Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Honoring 6 U.S. Service Members Killed In Iran Conflict; Trump Rules Out Help Of Kurdish Forces In The Iran War; Interview With Former U.S. Ambassador To Bahrain William Roebuck; Israel Warns Lebanon To Disarm Hezbollah Or "Pay the Price"; Interview With Former Israeli Ambassador To The U.S. Michael Oren; Trump: Iran Hit School That Killed 175 People, Not United States; President Trump Predicts "Great Change" Coming To Cuba; Anti-War Protests Take Place Across The United States; War Creates Mixed Emotions Among The Iranian Diaspora. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 07, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:32]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

Today, the first American troops killed in the war with Iran were honored in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. Their families, along with President Trump and other top administration officials, observing that solemn event.

The six soldiers were killed when a drone struck their makeshift base in Kuwait March 1st. They've been identified as Major Jeffrey O'Brien, Captain Cody Khork, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, and Sergeant Declan Coady.

The U.S. Israeli war with Iran, now in its second week, President Trump today saying Iran will, in his words, be hit very hard soon.

Tonight, CNN teams capturing this footage, describing what sounded like a wave of airstrikes and major explosions in Tehran. We do want to note CNN is reporting from Iran, with the permission of the government there. Iranian state media saying U.S. and Israeli bombing targeted an oil refinery.

I want to go now to CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward, who is in Erbil, Iraq.

Clarissa, President Trump just moments ago saying the U.S. does not want help from Iranian-Kurdish forces with the war contradicting efforts by the CIA and reported by CNN. And I know you've been to some of the camps this week.

What are they saying and what is your sense of this issue at the moment? CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Jessica, I

think it's fair to say that across the country and certainly here in Iraqi-Kurdistan, there will be an audible sigh of relief at the news that President Trump does not want to see Iranian-Kurdish forces getting involved in any kind of a ground offensive inside western Iran.

As we had been reporting, they were considering and making preparations to do. We had also reported that the CIA has been supporting them for several months now, with the goal of fomenting unrest inside Iran.

For the leadership here in Iraqi-Kurdistan, this was a tremendously dangerous gamble that they wanted no part in. They have worked very hard to try to assume a neutral posture here.

They do not want to incur the wrath of the Iranian regime. And certainly the Iranian regime has sent a very strong message to this area about what the repercussions would be if indeed Iranian-Kurdish opposition forces used this territory as a launch pad for some kind of an offensive inside western Iran.

It's very late at night here, so we haven't yet been able to get those Iranian-Kurdish groups on the phone. Up until now, they've been a little circumspect about the timing. Some have indicated that they might possibly do something like this with or without support from Israel.

But most of them have indicated that they would not consider this kind of a move without serious promises and guarantees of air cover, of weapons support, and also political assurances.

So I think you will certainly feel when people are awake and start answering their phones in the morning, that there is a sense that a complex crisis, potentially, has been averted by President Trump stepping away from this because really, it potentially could have created a very, very tense dynamic, not just here in Iraqi-Kurdistan, but one threatening the cohesion of the entire Iraqi state, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, certainly. And of course, I also understand you have some new reporting on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. What are you hearing?

WARD: Well, it's been a very active night so far, Jessica. It was a bit earlier tonight that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, one of the most fortified embassies in the world, came under rocket attack from the eastern part of Baghdad. So this is significant.

And we could hear in the videos that we've seen online the C-Ram, which is an air defense with a very distinctive sound, intercepting those strikes. But nonetheless, it's a significant development.

[17:04:45]

WARD: We've already heard from the Iraqi Prime Minister, Shia Al- Sudani, who said that Iraqi security forces will work to identify the perpetrators of this attack. We have also been hearing a lot of booms and explosions here in Erbil,

a number of drones and potentially a missile as well intercepted.

But it does appear there were also some impacts. Now, the reason we can't tell you more about those impacts is that there have been new guidelines now, Jessica put into place, security guidelines for media who are operating here about the level of detail that we can give geographically in terms of where some of these strikes may be landing or where they may be intercepted and also as to the degree of damage that they caused, Jessica.

DEAN: And Clarissa, is that typical in this situation? I know you've been in a lot of situations like this. Is that normal?

WARD: It is not unusual, certainly when you're reporting in Israel as well. There are rules, censorship rules that you have to abide by.

I've also had that experience working on U.S. bases in various different conflict arenas, where there will be rules around what you can or cannot identify, things that might give away military locations, for example that can then be seen online by anyone and everyone, including those who may be the perpetrators, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Good, good context there for everyone.

Clarissa Ward, thank you so much for your reporting. We really appreciate it.

And let's discuss now with William Roebuck, former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain. He's also executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you so much for being here with us. We're just getting this word. We were just talking with Clarissa Ward about it. The president ruling out help from the Kurdish forces in Iran.

I just first want to get your thoughts on that development.

WILLIAM ROEBUCK, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO BAHRAIN: I think it's a good development. I've been following those reports. I think any decision to have involved the Iranian -- Iranian-Kurdish forces in that situation in Iran or to have involved other minority groups that I've heard talked about over in the southeast would have been quite destabilizing, I think, and dangerous.

And it's one of those things, tricky maybe, to light the fire, but once -- once you light it, once you unleash that type of force, very difficult to control it.

And as Ms. Ward indicated it was putting the Iraqi-Kurdish leadership next door under tremendous pressure, both from the Baghdad government, but also from the government in Tehran.

DEAN: We also heard from the Iranian president issuing this apology to the Gulf states shortly thereafter, though we did see new attacks on various locations. How do you currently see the Gulf states reacting to all of this? And

where do they go from here?

ROEBUCK: I think they're caught in a bind to a degree. They are carefully assessing their current posture. Right now, they're essentially sitting on the sidelines. They haven't joined the fighting. They're trying to defend themselves and to protect against these air attacks, these drones and ballistic missiles that are coming in.

They've done a pretty good job so far. Their primary objective is to end this fighting, to see it end as soon as possible. They have suffered damage to their energy infrastructure and their ability to export oil, which is their economic lifeline.

And they also have suffered some reputational damage. They want to be a magnet for investment. They want to maintain the progress that they've made economically.

So they're very concerned. I think their calculation is which posture is better for their security. Stay put on the sidelines as they are, or consider maybe giving the Americans more access to their bases or even get more involved.

They'll make those -- they're angry about the Iranian attacks, but ultimately they will make those decisions based on a very careful, strategic calculus, which is -- which one will end the fighting faster.

I think what they're likely to decide is to stick with their current posture and try to weather this and protect themselves as best they can and their infrastructure and people.

DEAN: Yes.

And give people some context around the dynamics between the various Gulf states. Because obviously each of them has relationships with the other that is different and those kind of dynamics also too, at play here as they're getting attacked by the Iranians.

[17:09:47]

DEAN: The U.S. and Israel are attacking Iran, the Gulf states getting pulled into this. But they have their own dynamics at play as well.

ROEBUCK: They do. I mean, they have particular relations with each other. Generally speaking, they have close relations. They coordinate well. They have social connections between peoples of different countries.

So overall, it's a close relationship. They have a Gulf Cooperation Council. It's sort of a inter -- intra peninsula alliance that they have.

So they coordinate closely. They consider themselves, I think, caught in the same difficult security predicament right now. And they're also looking, I think, together at the -- closely at the United States and at what Tehran is planning, and trying to determine what their best way forward is.

I think they all have the same predicament. They're all energy -- oil producers, or in Qatar's case, liquid natural gas producer. And this is their primary source of energy.

So they will make their calculations based on how best they can protect that resource and the other assets that they have to go along with it. The investment, the aviation, the transportation, tourism. They have a lot of vulnerable assets that they're trying to protect.

I think they see themselves as largely in this together.

DEAN: All right.

Ambassador William Roebuck, thank you for that. We really appreciate it.

ROEBUCK: Thank you.

DEAN: And be sure to tune in tomorrow night for "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER". Sara Sidner is going to delve into the decision to strike Iran and weigh the fallout. It airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also stream it the day after on the CNN app.

Back here, we're going to have more breaking news.

Still ahead, we're going to have a live update from Beirut as Israel widens its attacks there, threatening Lebanon with even more strikes after what one Lebanese resident described as a night of hell in his village.

Plus, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. will join us to talk about what we can expect from Israel as the country enters its second week of war with Iran.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:12:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Back now with more breaking news coverage of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. The Lebanese health ministry saying nearly 300 people have been killed in Lebanon since the strikes began Monday. Today, the Israeli defense minister warned Lebanon will, quote, "pay the price" for failing to disarm Hezbollah and Iran-backed militia that dominates the south of that country.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports now from Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: In a city on edge, tensions quickly boil over. But this anti-Israel rally in Beirut, anger over airstrikes on Lebanon and Iran was soon directed at us.

Oh, we've just been told to get out because we're not welcomed. So we're going.

Can we interview?

We're going. We're going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

RANIA, PROTESTER: I'm trying to tell them, no, we need to deliver our message.

CHANCE: Yes. So what --

RANIA: So don't worry.

CHANCE: -- what message do you want to deliver here tonight?

RANIA: That Israel is all evil. We've been suffering from Israel since before 1948. We support all forms of resistance.

CHANCE: For a week now, Lebanon has been pounded. Israel says it's targeting Iranian-backed Hezbollah after the militia launched missiles and drones to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

RANIA: This is where it happened. It started from the roof.

CHANCE: But the owner of one wrecked Beirut hotel in an upscale Christian neighborhood told CNN just ordinary families were her guests.

No Iranian citizens and definitely no Hezbollah who she blames for the spiraling violence.

MAGUY CHEBLI, HOTEL OWNER: 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 --

CHEBLI: I am angry.

CHANCE: -- with Hezbollah right now?

CHEBLI: I am angry with Hezbollah and Israel and Iran. But Hezbollah more. You know why?

CHANCE: Why?

CHEBLI: Because they are Lebanese. They should be Lebanese. They are not. They are hurting us. They are hurting our homes, our children.

CHANCE: It's dragged ordinary Lebanese, many ordered by Israel to evacuate their homes, into the Iran war. Aid workers say they're now struggling to shelter hundreds of thousands on the move.

We've come to this school in the center of Beirut. You can see the children's murals on the wall.

But it's no longer a school. It is a camp for people who have been displaced by the fighting in south Beirut and southern Lebanon. And in each of these classrooms, there are families who are escaping the fighting, and they've come to -- they've come here for safety.

[17:19:43]

CHANCE: "The children woke up screaming," says Ali Shams, who fled the suburbs of south Beirut with his family.

"We just ran, carrying them through the night," he told me. "Now we're all homeless." It's easy to see why they left.

We've come into what is the most dangerous part of the Lebanese capital, which is a very important stronghold of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia group. It's the place where Israel has been focusing and you can hear the gunshots outside there that Israel has been focusing its activity its intensive campaign of airstrikes against the Hezbollah group.

The destruction is massive and plain to see. Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah, as we found out, is still far from over.

Ok, we've got to go because they said there's been a warning from the Israelis that there could be a strike coming in.

So we've got to get out of here Alex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well Jessica, that was the second time in a week we'd had to make a quick exit from a potentially dangerous situation.

And that, alongside the intensive air strikes, the forced evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people across this country underlines just how unpredictable and volatile as this Iran war continues, that Lebanon has become. Back to you.

DEAN: Certainly. All right. Matthew Chance, thank you so much for that reporting. We appreciate you.

Michael Oren is the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, and he joins us now to talk more about all of this. Thank you so much for being here with us.

We just heard that reporting from our colleague Matthew Chance. We know that an Israeli military spokesperson was asked if Israel was preparing a large-scale ground invasion into Lebanon. He responded, all options remain on the table.

I'm curious what you see as the next steps for Israel in all of this.

MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Good to be with you, Jessica.

Let me just first comment on Matthew Chance report -- a very lengthy report, which somehow did not mention once one of the 220 rockets that Hezbollah has fired at northern Israel in the last five days. That has displaced thousands of people wounded dozens, killed -- I mean, if you don't do that, you have not done your job as a reporter.

It looks like he was --

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: Well, he was -- I mean, he is reporting on the ground. Hang on, hang on. He is reporting on the ground about Lebanon, just to be fair.

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: But I hear your point. I hear your point. I hear your point about how Israel is also being attacked.

OREN: We have -- we have a million people under fire from Hezbollah tonight, a million people. All right.

Hezbollah is a branch of Iran. Iran maybe is running low on missiles. We don't know. We've had to run to our shelter ten times today, ok. These are missiles still firing, but they've divided it up.

So Hezbollah is taking over part of the missile fire at Israel. Israel will take whatever measures it needs to take to defend itself. And that -- if that includes a ground invasion, it includes a ground invasion.

If your family was being shot at 10, 20 times a day by very large rockets that can blow apart your house, believe me, you would want your army to do exactly the same thing.

DEAN: Right. And so, ok, so let's just take it down one notch for a second because I do want to have a discussion about this.

OREN: Yes.

DEAN: Because this war is spreading. As we've said, it started with the strikes on Iran. And obviously Hezbollah is an Iran proxy. It has been funded by Iran -- by Iran, supported by Iran but it does, as Matthew was making the point there affect civilians there in Lebanon, also in Israel.

And so I'll ask you again, what you see as Israel's next step. I hear you on -- you're open to a ground invasion if that's what it needs to be. But what do you see strategically as Israel's next step?

OREN: Well first, we say we have no beef with the people of Lebanon. We want to have peace with the people of Lebanon. And if you notice that your reporter received a warning twice to remove from an area that was about to be struck. That is a -- that is a -- that is a gesture of privilege, which these people of Israel do not get from Hezbollah. They're not telling us when to evacuate. They're trying to kill the maximum number of civilians. So yes, Israel will have on the table all possible options, including

from the air, including from the ground.

DEAN: And so, what do you think in terms of this war escalating? We have now seen it spread also to the Gulf states. Do you see that continuing?

And what do you see as the endgame? When is there success for Israel and, obviously the U.S. also plays a role in this and they have their own objectives here.

What are Israel's and where do you -- where is success?

OREN: Well, I can see it very clearly what Iran is trying to do. It's trying to expand the radius of the fighting to include certainly many countries in the Middle East, not just Middle Eastern countries. They fired at Cyprus, they fired at Turkey.

[17:24:52]

OREN: But the idea is to get the governments of the Middle East to put pressure on the Trump administration to cease the war. And it may work. It may not work. It actually may boomerang. It may get many of these Middle Eastern countries to join in the war. And that's the indications we've received this evening.

The end game? The end game should be that Iran will no longer threaten Israel, no longer threaten its neighbors.

And that threat has three components. It's a nuclear component. It's the ability to make and launch very large ballistic missiles that can take down not just an apartment building but it can take down an entire neighborhood. They're trying to get tens of thousands of these missiles. And support for terror and that's clear in its support for Hezbollah, which is a branch of Iran's terror apparatus and operates on the orders of Iran. That's what's happening.

So what's going on in the north of Israel is a proxy war with Iran.

DEAN: And we know that the Trump administration has now bypassed Congress to sell 12,000 bombs to Israel. They said it was an emergency, that they needed to do it.

What position is Israel in when it comes to ammunitions and its stockpile of weapons?

OREN: As far as I know, it's ok. It's always going to be a question of whether Israel has enough interceptors. Interceptors because they're firing an awful lot of missiles at us. But so far we're keeping up with the -- with the incoming rounds.

And I can only tell you, I don't think I'm divulging anything secret. I live not far from Israel's airport. I see the American Galaxy planes landing and taking off, and they're bringing equipment. And I imagine also ordnance.

DEAN: All right. Mr. Ambassador, thank you. We really do appreciate your time. We also do appreciate your time.

And I do want to note that Matthew Chance did report about rockets. And we also of course, I have to say, stand by him and his reporting. He and his crew in dangerous conditions there. And we stand by what he's doing.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you.

Coming up, President Trump turning his attention to Cuba, saying the country is quote, "at the end of the line" and that great change is coming soon. Our Havana bureau chief is live with reaction. That's next.

[17:26:52]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:31:17]

DEAN: We are following "BREAKING NEWS". President Trump just telling reporters aboard Air Force One, it was Iran behind the strike that struck a girl school, killing more than 100 children.

Now, that goes against what CNN has analyzed. CNN's Julia Benbrook is in Doral, where the president is headed right now. Julia, walk people through this.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump, in these remarks that he made on Air Force One, as he traveled back here to Florida, he said that, that drone strike that killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers was Iran's fault. He did look to cast blame there.

But according to CNN analysis and analysis by other media outlets and experts, the U.S. was likely responsible in that case. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said that those investigations are ongoing as well.

Now, Trump also said he was pressed during this time, speaking with reporters on if he would like to be involved in picking Iran's next leader, following, of course, the death of Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah, as well as many other senior officials there.

And he said that he would want to be involved in some way. That he does not want to have to come back in 10 years. He wants to see this progress made. He did not go into any more details there, though.

And this was as he was leaving Dover Air Force Base where he had been to observe the dignified transfer of the remains of the six U.S. service members who have been killed in those initial days, following the U.S. Israel strikes against Iran.

These service members were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.

And as he was pressed throughout this whole process, really, as soon as those strikes had happened, he had said that it was possible that American lives could be lost. And he continued today to -- say today that while he wants to see those at a minimum, that there could be more in the future, adding that, that death is sometimes a part of things like this.

DEAN: Quite some remarks there, as he is on Air Force One. Julia, there will be more to talk about, and we will -- we will hear the audio here soon.

Julia Benbrook there in Florida, with the very latest from President Trump, again, disputing the CNN analysis that it was likely the U.S. military that hit that girl's school, saying that instead, it was Iran. More to come on that.

President Trump, also, once again, suggesting Cuba is next on his administration's agenda, saying this morning, the country is negotiating a deal with him and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This, after telling CNN, the regime is, in his words, going to fall pretty soon.

The U.S. has put intense pressure on Cuba in recent weeks, including an oil embargo that has caused a severe energy shortage.

I want to go now to Patrick Oppmann, who is in Havana, Cuba. Patrick, tell us what you are hearing there.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we are seeing the effects of that oil embargo. It has been weak since any ships carrying oil has come to this country, and so, on a daily basis, the economy is just grinding to a halt. And that the longer this goes on, of course, the worse it gets for Cuba.

Cuban officials have said publicly that they will not negotiate under these conditions, essentially with a gun to their head. But they don't have any choice at this moment, and it's been telling not to see Cuban officials fire back at these comments by Donald Trump today, saying the country is on its last legs and it's going to collapse. That he -- at the behest of other Latin American allies, is going to finish off communism.

[17:35:01]

That he is no longer -- he is no longer allowed Cuba and other countries to be, as he described them, a foothold for foreign interference, for the -- interference of U.S. enemies in this hemisphere. So, you know, there are communications going on. There are talks behind the scenes going on, messages being traded. No sense of any deal.

It's hard to imagine a deal that both Havana, Washington, Cuban exiles in Miami could agree on. But, you know, once again, the government here simply is out of options, because their allies in Mexico, former allies in Venezuela, are unable, at this point, to send them the oil this economy relies on.

And so, they have no choice but to get to the negotiating table and strike a deal that would allow their -- the oil shipments to come back, in exchange, according to Donald Trump, for opening politically and economically this island.

It would seem like bluster so many U.S. presidents have said that communism, the Castro's were about to fall. But President Trump says he is going to make it happen.

DEAN: All right. Patrick Oppmann there in Havana with the very latest. We appreciate your reporting on the ground.

Still to come, Americans filling the streets in protest calling for an end to the war. You are on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:57]

DEAN: Americans are taking to the streets to protest the U.S. war with Iran. Demonstrators filling Union Square in New York City today to denounce the conflict. You see many holding signs saying, "hands off Iran" and "no new U.S. war in the Middle East".

I want to go now to our correspondent Gloria Pazmino, who was at that protest and spoke with some of the demonstrators. Gloria, what they tell you?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. And this was not the only demonstration that was happening across the country today. In fact, dozens of U.S. cities were hosting these kinds of demonstrations throughout the day today, and we also saw some protesters join similar demonstrations around other countries. London, for example, also had a protest earlier today.

And I think you know, the one thing consistently that I heard throughout the day, especially here in New York, was a lot of frustration, frustration with the Trump administration, frustration that the United States is yet again engaging in another war, and frustration with the president, who many told me today, campaigned on a promise to not engage in other wars, and they see this moment that we are in now as the president breaking that promise.

Many of the people, I spoke to today told me that they would rather have the administration focus on issues here at home that are affecting Americans. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ETAN MABOURAKH, ORGANIZING MANAGER, NATIONAL IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL: It seems clearer and clearer each day with the comments from this administration that they don't care about the Iranian people, that they don't care about our American people. And it's very frustrating, but I keep hope alive, because most Americans actually agree on most things and want the same things, and they don't want their tax dollars going to a war of choice that is already spilling into disaster across the region. SUZANNE KREPS, PROTEST PARTICIPANT: There is no plan. This hasn't been, you know -- hasn't been brought before the American people. We haven't had any say in this at all.

PAZMINO: So, what would you -- were your message be, if you could send one to the White House?

KREPS: End the war now. End it now. Figure out a diplomatic way to solve this problem.

PAZMINO: That last point there. Also, I heard from several people at that demonstration that who were saying that they were frustrated that the American people were not really given a choice over this conflict.

I also met some Iranian Americans who are here in New York City, and they talked to me about the divide that they are experiencing right now. Some in their families who are wrestling with this feeling of being glad that there could be an opening for change in Iran after so many years being under the last regime, but also a lot of frustration that it has to happen, or that it is happening this way.

And really a lot of skepticism that the current conflict in the region is actually going to lead to a good place, a place of democracy in Iran. A lot of frustration about that as well. Jessica?

DEAN: Gloria Pazmino, thank you for that.

And the war is stirring up mixed emotions in many people across the Iranian diaspora. Some support a regime change in Iran, but don't necessarily want to see the country under attack. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is in Los Angeles, which is home to one of the largest Iranian populations in the world outside of Iran.

Julia, there are a lot -- there is a lot of layers to all of this for Iranian people here in the U.S. What are you hearing?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN NEWSOURCE CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot of those mixed feelings, Jessica.

Look, at this rally that's happening behind me, it's happening for the second week in a row. It's basically a celebration of the military actions in Iran. People are celebrating, they are thanking President Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for striking Iran. They say that this is a moment that could be pivotal for the history of Iran.

But since last week, since the initial strikes, we have heard a little bit more nuance in the opinions that we are finding here in Los Angeles.

[17:45:02]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROOZBEH FARAHANIPOUR, BUSINESS OWNER: Almost the same time I'm fighting against this regime, I was an anti-war activist. So, that's very complicated.

Of course, from the killing of the Khamenei, I am excited. I cannot hide my feeling. War with no harmony is better for everyone. But at the same time, I don't like the war.

JONES: So, you would rather see this be wrapped up and be done now. Saying --

(CROSSTALK)

FARAHANIPOUR: Yes. Right now, that's already, that's -- we are moving forward. Khamenei is dead. That's a good thing. Declared the Victorian League.

JOSEPH GHADIR, IRANIAN IN EXILE: President Trump, although, we are thankful to him, but it took him a little bit of long time, and the Iranians lost a lot of lives. And I think, now he has to finish it.

I never had so much mixed feeling in my life that I have right now, because on one level, I want my country to be free and liberated. On another level, I'm very sad when I see so many people of my countrymen are still --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And, of course, a lot of people here, Jessica, have family in Iran. Have extended family back there. So, of course, they say they are fearful for their safety. But this is a bit of a bubble. It's called Tehrangeles for a reason. This is a lot of the diaspora. He is highly educated, very successful, and a lot of them share the opinion that the bringing back the monarchy is the solution for Iran. That's why we're seeing so many pictures here of Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince, the son of the last Shah, deposed in 1979.

So, as you mentioned, and to your point, Jessica, so many layers here. People still suffering for Iran, and at the same time, having hope that this could be a moment for change.

DEAN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones there in Los Angeles for us. Thank you for that report.

And coming up, a closer look at just how much the war with Iran could ultimately cost American taxpayers. Stay with us. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:51:45]

We are now getting a clear picture of just how much this war with Iran is costing the United States. According to the latest analysis from the bipartisan think-tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the war is costing American taxpayers more than $890 million a day. It's estimated to have cost around $3.7 billion during the first 100 hours of the operation alone.

And the biggest expenses are coming from air, naval, and ground operations. Those are ranging in costs between $1.6 and $30 million a day.

These costs are expected to go down, but the future price tag all depends on the intensity of the operations and, of course, how long the war goes on. One expert estimates that total cost could be up to $95 billion. And the cost of this war is not just costing Americans their tax dollars, it's also spiking gas prices around the country. And CNN's Matt Egan joins us now to run the numbers on that. Matt.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: We are in the middle of a major energy price shock caused by the war. Oil prices are skyrocketing like they haven't since the COVID disruptions of 2020, and they have gone up to levels unseen since the fall of 2023.

The big fear is when the flow of energy out of the Middle East will resume? The Strait of Hormuz, the most critical oil choke point on the planet remains effectively closed. Exactly zero oil tankers went through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. Just one went through on Thursday. Down from the typical 60 or so, oil tankers before the war that would normally be carrying energy out of the region.

Now, the Trump administration has announced plans to provide up to $20 billion of maritime reinsurance, including war risk in the Gulf. But it's not clear that insurance alone will solve this problem. There are real safety and environmental concerns at play here.

And the spike in oil prices, it's having a direct impact on energy prices. Starting, of course, with gasoline. Gas prices were relatively cheap for months. Now, they have skyrocketed to the highest levels of either of the president's two terms in the White House.

Now, it's true that people are making more money than they were in the past. So, gas is following up a smaller part of people's paychecks and prices are not as high as they were after Russia invaded Ukraine under former President Biden.

Now, hopefully President Trump is right when he says this will just be a short-term blip. But some energy analyst that I'm in touch with are increasingly concerned that this could get worse before it gets better.

And it's not just about gas prices. Diesel prices have gone up dramatically too. That's bad for truckers, railroads, farmers, ultimately, consumers as well. Jet fuel prices are surging. That's a problem for airlines and for travelers.

And I talked to market veteran Bob McNally, and he told me that investors, investors have gone from complacency when this conflict started, to now, they are at the edge of panic. And he said, unless oil market investors and traders start to see vessels go through the Strait of Hormuz, he believes oil prices are going to blow past the $100 a b barrel and just keep going until they cause a recession. [17:55:04]

So, bottom line here, this is obviously a serious situation, and the question now is, how long does it last and how much damage gets done in the meantime?

DEAN: All right. Matt Egan, thank you for that reporting. We appreciate it.

Coming up, more of our "BREAKING NEWS" coverage right after this break.

Israel intensifying its strikes, as Tehran says it will never surrender. We are going to be live from Tel Aviv with an update from there, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)