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Iran: Launched "Most Intense" Operation Since Start Of War; U.S.: Iranian Ships, Minelayers Destroyed Near Hormuz; Israel Says New Wave Of Strikes Hitting Tehran; CNN Team Witnesses Aftermath Of Strikes In Tehran; Iran: Launched "Most Intense And Heaviest Operation"; Violence Near Strait Of Hormuz Disrupting Oil Supply Chain; European Leaders Set to Debate War With Iran, President Ursula von der Leyen to Attend; Ukraine Sends Anti-drone Experts to Middle East; Macron Says France to Deploy 10 Warships, Aircraft Carrier; Iran War Putting Historic and Cultural Sites at Risk; Two Men Facing Federal Charges After Devices Tossed Into Crowd in NYC; Police Investigating U.S. Consulate Shooting in Toronto; NASA Spacecraft to Make Uncontrolled Return to Earth; Kilauea Shoots Lava More Than 1,300 Feet Into the Air; War With Iran May Cost Iraq Berth to 2026 World Cup; Australia Issues Humanitarian Visas to Iranian Soccer Team; Miami Heat's Adebayo Charts NBA's Second-highest Scoring Game. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 11, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:34]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the war began, as new air strikes hit Tehran.

Plus, sources tell CNN that Iran is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, how the U.S. is responding, and how this could further impact the global oil market.

And Germany's Chancellor says Europe is not interested in a war without end. But does it have a choice? We will discuss how Europe is preparing.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Appreciate you joining us, and we are following the latest developments out of Iran, where state media says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the start of the war, this as the Iranian capital remains under heavy bombardment.

Just hours ago, video geo located by CNN shows explosions coming from the direction of Tehran's International Airport, and earlier, the Iranian Red Crescent said it responded to an air strike on a residential area in the capital. Video shows their teams trying to access a bombed out building. Iran's U.N. Ambassador says U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed more than 1300 people since the conflict began less than two weeks ago.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Paula. So, what is the latest on what Iran is calling its most intense operation since the start of this war?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, they also said that it was going to be a multi layered and continuous waves against Israel. Now, we did see strikes against Israel through the night, no reports at this point of damage or casualties.

But certainly, when you look at the wider Gulf region, there does appear to have been an uptick in what we have been seeing here in the UAE, for example, in Abu Dhabi, there were two waves of strikes overnight. We understand that a container vessel has been damaged off the coast of the UAE as well.

Just in the last hour, we've heard in Doha there has been an alert and a blast in Bahrain, once again, Saudi Arabia as well, we understand the Eastern Province, which is where the oil and gas industry is really based, has been targeted by drones.

And also, six missiles were intercepted heading towards the Prince Sultan Air Base, an air base that is Saudi owned, but it is -- has been used in the past by U.S. military jets.

So, we have seen a sustained attack across Gulf nations. The IRGC claiming that it is against U.S. assets in these Gulf nations, although we have of course, seen beyond those political and military targets that there have been impacts.

Now also looking at what Israel has been doing overnight, late on Tuesday, in fact, they say that they carried out a second wave of strikes on Tehran. They have also been focusing on their second front, focusing on the southern suburbs of Beirut, we know that one paramedic has been killed as the Red Cross says that an ambulance was struck in that area as well. We did see images of certain residential building that had a couple of floors engulfed in flames. We see this morning that the destruction is clear.

So, we are seeing no let up, really, on any of the sides. But it was particularly striking that Iran did say that this was going to be the most intense and heaviest operation.

And certainly, on the ground, we have been seeing that sustained impact of missiles and drones here in the UAE, for example, well over 1,700 missiles and drones have been fired against the country since the war started, although more than 90 percent of those have been intercepted, Rosemary.

[02:05:07]

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Paula Hancocks bringing us that live update from Abu Dhabi, appreciate it.

Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Sources tell CNN, the mining is not extensive yet, but they warn Tehran still has the vast majority of its small boats and mine layers, and that Iranian forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway. The Strait is the world's most important energy choke point, carrying about one-fifth of the global crude oil supply during typical operations.

President Trump warns that if Iran has put out any mines in the Strait, he wants them removed immediately, or it could face military consequences at a level, "Never seen before."

CNN's Mike Valerio joins me now live from Beijing with more on this. So, Mike, how is the U.S. countering this?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we have the U.S. military saying that it has destroyed 16 vessels, or more likely, boats that Iran can use to lay these mines across and throughout the Strait of Hormuz.

But our reporting attention here on this side of the world has really turned to what if, God forbid, mines are deployed in the Strait. What does the United States do?

And we're really focusing on one class of ship, or four ships, I should say, that have been decommissioned in September, sent to the scrap yard that used to be built and designed, and their mission was to get mines out of the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz, if it ever came to that, and a new class of ship that is being given that responsibility.

So, let's show you some of the images. What we want to show first are four of those U.S. Navy ships, Avenger class mine countermeasure ships that were decommissioned in September. These photos are courtesy of the U.S. government out of Bahrain. Moved out of Bahrain in January, and at the time of their decommissioning, CENTCOM said that a littoral combat ship, three of them, at least three of them, would be used to carry out these duties.

But the point of our reporting, Rosemary, is to tell our viewers and readers on CNN.com this is a very controversial newer class of ship, littoral combat ships, littoral meaning by the coast, not so much open water. We have an image of one of them that's going to be the USS Cincinnati, just to show the type of ship being used. This came into port in San Diego, California, a week ago.

But littoral combat ships have not always been reliable in terms of their engineering. They've cost so much more money than originally thought, but one of their more reliable qualities has thankfully been anti-mining missions.

So, experts who we've spoken to have told us that there's no perfect decision that the Navy can muster in this situation, but something that these newer ships have to do that entered service in the late 2000s, we're talking about 2009 and 2010 they need to be extremely quiet. They need to have a minimal magnetic signature, because the psychological impact of again, God forbid, a mine going off in the Strait of Hormuz will be huge. These ships are also equipped with unmanned autonomous vehicles that can go underneath the water and diffuse any kind of mine that it may spot.

So, the change here is certainly notable that those original four ships on that big red barge decommissioned in September, just months before this conflict. And really the main thrust that we're trying to get with this reporting is that this type of ship really has not been tested in this significant way. You know, who could have foreseen that this would have fallen such a huge, consequential disruption in the energy supply in the Strait of Hormuz with this war, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Mike Valerio in Beijing with that live report. Many thanks.

Want to bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos now, who is live in Abu Dhabi. So, Eleni, what's been the impact of all of this on global markets?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, wild swings. It's been on enormous roller coaster ride. And it's sort of, you know, it's really interesting, you've got rhetoric coming from the United States that's, you know, impacting the way that oil is moving. So, you have positive news or President Trump has been saying the war is almost over, but it's not going to be ending by the end of the week. You saw wild swing there.

And then, interestingly, what we saw yesterday is Saudi Aramco CEO saying that if the Strait of Hormuz continues to be disrupted, it's going to have catastrophic consequences to the global economy.

A very stark warning there from one of the biggest oil producers in the world, and really warning about the level of inventory of oil right now that's moving around.

I mean, interestingly, you've got Brent crude now sitting at $87.00 a barrel. The other thing that transpired yesterday, which was quite interesting to see on social media, is that the energy secretaries had said there was the first naval escort of vessel, he quickly deleted that post, and then the White House confirmed that there wasn't a naval escort of any vessel through the Strait of Hormuz.

[02:10:21]

That also caused wild swings in the market. The other thing we're seeing right now, which is adding a little bit of sort of, you know, a risk on trade, where you've got oil markets seemingly doing a little bit better today is the International Energy Agency, and of course, the G7 have been discussing the potential release of strategic oil reserves into the market to make up for the shortfall of the $20 million barrels of oil per day that passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

If that does come into effect, we will be seeing a far better reality in terms of the amount of oil that's sort of flowing around. But there's a few things, and Mike was talking about it. It's the energy security scenario that's playing out in the Straits, if there aren't insurance guarantees like the U.S. government had promised, or perhaps naval escorts, or even the issue of potential mines that are buried in the sea bed. That changes the calculation quite immensely, because shippers are not going to be willing to pass through the straits.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is moving oil through its east west pipeline into the Red Sea, but that's only five million barrels of oil per day. You've also got the UAE using the Fujairah port. But again, it's not at the same level.

Again, oil traders market participants are telling me that this has to end soon, because the longer this continues and the longer we see disruptions, it's going to have a major domino effect on everything from jet fuel to food prices and even what you pay for gas, Rosemary, in the United States.

CHURCH: Critical point there. Eleni Giokos joining us live from Abu Dhabi with that report. Appreciate it.

Well, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm about dangerous air quality and toxic black rain caused by burning oil facilities in Iran.

Air strikes on Iranian fuel storage sites have caused massive fires, sending huge clouds of black smoke into the air. The WHO warns that pollution from the smoke can contaminate the rain, turning it black and acidic. Following oil explosions, the Iranian Red Crescent Society is telling people to stay inside during and after rainfall, which can cause chemical burns and serious lung damage.

The U.N. human rights chief said, "I am deeply worried about the health and environmental consequences people will suffer as a result of these oil fires, including acid rain contamination."

Israel's military says a new wave of strikes is hammering the Iranian capital. This comes after a day of heavy aerial bombardment, which CNN's team on the ground witnessed. CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the Iranian government, as required under local regulations, but maintains full editorial control over what it reports. And here's what CNN's Fred Pleitgen saw and heard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): There's been heavy bombardment in Tehran over the past 24 hours, as we both heard and felt. This morning, we visited a site when all of a sudden it was targeted again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we should go.

PLEITGEN: Yes, we should go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go, we go, we go.

PLEITGEN: Yes. OK. We're hearing jets overhead. There's anti-aircraft cargo going out. It's supposed to be getting out of here as fast as possible. So, that just goes to show how fast things can turn bad here. We were filming at a site that was apparently -- remove this mask -- struck yesterday.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Earlier, we'd spoken to folks caught in the attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was in the basement. I was thrown against the opposite wall. I was under the rubble. That's it. I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen reporting in Tehran.

Well, Gulf states have intercepted Iranian missiles, as Tehran says it has launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the war started. We are live in the region, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:18:27]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the war started. Iranian state media says the overnight attacks involve missiles targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the region. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates say they have intercepted a new wave of drones and missiles.

So, let's go live now to CNN producer Antoinette Radford in Doha. Good to see you, Antoinette. So, what has been the impact on the ground in Qatar and across other Gulf states from what Iran is calling its most intense and heaviest operation?

ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, Rosemary, so as you mentioned, this operation overnight has just kind of come to the ground here in Qatar.

In the last hour, we received an alert to our phones warning us of elevated danger. Now, when we receive that warning, that suggests that some sort of attack is coming in, we need to take shelter. We need to go inside.

So, our team just went indoors for a bit. As we went inside, we could hear loud bangs taking place above us. One of my colleagues said the building that he's in shook. The Qatar Ministry of Defense actually confirmed that a missile had been intercepted.

We're back outside now. The danger has been cleared for now, but in other Gulf states, like the UAE, a container ship was damaged this morning by a suspected projectile. In Saudi, six missiles were intercepted on their way to the prince Sultan Air Base, that's a U.S. Air Base in Saudi so they were intercepted.

And in Bahrain, sirens have been going off all morning now. Bahrain is a Gulf state that's been particularly hard hit by Iran's attacks. Yesterday, a 29-year-old woman was killed and eight others were injured by an Iranian strike on the capital Manama, and in days before that, civilian infrastructure was targeted and hit, including a desalination plant and an oil refinery.

[02:20:15]

For its part, last night, Qatar's Foreign Minister actually said that diplomacy still needs to be the way to resolve this conflict here, not just for Qatar, but for all the countries in the Gulf. He said that that's the only way that we can find a solution. He also reiterated the alliance between the U.S. and Qatar. Here's what he had to say:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: The strategic partnership, not only with the U.S. but all of our defense partners in the world, is not up for question. We have taken the decision to strategically ally ourselves in this way as part of a wider regional security framework.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADFORD: So, I think the message from Qatar is loud and clear, despite Iran's attacks and despite the fact that it says it's targeting U.S. air bases, not just here in Qatar, but in the Gulf, there are no plans to change that alliance, at least not in the near future, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Antoinette Radford in Doha with that live report, many thanks.

Well, the head of the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Aramco, warns that the world's oil markets face catastrophic consequences the longer the war with Iran goes on.

Amin Nasser says his company is working to reroute crude oil through Yanbu, Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, oil prices have spiked dramatically since the conflict began, though they have retreated on comments by President Trump about the war's progress. Even so, some experts say oil could reach $150 a barrel by the end of the month.

Kuwait has cut its oil production as the war with Iran intensifies. The country is one of the world's top oil producers, but has recently come under Iranian fire. This government building was hit by Iranian drones over the weekend. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has cited threats to safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz as the reason for the oil cuts.

CNN's Nic Robertson has details on how violence in the strait has disrupted the world's oil supply.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You stop pumping it out the ground at the same rate. You stop refining it at the same rate. And at some point you have to stop doing all of those completely. And as your experts have been telling you, when you do that, it takes

a long time to restart. So, it isn't just a bump because the Straits of Hormuz are closed. It's a much longer bump and bigger net effect to the global economy, because it takes longer to get production back to where it started from.

2019 I was down there in Fujairah, in the UAE, going out into the edge of the Strait of Hormuz, where the Iranians were using small boats with military personnel. These are very tiny boats, like fishing boats, not navy boats, the ones that the Pentagon has been able to sink, and they were sticking mines, magnetic mines, to the sides of tankers. They were blown one or two or three holes in the tankers, disable them, put them -- you know, render them so that they can't get into market. Render them inoperative import. And that was an effective measure that was being used by Iran, then as a slow squeeze on the Straits of Hormuz.

So, it doesn't take a Navy to actually shut it down or impede it, and it's hard to catch these small fishing boat operatives, because that's as we've seen, how the Houthis operate in the Red Sea, interdicting maritime commercial oil tankers with those same tactics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Trump officials say the U.S. has not ruled out any military options in Iran.

Coming up, a closer look at how the White House is responding to the prospect of U.S. boots on the ground. Plus, European leaders are expected to begin a debate on the war with Iran. In the coming hours, we will speak to a European foreign policy expert about how Europe is preparing for war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:27:39]

CHURCH: Live images here of Tel Aviv, where it is about 8:30 on Wednesday morning. Sirens rang out in central Israel earlier after the Israeli military warned of missile launches coming from Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has launched its most intense attacks since the start of the war, going after targets in Israel and U.S. assets across the Gulf.

Meanwhile, Israel says it began a new wave of strikes in the Iranian capital. Now, the Israeli government announced it will allocate billions of dollars to a special budget on defense spending to finance its war with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): We are now convening for an immediate transfer of the state budget, with the central focus being the necessary addition to the defense budget to finance the war. As the Prime Minister noted, this is 10s of billions of shekels. This is not an expense. This is an investment.

In order to succeed in this task, we are now putting aside controversial issues that are not appropriate in a time of war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Despite the fact, Ukraine is fighting its own war with Russia. It is offering help to Middle Eastern countries affected by the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. Four years into the Russian invasion, Ukraine has learned how to shoot down Iranian made drones launched by Russia. Kyiv is willing to share that experience.

And on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will send drone experts to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Ukraine has the world's largest experience in countering attack drones. And without our experience, it will be very difficult for the Gulf region, the entire Middle East, and partners in Europe and America, to build strong protection. We are ready to help those who help us, those who help Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Many European leaders have tiptoed around the U.S. and Israeli strikes. In the coming hours, some of those leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, are set to take part in a debate on the war with Iran. Earlier Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed Europe's growing concern over the war.

[02:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Germany and Europe, we have no interest in a war without end. We have no interest in the dissolution of Iran's territorial integrity, statehood, or economic viability. A scenario such as we have seen in Libya, Iraq or other countries in the region would also harm us all. This affects our security, our energy supply and potentially, also the situation surrounding migration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Joining us now from Slovakia is Jana Kobzova, the Co-Director of the European Security Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Appreciate you joining us.

JANA KOBZOVA, EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thank you for the invitation. CHURCH: Of course. So, Europe is reluctantly being pulled into this war with Iran and that's causing some divisions across the continent. What are some European nations doing to prepare for this conflict as others, we see, are pushing back?

KOBZOVA: Frankly, I mean, I think the most immediate thing on the European leaders' mind is how to end Donald Trump's war of choice. He started this war not asking them. He started this war without having a clear plan, at least that is the thinking in many European capitals. And without clearly having a regard for what this kind of war would mean for Europe, which is going to deal with the fallout, not just in terms of potential disasters, disintegration of Iran, but also the mass migration, not to mention the immediate consequences which are already visible, which is the rise in oil prices which are primarily affecting the Europeans, or the absence or depletion of military stocks which the Europeans need to continue supporting Ukraine.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, efforts are underway to counter the dangers associated with Iran's drones. Poland is building the E.U.'s first anti-drone shield. And as we just reported, Ukraine is sending a team of drone experts to help the U.S., to help Gulf nations in actual fact. So, how might these efforts change the direction of the war, given Iranian drones appear to be dominating attacks right now, I mean, along with missiles as well. But those drones are very problematic.

KOBZOVA: They are indeed. And they're exposing the vulnerabilities, not just of the Middle Eastern countries, but also of the Europeans to this new type of war, which we are now seeing played out in Russia and Ukraine, and now in Iran, which is basically for something that is much cheaper than the usual military capabilities, you can use those cheaper drones to cause enormous damage to your weather stations, military capabilities, civilian infrastructure, and so on. That has been played out in Ukraine over the past four years.

And we're now seeing the same playbook used by Iran to inflict damage on its neighbors. The Europeans are slowly waking up to this challenge, and they are investing. As you've mentioned, Poland is the prime example, being a neighbor of Belarus and also Ukraine. There are other countries that are slowly kind of getting on this bandwagon of preparing for this type of new war.

But I think the immediate priority for everyone, besides the longer- term investment into these capabilities, is really to find a way for Donald Trump to end the war with Iran, and end it in a way that's going to be sustainable and secure for the Europeans and their interests in the Middle East and elsewhere.

CHURCH: Yeah, I mean, that is the big problem right now, isn't it? How to do that? How to find that off-ramp? French President, Emmanuel Macron has ordered the country's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during this ongoing war in the Middle East. What role would you expect France to play in the end, if possibly reluctantly?

KOBZOVA: I think none of the European countries want to be dragged into this war. They are there to possibly, I mean, to do a couple of things. First is, of course, help with repatriation of their citizens. The other one is ensure that their own interests and bases and military assets are protected. But I think the key and primary thing is still to make sure that this war ends as soon as possible.

The other implication, and that's kind of something that the Europeans are feeling already, is that this war is eating up a lot of the military stocks which were previously planned for or used for either the Europeans or the Ukrainians. There is an active war going on, on the European continent, not to mention that the Europeans are already facing a barrage of hybrid attacks from Russia.

So from the European point of view, the last thing you need is another war in the Middle East. And that's also, you know, this is not to say that the Europeans are not happy about -- are happy with the regime in Iran, of course, but they didn't see it as an immediate and direct threat to their core interests at the moment.

CHURCH: Jana Kobzova, thank you so much for joining us. We do appreciate it.

KOBZOVA: Thank you.

[02:35:00]

CHURCH: Well, as the war with Iran drags on, U.S. lawmakers, as well as many Americans, are increasingly concerned over the prospect of U.S. boots on the ground. Last week, the White House said the deployment of U.S. troops in Iran is "not part of the plan" for this operation at this time. But on Tuesday, Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt said President Trump has not ruled out any military options.

Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth echoed that sentiment, cautioning that the U.S. is still very early into its military campaign against Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: People ask boots on the ground, no boots on the ground, four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, go in, go in. President Trump knows, I know, you don't tell the enemy, you don't tell the press, you don't tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation. We're willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The defense secretary is also taking on a more brazen tone when delivering updates on U.S. military actions. CNN's Tom Foreman looks at how Hegseth's demeanor is breaking ranks with his predecessors at the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEGSETH: America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without mercy. TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever since the first fighter launched --

HEGSETH: With brutal efficiency, total air dominance, and an unbreakable will to accomplish the president's objectives.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And the first missile landed.

HEGSETH: You act decisively in chaos.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Pete Hegseth has been speaking unlike any other Secretary of Defense ever.

HEGSETH: Death and destruction from the sky, all day long.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Gone are the solemn statesmanlike updates on warfare the Pentagon has long preferred. In their place, Hegseth has picked up the tone long established by the commander-in-chief.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He died like a dog. He died like a coward.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Blasting the Iranian regime.

HEGSETH: For 47 years, these barbaric savages in the Iranian regime have murdered our brothers in arms, my guys, your guys.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Ridiculing their attempts to stand up to the dual military powers of the United States and Israel.

HEGSETH: The combination is sheer destruction for our radical Islamist Iranian adversaries. They are toast, and they know it. Or at least, soon enough, they will know it.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And even as he mocks the faith of Iranian foes and his department post online about showing them no mercy, Hegseth is blurring the line between his private Christian beliefs and his secular public duties.

HEGSETH: May the Lord grant unyielding strength and refuge to our warriors, unbreakable protection to them in our homeland, and total victory over those who seek to harm them.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Like Hegseth, the White House too has taken a peculiar tack to spur support for the war, turning bomb blasts into a highlight reel on X set to the song "Here Comes the Boom." Snagging scenes from the video game "Grand Theft Auto" to underscore other explosive moments.

And even intercutting scenes from factual battle with clips from fictional movies and TV shows, all with the clear intent of selling the public on the proposition that everything is going as planned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): Of course, this fight has not been flawless for American troops. Some have died, others have been wounded, and it is not at all clear how long they're going to have to stay in the battle, even as what looks an awful lot like a marketing campaign marches on.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: We are learning about extensive damage to some of Iran's most historic and cultural sites in this war. Video shows the 400-year-old Golestan Palace in Tehran with shattered windows, its intricate mirror mosaics in pieces and ceilings damaged. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was rocked by nearby strikes.

And these images from the city of Isfahan, a stunning 17th-century palace compound was damaged after a strike hit a nearby government building. UNESCO says it continues to monitor the situation regarding cultural heritage in Iran and the wider region.

Police in Toronto are investigating after the U.S. consulate was struck by gunfire. Just ahead, we will take a closer look at what authorities know so far. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:43:00]

CHURCH: Just days after an attempted bomb attack near his home, New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani sent a clear message to anyone wanting to express hatred in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK CITY: Extremism and hatred of any kind will not be tolerated in our city. And that is regardless of whatever ideology motivates any person to commit an act of violence. There is no tolerance for it here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Two suspects are accused of tossing makeshift bombs at a protest over the weekend in what authorities describe as an attempted ISIS-inspired attack. They've been charged with multiple crimes, including using a weapon of mass destruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization. Officials are investigating whether either man had any training or engagement with ISIS. They're set to appear in court next on April 8th.

Well, police in Toronto are investigating a national security incident after a shooting at the U.S. consulate on Tuesday. Two male suspects are believed to have fled the scene. This coming days after a bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway.

CNN's Paula Newton has more.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, this incident in downtown Toronto is incredibly serious. Now, thankfully, no one was injured, but police say that a vehicle literally took dead aim at that U.S. consulate, firing likely a handgun and escaping in a car. I want you to listen now to Toronto Police as they describe what happened in the early morning hours. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK BARREDO, TORONTO POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF: There, two individuals emerged from the vehicle, discharged at what appears to be a handgun at the front of the building and then got back into their vehicle and drove southbound.

The suspect vehicle was a white Honda CRV. There were two males, two individuals that emerged and discharged the firearms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:45:00]

NEWTON: And it's not just Toronto Police investigating. RCMP say that this is a national security incident. And of course, when they look at any evidence, they may start to investigate this as a terrorism event.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said, in fact, that this was a reprehensible act of violence and an attempt at intimidation. At this point, security has been stepped up, not just at that consulate in Toronto, but also at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, the U.S. embassy deferring, obviously, to local and national authorities as they await the investigation, the results of that investigation, but obviously unsettling.

The suspects still are not in custody. And the country has been on edge for these type of events. And in fact, Prime Minister Mark Carney convened an incident response group just on Friday, understanding that the threat level in Canada was quite high, especially as the conflict with Iran continues.

Paula Newton, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: A NASA space probe is expected to fall to Earth soon, several years earlier than expected. NASA says most of the huge spacecraft will disintegrate when it begins re-entry into the atmosphere. But a few pieces could make it through. The agency says the odds are low that anyone will be hurt.

The Van Allen Probe A was one of two launched 14 years ago to study bands of high-energy particles. The probe has worked longer than expected and ran out of fuel in 2019. At first, the machine wasn't expected to fall back to Earth until 2034. But an active solar cycle moved up that date. The Van Allen Probe B will be brought out of orbit before 2030.

Well, dramatic scenes unfolding on Hawaii's Big Island, a new eruption of the Kilauea volcano. It began shooting lava fountains more than 1,300 feet earlier today. The U.S. Geological Survey has raised the volcano alert level to warning, meaning eruptions are underway. The agency reports fallout is creating hazardous conditions in neighboring communities, and the National Weather Service issued an Ashfall Warning.

Iraq could be back at the World Cup for the first time in decades, but the war in neighboring Iran is putting their tournament chances in jeopardy. We will explain after the break.

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CHURCH: One of the seven Iranian soccer delegation members who sought asylum in Australia has changed her mind and is returning to Iran. Australia's Home Affairs Minister says she was advised by her teammates and coach to contact the Iranian Embassy to be collected. Australian officials say it forced them to hurriedly move the other six women after Iranian authorities found out their location.

Australia had offered humanitarian visas to the team after Iranian state television called them 'wartime traitors' for not singing the country's national anthem during a recent Asia Cup match.

Iraq's men's national football team may miss the qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup because of the war in neighboring Iran. The original chaos has shut down Iraqi airspace. Several embassies in the country have also closed, preventing some players and staff from getting entry visas to Mexico.

The team's football coach told CNN World Sports, Don Riddell that he wants FIFA to postpone the upcoming playoff.

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GRAHAM ARNOLD, HEAD COACH, IRAQ NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: You have success in life and you have success at whatever you do. There's a lot of planning and preparation that goes with that. At this moment in time, we can't do that. If the game goes ahead over in Mexico, we have the difficulties of getting out of Baghdad.

About 60 percent of my players play in Iraq. All my backroom staff live in Iraq. Medical staff live in Qatar, and we're having troubles getting our Mexican visas at this moment.

My Plan A, before we started all this, was to have a pre-camp in the U.S. and to obviously adjust to the time difference, only a small pre- camp to adjust to the time difference and obviously the weather and the conditions there. But that's all been scrapped now. That's off because we can't get out of Baghdad.

I think FIFA need to obviously make a quick decision on this because it's a bit unfair at this moment with what we would have to go through. But if, for example, that Suriname can still play Bolivia if we can't get there and we could always play the winner just before the World Cup in America, and let us prepare properly, and it's required to be successful.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It wouldn't be fair if you could only get kind of a B Team to this game, right? That would not be a satisfactory solution. What has FIFA's engagement been like with you? Are they receptive to your issues and concerns?

ARNOLD: The communication with FIFA and the AFC has been very good with the president, Adnan. All we can do is, I've got to prepare that the game is on and we're going. As I said, for me, the question is -- there's a couple of big questions.

One is, is Iran going to go to the World Cup? Or if they're not going to go to the World Cup, it would give FIFA time to make that decision, if we had that playoff game the week before the World Cup starts. Bolivia and Suriname can play in March. They've got no complications with flights or anything. They can get themselves there straight away. And we can play the winner of that game just before the World Cup starts. The winner stays to play the World Cup and the loser goes home.

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That would also give FIFA the time to deal with the Iran situation, if they go or if they don't go. But, at this moment in time, I'm just focused on ourselves. I'm focusing on the game going ahead to make sure that the players and everything's ready.

But, as I said to you, Don, the complications at this moment with the preparation is very difficult.

RIDDELL: Have FIFA told you when they'll make a decision on this?

ARNOLD: No, not at this moment. We're just in communication. I've got great communication with the FIFA people and so has the organization. And it is one step at a time, one day at a time, and it's stressful.

A lot of sleepless nights worrying about, obviously, getting that planning right. But it's very, very hard to do that when the airspace we've been told by -- again, we've been told the airspace in Baghdad, where so many of the players and staff is, will not be reopened until the 1st of April.

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CHURCH: Turning now to the NBA in the U.S., where the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo hit a hot streak on Tuesday. In a win over the Washington Wizards, he alone finished the game with a staggering 83 points. His performance marks the second highest scoring effort in the league's history, surpassing the late Kobe Bryant, whose career best peaked at 81 points.

Despite his historic performance, Adebayo fell short of the NBA's all- time record. That crown still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain following his 100-point game back in 1962.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a very short break. Stay with us.

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