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Iran's Cultural Landmarks Now Bombarded by U.S.-Israeli Strikes; European Leaders Debating Now on the War in Iran; Chinamaxxing is Now the Talk of the Town in Social Media. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 11, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

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

And we begin with breaking news out of Northern Iran, where a CNN team reports major overnight airstrikes lasting nearly an hour.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Meantime, Iran's state media reports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched its most intense and heaviest operation since the start of the war. The overnight attack involved missile launches against targets in Israel and U.S. assets in the region. This as Tehran remains under heavy bombardment.

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. Meanwhile, the U.S. military says its forces destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels, including 16 mine layers near the Strait of Hormuz.

Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence say that Tehran is laying mines in the Strait, which serves as a globally vital oil and shipping lane. And the U.K. maritime trade operation says a cargo vessel is now on fire after being hit by an unknown projectile, and the crew is evacuating.

Well the Trump administration is facing mounting pressure from Capitol Hill to make its case publicly for the military operation. Here's what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said about Operation Epic Fury.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is not endless. It's not protracted. We're not allowing mission creep.

The President has set a very specific mission to accomplish, and our job is to unrelentingly deliver that. And so it's not for me to posit whether it's the beginning, the middle, or the end. That's his, and he'll continue to communicate that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, 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, we did hear that from Tehran, from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also saying that there would be a multilayered and continuous waves against Israel. Now, we know that they did fire missiles against Israel. There is no reports at this point of any casualties or significant damage from that.

We have been seeing, though, on the other side, some more images of what things look like on the ground in Iran. Of course, our team there talking about the continual bombardment and the significant bombing that they are hearing.

We also know that in Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, there were explosions nearby that area. This footage came to us from Reuters. It was posted on social media today.

Unclear if this is from this morning, though. But it shows the damage to certain buildings. You can see many people walking around surveying that damage and charred vehicles.

Now the U.S. is saying it is working to avoid civilian casualties, saying that some of these missiles that Iran is firing are often from civilian areas next to schools. We heard from the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, as well.

We've heard from Iran's U.N. envoy talking about the civilian casualties on the ground, which we know there have been. We have heard from NGOs and the U.N. within the monitoring system of Iran as well. But Iran's U.N. envoy said that some 1,300 have been killed and critical civilian infrastructure damaged.

But Iran has insisted that this was going to be one of the most intense and heaviest operations against Israel, against U.S. allies' assets in the region. And certainly over the past 12, 24 hours or so, we have seen some consistent interceptions here in Abu Dhabi, certainly two waves overnight.

We've seen it in similar situations across the Gulf at this point. We have seen energy infrastructure targeted here in the UAE as well.

[03:04:56]

So when we're hearing about the IRGC saying that this is going to be its most intense and heaviest operation, it did tally slightly with what we had seen on the ground, the fact that the number of emergency alerts and interceptions was significant. The latest figures we have for the UAE specifically, and I have to

caution this from yesterday, we'll get an updated number in a matter of hours, but it is well over 1700 missiles and drones that have been fired by Tehran. There is no let-up in Iran's retaliation at this point, although it's worth pointing out that the Ministry of Defense that the militaries here are managing to intercept more than 90 percent.

Not just Emirati military, it has to be said as well. We know that French fighter jets are in the air above the UAE. We know that the U.K., just in the past two days, said that they have now got themselves involved in the defense of the UAE.

So, more European countries feeling the need to get involved, to try and defend Gulf nations, nations in the Middle East that are being targeted by this retaliation. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alright, Paula Hancocks brings that live report from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.

Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The 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, quote, "never seen before."

So, let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos. She joins us live from Abu Dhabi. So, Eleni, what more can you tell us about these mines, and how the U.S. is countering this?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. So, the U.S. is looking at countermeasures. From what we understand, that the U.S. has destroyed 16 of these mine layers, or these vessels that have the capabilities to lay mines in the seabed in the Strait of Hormuz.

From what we understand, and also really important, that four of the vessels that were specifically deployed in the Strait of Hormuz to assist with demining had been decommissioned last year, and, in fact, they left the Persian Gulf earlier this year. The news that we're getting as well is that new vessels are on the way, or perhaps even there from our reporting that some have been identified in the Strait that will be able to take over the demining.

But experts have warned that, in terms of technical capabilities, they failed a few of the tests, apart from being able to demine and also doing sweeps, as well as, you know, in terms of combat. So, that was really interesting. But we don't know to what extent Iran has laid these mines, President Trump coming out with a warning.

But also, Rosemary, I found a report that was published by Congress last year talking about Iran's mines in the Straits. And this isn't a new issue. This has been around for a long time.

Because the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2019 had said that Iran possibly has an inventory of 5000 naval mines, and estimates in 2025 were much higher, around 6000 of these mines. So, this has been an issue that has been plaguing the Strait of Hormuz for a very long time, and, importantly, that could further create security issues for vessels wanting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, despite the news that the U.S. President wants to offer insurance guarantees and also naval escorts.

So, that all up in the air. Iran, of course, is doubling down, saying that not a drop of oil is going to pass through the Strait. We know that just a few tankers have been able to cross through over the past few days since the war began. And then President Trump says that if any attack occurs in the Strait, he will hit Iran 20 times harder.

So, we're seeing a point where the shippers and the ship liners and tanker owners, as well as cargo owners, are not wanting to pass through because they just don't know what the security situation is like. And this news about mines in the seabed further exacerbates the security scenario. Nothing has changed in terms of allaying fears there.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Eleni Giokos, bringing us that live report from Abu Dhabi.

Israel's military says a new wave of strikes is hammering at 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.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. 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.

[03:10:04]

UNKNOWN: I think we should go.

PLEITGEN: Yes, we should go.

Yes. OK, we're hearing jets overhead. There's anti-aircraft fire going on.

They told us we got to get 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, rid of this mask, struck yesterday. PLEITGEN (voice-over): Earlier, we'd spoken to folks caught in the attack.

UNKNOWN (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: Still to come, UNICEF and other aid groups warn that Israel's strikes on Hezbollah are taking a devastating toll on civilians in Lebanon, especially children. That is next.

An Iranian palace that was once the setting for many coronation ceremonies now sits badly damaged. Still to come, how the war is putting cultural sites at risk as well.

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[03:15:10]

CHURCH: The United Nations says Israel's military operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon are killing children at an alarming rate. Lebanon says at least 570 people have been killed since the IDF strikes began, at least 83 of those are children. UNICEF points out that's more than 10 children killed every single day.

And this video released Tuesday by Hezbollah-run television shows destruction and a funeral in a southern Lebanese town. Israel's evacuation orders have also displaced nearly 13 percent of Lebanon's population, aid groups say that puts elderly people, pregnant women and children at particular risk.

CNN's Matthew Chance explains what life is like for the people caught in a war zone.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty grim if you're from one of those Hezbollah-controlled areas. We're talking about areas of south Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley in the east of the country and in south Beirut, the city from where I'm talking to you now, which is a long-time Hezbollah stronghold.

Those areas have been given basically broad evacuation orders from the Israeli armed forces saying you get out to protect your lives, we're going to be striking Hezbollah-related targets there. And indeed, that's what's been happening.

There's been a sort of incessant flow of airstrikes from our vantage point we've been seeing here in Beirut in those southern suburbs targeting what Israel says are Hezbollah-related kind of assets, individuals and buildings as well. And that's led to that enormous outflow of people seeking safety away from the front lines out of the firing line. We're looking at more than 700,000 people now across the country that are basically on the move.

And you can imagine the enormous pressure that's put on the Lebanese authorities that has lunged from crisis to crisis over the years. It now has this massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and even with the backing of the various international and local aid organizations that are here in some force providing tents and food and soup kitchens and things like that, it's still a struggle to find people medical care, to find them food and to find them shelter. And so it's a big crisis.

And I have to say, there's a lot of animosity that we're hearing about amongst ordinary Lebanese people not from the Hezbollah areas, that Iranian-backed militia has drawn this country into yet another conflict with Israel. And so there's a lot of anger and frustration towards Hezbollah about that right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Emmanuel Massart is the Deputy Coordinator of Operations for the Middle East for Doctors Without Borders. He joins me from Saida, Lebanon, south of Beirut. I appreciate you talking with us.

EMMANUEL MASSART, DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Thank you.

CHURCH: So as Israel's offensive in Lebanon continues, it's estimated that 570 people have died so far and that includes at least 83 children. Many more people have been injured and all this is creating a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands displaced. What are you and your organization witnessing on the ground there?

MASSART: What we see today in all over Lebanon, but especially in the south of the country and south Beirut and in the capital Beirut is a massive amount of people being displaced.

You said it. More than 30 percent of the population of Lebanon is currently under evacuation order. So that's massive and no system can cope with such a big amount of displaced people.

We are seeing shelters being improvised on a daily basis with people arriving with barely only the clothes that they have on their back and nothing more. Struggling with medical care, with food, with shelter, with also basic commodities such as hygiene kits and things like that.

So we are trying to provide support to the displaced people in the shelters that are existing but also in the community because there are a lot of people that are also trying to find solutions in the community outside of the shelters because now pretty much all the shelters are full. And the conditions are really bad.

To give you an example, we were working yesterday in a shelter where we had a bit more than 800 people in that shelter. There were eight bathrooms for the 800 people, it just doesn't work.

[03:20:09]

And we are now creating all the conditions. And we are already seeing a lot of medical conditions of those very bad conditions and the fact that people have been rushed out of their homes if they were lucky enough to be under evacuation order.

Because, I mean, we are talking about the evacuation orders but we should also talk about the fact that there are strikes that are happening a bit at any moment. I mean, 48 hours from my balcony I heard two strikes in a refugee camp that is close by.

There was no evacuation order, there was nothing. It's in a refugee camp. It's crazy to think that you can bomb inside a refugee camp.

That's something that we can difficultly comprehend. That's quite crazy. So, yes, the humanitarian needs are very high at the moment in Lebanon.

We are trying to respond as much as we can but to be fully honest, we really struggle. The needs are massive.

CHURCH: And that's it, I mean, those numbers, 760,000 people displaced, 13 percent of Lebanon's nearly 6 million population and you say that the shelters that they're going to are full for the most part. So what happens to those people who can't fit in there? What happens to the elderly, to pregnant women who are really struggling in a situation like this when you're told to flee and to get out of an area quickly or you'll be killed by strikes?

MASSART: You have no other solution that's trying to get your children out of the way and try to shelter where you can find. A lot of people in Beirut, for example, are also sleeping outside and trying to go from shelter to shelter to try to find a spot where they can at least have their kids sleeping for the night.

Which, I mean, the situation is terrible. And you talk about all the disabled people because, I mean, there's a lot of disabled people, pregnant women and things like that. But we also need to consider the fact that there are people in the south of Lebanon, for example, that cannot move because the health condition doesn't allow them to move or they have things that they cannot leave behind.

So we still have a lot of people left behind in the south of Lebanon that at the moment are totally impossible to access because it's way too dangerous. The strikes of the Israeli army are continuous in the south.

So we cannot access those areas. So those people are trapped there. And yes, you said it. A lot of people have not found a shelter.

So the number of people in the shelters today is 122,000, there is more than 700,000 displaced. So you can see that the vast majority of the people didn't find a shelter. So the conditions are catastrophic.

CHURCH: And Emmanuel, what is your biggest concern as you watch this conflict play out across southern Lebanon and indeed across the Middle East?

MASSART: There are multiple concerns. So the one is the safety of the people because I said it, there are strikes that can happen any moment, anywhere.

So is there any really safe places in Lebanon left? I'm not 100 percent sure.

We have seen medical teams being targeted and bombed in the Beqaa Valley a few days ago. So even medical structures and medical services are not being protected by the Israeli army. That's unfortunately a pattern that we are really used to because we have been working in Gaza since the beginning of the war and for quite some years.

So we see this targeting of the medical facilities and also the bombing of the camps. So the safety of the people is definitely something that is of big concern. And obviously access to very basic things such as water, such as food, such as medical care remains a big challenge and this will definitely create big problems in the very near future.

CHURCH: Emmanuel Massart with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Lebanon there, many thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.

MASSART: Thank you.

CHURCH: UNESCO is warning that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes are putting Iran's cultural landmarks at risk. The Iranian government posted this video showing damage to a 17th century palace.

[03:25:06]

Authorities place blame on shockwaves from an Israeli airstrike near a provincial governor's building. The U.N.'s cultural agency said it received similar reports of damage to a palace in Tehran.

CNN's Leila Gharagozlou reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Images are emerging of one of Iran's most beautiful cities being struck by U.S. and Israeli bombardment. Now one of those sites, Chehel Soutoun, has been damaged by U.S. and Israeli bombardment just meters away.

This video, released by state media, shows windows shattered and latticework broken. Elsewhere in Isfahan, striking images show the Naqhsh-e Jahan Square with a plume of smoke from an airstrike, highlighting the proximity of this war to Iran's historic and cultural landmarks. And in Tehran, the Golestan Palace, the setting for many coronation ceremonies of Iranian kings, famous for its intricate mirror work, now left in ruins, shattered by debris from shockwaves of an airstrike.

Images show extensive damage to what UNESCO calls a masterpiece of the Qajar era. The U.N.'s World Heritage Arm has put out a statement expressing concern and a reminder, cultural property is protected under international law.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, Iran says it launched its largest round of missiles yet. How the Gulf States are handling these latest attacks. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Iran's state media says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched its most intense and heaviest operations since the start of the war. Tehran claims its overnight attack involved missile launches against targets in Israel and at U.S. assets in the region.

[03:30:07]

Meanwhile, the Pentagon says the U.S. will not relent until, quote, "the enemy is totally and decisively defeated."

Ukraine says it's making progress against Russia's military. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine hit a Russian missile plant Tuesday, he told reporters the plant was responsible for making Russia's missile control systems. The governor of Bryansk said six civilians were killed and 37 injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on the region.

New storms are bringing tornado activity to the central U.S., more than two million people are under severe thunderstorm risk as storms move east overnight. Authorities are now concerned about potential for flash flooding. A supercell thunderstorm produced tennis ball-sized hail and tornadoes that moved through Illinois Tuesday evening, no injuries have been reported.

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

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

ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN PRODUCER: So, Rosemary, in the last couple of hours here in Qatar, we had really loud explosions above us here in Doha from what we now know was an Iranian missile attack on Qatar. How this kind of unfolded, we were standing here ready to speak with CNN much like we are now when we received the alert to our phone warning us of elevated danger. When we get that alert, it essentially means that there's an incoming attack and we need to take shelter.

So we moved inside. Shortly after moving inside, we heard loud explosions. One of my colleagues actually said the building that he was in shook as the intercepts took place.

Now, elsewhere in the region, currently a cargo ship is actually on fire in the Strait of Hormuz and is being evacuated -- crew are being evacuated from that. In the UAE, a container ship was hit this morning by a suspected projectile.

And in Saudi, six missiles were intercepted on their way to the Prince Sultan Air Base. That's a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia.

Now, here in Qatar last night, the foreign minister gave a press briefing where he reiterated the alliance between Qatar and the United States and said the two were in almost daily contact. Here's what else he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATAR 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 is loud and clear here from Qatar. Despite these attacks from Iran on Gulf States spilling out not just from air bases into other infrastructure, there is no plans, at least not for the near future, to stop our alliance with the United States, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Antoinette Radford joining us there live. I appreciate it.

Well, 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. Now, earlier Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed Europe's growing concern over the war.

(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)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke to the co-director of the European Security Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She says with Europe already facing attacks from Russia, the last thing the continent needs is war in the Middle East. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANA KOBZOVA, EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think the most immediate thing on the European leader's 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.

[03:34:58]

Not to mention the immediate consequences, which are already visible, which is the rising 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, 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're 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump has so far sent mixed signals about when the war will end. Well some key Senate Democrats are pushing for public congressional hearings on President Trump's Iran war plans. After attending a two-hour classified briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the war plans incoherent and incomplete.

Here's what some Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee told reporters after their briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): We want to drag this into the open and ask questions in front of the American public.

SEN. JACKY ROSEN (D-NV): If he does want to put us in a forever war, he needs to come out and let us be able to have this discussion, but take that gag order off us.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): The American people need to hear what we are hearing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Senate Republicans are supporting Trump's war plans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): I mean, this has been a total success in whatever it's been, 11 days, and I thought the President's remarks last night that he could declare victory today and it would be a 100- percent victory. I think it's true. I think we ought to say to our heroes, thank you for a job well done.

This has been absolutely amazing, it's been astounding, it's been historic. And now it's time to declare victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Congressional Republicans will need a handful of Democrats to support any effort to deliver more Pentagon funding for the Iran campaign.

Well 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. Here's what a top Australian official said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BURKE, AUSTRALIAN HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER: We as a nation are lucky that you chose us, and I think they are only just beginning to realize just how welcome they are here in Australia.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Still to come, the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical waterways, is effectively non-functional right now. A look at the impact it's having on the global economy. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN. This is your Business Breakout.

I want to start with a check of some of the Asia-Pacific markets this hour. You can see mixed there, the Nikkei and KOSPI up around 1.4 percent, and you see there the Hang Seng is down.

And these are the business headlines.

Global airlines are beginning to raise ticket prices due to the war in Iran. Air New Zealand, Qantas and Scandinavia's SAS are among the first to announce fare hikes; they are blaming the abrupt spike in the cost of plane fuel but some European carriers say there's no need to raise prices yet. Many carriers have hedged the price of oil, locking in lower prices no matter the market rate.

Well some countries in Asia are turning to U.S. oil and gas for their energy needs amid the war with Iran. Market pricing firm Argus Media says prices for U.S. light sweet crude for delivery in Asia have spiked nearly 50 percent to about $115 a barrel since the war began.

A new investigation found that nearly 40 percent of non-organic fruits and vegetables grown in California contain traces of pesticides with forever chemicals. These are chemicals that can take years, even centuries, to completely break down in the environment. One chemical which is added to stop mold and mildew has killed human cells and damaged DNA in lab tests.

Well millions of barrels of crude oil and refined fuels are now effectively stranded in the Gulf with no alternative to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. And the uncertainty around this vital waterway is having a major impact on global economies and trade. CNN's Richard Quest has the story from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR AND BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: The geography is extremely well known and understood. And that's because of that the risks currently being faced are so severe.

Take for example Maersk shipping, which has got at least 10 ships that it says stranded in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz and many more on the outside that it can't get in or out because obviously the waterway is so difficult.

[03:45:07] In addition, they are refusing to send now ships up through into the Red Sea because of the possibilities of the Houthis and the risks around Yemen. As a result, something like Maersk is saying the current situation is absolutely uncharted and unprecedented.

VINCENT CLERC, CEO, MAERSK: Some of the hubs on which global trade does rely on are actually being affected, are being closed by the situation right now. It's true for Jebel Ali, it's true for Abu Dhabi, it's true for a few of those hubs and this is going to create ripple effect I think for a while as we need to see how this is going to sort itself out. In the short run we can manage this but if this was to endure, this would create I think serious congestions and serious issues across the global supply chain.

QUEST: What happens next is anybody's guess. The very idea that this area is being mined by the Iranians or indeed that the U.S. is going in and starting to attack those various rubber dinghies and ships that's doing the mines, it's simply unheard of and frankly we don't know how it will develop. The only thing we can say with any degree of certainty is that as long as that waterway remains closed then the price of oil just keeps rising.

Richard Quest, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: 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.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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.

FRANK BARREDO, TORONTO POLICE CHIEF: There are 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.

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. 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.

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CHURCH: It's been nearly a month since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shut down and there's still been virtually no progress in the negotiations with one Senate Democrat saying lawmakers are stuck on the substance of the talks.

Democrats want reforms to immigration enforcement including tougher parameters for search and arrest warrants as well as immigration officers removing masks and wearing body cameras. Republicans and the White House have resisted nearly all of those changes blaming the stalled negotiations on Democrats.

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks and he wants this department to be fully funded and fully reopened and so to any American out there who is struggling without a paycheck we know there's more than 100,000 of you across the country to any American out there who is showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times and lines call your Democrat member of Congress and tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

That's what President Trump wants to do and it's completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:50:03]

CHURCH: The Democrats say the White House is not negotiating in good faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER: We are constantly in communication with the White House. It's not that there's a lack of means of communication. We're sending things back and forth.

It's a substantive problem. The White House will not budge on things that Americans want like warrants, like demasking, plain and simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Perhaps the biggest impact of the Homeland Security shutdown is being seen at the nation's airports. Some passengers have been stuck in security lines for three hours or more and some airports are advising travelers to arrive four to five hours before their flights.

An unexpected early return to Earth for a spacecraft NASA is waiting for a probe to re-enter the atmosphere. Find out whether it thinks you should be concerned and take a look.

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CHURCH: Social media is shining a spotlight on Chinese culture and now people half a world away are trying those traditions for themselves. The trend has become known as Chinamaxxing. CNN's Jessie Yeung has more details.

[03:55:00]

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JESSIE YEUNG, CNN SR. NEWS DESK REPORTER: Is it a very Chinese time in your life? Social media users are adopting habits like drinking hot water, wearing slippers at home and doing traditional Chinese exercises to become a Chinese baddie. It's all part of Chinamaxxing, a trend where young Westerners are embracing Chinese culture and aesthetics online.

It marks a major vibe shift within the American public. After years of xenophobia that ramped up during COVID and recent geopolitical tensions.

Some experts say it reflects a deeper dissatisfaction with life at home. Ongoing issues like the anti-immigration crackdown, political turmoil and gun violence have dulled the veneer of the U.S., pushing some young people to look elsewhere.

Their curiosity about China is partly fueled by the country's post- pandemic reopening, including relaxed visa stays and efforts to promote tourism. On social media, viral clips about seemingly futuristic cities have added to the fascination. A glimpse of progress in China, though oversimplified, presents a striking contrast to what's happening back in America.

This internet trend has been controversial too, with some Chinese diaspora calling it insensitive and cultural appropriation. But for a brief moment, it offers an unlikely digital bridge between two cultures often divided by politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 probes 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.

I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Stay tuned for more news with Rahel Solomon and Becky Anderson, that's next.

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