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Drones Hit Azerbaijan, First Strike on Nation Since War Began; First Chartered Flight Evacuates Stranded Americans from Middle East; Investors Brace for Disruption to Oil, Shipping Due to Iran War. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 05, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news, new nations hit this morning by the expanding war in and around Iran, and we're getting word that the first U.S. evacuation flight from the region has departed.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And after months of dodging the question, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales now admits to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, and he is now facing a Congressional investigation over it.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A skier buried by an avalanche stuck four hours under the snow. How his iPhone ultimately saved him.

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

BERMAN: And the breaking news this morning, the war with the Iran is widening, a new nation hit. New video appears to Iranian drones striking an airport in Azerbaijan. Authorities there say two people were injured, a terminal building at the airport damaged. This is the first damage in Azerbaijan, which is north of Iran, and this does mark a new front or a new target or a new place hit in the conflict.

We've also got new video from Qatar showing explosions in the sky after suspected Iranian missiles were intercepted over Doha. CNN journalists on the ground say they did not receive an emergency alert before the blast rattled buildings across the city.

From Northern Syria, we saw an Iranian missile just stuck in the ground. That is an extraordinary image right there. We're told it landed near a Kurdish-controlled city without causing any casualties.

The Pentagon has now named the final two U.S. Service members among the six killed in a drone attack in Kuwait, 45-year-old Major Jeffrey O'Brien, and 54-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, although the Pentagon says it is still awaiting final identification on him.

The White House says the fallen soldiers will be given a dignified transfer and that President Trump does plan to attend. Now, CNN is in Iran this morning, reporting from the ground, the first U.S. network inside that country. We will get there momentarily to a reporter.

First, though, let's get to Nick Paton Walsh, who is in Tel Aviv with the latest. Nick, I do understand you just witnessed, you know, some interceptions right behind you.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, like a pattern we've been seeing intermittently over the past days clearly, but six intercepts over Central Tel Aviv here. Some are making significantly speedy arcs and kind of booms we've been hearing quite frequently here too. No indication at this stage of any casualties. The last alarms, the last intercepts we've heard have not resulted in casualties over the past day or so.

So, a region, though, really, I think, waking up this morning to the sort of extraordinary Iranian retaliations that we saw at the early hours of this conflict. It had felt like yesterday, given some of the signals from U.S. officials about depleting Iranian capabilities, that maybe we were seeing a more localized conflict begin to emerge. Instead, we now have, let me go through the list here, six injured after the interception of drones in Abu Dhabi.

What you were talking about there, missiles being intercepted over the skies of Doha, where there is significant U.S. military base, that hasn't stopped though a lot of this impacting civilians there.

Azerbaijan, you know, regionally close, but not overtly party to any of this, its southern airport hit, two injured there, you say as well. And also drones intercepted by Saudi Arabia.

So, a startling sense, I think, again, of missiles and drones, despite Pentagon comments that those stocks or potentially use was significantly reduced, again, lashing out across a region. And this after just yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister reached out to Qatar, reached out to France to potentially begin some sort of diplomatic discussions, or certainly to the Qataris, to clarify that they weren't aiming for Qatari territory, just U.S. assets within it.

But also overnight here, a rise in the death toll inside of Iran, 120- hour internet blackout there, massively reducing the capacity for the world to see, clearly civilian suffering as a result of this formidable onslaught by the United States and Israel, the death toll now 1,100.

[07:05:07]

Israel overnight saying that they hit underground missiles storage sites for ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles as well, that's Tehran too. They also said they hit command centers in Lebanon, in Beirut, another front for Israel here as well, where there are 77 dead at this particular point as a result of this Israeli campaign against Hezbollah who fired rockets a couple of days ago to avenge the death of the Iranian leader. So, a sense this morning, I think, of the conflict very much regional and very much with the Israelis continuing along with the United States to aggressively prosecute targets, both in Iran and Lebanon. John?

BERMAN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh for us in Tel Aviv this morning, Nick, thank you very much for that. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Well, the first charter flight evacuating Americans from danger has now left the Middle East. The message from the State Department about all this is basically more is on the way. The way they're putting it as additional flights will be surged throughout the region.

Iran has targeted hotels and airports, as we have seen in U.S. ally Gulf states, and the pressure continues. The Trump administration though, is also facing pressure and criticism as they threatened, of course, for weeks that an attack against Iran could be coming, would be coming even, but they didn't also have an evacuation plan for Americans in the region in place.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House covering this for us. What are you hearing about the evacuation plan now?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, you do start to see some of that logjam being cleared up of Americans and other nationalities as well who are trying to leave the Middle East. You know, the State Department is not actually saying where this charter flight left from. They're not saying where future charter flights will be leaving from.

They're sort of communicating directly with Americans who want to get on them, but they're leaving some of the operational details private for security purposes, which I think does underscore just the grave security situation that these Americans now find themselves in after being essentially trapped in the Middle East without an evacuation plan before this war began.

You know, we heard from President Trump say that this war began very quickly, that there wasn't time to put in place the kind of evacuation plans that would be needed to get all Americans out. Now you see a scramble on the part of the State Department to really try and bolster the resources.

In addition to these charter flights, you hear of the State Department working to try and secure military aircraft to try and help Americans book whatever limited commercial flights are available. Listen to what Marco Rubio told Americans in a message yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I wanted to take this chance to speak directly to Americans who are in the Middle East about the work we are doing to try to keep you safe. So, immediately following the beginning of this operation, at my direction, the State Department activated a 24/7 task force. In order to receive these updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, you have to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. You have to register with step, and here's where you do it. You go to step.state.gov.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, the State Department trying to stand up very, very quickly this initiative to get Americans out. So far, they have provided assistance to nearly 6,500 Americans. That's according to a State Department official.

In all, over 17,500 American citizens have returned to the United States since the war began on February 28th.

BOLDUAN: Kevin Liptak at the White House, another busy day over there, Kevin, thank you so much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you to, Kate.

Iran now warning they will bomb any U.S. vessel they see in the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny body of water, critical to a large part of the world's oil supply.

And new overnight, Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales finally admitting to cheating on his wife with a female staffer who later killed herself. Will he stay in office or resign? His answer, next.

And three people hurt after a plane crash lands in a neighborhood in Arizona, dangerously close to a home. We have the video next.

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[07:10:00]

BERMAN: We're standing by for the U.S. markets to open in just a little bit. You can see futures basically flat, maybe a tick down. Things have been very, very volatile over the last few days.

The concern, of course, is oil prices in the shipping routes through the Persian Gulf, through the Strait of Hormuz, which is the gateway for about 20 percent of the world's oil to the entire rest of the world. One fifth of the world's oil supply passes through that very narrow area. It's just 20 miles wide. The shipping lane itself is actually only two miles wide.

But you can see all around that narrow strait. All those yellow and red dots are areas that been hit by airstrikes over the last few days. Iran says the strait is closed only to ships from the United States, Israel and Europe, and other western allies, warning that if any ships from those countries are seen in the strait, they will be hit.

Now you can see right there, the red dots on this map, this moving map, they are oil tankers, the greener cargo ships. But what I really want you to pay attention to is that most narrow place there, that is actually the Strait of Hormuz, just 20 miles wide, there's no shipping activity, none, zero, empty, almost no dots at all.

[07:15:09]

So, you see the ships either stuck up there or down here. So, that's the problem right now. It's causing oil prices overall, over the last few days, oil prices have gone up substantially. I don't know if this is the today's rise, but that's 3 percent overnight for crude, and Brent Crude up more than 2 percent.

CNN's Matt Egan is with me here now.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, John, look energy prices around the world have surged because of this war, and, yes, that is driving up gas prices here in the U.S. So, gas prices in the us, they've gone up by 27 cents since the conflict started. Last Friday, The day before the war, $2.98 a gallon was the national average, according to AAA. Look where we are now, $3.25 a gallon. That is an 11-month high for gas prices.

Now, we're nowhere near the nightmare four years ago when gas prices were $5 a gallon after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, prices are going up more rapidly than at any point since then, and some drivers in some parts of the country are facing even bigger increases. Look at this, 37 cents increase for Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, 39 cents in Georgia as well, 35 cents in Louisiana, so significant price increases.

Now, you mentioned the price of oil. I think the good news is that prices have stabilized a bit relative to the extreme moves earlier this week. However, as you noted for U.S. oil, we're still looking at, wow, look at this, another -- this is a 3.5 percent increase. This is actually accelerating.

BERMAN: That's why I flinched because I actually didn't think it was going up that much day to day anymore. This is a much bigger jump overnight than I expected.

EGAN: And actually in just the last few minutes or so, because I saw about 2, 2.5 percent. So, now we're looking at 3.5 percent, $77 a barrel, getting closer to the highs of the week, which were about $78 a barrel.

Now, as you mentioned, the big problem here is the Strait of Hormuz. It remains de facto shut down. We have Iranian officials threatening to attack U.S., European and other -- Israeli and their supporters as well.

Now, President Trump is working hard to try to get the Strait of Hormuz back open. He's trying to provide insurance, trying to provide escorts. However, I talked to Helima Croft. She leads commodity strategy over at RBC. And she said, right now, the market is giving the White House some goodwill here.

BERMAN: Yes.

EGAN: However, she said it only looks like they have concepts of a plan. And she said, if there are no details soon, then she doesn't think that goodwill will last.

Just one last point, you mentioned U.S. stocks. It's pretty incredible because the S&P 500 is basically unchanged since the war started, even though so much has changed since then.

BERMAN: This is a super resilient economy. It has been for years and years. This is an extraordinary stretch run.

I did read the gas prices are higher today than they were when President Trump took office. That's something I --

EGAN: I think that is right, and they are up over the past year as well.

BERMAN: That is interesting and, you know, because it's something he's bragged about now every day he's been in office.

Matt Egan, thank you very much.

EGAN: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Kate?

BOLDUAN: Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales from Texas now facing a House Ethics investigation after months of questions and now admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. What he said last night about why he is not -- he says he is -- well, again, he says he has nothing to do with her death and why he says he's also staying in his reelection race.

And CNN is live on the ground inside Iran, and a first look we'll bring to you at what is happening there this morning.

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[07:20:00]

SIDNER: New this morning, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales is now acknowledging he did have an affair with a former member of his staff who later killed herself. Gonzales has initially lied about it, denying the allegations repeatedly. But on Wednesday after a House Ethics panel launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, Gonzales admitted the affair, saying, quote, it was a lapse in judgment, during a podcast interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALES (D-TX): I made a mistake. And I had a lapse in judgment and there was a lack of faith. And I take full responsibility for those actions. Since then, I've reconciled with my wife, Angel. I've asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Those words coming after Congressman Gonzales was forced into a primary runoff in South Texas to keep his House seat. Gonzales is set to face off against conservative activist Brandon Herrera on May 26th.

Joining me now, Political Reporter for Axios Hans Nichols. Wow, Hans, this is also happening, we should mention, as the late staffer's husband threatened to release more damning texts. But was it any surprise that Gonzales finally came clean?

HANS NICHOLS, POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: A little bit because he had been he had been so resolute in denying this and thinking he could ride it out. I mean, he just admitted a mistake here. There are so many mistakes that happened in this entire process. And you talk to his Republican colleagues, and one of the biggest ones was him just not getting out of the race when this became public.

So, now it's going to be in the conversation. It'll be very difficult to avoid -- it'll be very difficult for Speaker Mike Johnson to avoid any questions about this, and he's got this runoff coming May 26th.

But here's where it gets even more interesting. If he just resigns and tries to make the problem go away, Speaker Mike Johnson has a margin problem. He has a math problem.

[07:25:00]

It's going to be really hard for him to lose a single vote anytime -- lose a single member whether through resignation or potentially death, and it just makes Mike Johnson's life that much more difficult.

So, Mike he like, he likes to be Happy Mike, I don't know how he's going to be Happy Mike throughout this process.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, he was one of the Republicans who did not call for his resignation while others were calling for his resignation, and you just, I think, pointed out the very reason for that.

NICHOLS: Look, in some ways, you're almost sympathetic to the challenges they have for running the House with such a tight majority, whether or not someone is running for Congress. We've seen a lot of absenteeism with members running for the Senate or running for governor.

That's going to get worse going forward because there are a lot of House members, ambitious House members, that want to get a promotion. And how do they get a promotion? They feel that gravitational pull of the campaign trail, and they're not going to be making votes. They're going to be out in their districts, in their states trying to talk to voters. So, Mike Johnson's got a big problem on his hands. This is just one of them.

We should acknowledge though that Mike Johnson has passed some pretty consequential legislation with the thinnest of majority. So, he's done in the past, he's pulled a lot of rabbits out of his hat. But this is a unique situation. It's a terribly sad and tragic situation, and it feels a little different and it is just going to be a challenge for the speaker. SIDNER: It surely is a challenge for Republicans as well. Democrats looking to try and take some of those seats themselves as we get closer and closer to the midterm.

Hans Nichols, thank you so much for your reporting on this. John?

BERMAN: All right, Sara.

Our reporter just got inside Iran. CNN, the first U.S. network there, you can see the footage of them literally driving over the border. We're going to get an update from him and his team in just a moment.

And new this morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi under subpoena from the House Oversight Committee, let me rephrase that, the Republican- led House Oversight Committee. So, how did that happen and what they want to ask her about her handling of the Epstein files?

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