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Report: Trump Unwilling To Make Ceasefire Deal With Iran; Iran Threatens Retaliation For U.S. Strikes On Key Oil Hub; Trump Calls On Other Nations To Help Secure Strait of Hormuz; Formula 1 Calls Off Races In Middle East Due To Iran War; Hollywood Gears Up For Sunday's Academy Awards; Sandstorm Sweeps Through Tent Camps In Gaza. Aired 10- 11p ET

Aired March 14, 2026 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:45]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN HOST: And hello to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and I'll be with you the next three hours walking you through the live developments in the Middle East and all around the world. But as you can imagine, we do want to begin with the latest on the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran.

President Donald Trump now says that he is not ready to strike a ceasefire deal with Iran yet. And he also questions whether the country's new supreme leader is even alive. Speaking with NBC News, the president called the news of Mojtaba Khamenei's death a rumor, but said if he's alive, quote, "he should do something very smart for his country. And that's surrender."

Iran for its part is denying claims from the Trump administration that their new leader was wounded or disfigured.

I want you to listen to Iran's foreign minister as he spoke to MS NOW.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: There is no problem with the new supreme leader. He sent his message yesterday, and he will perform his duties he is performing his duties according to the Constitution, and he will continue to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And this comes amid a new warning from Iran's military. Earlier, Tehran said that it believes that it has a legitimate right to target the UAE, including what it calls U.S. military hideouts. Iran is now threatening retaliation against the U.S. following the strikes on Kharg Island which actually handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude oil exports. The U.S. military says that it struck dozens of military targets while preserving the islands oil infrastructure.

Let's go now to CNN's Will Ripley, who joins me now live from Taipei.

Will, you have updates on multiple fronts.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it sounds like what Iran is saying now, Polo, is that if these strikes on energy infrastructure, that they are alleging, continue, that they are going to expand what they believe are legitimate military targets beyond U.S. military assets. But any U.S. tied assets in the region, assets where Americans could even just be shareholders.

So, this would open up a wide range of facilities across the Middle East to potential attacks. You're talking about oil terminals, ports refineries, industrial zones, data centers, logistics operations, facilities. All of these could potentially be hit. So, Iran trying to deter future attacks on its own infrastructure by threatening to broaden this conflict even more. That's, of course, in addition to having the global economy essentially in a chokehold by cutting off the transit in the Strait of Hormuz.

So, it's -- this is obviously potentially going to impact Gulf states even further, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. And Iran, basically, the revolutionary guard warning, essentially that the U.S. should move its industrial plants out of the region, that they are now going to be fair game to be attacked, Polo.

So, it sounds as if -- obviously, to no surprise of anybody who's been following this over the last several weeks, this is only threatening to escalate even further and get even further out of -- out of control.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to CNN's Will Ripley for that live report.

Ukraine's president is accusing Russia of playing an even bigger role in the war in Iran, with them previously reported. In fact, sources now telling CNN earlier that Russia is supplying Iran with intelligence about locations and movements of U.S. forces, and that Tehran that it's also receiving help with advanced drone tactics.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that some drones used Iranian -- I should say that some drones used Iranian attacks -- in those attacks, they were actually made in Russia. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: They built and produced a lot of drones. They gave them. I have 100 percent facts that they that Iranian regime used against American bases and against our Middle East in Middle East.

[22:05:00]

I mean, my intelligence told me that they said if Europe and the United States can help Ukraine with intelligence in this war, it means that Russia can help Iranian regime. This is their point of view on this. So it's a fact and you see that it's not a big secret. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: All right. Let's bring in Aaron David Miller. He's a former State Department Middle East negotiator and also senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

David, thank you so much for coming back with us

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Pleasure to be here, Polo.

SANDOVAL: I know it's been a busy day, David. President Trump, he continues to pitch this idea of the U.S. and allied nations, I should say, Aaron David, that they should send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Tell me about how much of a challenge that would be. And, Aaron David, if that, in your view, could prove to be successful.

MILLER: Look, let's start from the end. If, in fact the president was able to assemble a coalition of the willing/unwilling, I don't know about the Chinese. Yeah, serious countries deploying naval assets could open the straits and keep it open.

The problem is we're talking a lot of time. You're going to have to suppress coastal fire. You may even have to deploy American forces along the coast. You're going to have to destroy Iran's capacity to use anti-ship, short range ballistic missiles and drones because if you're deploying escorts, you're going to have to have force protection.

You're going to need to engage in a huge demining, effort, in a part of the world where the shipping lanes, the straits, maybe 21 miles, but the shipping lanes are only two. And then you're going to have to have sustained naval escorts of these tankers, as well as the sustained naval presence in the Gulf. You're talking about months here, and you're talking about the potential of drawing -- of drawing other countries.

Clearly, the ones on the list, South Korea, Japan, China, I think the French were mentioned, maybe you can get the Brits and French to participate, but they could easily be drawn into conflict with Iran. I mean, we have some experience, right? '87, '88, we escorted Kuwaiti tankers. We had to reflag the tankers for legal issues to make sure that they were U.S.-flagged in order to protect them.

And we put together a significant coalition in the Red Sea in the fall of 2023 in response to the Houthis. But Iran presents a threat of a much different magnitude. And frankly, if I were if I were running any of these countries invited, I would want to ask the president of the United States the fundamental question, how does this end? Where are you going? What's your objectives?

Before I participate in anything like this, you really need a strategy. And that would involve a de-escalation ramp through negotiations as well. I don't see any of that coming together quickly.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. You answered my other question, which was, what are some of those questions that these countries should be asking? But then also, you're talking about a president that has previously highly criticized the leaders of some of these countries. What is the president's ability right now to actually gather a coalition of willing nations to help them try to reestablish at least free navigation in that strait?

MILLER: I mean, it never ceases to amaze me. President -- I worked for, worked and voted for Republicans and Democrats for almost 30 years. Never ceases to amaze me how the allies, the European allies, many other countries, key Arab states never pushed back.

They pushed back over Greenland, for sure. But it seems to me that the Europeans really are caught in a bind. They're scared of Trump. They want things from him. They want to remain on his good side.

Again, if you're going to participate in this, you're going to want to know what the American strategy is. And right now, frankly, I'm not sure we have a good answer. We are wandering all over the parking lot with respect to what we want to see in a war that is now two weeks and is likely to go, I would think conservatively, another four to six to eight. And if we really are serious about assembling international coalition or president likes to refer to -- refer to it as an armada, we're talking many months.

And I'm not -- I don't know whether those countries or even the president's own interests would be able to sustain that.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. You said something here on CNN that really stuck with me too, which was that we need to be realistic about where this is heading, and also what you described as a sobering reality in terms of trying to reestablish free navigation.

[22:10:04]

I mean, at this point in time, though, two weeks into the exchange of fire, I mean, is it your sense that whoever holds de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz essentially may have the best cards to play?

MILLER: I mean, I think that's right. I mean, I wonder also again, geography is destiny and the Gulf states are incredibly vulnerable. Proximity means vulnerability. They banked their future on security and stability. There's no way they're going to be able to attract the financial and economic development that they need. The sporting events, Qatar -- the Qataris have a Louvre of -- the Louvre in Doha without a normalized relationship.

And the notion that they're going to be left with an embittered, angry Iran seeking retribution and revenge for an American and an Israeli -- comprehensive American and Israeli military campaign, that poses a huge problem for these countries. Now, to what degree they're going to have influence with the president in an effort to push him and press him to try to determine what's the pathway out of here.

And right, now frankly, I don't see it. He was looking for an Iranian Delcy Rodriguez that's unlikely if one is going to emerge as my Carnegie colleague, Karim Sadjadpour, says, he's going to end up now with an Iranian Delcy Rodriguez. He's going to end up with an Iranian Kim Jong Un, a defiant leader who has no intention of rolling over to the Americans.

And that I think flows from a completely inaccurate assessment of what American military power could do and how the Iranians would respond to it. If they were surprised the Iranians would close the straits, if they were surprised the Iranians would use their short range ballistic missiles and drones against Gulf states, then somebody wasn't briefing the president or he wasn't listening, or, frankly, he didn't care.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. Delcy Rodriguez, the Venezuelan leader that replaced Nicolas Maduro after the Trump administration took into custody. That leader.

Aaron David Miller, really appreciate all of the insight, not just right now, but all day, really helping us better understand the ongoing conflict and the -- and what's truly at stake. Thank you.

MILLER: Appreciate you, Polo. Take care.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

Formula One is now calling off upcoming races in the Middle East due to safety concerns over the war in Iran. They were set to take place in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month. But now both countries have been hit by Tehran's retaliatory missiles.

CNN's World Sport's Don Riddell with the latest

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The war in the Middle East is starting to impact the international sports calendar in quite a big way, and Formula One has announced that they're going to have to drop two of the races from their schedule. The news, which had been widely anticipated, came early on Sunday morning in Shanghai, where the teams were preparing for the Chinese Grand Prix, the seasons fourth race in Bahrain and the fifth race in Saudi Arabia will now not take place this year. Both countries have been sucked into the violence following the attacks launched by the USA and Israel on Iran two weeks ago.

Those races would have been held in April, but the freight for those events would have had to be sent over there soon, and there is no end to the hostilities in sight. The president of motorsports world governing body, Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, "The FIA will always place the safety and well-being of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind. We continue to hope for calm, safety and a swift return to stability in the region, and my thoughts remain with all those affected by these recent events."

Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali echoed those sentiments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO DOMENICALI, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF FORMULA 1: Through unfortunate situation, and that was a decision that has to be taken considering exactly what is going on in that region. And as always, when you have to take this action, it's not easy. You have to think of the bigger picture. But let me first of all, thank the FIA and the promoters who understood completely the situation we took a joint decision together for the benefit of the sport.

RIDDELL: So F1 will race this weekend in China and then again in Japan on March the 29th after which there will be a five-week break until the next scheduled race in Miami. The 24-race season will now become a 22-race season.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[22:15:00]

SANDOVAL: And this just in. We now know the names of the six U.S. crew members who were killed when their refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. They've been identified by the Pentagon as Major John Klinner, Captain Ariana Savino, Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, Captain Seth Koval, Captain Curtis Angst, and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons.

That incident is currently under investigation. The military says that it was not a result of any hostile fire or friendly fire.

More after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: So, in a little under 24 hours, we will know who has won Hollywood's top prize. As you see there, some final touches to the red carpet are happening right now ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards. And those iconic Oscar statuettes, the ones a little smaller than this one. They are currently taking their place as Hollywood gets ready for its biggest night of the year.

This year's competition looking fierce from "Sinners'" record breaking number of nominations to the highly anticipated battle for best actor with Michael B. Jordan and Timothee Chalamet, among some other top and very, very great contenders.

CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has your update from the red carpet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Tomorrow night expected to be an incredibly tight race, it really seems to be a showdown between "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another", which will be going head-to-head for best picture. Now "Sinners" has the most nominations, coming in with 16, which by the way is an Oscars record. No other film has ever been nominated so many times in a single year.

But the race to watch is really going to come down to "Sinners" star Michael B. Jordan in the best actor race. Why? Because all eyes are on Timothee Chalamet. Timothee Chalamet was considered the frontrunner at the beginning of Oscars season. He won the Critics Choice Award. He won the Golden Globe, but he has lost some momentum not just because of those controversial comments that he made about opera and ballet, but also because Michael B. Jordan came through and won the SAG Award. So that is really the race to watch.

Now, let's also talk about the host. Conan O'Brien is back and certainly compared to Jimmy Kimmel, he is not a political comic. So, the question is, will President Trump come up? Will everything going on in the world come up?

Well, Conan did address that this past week during a press conference with Oscar producers. Take a look

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN/TV HOST: It is a dance. It's a dance that goes on up until the show begins and it's still evolving because we live in a very fast-paced world. So, jokes we thought of two months ago are irrelevant now, and there might be things that happen this week that will find their way into the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: So, you heard it there from Conan. We do not know what you're going to get on the Oscars stage tomorrow night. But I do want to tell you that I am hearing the in memoriam segment is expected to be the moment of the night.

So many huge stars have been lost this year in Hollywood. Everyone from the iconic Diane Keaton to Robert Redford, who will be honored by Barbra Streisand, who is expected to sing for her former costar. And, of course, the loss of Rob Reiner. I am told that there is going to be a huge tribute with many of his costars on stage tomorrow night, including Billy Crystal. A source familiar tells me that in rehearsals, there was not a dry eye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Elizabeth Wagmeister for that update. She'll be back at it again tomorrow.

CNN and "Variety" are live on the red carpet for Hollywood's biggest nights. Get up close and personal with all the stars and the fashion. CNN and "Variety" red carpet live. Watch it Sunday at 4:00 p.m. eastern on CBS and on the CNN app.

Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, Israel is reportedly keeping the options open for potential talks with Lebanon. Still ahead, a move that could signal possible readiness to negotiate, as officials say there are no guarantees talks will actually happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN: We've got families getting ready to go on spring break and gas prices are skyrocketing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And we'll take a closer look at how Americans are reacting to these spiking fuel prices, as the war in Iran rages on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:26:35]

SANDOVAL: Israel reportedly keeping the door open to potential talks with Lebanon. Two sources are now telling CNN that a close aide of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been chosen to lead the possible negotiations. But an Israeli official says that that doesn't mean that there are plans to actually hold any talks, at least not at this point.

French President Emmanuel Macron is now urging the two countries negotiate and he's offering to host those talks. Meanwhile, Israel is now threatening to start striking ambulances in Lebanon, claiming that Hezbollah is using them to, at least for military purposes. Lebanon's health ministry dismissing that statement as a justification they say, to commit crimes.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is now calling for the fighting to stop and describing the devastation that he saw on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The south risks being turned into a wasteland. Southern Beirut, which is under sweeping evacuation orders by Israel, risks being bombed to oblivion. The Bekaa, and Baalbek, and other areas are scenes of destruction and panic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Protesters, they are denouncing the conflict in the Middle East, that it took to -- many of them actually took to the streets in Spain today. And the platform named Stop the War, backed by influential figures from the world's film and music, they called for demonstrations across the country.

CNN's Pau Mosqueda has the latest from Madrid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT : These were the chants and the mood filling downtown Madrid this Saturday morning. Twenty-three years after the war in Iraq, Spaniards have once again taken to the streets in more than 100 cities to shout no to war.

It is a slogan that was used in 2003 to unsuccessfully urge the government, led by Jose Maria Aznar, not to involve Spain in the hostilities in Iraq. This Saturday, protesters use it to condemn both the attacks by the United States and Israel, as well as the regime of the ayatollahs, calling on democratic countries around the world to condemn the attacks and work toward lasting peace in the Middle East.

CARMEN REY, MADRID RESIDENT: I hope this ends soon because it's heartbreaking. It makes me want to cry seeing how many children are dying.

JOSE MANUEL, MADRID RESIDENT: I think it's an absolute disgrace, the kind of world were heading toward, where ordinary people have fought to achieve some peace. And we see how those in power crush everyone

MARIA DOLORES, MADRID RESIDENT: We were at the 2003 protests when Aznar took us into the other war, and I'm not willing for them to drag our grandchildren into one now as well.

TOMAS VALDIVIESO, MADRID RESIDENT: There have been too many years of oppression and repression in the Middle East. I think we need to approach dialogue in a different way. We've lacked a great deal of dialog and above all much more effective United Nations.

ARMANDO LAFON, MADRID RESIDENT: I hope those in power take note. That's what they're there for. That's why we elect them, to take action and listen to the people. We are the ones who are in charge, the ones who decide in democracies.

(CHANTING)

MOSQUERA: From the Spanish governments side, they also have condemned the hostilities in Iran, confirming that they will limit their role to protecting the European Union borders from any potential threat linked to the war.

[22:30:10]

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving up global fuel prices. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, how countries are responding to President Trump's hope that this waterway will reopen soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: So, as the war with Iran stretches into a third week now, gas prices, they are spiking across the U.S. I'm sure you know it well. According to AAA, the national average has already ballooned to $3.68 a gallon. For some perspective, that's now 23 percent higher since -- really since the start of the conflict. It also comes amid heavy disruptions to the flow of crude oil through the strait of Hormuz.

The price jump, it's also hitting diesel and jet fuel, driving up American shipping costs, airfare food prices, trade goods, even concerns for farmers.

Former House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN that this is not what Americans voted for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREENE: Here's Americans at home right now -- we've got families getting ready to go on spring break and gas prices are skyrocketing. You know, inflation has barely stabilized and people voted for lower grocery costs. What we're going to see costs at the at the grocery stores going up because diesel is going up and oil is going up because of this war. We've got 30 percent of the world's fertilizer goes through the strait. That affects our farmers that are struggling already. We voted for to put Americans first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And President Trump insists that reopening the Strait of Hormuz. That remains a top priority of this military campaign. According to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, at least 17 vessels in and around the Persian Gulf have already been attacked since the war started on February 28th.

[22:35:08]

On Saturday, Trump posted on social media that, hopefully, he said, other nations will join the U.S. in sending naval assets to try to help open that strategic waterway, or at least to reestablish free navigation there. China and the U.K., they have both responded to the post by calling for dialogue and de-escalation to resolve the crisis. And despite this, President Trump appears determined to start naval escorts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, when will the Navy start escorting tankers through the Straits of Hormuz?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It'll happen soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: My next guest is in expert -- is an expert in energy security, joining me live is Rosemary Kelanic. She's a director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities.

Rosemary, thank you so much for joining us again.

ROSEMARY KELANIC, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM, DEFENSE PRIORITIES: Thanks, Polo. Happy to be on.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, it's great to have your insight here. I don't know if you caught our conversation at the top of the hour. We were discussing the Strait of Hormuz. And at this point, weeks into the war, Rosemary, at least I have the sense that the nation that has de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz isn't necessarily winning this conflict, but at least holds some very promising cards.

So, if that's true, do you see Iran's approach pretty much paying off of inflicting pain on the global economy by restricting free navigation there?

KELANIC: Yes, I think it is paying off. President Trump, when he started this war, it -- all reports suggest that he thought that this war would be over relatively quickly. But this has now turned into a war of attrition, and a war of attrition favors Iran because for Iran, this crisis is an existential crisis. It's an existential war.

And they're using every lever at their disposal to increase the pain to the United States so that the United States stops prosecuting the war. And by threatening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, they can hit the United States where it hurts in terms of raising oil prices for the U.S. economy and the world as a whole.

SANDOVAL: And as you know one of the potential solutions that the president is considering is sending in naval assets to escort some of these massive tankers. So based on your -- on your knowledge, Rosemary, of the region, what are some of the challenges that would come with doing that, with escorting some of these massive vessels through an area that would be highly watched and potentially attacked by the Iranians?

KELANIC: It's a very dangerous mission. I mean, very dangerous. It's something that the U.S. has done contingency planning on for decades. But nevertheless, it's just a difficult problem because of the geography.

So, the strait is only about 30 miles wide. The shipping lanes in it are narrower than that. Iran has the high ground across the northern side of the strait, all the way around the sort of U-shape of the strait.

And so, they have all kinds of ways of hitting ships and support, you know, tankers, U.S. destroyers, or if we have aircraft that are providing air support while these crossings are attempting to happen. You know, Iran can use mines, they can use drones, they can use missiles. And because they can attack from the shore, there's just very little reaction time for any kind of interception or for targeting missile launchers as they pop out. You know, there's just not enough reaction time to prevent ships from getting struck.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, and to your point there are already reports that the Iranians have already mined at least portions of that waterway, just deepening the concerns.

You also shared with us a rarely discussed wrinkle in all this, which is the role of insurers of these tankers, whether they may even want to accept the risk of covering when it comes to insurance these ships that could potentially come under, under attack.

What are some of these companies weighing at the moment? Because ultimately that may be a deciding factor as to whether this oil moves or not.

KELANIC: It is it -- or it could be. Right. And President Trump, you know understands that because earlier on in this conflict, he, you know, offered some insurance coverage to tankers willing to go through the strait. Nobody's taken him up on it yet. But there's a couple of different things going on here.

So, for insurers, of course, the point of insurance is to pool risk and you know, you pool risk of all the organizations together, all of the tankers, you know trying to go through the strait and you figure that, okay, maybe some of them get hit by attacks by Iran but if most of them make it through, you can insure against that. So, they have to be thinking through whether and how ships can really be protected, what the likelihood is of a ship being disabled in the straits. What would happen to the cruise on the ship? And then how would that make the insurer or the shipping company look sort of in the global commons?

[22:40:07]

All of those are risks. But then on the other hand, as oil prices go up, there's a massive profit motive to making your way through the strait. And we have seen in previous conflicts in the -- in the Iran- Iraq war, during the 1980s, when both sides attacked neutral shipping, insurers did reset their rates at a higher rate and allowed ships to go through and some ships were lost. Most of them were not, 98 percent of them weren't attacked at all. And it paid off and people made money from it. So, you know those are the considerations that are that are being made here profit is a strong motive, but risk is real.

SSANDOVAL: Yeah. It's an incredible balance of risk. The way you describe it here is the risk of allowing those ships to sit in place, that oil not to be on the move, adding more stress to the markets. At the same time, the risk that you point out of actually insuring these ships and then sending them into harm's way, we'll see exactly where, you know, what will tip that needle.

Rosemary Kelanic, thank you so much for walking us through all this. Really appreciate your expertise.

KELANIC: Thank you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Elsewhere, the American flag is once again flying over the U.S. embassy in Venezuela. Look at these pictures from Saturday. The flag raised at the U.S. embassy in Caracas after seven years. In a social media post, Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said that she welcomed the flag's return.

You may remember that Venezuela cut diplomatic and political ties with the U.S. back in 2019, but the two countries agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations after the U.S. was able to remove leader Nicolas Maduro from power back in January.

More after this break. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:45:36]

SANDOVAL: The mayor in Amsterdam -- Amsterdam's mayor, is now denouncing what she calls a targeted attack after a bomb exploded at a Jewish school. This blast had hit the outer wall of the building. Fortunately, nobody was injured there.

Police now say that they have images of the person who set off the device. Officials in Amsterdam said that they increased security after similar incidents in Rotterdam and in Belgium as well. All of the incidents that have occurred since the U.S. and Israel actually started the war with Iran, which is about two weeks ago now.

And we also want to get to -- get you up to speed on the latest situation right now in the Middle East.

These are some pictures from just a few moments ago, it's just before 5:00 a.m. in Israel. And multiple impacts have been reported at several locations in the central part of the country. Emergency workers have already reported that at least two people required medical treatment. Earlier, the IDF said that it had identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.

And Israel has continued to pound Lebanon with the aim of striking Hezbollah targets. But it is really the Lebanese people who have been caught in the middle of this back and forth of this ongoing conflict. More than 800,000 people have been displaced thus far.

For more on this growing humanitarian crisis, I want to go now to Fabrizio Carboni. He's the head of the International Red Cross delegation to the U.S. and Canada.

Fabrizio joining me from Washington.

Fabrizio, I know your days have been very long, so thank you so much for taking the time.

FABRIZIO CARBONI, HEAD OF REGIONAL DELEGATION TO U.S. AND CANADA, ICRC: Thank you for having me.

SANDOVAL: Give us a sense of just how vast the human impact were seeing right now as a result of the war on Iran. Just how many Iranian civilians alone have been displaced and, where do they even go?

CARBONI: Look, I think this -- this conflict is, this violence has an effect on the region, which very few anticipated. I mean on our side, we had contingency plans in many parts of this region, but to face such a humanitarian disaster and a conflict which has such a wide impact in the region and beyond, was unexpected. As you said in all this region in particular in Iran, you have a population who is scared, who doesn't know what is coming next, and then it's also a population who was for the last decades under massive pressure. And so, their coping mechanism is also quite, quite limited.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, the U.N. refugee agency rep in Lebanon told me yesterday the situation is obviously quite dire there with some 830,000 people in Lebanon alone displaced in those areas that have either been under attack or under evacuation orders. And then we also heard from the un humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who warned that this ongoing conflict in the Middle East that is threatening supply chains for humanitarian operations, has the ICRC seen that kind of impact? CARBONI: Look, I think the cost of doing our work just increased the

price of oil. The fact that a lot of fertilizer comes from the region. This has an impact on, on the food chain. And while a large part of the world will be impacted by this, but also the region, for instance, in Africa, in Sudan, to be specific, where the costs of, of doing our work, the cost of oil, the cost of food disruption of on the food chain will be devastating.

So, it's an impact in the region, population who went through several rounds of violence were displaced, who were separated. And on top, it goes beyond the region, but also affect a lot of vulnerable countries or a country dependent on humanitarian assistance. And the countries who have a large agricultural sector.

[22:50:07]

SANDOVAL: Obviously, the ICRC has extensive experience working in the Middle East. You and I have spoken before when it comes to Gaza and efforts there that are still ongoing. But does the war with Iran perhaps present a different set of challenges, given how regional it is, perhaps not as concentrated as. Weve seen other conflicts in the Middle East, from a humanitarian perspective.

CARBONI: Look, I think if you look at the map, you cannot put all the countries in the region in the same situation. They have different I would say capacity to respond to the humanitarian crisis. But if I look at, I mean, we mentioned it, Lebanon also the situation in Israel with I mean, just so before this segment, the sirens in, in Tel Aviv, you have also situation in Iraq.

So, these are really places where probably the crisis is more the most acute. And obviously I include Iran, which is the obvious one. And then you had other countries, if I look, for instance at the GCC, who is also impacted, but it's mainly on essential infrastructure, oil production, and there is a better capacity to answer to this.

And also in all these regions, we have a very strong national society, Red Cross, Red Crescent Society who unfortunately have prepared for such a situation and while the situation is really overwhelming, and especially because we don't know what will come next. We still have capacity with our partners of the Red Cross, Red Crescent to respond.

But again, it's how long and it's on top of already a very dire humanitarian situation in many parts of this region.

SANDOVAL: Now, it's here. It's reassuring to hear you say that at least at this point, that you do have the capacity. But now with President Trump certainly throwing out any potential timing on when this could end, I'm sure that raises concerns.

A final question for you, Fabrizio, especially people watching this from around the world, perhaps hoping to help the ICRC and other humanitarian organizations. What is the most urgently needed right now for your group?

CARBONI: Look for the time being, I would say we have the stocks and the resources to be operational, considering the security situation and access. However, on the long term, I mean, as you said, we don't know when this will end. We will have to enter in different modes, more -- a longer term. And there, unfortunately, we are in an environment where today humanitarian assistance funding was cut significantly.

And so, it raises question on our capacity to continue in a -- in a longer term, should this humanitarian situation continue to go in such a bad direction. So, it's a complex situation. And that's why we're calling for a solution. In this area, we had a lot of conflict over the decades. And we always call for a political solution.

At one stage, you need to have a political solution which address the root causes of the violence in this region, because we cannot have every year, every two year, every three years a round of violence. I think the civilian population of this region is simply tired and wants to move on.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, absolutely. That message is heard loud and clear. We do wish your colleagues in the affected area continued safety.

And to you, Fabrizio Carboni, thank you so much for bringing us up to speed. Do stay in touch

CARBONI: Thank you

SANDOVAL: And if it's not war, it's mother nature that's affecting many of these people that are just trying to seek safety. A destructive sandstorm in southern and central Gaza, it now has thousands of Palestinians who were displaced by the conflict with Israel struggling to secure their temporary encampments.

Here's CNN's Ben Hunt with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tent camp in Gaza is engulfed in a thick orange haze. Gaza's civil defense warning people to stay inside their homes and shelters as a massive sandstorm whips through the region. But most of Gaza's population of about 2 million people have been displaced, according to the U.N., many living in tents made out of salvaged materials, which give little protection from the cutting winds.

IBRAHIM JARGHOUN, DISPLACED GAZAN: These tents have already been worn out. They've been here for almost a year, maybe more than a year and a half.

[22:55:00]

Worn out tents in the winter, the water lands directly above our heads. When the wind blows, it just lifts everything.

HUNTE (voice-over): The storm churning up gusts of winds of up to 65 kilometers an hour, so strong that some people struggle to keep their tents from blowing away. MOUHAMED ABU HARBID, DISPLACED GAZAN: The bathrooms have collapsed,

the tents have collapsed, and our whole life has fallen apart. The tents are our only shelter. Without a tent, we have nothing. Our belongings are being ruined by the sand. Our mattresses are being ruined by the sand. Everything we own is being damaged by the sand.

HUNTE (voice-over): The high winds are expected to last until Sunday night, with gusts possibly even more powerful than the ones that already covered parts of Gaza in dust.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Thank you so much for joining us the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'll join you again in just a few moments with our continued breaking news coverage of the war with Iran

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