate primary, so this sets up what could be a bruising battle over the next three months.

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SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build over these many years.

KEN PAXTON (R), TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: John Cornyn has failed this time and time again.

In his over 40 years of office, you cannot name one single accomplishment that he's done to help the state of Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, the runoff there is May 26th, and the winner will face State Lawmaker James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary overnight defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Control of the Senate could be at stake here. The Texas race could be a tipping point.

Let's get right into CNN's Arlette Saenz after a long night in Dallas. Good morning, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Republicans here in Texas are bracing for an expensive and potentially bruising runoff contest between Senator John Cornyn and incumbent or -- and Attorney General Ken Paxton. But on the Democratic side, the ticket is set. State Representative James Talarico defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Talarico really was an unknown figure in Texas politics just a few months before he had launched his campaign, but he really rose to popularity with a message that was centered on faith and unity and talking about the need to appeal across the political spectrum.

[07:15:09]

The Democrats would need to bring in independent voters and disillusioned Republicans here in a state like Texas. Last night or overnight, he told his supporters that he believes this is sending a message to the nation at a time when the temperature in politics is incredibly high.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): This is proof that there is something happening in Texas tonight. Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope, and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Congresswoman Crockett really entered into this race with high name recognition. She was a Democratic firebrand, well known on the national level. She has yet to form -- officially concede to Talarico, as far as we know. Last night she spoke to a reporter saying she didn't think results would be available last night and talked about some of the concerns that we're seeing in Dallas County relating to rules changes that caused some confusion for voters as they head to their polling locations. She said that she believes there has been a disenfranchisement of some voters here in Texas.

But on the Republican side, we are expecting this to be quite a contentious battle. Things have already been heated between Cornyn and Paxton, and that is expected to continue in the coming weeks. We heard Cornyn and Paxton both preview some of their lines of attack last night. Paxton decried the amount of money that was poured into the state to try to boost Cornyn. That was more than $70 million on behalf of Cornyn's efforts, really adding to why this became one of the most expensive Senate primaries in U.S. history.

Cornyn, meanwhile, has really warned about Paxton's past controversies, his legal and personal scandals that Cornyn believes will be a drag on Republicans if he becomes the nominee in November.

One big question going forward though is whether President Donald Trump decides to get into this runoff, decides to endorse a candidate, something he declined to do in the primary, but he has left the door open to. That's certainly something that both camps are pushing for over the next 12 weeks.

BERMAN: Yes, that is the singular question here because a presidential endorsement could all but ended otherwise three bruising months here with the Democrat coasting by.

Arlette Saenz in Dallas, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Right now, oil markets responding, once again, of course, to the war with Iran and President Trump's statement that the U.S. Navy will start escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. A closer look is ahead at this critical shipping channel now caught in the center of this conflict. And an officer uses a pit maneuver to stop a speeding driver. Then prosecutors learned why that driver was speeding and all charges were dropped.

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SIDNER: New this morning, everyone will be affected by this war one way or another. In the markets, oil prices are the thing that it's concerned about, the White House now trying to limit the impact of the war on energy prices, which are going up. President Trump announced he ordered the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to provide political risk insurance and guarantees for all maritime trade through the Gulf. He also vowed that the U.S. will ensure the free flow of energy to the world and that the Navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

Now, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most vital shipping lanes. You can see it at its narrowest point. It's only about 21 miles wide, basically, a pinch point that has been effectively reduced to just a trickle now. About one fifth of daily global oil production passes through the strait every single day. That is a total of about 20 million barrels of oil.

Here's a look at how this oil makes it to the rest of the world. The Information Administration estimates that 84 percent of the crude oil and 83 percent of liquefied natural gas that moves through the strait in 2024 went to Asian markets. And in total, about 38 percent of oil alone went to China.

CNN Eleni Giokos is in Abu Dhabi with more on the story. What are you learning about what is happening here, a very important thoroughfare for oil?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And you know, seeing that picture, you can see the choke point, but you also need to understand this is such an important artery to move energy products to specifically Asia, as you say, and even the rest of the world. And closing this Strait of Hormuz has unbelievable impact on oil prices as well as gas prices.

Now, oil prices at this minute are slightly softer, but you've got to remember over the last five days, Brent Crude has increased by around 12 percent. So, this is a confluence of issues that we are seeing playing out right now. Firstly, you've got a lot of tankers, big vessels that are already loaded up. They're just standing by to try and get through.

And because the war risk premium has increased so dramatically, President Trump is intervening to try and mitigate this enormous disruption by saying that they're going to bring in the Development Finance Corporation to assist, and then importantly also saying, if needed, they will be escorted by the U.S. Navy.

Speaking to experts, I've heard that they're not really sure how this is going to be implemented or whether it'll work. They also say, don't expect volumes to increase pre-hostility levels.

[07:25:00]

In fact, there's a lot of reticence because shippers have actually suspended their operations in fear of what's to come.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has specifically said that not a drop of oil is going to pass through the strait. We are hearing from analysts that a few tankers have been able to pass through by switching off their satellite systems, and a lot of them are operating in the dark.

Make no mistake here, you're also seeing another supply shock coming through, and this is because you're seeing the Iranian government coming through and targeting critical energy infrastructure across the region from Oman to here in the UAE and also in Saudi Arabia, that important LNG terminal in Qatar, when Qatar has completely suspended the gas production there that supply around 20 percent of total gas around the world.

We're also hearing news that Saudi Aramco's largest oil refinery, there was another strike there again, attempted strike damage has not been assessed as yet, but this is a second in the last 48 hours. So, this is pretty serious where you see energy infrastructure coming into question. The worry is, are we going to see more capacity being taken out of the market? If that is the case, expect much higher oil prices that could feed through into inflation in the United States.

SIDNER: Yes, this is one of the ways to impact everyone across the world. And you're seeing Iran do that, but it will also impact Iran as well. So, we will have to see how this goes, but a lot of concern this morning about energy prices and for good reason.

Eleni Giokos, thank you so much for your reporting. I appreciate that. Kate?

BOLDUAN: U.S. is now five days into this war with Iran and there's already concern of the U.S. military running low on critical missile defense stockpiles, new reporting on that.

And the evidence that this war and Trump's decision to start it facing blowback from his MAGA base now. What is happening there? We've got new reporting.

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