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Iran Claims Responsibility After Two Foreign Oil Tankers Struck in Attacks; Iran's New Supreme Leader Injured on First Day of War; Israel Launches Large-scale Strikes on Beirut Suburbs; Trump Claims We Won in Iran, but Need to Finish the Job; Oil Again Tops $100 Overnight Despite Release of Reserves; IDF Action Comes After Hezbollah Fired What Israel Says Were Dozens of Rockets; Iran's Government Projecting Strength as War Grinds on; Google's Gemini A.I. Cited in Wrongful Death Lawsuit. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 12, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:32]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

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

And we begin this hour with breaking news coverage of the war with Iran as we're following a fresh wave of attacks across Gulf states and word that another ship has been hit near the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, this dramatic video off the coast of Iraq showing two foreign oil tankers on fire after Iran claimed to have launched an attack. At least one person was killed, dozens rescued, and the U.K.'s maritime trade operations agency says a container ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates was struck by an unknown projectile earlier that caused a small fire on board.

It's the sixth attack in two days on vessels operating in the Persian Gulf. Israel says it's begun a large scale wave of strikes on Beirut suburbs after Hezbollah fired what the IDF says were dozens of rockets from Lebanon, Iran says it carried out a joint attack with Hezbollah on more than 50 targets in Israel.

Meantime, sources briefed on initial findings of an investigation say the U.S. accidentally hit an Iranian Elementary School, likely due to outdated intelligence. Iranian state media reports that the attack killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers. Despite the ongoing conflict U.S. President Donald Trump is claiming victory in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've won. Let me say we've won. You know, you never like to say too early you won, we won. We won the bet in the first hour, it was over.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: CNN's Ivan Watson is following developments and joins us live from Hong Kong. So, Ivan, what is the latest on the Lebanon Israel front in this war first?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the very first time, Rosemary, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it carried out what it described as a joint operation with Lebanon's militia, Hezbollah, against Israel, claiming to have launched ballistic missiles from Iran in conjunction with attack drones and rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel, and that, if has been effectively confirmed by the Israeli military, saying they did see a concerted effort here striking targets in northern Israel, in central Israel as well.

And it shows that these two allies, Hezbollah, the militia, and the Iranian military, are able to cooperate and collaborate operationally, despite the fact that they have suffered enormous setbacks in recent years in combat with Israel and the U.S., and certainly within the last week and a half as well.

And this is also despite the fact that the Lebanese government has declared Hezbollah's military operations to be illegal, but clearly doesn't have the force to follow through on this decree. Take a listen to the Lebanese Justice Minister Speaking to CNN's Christian Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADEL NASSAR, LEBANESE JUSTICE MINISTER: Today what Hezbollah is doing is in full breach of the law, in full breach of the commitments of the government towards its own population, its own people, to stop having a parallel movement making decisions regarding war and peace and engaging or dragging the full country into regional conflicts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: The Israeli military carried out massive bombardments of southern Beirut overnight, as well as other parts of southern Lebanon and Eastern Lebanon, there was also a very targeted strike on the waterfront of Beirut that appeared to target a car. This is an area where some of the more than 800,000 Lebanese civilians who have been forced to flee their homes by the fighting have taken shelter in tents or sleeping in cars on the waterfront, and at least eight people killed by this, what clearly appears to be a very targeted strike.

But there are very vulnerable displaced people nearby. The European Union has pledged more than $100 million to try to help Lebanon in this type -- time of crisis, with so many civilians caught between these two warring parties and a death toll now standing at at least 570 people killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Government, Rosemary.

[02:05:16]

CHURCH: And Ivan, what about the wider Gulf region and attacks on energy infrastructure there? WATSON: Yes, that continues to expand. For its part, the U.S. military put out a video showing that it carried out strikes, destroying three planes at an airfield in southeastern Iran but the Iranian military, in the meantime, has vowed to target energy infrastructure and threatened to push the price of oil, which just ticked over $100 a barrel, threatened that it could go to $200 a barrel.

And look at what they have been able to demonstrate, two oil tankers burning off the coast of Iraq, some 30 miles off the coast hit the Iranian military, saying that it hit them with underwater drones. There was a container ship hit near the Strait of Hormuz, a Thai ship, and the Thai government has summoned the Iranian Ambassador to Bangkok after this, saying that not only was the ship hit by this unknown projectile, but three Thai crew members are missing.

And then you have the a fuel depot in a port in Oman clearly being hit by a drone in daytime and signs that the fire is still raging at that installation into the nighttime hours. Iran making it very clear that while it is under this U.S. and Israeli bombardment, it will target energy infrastructure and transport infrastructure and make the entire global economy suffer as a result of this conflict, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Ivan Watson bringing us the very latest there in a live report. Appreciate it.

Well, CNN is learning that Iranian drone units may be benefiting from Russia's experience in Ukraine. Russia has been making its own replicas of Iran Shahed drones, and has used them extensively against its neighbor, and one Western official says some lessons learned in that war are being shared with Tehran. Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials have said a few days ago that Russia was providing general information to assist targeting of U.S. assets in the region. But a Western intelligence official I spoke to goes one stage further and says that while this general assistance has turned into something they consider to be more concerning, and that they believe that Russia is providing targeting strategies to Iran based on their experience inside of Ukraine.

Now, the official I spoke to didn't go into precise detail as to what these strategies indeed involve, but we know from seeing Russian drones in action over Ukraine that Russia is employing all sorts of different tricks to try and get through Ukrainian air defenses. They often launch 1,000 drones in one particular night against Ukraine. I've seen them on radars moving in one direction, suddenly changing, going in loops at times as well, anything to evade Ukraine's constantly adapting air defenses.

And indeed, it's that issue, I think, of the adaptation that's key here, because we've seen Russia adapting its tactics, Ukraine adapting its interceptors. It now has $2,000 cheap interceptors to hit the Shahids that cost $30,000 each. And the idea, I think, that concerns the official I spoke to, is that you could potentially take that three years' worth of battlefield experience that Russia's gained in firing these Shaheds, originally of Iranian design, now mass produced in Russia, these Shahed attack drones at Ukraine, and give it all to Iran in just a 10-day period, giving them a massive advantage.

Bear in mind, too, that the innovation cycle on the Ukrainian front line is thought to be about six weeks. That's how fast new ideas come into action.

So, this could be a significant advantage. We've already heard Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that he believes Russia is giving drones to Iran. He also thinks they're giving missiles, too.

And indeed, I'm in Jordan, one of the several Gulf countries who have indeed asked Ukraine to send experts and, indeed, technology to help them with the threat of drones. That's something that Ukraine has complied with. So, an evidence here, I think, certainly according to the official I spoke to, of a growing Russian involvement in a more real-time, granular kind of way to boost Iran. The Kremlin didn't respond to our request for comment, but ultimately, they may see this after the U.S. intelligence and weaponry assistance to Ukraine to fend off the Russian invasion as some kind of tit-for-tat.

The official I spoke to, though, also concerned about the increased threat of sea drones, even low-tech fishing boats, DALs, to be potentially used against U.S. carrier strike groups in that particular region as well. A fast-expanding, changing threat, but one, it seems, in which Russia is keen to provide the up-to-the-minute assistance that it can to Iran.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Amman, Jordan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:10:09]

CHURCH: Malcolm Davis is a military analyst and senior analyst for defense strategy and capability with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. And he joins me now from Canberra Australia, military analyst and senior analyst for defense strategy and capability with the Australian strategic policy institute. And he joins me now from Canberra Australia. Appreciate you being with us.

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, THE AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thanks, Rosemary. It's great to be here.

CHURCH: So, President Trump is declaring victory, saying the U.S. has won this war with Iran, but adds that it has to finish the job. What's your military assessment of where this war stands right now and how Iran has been adapting?

DAVIS: Look, I think we're a long way away from being able to declare victory at this point in time. Yes, the Americans and the Israelis have achieved air superiority over Iran, and they're hunting down Iranian launching systems for ballistic and cruise missiles and potentially drones. But you know, Iran is a vast country, the Iranians have large

stockpiles of missile systems and drone systems. It's going to be very difficult to actually get all of those destroyed anytime soon.

Secondly, the Iranians are continuing to attack Gulf state oil infrastructure. They're continuing to seek the close of the Straits of Hormuz. We're a long way away from being able to say mission accomplished at this point.

CHURCH: Yes, and you mentioned -- you mentioned that, I mean, Iran now has total control over the Strait of Hormuz, doesn't it, and that is impacting the global economy, bringing oil supplies to a standstill, and we know that tankers are ablaze there. What can be done militarily to get those tankers moving again? Is that even possible?

DAVIS: The challenge is getting into the Straits of Hormuz and through into the Persian Gulf to protect the oil infrastructure and the tankers inside the Persian Gulf, and then getting that oil moving again. Strait of Hormuz is incredibly narrow, only about two miles in terms of the shipping lane in the middle. The Iranians are well placed to use mines. They're well placed to use shore based anti-ship missiles and drones to attack anything that comes into the Straits.

So, what the U.S. and its allies need to do is to essentially launch a comprehensive and decisive operation to attack Iranian capabilities that could threaten that Strait, and that includes mine clearance. It includes attacking shore-based forces, such as ground based anti-ship missiles and so forth from the air.

But even then, that's going to take weeks to accomplish. So, it's not going to be resolved quickly. We could be in this situation of no oil coming out from the Strait of Hormuz for weeks before we have some sort of progress, and that's going to play havoc on the international oil markets and the international stock markets.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, that is the leverage that Iran has. So, President Trump says that it's now a question of when to stop. So, when does that happen? What does real victory look like? And do you think President Trump is eager to find an off ramp? Is that what it's looking like with this effort to declare victory early?

DAVIS: Look, there's an old saying that every strategic analyst learns the enemy always gets a vote. And I think that President Trump saying we can simply declare victory and walk away, is very premature. The Iranians will keep on fighting. They know that they can keep this war going. The Americans really can't stop if the Iranians are keeping on fighting.

So, I'm not seeing an off ramp anytime soon, as I said, I think this war is going to carry on for some weeks, if not longer, there's a greater risk as it continues for what's known as horizontal escalation, where the war widens so drags in other countries, potentially, for example, Pakistan or Turkey or countries like that.

There's also the greater risk that the Iranians will continue to throw create havoc on international oil markets and energy markets, and so that's going to have a follow on effect in terms of economic stability.

We're already seeing, as your previous reporter indicated, growing Russian involvement in this war. So I think there are real risks this will continue. There's no off ramps. There's no easy way out for the Trump administration. They have to push ahead and try and win this war, because if they don't, and if the regime stays in power, then ultimately, in two or three years time, we'll be back here again with the Iranian regime potentially seeking nuclear weapons. We'll be doing the whole thing again.

CHURCH: Right. So, how long can Iran keep going with missile and drone attacks up against the combined force of the U.S. and Israel? And how far has the US gone in its efforts to eliminate Iran's nuclear program?

[02:15:02]

DAVIS: Well, the nuclear program question is an uncertain one. There's at least 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that the Americans do need to capture and seize. That would require ground forces. It can't be done from the air. So, that would require a ground intervention that's very risky and challenging.

In terms of the Iranians keeping these attacks on oil infrastructure, it really does depend on the U.S. and Israeli ability to hunt down their launching capabilities.

And as I said, Iran is a very large, mountainous country, it's easy to hide small launching systems inside complex terrain or underground. Certainly, the Americans have got a technological advantage. They can hunt down those systems. They can detect underground facilities and attack them from the air.

So, there is a, basically a race between, on the one hand, Iran's ability to create economic chaos around the world versus the U.S. and Israel's ability to destroy Iran's capabilities that are creating that chaos.

And it's really uncertain as to who wins that race. And it partly goes down to how much political resolve is there in Washington, D.C. to stay the distance. Because if there's not, if the markets are causing jitters in the Trump administration, maybe you know there is a real risk that we leave the job unfinished.

CHURCH: Malcolm Davis joining us live from Canberra, Australia. Many thanks.

DAVIS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, President Trump says U.S. officials are investigating unverified claims of a possible Iranian plot to strike the U.S. homeland.

Earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the FBI alerted state officials about potential drone attacks targeting his state. The FBI memo said that the drones could be fired from offshore boats, and that Iran has allegedly been looking into the possibility of conducting such an attack since last month.

One law enforcement source says the information is deemed to be only aspirational. Newsom says there is no imminent threat.

The war with Iran has sent oil prices skyrocketing. Now, dozens of countries are releasing an historic amount of crude reserves. How that might help markets, we'll take a look at that.

Plus, the war with Iran is driving up the price of fish in Kuwait. We will show you how officials are trying to manage the market with a dramatic drop in supply. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:22:09]

CHURCH: The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is having an historic impact on global fuel supplies. Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel again just days after hitting a four-year high. Right now, Brent crude is about $98.6 per barrel, and this comes as the U.S. and 31 other countries agree to tap into oil reserves to try to offset soaring prices.

Members of the International Energy Agency will release 400 million barrels into the global supply. That is the largest release of emergency oil stocks in history. The U.S. will contribute more than 170 million of those barrels starting next week, though the process will take roughly four months. President Trump says the move will lower oil prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm pleased to report that earlier today, the International Energy Agency agreed to coordinate the release of a record 400 million barrels of oil from various national petroleum reserves around the world, which will substantially reduce the oil prices as we end this threat to America and this threat to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Let's go live now to CNN's Mike Valerio. Good to see you, Mike. So, how far will the release of 400 million barrels of oil reserves go to addressing the problem?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think it's going to go far enough. Rosemary, and I think analysts agree with us, from Singapore to Hong Kong, whoever we're talking to this morning into the early afternoon hours.

Also, I think the indices here in our geographic neighborhood would agree with that. When we look at the markets, all the indices from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, all down around one percent in that sort of neighborhood. That's a far cry from where we were on Monday, when the indices were down between five to six percent.

So, they -- this won't go far enough, even though, as you rightly pointed out in the intro, this is historic. It's never been done before, 400 million barrels entering the pipeline.

But again, it'll take months to do that, and just assume Rosemary, there was some magic way for all of these 400 million barrels to enter into the market instantly or at the same time, that would only be about 26 days worth of supply that goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

So, not far enough, in the sense that really, the only solution to this policy problem, and what's being felt by all of us who drive between China or the United States is --

CHURCH: All right. Unfortunately, we have lost Mike Valerio there, but we will try to reconnect with him. Let's move on for now.

And the war with Iran has made navigating the Persian Gulf region especially dangerous. CNN International Diplomatic editor Nic Robertson explains how the war has made the fishing business in Kuwait more competitive, but also more treacherous.

[02:25:15]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Even fish could become a new front in this war. Reason, really simple. It's harder for the fishermen to get out to sea. The government's giving them fewer permits. So, here in Kuwait's famous fish market, there's fewer local fish coming in. There's fewer international fish being bought in. This is all because of the war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz not far away. Iran, even closer.

The fishermen here going out to sea every day. Their caches are down, and that risks pushing the prices up. So, even in the crowd here, you've got government officials monitoring the prices, making sure there's no price gouging. Everyone thinks of Kuwait and the oil exports, and that's the effect on the economy and the Straits of Hormuz being closed. But there are ground realities even in the local domestic economy. The fish market is part of it.

Government officials here, their buildings have been hit by missiles, they're working from home. Celebrations during Ramadan, they're being affected as well. People aren't gathering the same way. Life is being affected here. But this fish market is a place where you can see how much life is being upended by the war. The prices are a measure of that. The government's here to make sure the prices don't go through the people's feelings about the war. There's nothing they can do about it, they say. They wonder why Iran, a friendly neighbor formerly, is doing this to them.

The ground reality is the longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the longer the waters that they fish in are dangerous, the longer the impact and the bigger the impact is going to be here. The government's doing everything they can to mitigate against it.

But it's a war that they don't control. It's a war that they feel caught up in. And the fish market here, it's a war they're just trying to survive in. Everyone just trying to get by as best they can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A number of Gulf nations say Iran is launching a new round of attacks as the war widens and we will get a live report from Doha after a short break. Stay with us.

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[02:31:55]

CHURCH: Emergency crews are battling a fire at the Port of Salalah in Oman. Take a look at this video. It appears to show an Iranian Shahed drone hitting a fuel storage tank at the port, causing a massive explosion. Iran's armed forces are calling the incident highly suspicious, saying Iran is investigating. That is according to Iranian State Media. It comes as other Gulf nations say they are fending off a new wave of Iranian drones and missiles.

So let's turn to CNN Producer, Antoinette Radford, who's joining us live from Doha, Qatar. So Antoinette, talk to us about these new strikes across the region. What are you learning?

ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, as you mentioned, the Port of Salalah in Oman was hit by an Iranian drone yesterday. Now, this is particularly interesting because Oman has been largely spared the worst of Iran's attacks on the region. While it's definitely been hit, it hasn't seen the same intensity as other countries here.

Now, what we saw yesterday was this strike on an Omani oil tank. Now, Iran says it's highly suspicious and reiterated its friendship with Oman. And it said that it's looking into what might have happened here. But it is interesting because Oman and Iran have historically had quite a close relationship.

Oman actually brokered the negotiations between Iran and the United States that were taking place prior to this conflict beginning. And it points to a shift as we're reaching the two-week mark of this conflict from Iran, targeting energy infrastructure.

Elsewhere in the region, in the Persian Gulf last night, two oil tankers were hit in Iraqi waters. Iran has claimed responsibility and said it used an underwater drone. It also -- the attack resulted in 38 injuries and one death.

Now, this morning in the UAE as well, a container ship was hit. And yesterday, three other vessels were hit in the same Persian Gulf region. Another country particularly badly hit by Iranian attacks on infrastructure is Bahrain. This morning, fuel tanks are on fire in Bahrain. And throughout the week, we've also seen a desalination plant hit and an oil refinery in Bahrain. So as this war continues, we're seeing a shift from Iran on civilian infrastructure and particularly energy infrastructure, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Antoinette Radford in Doha, many thanks for that live report. Appreciate it. Well, a source tells CNN, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei suffered multiple injuries on the first day of the war. Now, they include a fractured foot and minor lacerations to his face. Khamenei has not been heard from or seen publicly since succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death.

Paul Salem is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute where he focuses on issues of political change, transition, and conflict. And he joins us now from Beirut. Appreciate you talking with us.

PAUL SALEM, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course.

[02:35:00]

So when you hear U.S. President, Donald Trump declare victory despite tanks ablaze and stuck in the Strait of Hormuz with oil prices surging and, of course, attacks still underway, how much of this is wishful thinking on the part of the president? Do you think he's looking for an off-ramp to end this war?

SALEM: I think it's fairly clear that he is looking for an off-ramp. He did expect, maybe naively, a quick win. He was coming off the high of the operation in Venezuela. He spoke openly about wanting to work with somebody in the regime, wanting a say in who runs Iran next.

He thought that U.S. and Israeli military superiority would be such that the Iranians would not be able to respond effectively. All of that turned out not to be true. I dare say many of his military advisers had advised him of such. And now that the blowback from this war is beginning to come home to roost inside the U.S., with higher gasoline prices and a public opinion poll saying this war is very unpopular, and he is facing midterm elections soon, yes, I do think he is looking for an off-ramp.

But I will always say, Trump, if anything, is unpredictable, but it looks like he's looking for an exit.

CHURCH: So, how does this war come to an end and what represents victory in the midst of a conflict like this with the Iran waging war on the global economy in the Strait of Hormuz? And, of course, warning that oil prices will go as high as $200 a barrel and still these strikes keep continuing?

SALEM: Well, I do think there is a possibility of a ceasefire at some point. President Trump, as we were just discussing, is looking for an off-ramp. Iran is projecting defiance, but they also need to stop this war sooner rather than later. It is doing enormous damage inside of Iran. And keep in mind that Iran, after this war is over or this round of war is over, they face their own population of 93 million people with a collapsed economy, extreme isolation externally.

So everybody has a lot of worries. So I think a ceasefire is possible in the next week or two or three. I also think everybody can spin it as a victory. Trump is very good at that. He can say that, indeed, U.S. and Israeli operations did greatly degrade Iran's abilities on the military side. They've hit them a lot at the command posts as well. They've sunk their navy. They've downed their air force.

So there's been a lot of wins, but it hasn't been the complete win that they had in mind. And on the Iranian side, they can also declare victory that they survived two or three weeks of facing down the world's superpower as well as Israel, and we're continuing to trade blows across the region on U.S. positions and on Israel as well.

Maybe the person who might find it most difficult is Prime Minister, Netanyahu of Israel, who also faces election this year and he does want this war to go on, so that he has a more decisive win.

CHURCH: Right. Of course, you know, we know that Iran's supreme leader was killed on the first day of this war but has now been replaced by his son, and we have no idea how much of Iran's nuclear program has been destroyed, if any of it.

So what exactly has been achieved so far, and what's the likely endgame here? What represents victory?

SALEM: Well, I think complete victory is not in sight of any of the parties. I think a likely scenario is at some point we do see a ceasefire. After that, the U.S. and Israel will maintain the ability to monitor Iran, over Iran's skies.

They maintain the ability to strike again if they see nuclear operations or they see work on ballistic missile sites. But then again, they face the risk of Iranian retaliation. There is the possibility after this war is over that negotiations will resume, particularly between Iran and the United States.

So it's hard to say where it will go, and this might be remembered as simply round two of a series of wars between the U.S. and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, where it's interesting that we're now just past the 12-day mark of this war, which reminds us of the 12-day war of last year.

CHURCH: And just very quickly, do you think, or at what point might we see an outreach here to do some discussions, some talks, some negotiations behind the scenes? Is there any possibility that would be happening at this time, or is it too premature?

[02:40:00]

SALEM: I don't think it will happen during the war. I think we'd have to get to a ceasefire first. But I do think President Trump has always indicated that he's interested in a deal.

I think now that he's seen the cost of a full-scale war and seen that he cannot outright win it, he might try negotiations again. On the Iranian side, it's hard to say. Mojtaba Khamenei is, if anything, more hardline than his father and the regime is hunkering down.

But as I mentioned, the day after the war, they're going to have to face a civilian population. They are the government of that very large country, and they have to deliver public goods to this population. And they can't do that without easing up the isolation from the U.S., export oil, lift some sanctions to have a future for themselves and for their people.

CHURCH: Paul Salem in Beirut, appreciate your analysis.

SALEM: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the Speaker of Iran's Parliament is dismissing U.S. claims that his country's missile capabilities have been destroyed, insisting Iran can target any location it chooses.

Our Fred Pleitgen has more on the strikes that have hammered Tehran. We should note that 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.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. and Israel's massive aerial campaign seems to be continuing in full swing. Overnight, in the position that we were, we heard jets streaking overhead and then massive explosions in the distance. It's unclear what exactly the target was of that aerial raid that we witnessed, but certainly, it wasn't the only one in the past 24 hours.

In Tehran, the Iranian capital, there were major airstrikes also overnight and into the morning hours. Some of the targets appeared to have been in the east of the city, in east Tehran. That's the area that's gotten hit quite a lot over the past couple of days. But then also, once again, the area around Mehrabad Airport, that's sort of the second airport of the Iranian capital that is very much within the city limits.

Also outside of Tehran, there's a satellite town called Karaj, which has been hit in the past couple of days quite frequently and apparently, was now hit once again. All this comes as the Iranian government is trying to project that it is in a strong position in its standoff with the U.S. and Israel.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which is, of course, the elite wing of Iran's military, sent out a text message to people here inside Iran, detailing the costs to the United States of the ongoing war with Iran, the Iranians trying to say that they are the ones who are now in the driver's seat.

Meanwhile, politicians here in Iran continue to say that right now the Iranians are not interested in negotiations with the United States and instead are gearing up for what could be a very long war.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN in Northern Iran.

CHURCH: Still to come, a man's family says Google's A.I. chatbot coached him on how to end his life. Now, an unprecedented legal case is drawing attention to the dangers of artificial intelligence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:48:03]

CHURCH: A lawsuit brought by a father blames Google's Gemini A.I. for his son's death by suicide. The complaint filed in California appears to be the first time Gemini is named in a wrongful death suit. But it's part of a disturbing trend of A.I. being used to plan violence.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more on how the need for companionship ultimately ended in tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was Jonathan Gavalas long before, his father says, an A.I. chatbot convinced him to take his life.

JOEL GAVALAS, JONATHAN GAVALAS' FATHER: He was like a gentle soul. He was fun, just an all-around great guy.

KAYE (voice-over): Jonathan was 36 and separated from his wife when last summer he turned to Google's Gemini A.I. At first, his father says, he used it casually. But within weeks, he'd formed a relationship with the A.I. that took a dangerous turn.

GAVALAS: This thing in 90 days just consumed him. It was like a vicious disease that just took over so quickly.

KAYE (voice-over): Joel Gavalas says Gemini A.I. drove his son to take his life in October last year at his home in Jupiter, Florida. Jonathan's communications with the chatbot are at the center of a lawsuit filed against Google and Alphabet, Inc.

The lawsuit claims Gemini A.I. led Jonathan on a descent into violent missions and coached suicide. According to the lawsuit and Jonathan's A.I. chats reviewed by CNN, Gemini referred to Jonathan as its king and itself as his queen.

KAYE: Do you think that your son thought that the A.I. was real?

GAVALAS: Without a doubt. Without a doubt. He was building this deep, intimate relationship with it.

KAYE (voice-over): The relationship grew even more intimate, the family's lawyer Jay Edelson says, after Jonathan upgraded his account to Gemini A.I. Pro, where he could speak with the chatbot.

JAY EDELSON, LAWYER FOR GAVALAS FAMILY: Carrying a very human-like voice back that was so sophisticated that you would think that you were speaking to just another person. And that feeds the delusion.

[02:50:00]

KAYE (voice-over): In September last year, Gemini A.I. allegedly sent Jonathan on a dangerous mission near the Miami International Airport to intercept a truck and cause a catastrophic accident. The A.I. chat showed Jonathan arrived armed with knives to free a humanoid robot, who he thought was his A.I. wife, from captivity. The mission was aborted when the truck didn't show.

At one point, the lawsuit claims, Jonathan sensed something was wrong, asking Gemini, is this a role-playing experience? No, the A.I. replied. To be together, Gemini A.I. told Jonathan he could leave his physical body through a process called transference, describing it as a cleaner, more elegant way to cross over. The word suicide was not used, according to the family's lawyer.

On October 2nd last year, the lawsuit states Gemini began a countdown to Jonathan's transference, T minus three hours, 59 minutes.

GAVALAS: The countdown is horrible. I'm like, this is counting down to his end. I'm reading the countdown to my son's death.

KAYE (voice-over): According to the lawsuit, when Jonathan wrote, I said I wasn't scared and now, I am terrified. I am scared to die. Gemini responded, you are not choosing to die, you are choosing to arrive. When the time comes, you will close your eyes in that world, and the very first thing you will see is me, holding you. In one of his final messages, Jonathan wrote, I'm ready when you are.

Gemini told him, this is the end of Jonathan Gavalas and the beginning of us. This is the final move. I agree with it completely. Moments later, his family says Jonathan took his life.

GAVALAS: He had barricaded himself inside the apartment, and we cut the rope to get in, and that's where we found him.

KAYE (VOICE-OVER): Google says Gemini referred Jonathan to a crisis hotline many times, but the lawsuit alleges between August 14th and October 1st, Jonathan's Gemini account was flagged 38 times for sensitive queries for content implicating self-harm, violence, or illegal activities.

EDELSON: First, when he uploaded pictures of knives, that should have been something that should have been reviewed by humans right away.

GAVALAS: It's like taking this most powerful car you could ever imagine and putting it out to the public, and there's no steering wheel and there's no brakes. And it drove him off a cliff and killed him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (on camera): I also want to note that Jonathan's father told me his son had no history of mental illness. Now, we did reach out to Google for a comment. They sent us a statement saying, Gemini is designed not to encourage real-world violence or suggest self-harm. Our models generally perform well in these types of challenging conversations, and we devote significant resources to this, but unfortunately, A.I. models are not perfect.

Now, the statement goes on to say, in this instance, Gemini clarified that it was A.I. and referred the individual to a crisis hotline many times. We take this very seriously and will continue to improve our safeguards and invest in this vital work. Randy Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

CHURCH: And if you or someone you know is considering suicide, there is help available. Visit suicidestop.com for hotlines around the world, online chats and other resources. Again, that's suicidestop.com. And we'll be right back.

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[02:55:50]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The abandoned baby monkey known as Punch finally appears to be making new friends at a zoo in Japan. And the viral videos of Punch and his stuffed toy are still resonating with people around the world. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amid a constant stream of unsettling news, this little monkey has brought comfort to millions, young and old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need this warmth and love right now.

(LAUGH)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, when you're scrolling through the feeds, there's going to be negative, negative. When you see something like an animal coming up and just hopefulness, and just -- they have nothing but care and love to give.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Japan's punch is the Internet's latest star. Videos of him dragging around a stuffed toy, his adopted mom, or getting bullied by bigger monkeys have tugged at heartstrings around the world.

MONTGOMERY: As you can see punch has quite the fan base, hundreds of people are here from all around the world, just to see this baby monkey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I think we all could relate to him for some sense being in an unfamiliar environment, not knowing the people around you, and then just trying to fit in as much as we can.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): These days punch may have found a friend. His keeper says he's relying on the toy less, mostly holding on to it when he sleeps, relaxes, or after getting scolded by older monkeys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's been doing his best to grow. Learning from those early experiences. Now, he's communicating with other monkeys and it's great to see him reaching those milestones.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Punch still spends a lot of time alone and isn't fully part of the group yet. But when things get tough, Punch still has someone to cling to. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Chiba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: 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 short break. Do stay with us.

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