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Trump Ties Success to Iran Abandoning Nuclear Ambitions; Investigation Underway Into Deadly Attack on Girls' School; Australia to Deploy Radar Plane and Missiles to the UAE; Vance Attends Dignified Transfer of U.S. Service Member; Qatar Begins Repatriation Flights; Five Iranian Women's Soccer Players Granted Visas in Australia; Trump Says Takeover of Cuba May or May Not Be Friendly. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 10, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:36]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is wonderful to be with you. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York, where it is 2:00 a.m.

Coming up ,on 9:30 Tuesday morning in Tehran, where the war with Iran stretches now into week two. U.S. President Donald Trump now giving conflicting answers on just how much longer it will last. He says the war could end soon, or it could go further. And those comments the strikes are ongoing. U.S. Central Command has released this new video showing three strikes on what it says were Iranian missile launchers.

And in Bahrain, the interior ministry there saying that an Iranian missile struck a residential building overnight, at least one person was killed, eight others injured there.

A top Iranian official is now signaling that Iran is willing to keep attacking Gulf nations in an effort to persuade them to convince President Trump to step back from the conflict. But the U.S. president, who just held his first formal press conference since the war started. Well, he had this message when speaking to House Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all.

47 years, it should have been done a long time ago, world would have been a different place had some president had the courage to go and do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANDOVAL: President Trump says that he discussed the war during a call with his Russian counterpart, and that Vladimir Putin wants to be helpful apparently, it's important to note that CNN has reported that, according to sources, Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft.

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Mike Valerio is live in Beijing with every step of the developments that are happening in the Middle East. Mike, to you now, what's the latest on these strikes that we've seen just in the last few hours?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think Polo, the most dramatic images are coming out of Resalat Square in Tehran. So, let's jump to that video. It's being released by the Iranian Red Crescent, and we have some color that's being provided to us from one of Iran's semi state media outlets, and they are reporting that nearly 40 people have been killed in what is described here as a residential building.

And just one of the reasons why this is so compelling, this either appears to be a helmet camera or a camera that somebody from the Iranian Red Crescent has on their body as they're going story by story. And I was just listening to all of this video. It's about a minute long, and one of our Farsi translators has told us at the network that they could hear somebody saying that there are still people who are trapped on that fifth floor.

So, important to note, Fred Pleitgen and our team are there in Tehran. They have not verified the narrative that's been given by that semiofficial state media outlet, as well as the Red Crescent, we expect them to give us more details. As again, you mentioned, it's just after 9:30 and now it's, you know, the start of the day in Tehran, but that's certainly the most compelling image that we've seen.

And then we also want to go to the CENTCOM video, which we showed in the beginning of the -- of the show. But as we're talking about President Trump, going back and forth between reporters from CBS News, members of the GOP, and then the press writ large, saying, you know, simplifying his words or you know, his conversation, that the war is slowing down, it might be over. We actually have more goals.

This video showing three strikes from CENTCOM posted on X certainly shows that more military targets are in the equation of this war effort. So, CENTCOM posting on X, "The Iranian regime can try to hide their missile launchers, but U.S. forces won't stop looking. When we find them, we're taking them out."

So, certainly, a lot of discussion in this side of the world, in East Asia, now that we're at 2:04 p.m. just how much longer is this war effort going to go? The Israeli side has certainly telegraphed that they're looking at more economic targets, like all the oil depots that were on fire yesterday, those dramatic pictures that we showed, but this at least, from CENTCOM, this official relief shows that they are not finished with their military targets in Iran, at least not now, Polo.

[02:05:03]

SANDOVAL: Yes, Mike, those are just some absolutely dramatic pictures also showing us from Iran of what is essentially an active search and rescue effort happening there on the ground.

Let's shift to some other reports that we've been seeing from other outlets. Now, Mike, what have we heard about these reports of potentially other nations now getting involved in the war?

VALERIO: Well, I mean, the thing that I think is most striking as we're talking about the Strait of Hormuz, which is, I mean, the main nerve point as it relates to international energy finance, whether or not we pay more for stuff. You know, Erin Burnett was our first correspondent who reported this on her show a couple hours ago that the French are now sending military assets into the region closer and closer to where the confrontations are happening, and that is being talked about by shipping companies as perhaps the French moving in to perhaps secure the sea lanes there as well.

We also have Fred Pleitgen reporting I just mentioned a couple seconds ago. He's saying that if you are bringing a ship through the Strait of Hormuz that is associated with a company that is either American, Israeli or one of the Gulf states, or perceived to be a Western ally, his reporting is saying that Iran is perhaps figuring out a system of tax levies and security duties to be charging these ships to allow them safe passage.

But we can still report at this hour that it seems to be not, you know, 100 percent shutdown, but still pretty much reduced to a trickle of ship traffic that is moving through the Strait of Hormuz. So, we're watching that to see those developments on just when this Strait is going to come back to any kind of semblance of normal at this hour. We still don't have any plan for when that's going to happen, but that development certainly by the French government and the Elysee Palace signaling that they're going to send more assets to the region. That's certainly notable below.

SANDOVAL: Yes, the Trump administration said over the weekend they have hopes that that traffic could return to normal the coming weeks. But as you point out, we'll certainly have to see how that plays out. Mike Valerio, it's always really appreciate your reporting.

You know, that roller coaster ride for the world's oil markets really shows no signs of slowing down, of course, much of it because of those tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, as Mike was just pointing out.

Crude prices at one point story to almost $120 a barrel on Monday, we were with you yesterday as we were watching these prices steadily climb during the overnight hours, but they later did settle at under $100 after President Trump told CBS News that he thought that the war with Iran was, "Very complete," that's certainly sending some potential reassurances to traders around the world.

Here's where the prices stand right now for the U.S. benchmark, WTI, you see there about $88.00 now. Brent crude, that's at $92.00 appearing to go down about six percent and now look at the global benchmark that you see there again, continuing to drop, at least for now.

Despite the volatility the president he does, continue to downplay the surge in prices. Listen to him here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I knew oil prices would go up if I did this, and they've gone up probably less than I thought they'd go up, but I don't think anybody thought we were going to be this quickly successful. This was a military success, the likes of which people haven't seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Let's get some more reporting on this now, head over to CNN's Eleni Giokos joining me from Abu Dhabi with much, much more.

Eleni, great to see you. These dramatic shifts in oil prices. This sort of see saw effect that we were watching about 24 hours ago. How is that an indicator of the actual leverage that Iran's regime is as debilitated as they may be, of how they continue to hold some leverage over energy markets around the world?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, I mean, this is the leverage that they have. I mean inflicting pain on the one thing that they, you know, basically control 20 percent of in terms of movement of oil as well as gas through the Strait of Hormuz. And we're seeing the pain reflected in energy prices.

We know that President Trump has a total aversion to high energy prices. We already know that it's been reflected at the pump in the United States, so you'll really seeing this trickle going through as well.

But also, we're seeing we're on a roller coaster ride right now. We've got, you know, wild swings that we're experiencing. And I spoke to one oil producer earlier this morning, and he says it's basically noise that is capitalizing on the chaos right now.

But I think we should really squarely focus on the true fundamentals here, regardless of what President Trump says and saying this was completely over, and then he says, you know, but it's not going to end by the end of this week. Here's what's actually happening. You've got 20 percent of oil and gas that normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz basically coming to complete standstill. You have attacks on critical energy infrastructure across the board. You've got countries in the region pulling back on production because storage facilities and storage capacity is, you know, currently full right now, and they aren't able to move it, apart from the likes of Saudi Arabia, that's got this east west pipeline that moves some products through the Strait, through the Red Sea.

[02:10:24]

But importantly, it's not at the capacity, the volume that you see at the Strait of Hormuz. So, President Trump also says this, if Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Straits, they'll be hit 20 times harder than they've been hit thus far. And he also says this is a gift to China and all those nations that heavily use the Straits, and hopefully it's a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.

So, that's an interesting post by President Trump, and it's quite fascinating that he says this is a gift to China, but also importantly, this isn't just about China. It's about all oil importers around the world. It's also about the United States, regardless of whether the United States is able to supply domestically the market in terms of gas and of diesel and other refined products.

Global markets and global prices feed directly through into the United States. And you're right to ask this question in terms of the leverage that Iran has. We know that Iran has also said that they're waiting for the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

So, you're seeing a war of words right now where this is all going to land. We don't know, but the oil traders that I speak to, the oil producers, they're saying that oil prices have still go -- have a way to go up, and they could hit again $120 a barrel, if this continues for the next few weeks and then to unwind that is not going to be a flick of the switch, right? You're going to see major disruption still occurring. You've got a backlog of stuff, and it's not as if you know the likes of cats are can just turn on the taps again, of gas production that could take a few weeks.

So, we really need to focus on what's happening on supply constraints at this moment in time, apart from just the messaging from the United States.

SANDOVAL: Yes, perhaps no greater weapon than market instability, especially as we continue to follow the war there in the Middle East. Eleni Giokos, thank you so much for that reporting in that context.

Want to go to our next guest now is Gregg Carlstrom. He's the Middle East correspondent for The Economist and also the author of, How Long Will Israel Survive? The Threat From Within. Gregg joins us from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gregg, thank you so much for taking the time to join us.

GREGG CARLSTROM, MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: So, now that Iran has a new Supreme Leader, is there any sense thus far of just how much power Mojtaba Khamenei will actually have as he essentially seeks to consolidate that power?

CARLSTROM: Well, we haven't heard from the new Supreme Leader, which is interesting. You would think in his first 24 hours in office, he would want to at least give a recorded statement or something, but we haven't heard a word, and that is fueling speculation about just what sort of condition he's in. There were reports early in the war that he might have been injured in an Israeli strike. Perhaps he was incapacitated. We don't know the answer to that.

So, that's the first question. And then the second thing that we still don't know is, as you say, how much is he going to be able to consolidate power? You're at a moment, right now in Iran where officials are scattered in bunkers across the country. They're having trouble communicating with one another, and also when there is a power struggle going on, this is the first time since 1989 that there has been a change of leadership in Iran. You have different factions within the country that are vying for power at the moment.

And so, it's really too early to say how much the new Supreme Leader is going to be able to get a grip on the political situation in Iran, or how much he may just end up being a figurehead for more powerful factions behind the scenes.

SANDOVAL: And Gregg, when we look ahead at Iran's -- at Iran strategy, we know a top Iranian official had told CNN exclusively on Monday that the time for diplomacy that that is pretty much over and suggested that Gulf Arab countries are the ones that now need to put pressure on the U.S. to end the war. What more do you see Iran doing in order to really sort of amp up said pressure on the U.S.?

CARLSTROM: Iran has avenues that it can take to escalate with the Gulf, but I think any of those things end up being quite risky for Iran itself. Speaking to people in this region over the past 11 days since the war started, the fear is that Iran will go from striking at civilian targets, at energy infrastructure, as we have seen, to going after really high value critical infrastructure in the Gulf, things like power plants, water desalination facilities. We did see two days ago a strike, a single drone, Iranian drone, that hit a desalination plant in Bahrain, caused some damage, but didn't interrupt the water supply.

[02:15:10]

The fear is that Iran might try to carry out a spectacular attack against a facility like that, and if it was successful, it would have a real immediate impact on life in this region. The risk is that if Iran does something like that, if it carries out an attack that causes a large number of casualties, or that shuts off the water supply to a major city in the Gulf, something like that, the response to that would probably be overwhelming, not just from America and Israel, but it would almost certainly draw the Gulf armies into the war as well.

And so, I think Iran is still trying to calibrate between, on the one hand, putting economic pressure on America via these attacks on energy infrastructure and other things in Gulf countries, but not going so far that it necessarily drags those countries into the war themselves.

SANDOVAL: Yes, and you're right to highlight those ongoing risks with seeing a potential prolonged war.

I'm curious that you know, as we dive deeper into the -- into the risks that come with further escalation, what do you see as risks for both the U.S. and then for the Iranian regime, if this continues indefinitely?

CARLSTROM: I think a fear for the Iranians is that we've been hearing for 11 days now that their aim is to survive this war, and the regime thinks, if it's still in power at the end of the war, that counts as a victory. Survival is victory for them.

But what does survival look like at the end of the war, if we see further strikes, like the ones two nights ago on fuel depots in Tehran, if we see attacks on electricity infrastructure or other vital infrastructure in Iran, this is a country that's already been through many years of economic crisis, environmental degradation, and it's going to emerge from this war still under very onerous American sanctions, so it's going to be difficult for the regime to rebuild anything that's been damaged or destroyed.

And I think there's a possibility that the regime survives, but Iran's economic base is shattered, and the country has been set back, you know, years, if not decades. I think that's a major risk for the regime.

When it comes to risks for the U.S., I think it is this case of further escalation in the Gulf. Obviously, all the Gulf countries are close American allies, and I think there's a point at which they might start to get frustrated with the United States, might start to even reassess the value of their relationship with the United States, if they feel like they have been drawn into a long war without end against their will.

SANDOVAL: Yes, we've heard from other experts, such as yourself and those experts in Middle Eastern policy as well, who do expect the regime to survive. But you know, to your earlier point, the question is, at what cost for Iran and its people.

Gregg Carlstrom as always, thank you so much for your time and all your reporting.

Iranian officials say that they refuse to back down on what they say is an existential threat posed by the U.S. and Israel. Tonight's exclusive interview with a top adviser to Iran's new Supreme Leader after a short break.

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[02:22:46]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. Let's take you inside Iran now with some video where Iranians are taken to the street to celebrate after the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son was named the new Supreme Leader. Iranian state media showing some large crowds celebrating Mojtaba Khamenei's selection.

President Trump said that he's disappointed in the appointment, but didn't say if the new Supreme Leader has a target on his back. The IDF, on the other hand, when asked, said, "Anyone who threatens Israel will be harmed."

And Iran's government is now pushing back on President Trump's claims that it has no leadership, an Iranian official says that the newly appointed supreme leader would lead the defense capability of Iran, even through a long war with the U.S. and Israel. Khamenei's foreign policy adviser spoke with CNN's Fred Pleitgen in an

exclusive interview. We want you to hear part of that conversation, but first, a quick note that CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the Iranian government, as required under local regulations, but CNN maintains full editorial control over what it reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran has a new Supreme Leader. What does that mean for your military effort and the confrontation with the United States and Israel?

KAMAL KHARAZI, FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER TO IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER: That means the system is quite functioning.

PLEITGEN: So, the United States says it's drastically degraded the Iranian military the capabilities as far as missiles is concerned, drones is concerned. How much longer can you do this?

KHARAZI: That is one of the false narratives that the United States government is producing. Iranian military is quite strong, as you see, because they have the motivation, they have the arms that they need, which are produced in Iran. As a matter of fact, we are not dependent on any other country for weapons and arms.

PLEITGEN: So, your side is ready for a long war if the United States and Israel choose that, do you consider this an existential threat to the Islamic Republic?

KHARAZI: It is an existential threat to the Islamic Republic, and therefore we have to sail with full mind, as we are doing now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:06]

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Fred and his team for that reporting.

Well, Iran's remaining supply of highly enriched uranium, it lies deep underground, far beyond the reach of any air strike. So, would the U.S. be willing to send in commandos to secure supply? We'll discuss the possibility.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Welcome back.

[02:30:07]

Let's get back to the U.S. president as he is elaborating on how, in his mind, the war with Iran will truly be won. Donald Trump says that the complete elimination of Iran's nuclear capability remains one of his biggest goals.

In fact, I want you to see some of these before and after photos of the Isfahan nuclear complex in Iran. You can see it is already quite damaged after strikes going back to last summer. And this facility is believed to hold much of Iran's remaining supply of highly-enriched uranium, and it is deep underground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said earlier that we've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. What do you consider enough? What's your baseline?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Where they're not going to be starting the following day to develop a nuclear weapon. Where they'll look at that man and some other people from the administration and say, all right, we're not going to do it. They were not willing to say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That man is President Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, who had accompanied him to the news conference. You know, while seven sources familiar with the military planning tell CNN that it could take a significant number of ground troops to recover that remaining supply of highly-enriched uranium inside Iran. Since that stockpile is deep underground, airstrikes won't be enough.

Cedric Leighton is a CNN Military Analyst and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. Welcome back to CNN.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thanks so much for having me, Polo. Appreciate it.

SANDOVAL: So, Colonel, we're learning that the Trump administration is considering a highly complex and risky operation to retrieve Iran's enriched uranium. Keyword there is considering at this point, no indication that they may actually go through with it. But just from your expert perspective here and theoretically, what would such a mission entail?

LEIGHTON: Yeah, this is a very interesting idea. And, you know, one of the things that there is a plan for is something called render safe operations. And those render safe operations are basically plans to go in and neutralize a nuclear weapon. Now, this is a different thing, because this, what we're talking about here is about 400 kilograms or so of fissile material that has been enriched to about 60 percent.

And that makes it certainly much greater than they need for medical research purposes or other civilian uses. And it's basically at the threshold of weapons-grade uranium. So, the idea would be to go in there with a team and grab this material and bring it out and then render it unusable as a weapon. The problem with that is, is that this type of material is actually probably buried deep underground.

And it would require not only some kind of a special operations force to come in there, but that special operations force would require a lot of protection. And it wouldn't be a discreet operation. I mean, we're talking 400 kilograms, after all, in multiple canisters, and those canisters could be spread over a fairly wide area. And the other problem, of course, is if something were to go wrong with the transfer of these canisters of enriched uranium, it could potentially spread radiation. And that is also something that would have to be mitigated. So the planning for this would have to be extremely intricate. And the likelihood of something like this happening is very, very low.

I want to see if we could pivot to the drone warfare element of what's happening right now, Colonel, what your assessment is of the situation right now and also how the U.S. is fielding anti-drone systems to essentially combat some of those strikes that are coming from Iran.

LEIGHTON: Yeah. So this is a really interesting aspect of warfare. Basically, what's happening in front of our eyes is there's a revolution in warfare that's occurring. And what you're getting is cheaper weapons. The Shahed drone is, you know, usually about a $20,000 or so piece of equipment per unit. And it is very simply built, but it has characteristics that enable it to evade radar to some extent and to really evade the defensive systems, such as the anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems that a lot of countries in the Gulf region have.

That makes it a very cheap way for the Iranians or anybody else who uses this drone system to attack a specific target or a series of targets. So, it's a cheap way to have great effects both militarily and politically. And the idea that the U.S. now Host^ -- as is instead of using very expensive weapons to counter a drone like the Shahed, they are beginning to field a system that is called the LUCAS system. It's basically a low-cost system designed to attack incoming drones and intercept them and basically, take them out and shoot them down.

[02:35:00]

So, this is a system that needs to be fielded in order to achieve those kinds of dollar effects. The problem that you have is the system needs to be fielded. It hasn't been completely fielded yet. And the U.S. needs a little bit of help in anti-drone warfare. And that little bit of help is coming from Ukraine, which is a country that has, of course, a lot of experience with not only drone warfare, but anti- drone, counter-drone measures.

SANDOVAL: Before we let you go, Colonel, perhaps just get some of your thoughts on this ongoing investigation into that deadly strike on that Iranian school. We all heard from President Trump on Monday. He seemed to soften on his previous claim that he said that Iran was responsible for it.

But he also said that the Tomahawk missile is used and sold by other countries, Iran included. As this investigation continues, and just based on your expertise, do you see that as a possibility?

LEIGHTON: So first of all, the Tomahawk is not fielded to many other countries. Countries besides the U.S. that use the Tomahawk include the U.K., the Netherlands, Japan, and Australia. Those are basically the only countries besides the U.S. that use the Tomahawk missile. Now, there are missiles that are similar to the Tomahawk in terms of their flight trajectory and the fact that they go low on the ground that come from places like Russia and China and even North Korea that it's possible that the Iranians have and could be using in a case like this. But every evidence that we have seen so far indicates that a Tomahawk missile was responsible for hitting that school.

And the only people who have Tomahawks are the U.S. in this theater of war. And that would then indicate that, unfortunately, the guilty party in this case is probably the United States. Of course, a full investigation needs to be conducted, and the Pentagon has promised they would do that and standard procedure that they would do that.

But this is, of course, a very serious matter. But it also shows the importance of having ironclad intelligence, which always needs to be updated, because if you don't update that intelligence, disasters and tragedies like this can happen.

SANDOVAL: Colonel Cedric Leighton, always a pleasure. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: Thank you so much, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Australia says that it will be sending a surveillance aircraft as well as missiles to the United Arab Emirates as tensions continue rising across the Middle East.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese says that a Wedgetail radar plane, it's expected to help monitor the region's airspace. He says Australia will also be providing air-to-air missiles for defensive uses. Officials say that the move is aimed at protecting Australians and other civilians within the UAE.

And since the start of the war, the UAE has faced a barrage of missiles and drone attacks from Iran. CNN's Paula Hancocks explores why the Gulf nation has become a key target in this conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The impact of strikes in the United Arab Emirates is far beyond the U.S. military and political targets that Iran claims. Hotels, airports and energy infrastructure have been damaged by more than 1,700 missiles and drones fired since the start of the war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Target destroyed.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The Emirati military has intercepted more than 90 percent. UAE President, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has visited the injured in hospital, giving rare comments warning the country's enemies.

MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, United Arab Emirates PRESIDENT (through translator): Do not be misled by the United Arab Emirates' appearance. The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh. We are no easy prey.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): After decades of bitter rivalry between Iran and its Gulf neighbors, recent years had seen a rapprochement between Tehran and Abu Dhabi. Trade was expanding. Around half a million Iranians call the UAE home.

So, why is Iran seemingly firing more projectiles at the UAE than at Israel, the country who, along with the United States, started this war?

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LSE: Dubai is really the epicenter of globalization. It's a powerhouse. And any attacks on the United Arab Emirates, on Dubai, is really a power multiplier from the Iranian perspective. It rattles the world economy.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Around 100 kilometers of water separate the UAE from Iran. Missiles do not take long to reach Emirati shores.

GERGES: Literally, it's next door. It's much easier to attack Dubai and the United Arab Emirates than to attack other countries, let's say Jordan or Israel, because Israel is well protected by an air defense system.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Iran cites the U.S. Strategic Alliance as a reason to fire on Gulf nations. President Donald Trump was here last May, securing pledges for $3 trillion worth of deals from the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

[02:40:00]

TRUMP: We have an Iran situation, which we're going to take care of one way or the other, we're taking care of. It'll be taken care of one hundred percent.

HANCOCKS: This is not how the UAE or any Gulf nation wanted it to be taken care of. They had lobbied Trump to favor diplomacy over war. And a refusal to allow Trump to use its air bases or its airspace has not insulated the UAE from Iran's retaliation.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Relations between the UAE and Iran had been strained since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Three islands claimed by Abu Dhabi are still controlled by Tehran. But the UAE did restore its ambassador to Tehran in 2022, signaling a cautious diplomatic reset after years of strain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): A reset that has been shattered by Iran's decision to force its neighbors into this war.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance participated in a dignified transfer of the 7th U.S. service member killed in the Iran war. U.S. Central Command has already announced that the service member died from injuries received from a March 1st attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. The military on Monday identifying him as 26-year-old Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington of Glendale, Kentucky.

Well, the conflict in the Middle East, it has left thousands of travelers stranded. Still ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," we'll be bringing you an update from Qatar as the country works to reopen its flight corridors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:24]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back, you're watching CNN. Nations across the Persian Gulf, they are reporting fresh aerial attacks as Iran ramps up its pressure campaign on U.S. allies in the region. Drones and ballistic missiles were detected over the UAE as well as Qatar on Monday. Some live pictures here out of Doha where it's about 9:46 this morning.

Debris from an air defense interception, it injured two people in Abu Dhabi. A siren sounded in Bahrain urging people to seek shelter. And as the conflict intensifies, there are thousands of travelers in the region that are still stranded in place. Some airlines, they're now working to reopen limited flight routes to travel hubs in the Gulf in hopes of getting passengers home finally.

For more on this and much, much more, let's go now live to CNN's Bijan Hosseini live from Doha, Qatar. Bijan, is there any sort of normalcy that's returning there where you are for people or for passengers who have been trying to either travel in or out of the region?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, to both, Polo. Actually, just behind me, traffic, a huge increase compared to what we saw this time last week. We are seeing more and more people head into the office. We're seeing more people, you know, go to the malls and kind of go out in the evening.

So obviously, a slow return to that sense of normalcy. And these flight resumptions are a big part of that as well. Every single day, we're seeing more and more flights both into and out of the region. We know that Doha and Abu Dhabi and Dubai are these massive transit hubs. Tens of millions of passengers pass through these three hubs every single year.

At the start -- a bit of context, at the start of this conflict on February 28th, 11 days ago now, we had reported that hundreds of thousands of people were stranded across the Middle East. More than 11,000 flights were canceled at one point across 10 countries. That was according to Flightradar24. But now, slowly these people are starting to get some relief.

We went to Doha's Hamad International Airport yesterday and spoke with some of the passengers trying to leave the country. Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOSSEINI (voice-over): At Doha's Hamad International Airport, departure boards that sat frozen for more than a week are beginning to move again. The regional conflict forced Qatar to close its airspace after repeated missile and drone attacks.

HOSSEINI: For most of these travelers, their stay here in Doha wasn't supposed to last this long. A lot of them were just transiting through 10 days ago before finding themselves in the middle of an escalating regional crisis. But now, limited flight corridors are opening and they're finally able to go home.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Among the passengers leaving today, Derek and Madeleine. Their flight home to London couldn't come soon enough. Derek has a heart condition and his medication soon ran out.

DEREK, TRAVELER: I had no complaints. Everything was fine until my tablets ran out. So, we're now getting really urgent. And I've already missed two appointments in England through the delay. So, I've got two serious appointments I missed. Yeah, so we're hoping to go today.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): The couple say help from home has been hard to find.

MADELEINE, TRAVELER: I registered with the U.K. government and we have an email acknowledgement and that's been it. Communication with them has been nil. Yeah, not impressed.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Madeleine says many people have tried to make the unexpected stay a bit easier. Qatar is covering hotel stays and providing food vouchers for stranded travelers.

MADELEINE: It's been lovely.

DEREK: Lovely.

MADELEINE: The people couldn't be more helpful. They're lovely. Hotel --

[02:50:00]

DEREK: It's for nothing.

MADELEINE: Sorry.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Derek and Madeleine are just two of the roughly 8,000 passengers who were stranded in Qatar, according to government figures.

HOSSEINI: What have the last 10 days been like?

DARIA, TRAVELER: Nervous, because almost every day we got the alarms on our phones saying that it's dangerous and don't go out from the buildings.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Others say disruption has put their lives and livelihoods on hold.

MOHAMMED, TRAVELER: I was trying to connect with my company, you know, like, it can't work. They give me a leave of absence, one week notice, and then we're going to terminate your work, right? So there's a lot of pressure from different points from my perspective, but I'm sure other people have the same issues as well. Yeah, it's terrifying, you know, in addition to seeing all the rockets over your head.

(LAUGH)

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Officials stress these flights are operating under temporary authorization, and they don't mean that normal commercial operations have resumed. The fragile reopening also comes as tensions across the region remain high. But for Derek and Madeleine, today is about one thing, finally boarding a flight home to London.

DEREK: Thank you.

HOSSEINI: So thankfully, Derek and Madeleine did get on that flight home to London. We know yesterday, Qatar Airways operated flights to 10 cities. Today, they have 16 cities that they are trying to fly to. So obviously, a very welcome sign here, Polo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: It's just incredible just how many people unexpectedly found themselves in this travel limbo because of this one conflict. Bijan Hosseini, thank you so much for bringing us the story of Derek and Madeleine. Thank you.

Five members of Iran's women's national soccer team known as the Lionesses, they have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia and officials are extending further offers of assistance to the team if needed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BURKE, AUSTRALIAN HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER: Last night, I was able to tell five members of the Iranian women's soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here and they should feel at home here. I say to the other members of the team, the same opportunity is there. Australia has taken the Iranian women's soccer team into our hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The Lionesses, they drew global attention after standing silent during Iran's national anthem at their first game at the Women's Asia Cup. Some team members also chose to voice their concerns about the war back home in this post-game news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA DIDAR, IRANIAN WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER (through translator): Obviously, we're all concerned and sad at what's happened to Iran and our families and our loved ones. But I really hope it's very good for our country to have good news ahead and I hope that my country would be strongly alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Many saw their actions as a protest against the Islamic regime and Iranian state TV quickly denouncing the women as traitors. Sources telling CNN that ahead of their second appearance in the tournament, the team was forced to sing the national anthem. The team supporters said they feared the players could face harsh consequences upon their return to Iran.

We'll be right back with more of your headlines in a moment.

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SANDOVAL: Well, could there be another conflict looming on the horizon? U.S. President, Donald Trump says that Cuba is in deep trouble, he says, and has contemplated the nature of a possible U.S. takeover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And it may be a friendly takeover. It may not be a friendly takeover. It wouldn't matter because they're really in -- they're down to, as they say, fumes. They have no energy; they have no money. They're in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The president's Monday remarks, they come as more than 20 students at the University of Havana staged a rare hours-long protest over energy shortages, those caused in part by a U.S. oil blockade of the island nation. CNN's Patrick Oppmann was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this would be a pretty unremarkable scene anywhere else in the world, a group of students doing a sit-in at a university, demanding better conditions.

In Cuba, this kind of thing is just simply not allowed. And so around us, there's a lot of university officials, government officials, people who are quite clearly playing close, police. Only about 20-some students here, wouldn't be a big deal, except the Cuban government knows that in other countries, when you've had moments of tension like we're experiencing right now, all you need is a spark.

And so, these students at this moment say that they can't study because the power is out so often, that the Internet has become so expensive and so unreliable. And those are among their many complaints, complaints that many of the people on this island share at the moment. We've seen protests at night taking place, people going out with pots and pans, beating those pots and pans to get the lights back on. And so, that is the situation that is happening right now in Cuba. The government, of course, blames the problems here on the Trump administration's increased sanctions on this island.

But there are people here who feel the government has a role to play, they can make things better, and they're demanding those changes.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And from the entire team, we do want to thank you for joining us the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. The news continues with my colleague, Rosemary Church, in just a moment.

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