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U.S. House to Vote on a Resolution to Limit Trump's Military Campaign Against Iran; Some Airports are Starting to Resume Flights Following the Iran War as Evacuations Ramping Up. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 05, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church.

It is 10:00 a.m. in Israel where the IDF says it's carrying out a new wave of attacks against targets in Tehran. And the Iranian military is responding with a barrage of missiles fired toward Israel. A U.S.- based human rights group reports more than 1100 civilians have now been killed in Iran since the war began on Saturday.

CNN cannot independently verify those figures. Newly released video from the Israeli military shows Air Force planes in the sky carrying out their latest mission against Iran.

The IDF says it has been targeting military infrastructure. Later, U.S. officials predict they will completely control the skies over Iran soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps.

Our war fighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the President and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it. This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. Central Command released video marking the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury. President Trump says on a scale of 10, the military campaign is a 15.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If we didn't hit within two weeks, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If we didn't do the B-2 attack a number of months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon and when crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen. So we're in very good shape now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We have reporters covering all angles of this story. Our Eleni Giokos has the latest on the impact on oil and markets, Bijan Hosseini is in Doha monitoring the impact on travel, and Brian Todd is standing by in Washington for reaction from Congress.

But first to Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv and Paula Hancocks in Dubai. Good morning to you both. Oren, let's start with you. What is the latest on Israel strikes on Tehran?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: We are seeing Israel in coordination with the U.S., which I think Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made very clear there, continue to carry out punishing strikes both on Iran, particularly in Tehran, as Israel goes after the regime itself and all of its arms, including its intelligence apparatus, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite (inaudible) unit, and much more there.

And Israel, with just as much force going after Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tehran, particularly in the Dahiya neighborhood, a southern suburb of Beirut there, as well as in southern Lebanon. Israel yesterday issued an evacuation warning, not only for individual villages, but for pretty much all of southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, giving you an indication of where this is going.

Israel giving no indication that it's de-escalating here. In fact, quite the opposite. The Israeli military chief of staff had said over the last couple of days that they will not stop until Hezbollah is disarmed.

And you are seeing that play out in real time here. Israel releasing video of its strikes, both in Lebanon and in Iran at this point. As Israel says, it has growing air superiority over larger and larger parts of Iran there.

In Lebanon, back to that point for a second, Israel has seized more points along the southern border there. And with that evacuation order for southern Lebanon, there is at least a signal here for a potential far larger ground incursion or ground invasion, as Israel over the past few days here has called up more than 110,000 reservists.

So the pieces are in place, as this very much escalating from where we stand in Israel with what the Israeli military is doing across the region here.

A bit of a different story on the ground here. You see at least some sort of normalcy returning. Israel's home front command has begun to slowly ease the restrictions, allowing gatherings of up to 50 people and allowing people to return to work here.

You see the streets are at least a little bit busier. Cafes are opening a bit more. And crucially, flights are beginning slowly to come into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, not more than one an hour, but Israel Airports Authority says if this goes well, they'll allow two an hour.

[03:05:02]

And that indicates what Israel sees as a diminished threat of missile launches coming from Tehran and coming from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Still, we did get a siren warning of incoming missiles at about 3:00 in the morning this morning, so about seven hours ago, so there is still a threat. But Israel sees that as a diminished threat as we enter now another day of war.

CHURCH: All right, and let's go to Paula now. Paula, you're in Dubai, as we mentioned. What can you tell us about stranded travelers trying to get home from there?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we have been seeing over the past 24 hours hundreds of passengers managing to leave from here, from Dubai. We know that there was, for example, an Emirates flight which left here and landed in Dublin, in Ireland. The airport there is saying that it's the first flight that they've seen from Dubai in almost five days.

Now, we also know that a flight landed in Bulgaria, another in Australia, and we're hearing from more airlines that are really starting to try and ramp up their ability to repatriate passengers who have been stranded here -- Virgin Atlantic, Sri Lankan, Air India, FlyDubai.

Now, the priority at this point is to move people out who have had flights canceled over the past five days. We know there are a number of holidaymakers here who are desperately trying to get back to their countries.

Also, we don't have official figures at this point, but my colleague has been manually counting the number of flights that she could see leaving, and it appears as though more than 130 have left Dubai in a 24-hour period. It's a lot more than it was, but it's certainly nowhere near what it usually is. You're usually seeing up to 700 flights a day leaving.

It's one of the world's, it is, in fact, the world's busiest international airport with tens of thousands of passengers traveling through. But it is starting to ramp up somewhat. We're also hearing from Qatar Airways, even though the Qatari airspace is closed, that they're going to try and start doing some relief flights from other countries -- Oman, for example, which still has its airspace open.

So we are starting to see the efforts to take people out of this region. Of course, the U.S. State Department has told Americans to leave the Middle East. They say they're looking into commercial, military, and also charter options to try and help some of their citizens.

We know some 17,500 U.S. citizens returned home from the Middle East. That's according to the State Department Assistant Secretary of State saying that they assisted about 6500 of those.

There are still many more people here, though, that are still trying to get on a plane. Even if you are confirmed with your ticket and the airline tells you to go to the airport, I know people who have got that far and then the flight has been canceled. So it is a bit of a lottery at this point as to whether you can get on a flight, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Indeed, but good to hear some progress being made. Paula Hancocks, many thanks for that live report. I appreciate it.

We are following another developing story from the Indian Ocean where the U.S. says one of its submarines sank, an Iranian warship.

Video released by the Pentagon shows a massive explosion on the ship, along with still images of it sinking. Iranian officials say at least 87 people were killed in the strike. More than two dozen others were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Here's more of what U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to say about the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.

The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iran's foreign minister is condemning the warship attack. He posted on social media the U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea 2000 miles away from Iran's shores.

Well in the coming hours, the U.S. House will vote on a bipartisan resolution to limit President Trump's military campaign against Iran. But the same measure has already failed in the Senate with a vote of 53-47.

The measure would have forced the Trump administration to get congressional approval for future attacks against Iran. But even if the resolution passed both chambers, it would struggle to survive a likely presidential veto.

CNN's Brian Todd is live in Washington with the details. He joins us now. So, Brian, how is this vote likely to play out in the hours ahead, given what we saw in the Senate Wednesday?

[03:10:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it's likely to play out very much like the Senate vote played out. And that is likely with a defeat for the Democrats in that House vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson indicating earlier that he believes he has

the votes to defeat that resolution. And to recap what Rosemary said there, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a measure that would have limited President Trump's ability to wage war with Iran without congressional authorization. That vote was 53-47.

There was one Republican senator who joined with the Democrats in voting for that resolution to limit the President's power, that was Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky. There was one Democratic senator who joined with the Republicans in voting against that measure, that was Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

And, again, we do believe that when the House votes in the coming hours on Thursday, that that resolution will also probably go down to defeat. At least Mike Johnson believes that it will.

But taking the temperature of how Republicans in Congress feel about all this, it's not necessarily that they don't have doubts about this war and how it's being prosecuted by the Trump administration. Our Manu Raju caught up with three Republican members of Congress, House members, ahead of this House vote.

Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Congressman Brian Mast of Florida, he's the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Mike Flood of Nebraska. Here is part of Manu's conversations with those three Republican congressmen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why shouldn't Congress have to vote to authorize it?

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): I just don't think it's within constitutional parameters.

RAJU: But in Iraq and Afghanistan there were AUMFs, authorizing the use of force.

REP. BRIAN MAST (R-FL), U.S. HOUSE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: There's an entirely different set of mission that I think has absolutely no relevance in looking at this operation.

RAJU: Why not just vote to authorize this war?

REP. MIKE FLOOD (R-NE): Well, I think the President has the authority.

RAJU: Would you consider it a war?

FLOOD: It's a significant military operation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So even with Republicans backing the President there and one of them calling it a significant military operation, even though by CNN's parameters and just about everyone else's parameters this is a war, the Republicans, some of them are still a little bit apprehensive about how the administration is going about prosecuting this war.

Many are worried that it's going to be open-ended, that it could be just drawn out and get very messy. And they're also worried that it could go wrong on several fronts. Now, we're only five days in, we're going to see how this plays out in the coming weeks and how much political support the President has here in Washington.

So far, Rosemary, the Republicans are lining up squarely behind the President with just a couple of exceptions. But behind the scenes, we are getting indications that they're a little bit anxious about this war being maybe more open-ended than they're comfortable with.

CHURCH: And, Brian, what more do we know about the Americans returning from the Middle East?

TODD: Well, that's, Rosemary, where we have some significant new information and a real ramping up of the State Department's efforts to get Americans out of the Middle East and a ramping up of their messaging on that front.

We have confirmed that one charter flight of Americans has left the Middle East. Word got out on that about seven hours ago or so, that is from the State Department. This is the first confirmed evacuation flight facilitated by the U.S. government since the conflict started on Saturday.

We have reached out to the State Department to ask where that one flight is landing and when. We have not heard back on that.

The State Department has been reluctant to give us operational details of these flights. They have said that additional flights will be, quote, "surged through the region." But they're not giving much detail beyond that.

We also have learned from State Department Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson that more than 17,500 Americans have returned to the U.S. from the Middle East since the conflict began on Saturday, February 28th. That includes more than 8500 Americans who returned to the U.S. just on Tuesday alone.

Now, regarding those Americans who have already made it back, those 17,500, it's very likely that most, if not all of them, facilitated their travel on their own because the efforts by the State Department to get them out really were flagging in the first couple of days of this war.

President Trump himself admitted that they had no evacuation plan for Americans ahead of the time the airstrikes began. And the State Department now, just now, ramping up those efforts.

But, Rosemary, it's five full days into this war, and we just now have word of the first evacuation flight of Americans. That is not a good optic.

CHURCH: It is not very frustrating for those travelers. Brian Todd in D.C., many thanks, sir, for that live report. I appreciate it. TODD: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, a man protesting the U.S. military action in Iran was forcibly removed from a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Take a look at how it played out.

[03:15:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: This is wrong. And nobody wants to fight for Israel. Commandant, please stand up as a Marine and stand up for America. No one wants to fight for Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Capitol Police say the protester and several officers were injured during that chaotic scene. Brian McInnes is a Green Party Senate candidate whose campaign website identifies him as a Marine Corps veteran. He faces several counts of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

Well, Iran's foreign minister speaks with the President of the Kurdistan region after CNN's reporting that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces. We will have the latest details after a short break.

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[03:20:04]

CHURCH: Israel is intensifying strikes across Lebanon with the military now saying it has hit several Hezbollah command centers in Beirut. Lebanese officials say at least 74 people have been killed since Monday. Video geolocated by CNN shows the aftermath of a strike on a four-story residential building in eastern Lebanon.

An Israeli strike also hit a hotel in Beirut. It's all part of a wider campaign against Hezbollah raising alarm that Lebanon could be pulled deeper into the war. Matthew Chance reports from Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Iran war coming to Lebanon.

Israel says it's targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia here in southern Beirut. The group launched revenge attacks on Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader last weekend.

MAGUY CHABLI, BEIRUT HOTEL OWNER: Any territory outside Lebanese army, are against evil--

CHANCE (voice-over): But the owner of the small Beirut hotel wrecked in that overnight strike insists just ordinary families were staying as guests. No Iranian citizens and definitely no Hezbollah, who she blames for the spiraling violence. CHANCE: This is where it happened, is it?

CHABLI: This is where it happened. It started from the roof, the fourth floor, and it came down to here. Here was the room of the receptionist.

CHANCE: Yes.

CHABLI: As you can see.

CHANCE: Gosh, I mean, look at this. It's, I mean, utter devastation. It was a pretty big explosion, wasn't it?

CHABLI: It was. We had no one here. We had no any Iranians or any Hezbollah armies here.

And we are not that stupid to check them in. We are not that stupid, we live here. It's our home.

CHANCE: How angry are you?

CHABLI: I am angry, of course.

CHANCE: With Hezbollah, right?

CHABLI: I am angry with Hezbollah and Israel and Iran, but Hezbollah more. You know why?

CHANCE: Why?

CHABLI: Because they are Lebanese. They should be Lebanese. They are not.

They are hurting us. They are hurting our homes, our children.

CHANCE: And they are dragging this country into the Iraq war.

CHABLI: They are dragging us to war that we don't want and we are not ready.

CHANCE (voice-over): Across the Lebanese capital, tension and thick smoke is hanging over the city. With Israeli airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern suburbs, some dangerously close to the international airport. One of the few still operating in the war-ravaged Middle East.

In the Lebanese city of Baalbek, another Hezbollah stronghold, rescue teams work to reach people trapped under the rubble after authorities say a residential apartment block was struck.

And as this U.S. and Israeli war with Iran escalates, Lebanon appears increasingly drawn in.

Matthew Chance, CNN Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Another part of this story is that of course the many stranded travelers, some countries in the Middle East are allowing a limited number of international flights. Hubs in Dubai and Jeddah are operating select routes but many travelers have been forced to find their own way home with limited options and limited information or help from their home country.

Two stranded Americans join me now. Dr. Michael Gardner is a cardiologist and Dr. Aditi Mittal is a pediatric gastroenterologist. Thank you both for talking with us.

DR. MICHAEL GARDNER, CARDIOLOGIST, AND AMERICAN CITIZEN STRANDED IN MIDDLE EAST: Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Good to see you.

So you're both stranded in the Middle East right now. Michael, describe to us what you've been going through since Saturday when this war started.

GARDNER: Yes, so we're trapped in Doha. It's been very calm and well organized for the most part. But of course there's a lot of uncertainty regarding the future and how we're going to move forward and get home safely to our friends and family.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And Aditi, how difficult has it been to get help from the U.S. government to get a flight home?

DR. ADITI MITTAL, PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGIST, AND AMERICAN CITIZEN STRANDED IN MIDDLE EAST: Yes, so we signed up for the STEP program online. So we are getting travel advisories.

We reached out to the U.S. office of New Mexico Senator's Office, Martin Heinrich. So we did hear a response from an official that was really helpful. And just now we have signed up for the form that says that will help us get assisted departure.

So we are really just hoping and waiting for getting out of here.

[03:25:01]

CHURCH: Yes, I mean it must be so tough and frustrating.

And Michael, you thought you were getting out at one point, didn't you? But that flight turned back midair about three hours or so after taking off on Saturday. What went through your mind when that happened?

GARDNER: Yes, that was our original flight. After landing in Doha from Delhi, we were going to be flying to Dallas. We were airborne on that flight for about three hours before we turned back suddenly.

And having checked our flight map, noted that we had been circling Doha the entire time. So that was very alarming. But I don't think the full weight of the situation struck us until we disembarked off that airline and found that there was no information in the airport, on the news, or anywhere.

It was going to be a waiting game.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean that is the very difficult part of this, isn't it? Aditi, where have you been sleeping? And how have you both stopped yourselves from panicking in the midst of all this? I mean, caught and stranded in the middle of a war.

MITTAL: Yes, so Qatar Airways has provided us with hotels, meals.

And they're also providing us daily updates, which truly is providing us some sense of calm in this uncertainty. And you're right, that's the most stressful part. We are reading news, staying up to date.

We have support from our friends and family. That has been the most crucial part. And constantly talking to our fellow travelers from other nationalities.

That has been a real source of support as well.

CHURCH: Yes, I'm sure it helps to actually get information from other travelers as well. And sort of get an idea of what's going on.

Michael, when do you expect to get home? Any indication at all?

GARDNER: We can speculate as much as we like. But at the end of the day, we're going to have to be patient, hope for the best, and stay as safe as possible.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean, there are flights getting out and people are landing in America. And so we wish you both the very best. And it's a difficult time for you indeed.

Michael and Aditi, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your experience with us, we appreciate it. Thank you.

GARDNER: Thank you.

MITTAL: Thank you.

CHURCH: Of course.

Well still to come, the travel nightmare continues for people trying to get out of the Middle East, as we've heard. And we will have more on the war just ahead, do stay with us.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The U.S. House will vote in the coming hours on a measure that would curtail President Trump's war powers in Iran. The Senate voted down the same resolution on Wednesday, primarily along party lines. It would have required that the Trump administration seek congressional approval for future American military action against Iran.

The U.S. House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Republican lawmaker Nancy Mace introduced the motion as part of the committee's investigation into the late convicted sex offender. It passed 24 to 19 Wednesday with bipartisan support.

China has said its lowest economic growth target in decades. Beijing says it's aiming for four and a half to five percent expansion this year, that's after achieving around five percent growth for the past three years. China's broader growth trajectory has flattened, weighed down by a prolonged property crisis, lower investment, tepid consumer demand and deflation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): I held her. She was gasping for air, breath by breath.

We brought her down 15 flights and gave her to someone to take to the hospital. She was still trying to breathe and take little breaths. Blood covered her head.

Her body was bloody. I still have her blood on me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A heartbreaking, harrowing account from a Tehran resident who tried to save a three year old girl after her home was totally destroyed in the strikes in Iran.

After carrying the three year old out of the building, the man and his father went back inside where they rescued her brother. They found the child's mother and a newborn sibling under the rubble. But the baby did not survive.

New before and after satellite images showed the extent of the damage from the deadly strike on a girl's school in southern Iran. State media said more than 160 students were killed in Saturday's strike, some as young as seven.

On Wednesday, the White House did not rule out the possibility that the U.S. military could have been behind the strike. But it also says the U.S. does not intentionally target civilians. Here's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: All I know, all I can say is that we're investigating that. We of course never target civilian targets, but we're taking a look and investigating that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Iran says it's pledging to cooperate with Iraqi Kurds in an effort to prevent other nations from, quote, "exploiting the situation to destabilize the region." The announcement was made after a high- stakes phone call between Iran's foreign minister and the President of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. It comes after CNN reported that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces hoping to trigger an uprising in Iran.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a pretty extraordinary development.

We actually sat down earlier on tonight with an Iranian Kurdish senior leader who told us that Iranian Kurdish forces are literally preparing a ground operation inside western Iran in the coming days with the support of the U.S. and Israel. He wouldn't give any details as to what exactly that support looks like. But he did tell us that President Trump actually spoke on the phone today with the leader of the KDPI, that's one of the big Iranian Kurdish groups here.

He wouldn't characterize the details of the conversation, but he said it was a positive conversation.

[03:34:54]

And this is something that is coming at the same time as this reporting from Natasha Bertrand, Alayna Treene, and Zachary Cohen that the CIA is actively arming Kurdish forces, Iranian Kurdish forces, in order to try to foment civil unrest in Iran with all the many multitude of risks and complexity that that entails.

But one of the big ones here in terms of questions will be the response of the Iraqi Kurdish leadership here in Iraqi Kurdistan. Because they have tried very hard to kind of carve out a neutral path in this conflict. The relationships that they have with Iran and with Turkey are very important.

And this really puts them in an extremely difficult position. So we are now waiting and watching very closely to see how they're going to respond if indeed this ground operation is going to go forward. And what that will look like and what this broader operation that the CIA is involved with will look like. Because again, the complexity, the dangers, the risks are multiple.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Amsterdam is Kurdish affairs analyst Mutlu Civiroglu. I appreciate you joining us.

MUTLU CIVIROGLU, KURDISH AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thank you.

CHURCH: There is a lot to look at here, but I do want to start with this. Multiple sources telling CNN that the CIA is working to arm and assist Kurdish forces to trigger an uprising in Iran. How risky could this prove to be if indeed they move forward with this plan?

CIVIROGLU: Rosemary, like Clarissa just mentioned as well, it's very risky. Because Kurds have been hit the hardest by the Islamic regime for 47 years. If you look at the prisons, 47 percent of the prisons are Kurds, 15 percent of executions are Kurds.

So Kurds have been hitting the heaviest blow from this regime for a long time. And if something like this happens, and if the Islamic State manages to stay in power, there's going to be a lot of anger, a lot of violence against the Kurds.

So the prices are very high. There is very dire consequences waiting for the Kurds if this goes wrong. But at the same time, they have been fighting against this regime for decades.

Even before this regime, the Shah regime, for their very basic rights, for their linguistic rights, for their constitutional rights. So for Kurds, this is a survival. It's a matter of survival.

Yes, the consequences are very hard, they are thinking. But at the same time, they see this as an opportunity. What you guys reported on CNN, they see, many people see this as a golden opportunity that may not come back again.

So the prices are, the consequences are very dire. But at the same time, the choices Kurds have are always between better and worse. So I think that's why the military leadership are ready.

They formed their alliance two weeks ago. People are waiting for their signals, Kurdish people inside Iran. So it's a critical time.

But at the same time, the unity that they march is a clear signal for the people, Kurdish people, and for the regime that Kurds are united.

CHURCH: Right, so Iranian Kurdish groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border and some of these groups have been hinting at imminent action. We know President Trump reportedly called Kurdish leaders on Sunday to discuss how the U.S. and the Kurds could potentially work together. But now we are learning that the President of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region and the Iranian foreign minister pledged cooperation in a phone call on Wednesday, that's according to Iran. And other similar pledges have also been made with various other Kurdish leaders.

So what do you make of this?

CIVIROGLU: First of all, Iraqi Kurdistan region is in a very sensitive situation.

They already harbor families of Iranian Kurdish Peshmergas for a long time, both in Sulaymaniyah area and in Erbil area. So Iran is still a regional power, and they have to be careful. They are in a very difficult situation.

So they cannot be a side in this conflict, and they are trying to be staying neutral. And their official statements say this. This call with the Iranian foreign minister, I see it in that context that they are trying to protect themselves.

But at the same time, Rosemary, the border between Iran and Iraq is all mountainous terrain. It's uncontrollable. The Kurds, Kurdish Peshmerga, have for years crossing over both sides.

So there's nothing that the Kurdistan regional government can control. So even when I talk this morning some sources, people, the fighters go from official Iraq to official Iran or back, you know, vice versa. So nobody can control those areas.

[03:40:04]

And especially, for example, the Peshmerga fighters, they have inside Iran thousands of fighters on the mountains. So it's nothing that the Iraqi Kurdistan regional government can really do. But at the same time, they are making their position clear that they don't want to be part, they don't want to be hit, they don't want to be targeted.

But the Iranian Kurdish political parties, most of them exiled because of this regime, Iranian regime. The fighters have been fighting. Many of their families are in prison or executed.

So this is for them. Again, it's very important. Kurds are approaching this issue from their perspective.

So this is, the Islamic regime has been terrorizing them. Islamic regime has been suppressing them. Again, 47 percent of the prisons in Iran are made of Kurds.

Kurds are only 15 to 17, 20, some say 10, some say 20 of population. You can see how Kurds are severely hit by this regime. So it's not easy, it's not easy for Kurdistan regional government to control and it's easy to blame them.

So there is nothing that they can do. The border is very suitable for guerrilla movement, for Peshmerga movement. And nobody can control it.

CHURCH: Mutlu Civiroglu, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your analysis.

CIVIROGLU: Thank you.

CHURCH: Authorities in Qatar evacuated residents living in the vicinity of the U.S. embassy overnight. Qatar's Interior Ministry called the move a temporary precautionary measure.

CNN senior producer Bijan Hosseini is following developments and joins us now live from Doha. Good to see you, Bijan. So what is the latest on all these evacuations?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SR. PRODUCER: Yes, Rosemary, as you mentioned, we got confirmation from the Ministry of Interior late last night around 2:00 in the morning that they were evacuating people near that embassy.

Actually, one of our staff members, a CNN staff member that lives four kilometers away from the embassy received a knock on his door around 3:00 in the morning, just right before 3:00 in the morning from police asking him to evacuate. He did.

About two hours passed and they let him return back to his home, saying that he was safely outside of that perimeter that they had set up. But as you said, just precautionary measures. You know, people near the embassy didn't hear or experience any strikes or interceptions taking place last night.

We also know a phone call happened yesterday between Iran's foreign minister Abbas Aragchi and Qatar's prime minister. It's pretty notable. This is one of the first conversations we've heard from Iran reaching out to a Gulf neighbor.

On the phone call, Iran's foreign minister saying some of the statements we've heard coming out of Iran for the past couple of days, that this isn't an attack on their Gulf neighbors, that they're striking U.S. assets in the region.

It's something that the Qatari prime minister said is categorically false. He cited incidents where Iran has tried to hit commercial and government buildings, even Doha's international airport, which were successfully intercepted. But obviously these six days have put a huge strain on this very delicate relationship between these two countries.

We know that they have not an amazing relationship, but a pragmatic one. They share the world's largest natural gas field. They have conducted a trade over the years.

And Qatar has even mediated on behalf of Iran with Western countries in the past. But these last six days are obviously putting a lot of strain and threatening that relationship.

CHURCH: Yes, we are certainly seeing that. Bijan Hosseini in Doha, thank you so much for bringing us up to date with that live report. I appreciate it.

Well, global markets are adjusting to the ongoing war in the Middle East and disruptions to oil and shipping. Analysts are looking at how the conflict could impact economies around the world. We will have a live report from the region.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Global markets are digesting the turmoil caused by the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. We're looking at the Asia markets right now, you see all in positive territory, the KOSPI up more than 9.5 percent there, the Nikkei adding nearly 2 percent.

Investors are keeping a close eye on the Middle East and disruptions to energy markets and global shipping, and U.S. futures right now are all showing declines. The relative calm in energy markets helped ease some pain in the U.S. stock market on Wednesday after days of volatility.

Let's turn to CNN's Eleni Giokos, she is following the markets from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Eleni. So what more can you tell us about the impact of this war on the markets and, of course, oil prices?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, just incredible amount of uncertainty. Everyone asking the question, how long will this last? How long are we going to see energy disruptions continue as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be blockaded?

The Iranians had said that not a drop of oil is going to pass through the Strait. President Trump and the U.S. administration coming in and saying they're going to assist with insurance policies. The wartime insurance rate has skyrocketed.

But even so, it's not that insurance isn't available for these vessels. It's that shippers have decided to suspend all operations. And you can see the Strait of Hormuz there.

And also we're hearing news. And, of course, the South Koreans have said that there are tankers that are currently anchored and waiting to pass through. And, frankly, if you see some of the live maritime vessel websites, you can clearly see there's vessels that are congregated on either side of the Strait just waiting for some news or just some hostilities to die down.

What's interesting is the oil market did show some softness yesterday that's after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was talking about the U.S. being energy efficient and being able to supply the global market with both natural gas as well as petrol and other products. But when you see 20 percent of the world's oil disrupted like we're seeing now, the numbers just don't add up. We're also starting to see critical energy infrastructure that has been targeted here across the Middle East.

So the question is how much capacity has been taken out. The one thing we really do need to worry about is what we see in Qatar where that LNG facility was struck and Qatar has now suspended all production of LNG and also declared force majeure in terms of the contracts that it has with its buyers. The Brent crude price right now up 2.5 percent, sitting just below $80 a barrel, WTI also up three percent.

What we're hearing from experts is that even if insurance policies and naval escorts do start to kick in in the Strait of Hormuz, they're just not convinced that we're going to see the kind of volumes that we saw pre-hostilities. So there will be a disruption.

The question is OPEC-plus stepping in and saying they're going to increase supply. Is that going to alleviate any of these issues? A lot of the oil that passes through the Strait goes to Asia. The likes of India already impacted, China is going to be impacted.

[03:50:06]

China gets around 80 percent of all the oil that is produced out of Iran. So that's another big question. And also our country is going to be now turning to Russia to fill in those supply constraints. We know that India is considering this on the natural gas front as well as oil front. So we're seeing a recalibration right now to try and secure oil supplies for countries that just don't have enough strategic reserves to see it through.

CHURCH: Elena Giokos in Abu Dhabi, many thanks for that live report, I appreciate it.

Still to come, American allies are still trying to figure out what their role is as the war with Iran escalates. Reaction from global leaders, just ahead.

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CHURCH: Australia and Canada are urging de-escalation in the U.S. war with Iran. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada will not participate in the American military action but that does not seem ironclad at this point. He also said he could not rule out participating if the conflict broadens.

Similarly, European leaders are trying to find a delicate balance between placating Washington and minimizing their involvement.

[03:55:06]

President Trump has blasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the U.K.'s response to the U.S. Israeli strikes on Iran. But the British leader is refuting claims that he has weakened the special relationship with the U.S.

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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The American planes are operating out of British bases. That is the special relationship in action. British jets are shooting down drones and missiles to protect American lives in the Middle East on our joint bases.

That is the special relationship in action. Sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe, that is the special relationship in action. Hanging on to President Trump's latest words is not the special relationship in action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is urging Israel and Lebanon to de-escalate tensions. In a post on X, Macron said he told Hezbollah to cease its attacks against Israel and beyond. He also said he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from a ground offensive in Lebanon, adding that both sides should return to the ceasefire agreement.

Well the White House says President Trump will attend the dignified transfer of the six U.S. troops killed in an Iranian drone strike. Their remains will be transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ritual ceremony. Hours ago, the Pentagon identified the two remaining fallen soldiers as Major Jeffrey O'Brien of Indianola in Iowa and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan of Sacramento, California, whose final identification is yet to be conducted by medical examiners.

The other four soldiers were identified previously as Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant Declan Cody, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, and Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor. They were killed in Kuwait on Sunday.

And I thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. Becky Anderson and Erica Hill take over our breaking news coverage, do stay tuned with CNN.

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