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Death Toll in Iran War Climbs to 2,000+; Trump Says U.S. Bombed "Iran's Crown Jewel," Kharg Island; Israeli Strikes on Lebanon Kill Nine People in Same Family; Michigan Governor Says Synagogue Attack Was Antisemitism; Europeans Push Back on U.S. Easing Russia Sanctions; Russia Supplying Iran with Intel on U.S. Forces; Cuban President Confirms Diplomatic Talks with White House; Mexico Ramps Up Anti-Drone Tech ahead of World Cup. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 14, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. We want to get you straight to our breaking news that we're following.

We're getting some new video showing smoke and small flames rising from a building near the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad. At this point, it's still unclear exactly what is happening there. CNN has reached out to the U.S. State Department for more information on this developing situation.

We should note, though, this incident comes just days after a suspected Iranian drone hit a U.S. diplomatic support center near Baghdad's airport. So more on that as we get it.

Meanwhile, president Donald Trump says that the U.S. bombed every military target on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles nearly all of the country's crude oil exports. Well, afterwards state media said that Tehran threatened retaliatory strikes on Gulf facilities owned by oil companies that cooperate with the U.S. or have American shares.

President Trump said that he spared Kharg Island's oil infrastructure but warned that it could get wiped out if Iran continues blocking ships from getting through the Strait of Hormuz. And his comments come as the war enters now yet another week.

Israeli officials say that Iranian cluster munitions that they exploded at multiple areas in central Israel. And Israel says that it continued to strike Iran into Friday night as the death toll surpasses 2,000 people. Let's go live now to CNN's Paula Hancocks, following the situation that's happening in Baghdad right now. She's live in Abu Dhabi.

Paula, do we know anything else, aside from some of these pictures that have come in?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, what we know from Reuters is that they've been told by security officials that this was, in fact, a missile strike. It's not clear if it was a direct hit or whether this is debris from an interception that has hit this area.

We're asking the State Department exactly what part of the U.S. embassy compound appears to be impacted at this point. You can see smoke and fire from within that area, though now this is one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world. And it's within the green zone, which is considered the highly fortified area of Baghdad.

But it has come under repeated missile and drone strikes from Iran's proxies, the militia groups in Iraq that have been funded and backed by Iran.

We've also in recent days been seeing protests outside the embassy itself. Now the non-emergency personnel from this embassy, we know earlier this month, were ordered to leave Iraq. So it's uncertain how many people, if any, would have actually been inside the embassy at the time.

It also comes at the same time as we're seeing Oman being affected. The U.S. State Department has ordered all non-emergency personnel from Oman to be -- to leave the country and with their families.

Now this is significant because Oman was the mediator between the U.S. and Iran when the negotiations were ongoing before this war started. So even Oman, at this point, being targeted by Iran, Iranian retaliation -- Polo.

SANDOVAL: And, Paula, a little while ago, we told our viewers about Kharg Island and why it's so significant for Iran -- why it's so critical for Iran, I should say.

Why is it significant to the United States?

HANCOCKS: Well, this is a target that the United States would have always had in mind. It's one that they did not touch for the first two weeks of this war. But it is so critical to Iran's oil industry; 90 percent of crude exports come from this island. It's a tiny island. It's about five miles, eight kilometers just south of Iran.

And what we've seen the United States do at this point, according to the U.S. president, who's given a statement about this on social media, it is the military infrastructure that they have taken out at this point, according to Trump. And he said "for reasons of decency," we have chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island.

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But they said -- he said that they were going to wait and see what happened with the Strait of Hormuz as to whether or not the oil infrastructure would be targeted as well.

Now we've heard from Iranian officials, the parliamentary speaker, just yesterday as well, saying that, if their oil infrastructure is targeted, then they will abandon all restraint against Gulf nations when it comes to their energy infrastructure if they have oil companies that are affiliated with the U.S. or if they are doing deals with the U.S.

Which effectively encompasses a huge amount of the neighboring countries. So we have been seeing these threats from Iran, although we have also seen Tehran has targeted energy infrastructure in a number of countries; Bahrain, here in the UAE, Saudi Arabia for example.

Just overnight, we saw that there were some 19 drones that were intercepted; 16 of them were heading to the eastern part of that country, which is where the oil fields are.

We've also seen the U.S. target an oil facility in Tehran in recent days. So this is something that that we're watching very closely. Kharg Island is very strategically key for Iran. And it will be interesting to see what, if any, retaliation there is for this. The retaliation likely to be against the energy infrastructure in the Gulf nations, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes. And as you were speaking, we showed our viewers some of those pictures that were provided by the U.S. government, showing the U.S. government targeting said military installations on the island. Paula Hancocks, really appreciate your updates on multiple fronts.

And earlier we did speak with the CNN military analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. We asked him why Kharg Island has such strategic importance when it comes to the U.S. military efforts in the region.

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COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Basically, it's 90 percent of Iran's oil output goes through Kharg Island. And it's got this oil terminal that was started back in the days of the shah.

And that oil terminal, through fits and starts, has been basically the way that Iran sends its oil out to the rest of the world. So that's why it's important if Kharg Island falls or if it's rendered inoperable in one way or the other.

Then the idea there is that Iran's oil flow will actually stop, and that's -- that would be an economic death blow to the Iranians.

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SANDOVAL: We also asked the colonel about our reporting, that sources have told CNN that the U.S. will be deploying a Marine special unit to the region.

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LEIGHTON: We're talking about somewhere close to 2,500 Marines coming into the Middle East. What that could possibly mean is an amphibious assault capability that is currently not in theater for as far as the U.S. is concerned.

And if that is actually sent to the Middle East -- well, it's on its way apparently -- it was actually used in the Middle East, then what that could do is it could be used potentially for a Kharg Island or for the area around the Strait of Hormuz on the Iranian side of that body of water.

And if that's the case, that of course opens up a whole another possibility. Whether or not that's going to happen that way is, of course, a very much an open question. But that would be a capability that this group would have.

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SANDOVAL: Global oil prices, they are closing the week at the highest level since 2022. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, that settled on Friday above $103 a barrel. U.S. crude, that finished just under $99 a barrel.

All told, Brent and U.S. crude, they are up by more than 40 percent since the war with Iran started.

And those rising markets, they are also reacting to fears that the war in Iran will continue to disrupt the flow of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, especially after president Trump essentially threw away a possible timetable when the war could end.

And Israel, it has expanded its operations, targeting the Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah, including in the capital, Beirut. On Friday, Israeli strikes, they killed nine people from the same family, including children. Here's CNN's Isobel Yeung reporting in southern Lebanon.

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ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can see quite a lot of damage here. The cars, this big building up here; we're in southern Lebanon actually, just outside of the area that the Israeli Defense Forces announced that individuals should evacuate from yesterday.

But you can see this building here was struck pretty hard. We're told that it was a yogurt factory by the neighbors here. You can see these kind of vats that they say were used to make yogurt. And what we know is that nine people were killed in this strike, including five children.

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I mean, what the Israeli Defense Forces are saying is that they are targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. And we don't know in this case if that was the situation. But what we can see is that, I mean, the destruction from here is pretty large.

And we're told that the children were playing just on the outskirts of the property here in this factory and home, with their grandparents, and that they were killed. The burials are happening today. It's really heartbreaking.

You can see family members behind me who are just walking around, trying to look for remnants of their family's belongings. The children's bodies, we're told, in pieces. And they're going to take a while to identify the DNA so that they can actually do a burial.

You can see up here, there's school books, the children's rucksack. We're told by the IDF that they are targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. And obviously we don't know in this scenario if that's the case. But we do know that this area that was struck was pretty huge, just in this one little village, and enough to kill nine people in one strike.

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SANDOVAL: And Israel, it is now raising the stakes, telling its military to prepare to expand its ground operations in Lebanon. For more analysis, we did speak earlier with Imad Salamey, a senior Middle East policy advisor. He's also professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American university.

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SANDOVAL: I'm wondering if you could give us a sense of the situation right now when it comes to Hezbollah, I mean, just how strong is it?

I mean, we already know that it was significantly weakened following the attacks of October 7th have been basically struck by Israeli forces constantly since the ceasefire of 2024.

IMAD SALAMEY, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, LEBANESE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Yes, as you mentioned, Hezbollah has been severely weakened because of the Israeli campaigns that started a year ago. And it has most of its leadership eliminated.

Most importantly, its general secretary, Hassan Nasrallah, who was extremely charismatic, was able to mobilize population behind him and was quite honestly received positively by the most Muslim population from around the region.

In addition to that elimination, Hezbollah's infrastructure, military infrastructure, line of supply that coming from Syria, has been also not only destroyed and targeted but also cut off totally. So the party is really weakened after a significant time of Israeli bombardment.

But right now the party is relying mostly on local efforts and local ability to confront the Israeli campaign through like locally manufactured weapons, drones and short range missiles. It's still operating but definitely its ability of like conducting a wide ranging campaign against Israel has been pretty much eliminated.

Still, the party received significant political and community support, specifically from the Shia community in Lebanon, who feels that an Israeli invasion to south Lebanon, which is a mostly a Shia populated region, will turn them into a displaced population. Especially this comes after the Israelis have repeatedly asked the

population south of the Litani River and south of the Zahrani River.

This is pretty much the south in Lebanon, which has almost 1 million people inhabitant, has, you know, the fear is really that the southern population will be permanently displaced and Israeli invasion will turn them into a population without land.

You know, that kind of fear. And that's why this population continues to support Hezbollah resistance effort.

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SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Imad Salamey for that very important context.

Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, says that Thursday's attack on a Detroit area synagogue was an act of antisemitism and hatred. The FBI now says that the attack was a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

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Law enforcement sources now telling CNN that the assailant had previous links to the militant group, Hezbollah, though he was not believed to be a member. Here's CNN's Whitney Wild with the update.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New details tonight about 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the attacker, who investigators say drove a truck filled with explosives into a synagogue and preschool and setting it on fire.

JENNIFER RUNYAN, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: The bed of the truck, we found large quantities of commercial grade fireworks and several jugs of flammable liquid we believe to be gasoline.

WILD (voice-over): Law enforcement sources tell CNN. Ghazali appears in federal government databases with connections to, quote, "known or suspected terrorists connected with Hezbollah in Lebanon, though he is not listed as a member of Hezbollah himself.

Survivors recount the attack on Thursday, which the FBI is calling a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

CASSI COHEN, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, TEMPLE ISRAEL: I was just standing near the hallway where the car came in and I heard a loud crash and I saw some debris from the car. I heard a bang, which was a shot and barricaded the door and hid under my desk.

WILD (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security says Ghazali was a Lebanese born U.S. citizen who was seen purchasing fireworks just days before the attack.

He lost four members of his family to an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon according to the mayor of the village where they lived. He revealed the family details to CNN producer Charbel Mallo.

The airstrikes 30 miles from Beirut killed Ghazali's two brothers, two of their children and also injured his parents and sisters in law.

Michigan's governor said more than 100 children, aged five and younger were at the school attached to Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township when the building caught fire.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D), MICHIGAN: Yesterday's attack was antisemitism. It was hate, plain and simple. We will fight this ancient and rampant evil. We will stand together as we do it and we will call it out.

WILD (voice-over): A security guard was hit after the suspect rammed the building but is expected to recover.

He exchanged gunfire with security officers employed by the synagogue, according to the FBI.

RUNYAN: Reports from the medical examiner's office show a self- inflicted gunshot wound to the head

WILD (voice-over): The FBI Friday searched the suspect's home in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He was born in Lebanon and entered the U.S. in 2011 with a spousal visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016 and last visited Lebanon in 2019, according to law enforcement.

He was flagged in DHS systems for threshold targeting based on records of prior contact with suspected Hezbollah members and contacts that were found in his phone.

Law enforcement says that the attacker's vehicle wedged into that front hallway. The attacker opened fire. Security forces got into a gunfight with him in that hallway. He eventually took his own life.

What law enforcement is also saying is that the children were in a different part of the building, just another one of those things that helped keep this from becoming an absolute catastrophe. Law enforcement also says, in total, 605 members of law enforcement responded -- Whitney Wild, CNN, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.

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SANDOVAL: Ukraine's president says that the U.S. wants to push back the next round of trilateral peace talks with Russia. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, how the war with Iran reportedly plays a role in the potential postponement.

Plus, a pushback against the U.S. after it decided to ease some sanctions on Russian oil. Why Ukraine and Europe believe that the move is a bad idea from a military standpoint.

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SANDOVAL: Ukraine's president says that the U.S. is looking to postpone the upcoming trilateral peace talks that include Russia, the negotiations that were set to begin this Wednesday.

But president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian media that the U.S. officials only want to meet at home and that's because of security concerns over the war with Iran. Mr. Zelenskyy says that Russia insists on meeting in Turkiye and/or Switzerland. He says that Ukraine is still ready to meet next week.

The Ukrainian leader also said that the war in Iran is creating an opening for Moscow. The U.S. is temporarily easing some of its sanctions on Russia, trying to tame the soaring price of oil. But as Lynda Kinkade reports, Mr. Zelenskyy believes that the move will help the Kremlin refill its war chest.

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A show of unity between France's Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allies throughout the toughest times of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But it's another war and the surprise actions of another ally that's raising new concerns in Ukraine as well as other parts of Europe.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This single easing of sanctions by America could provide Russia with approximately $10 billion for the war.

This certainly does not help peace.

KINKADE (voice-over): The U.S. is temporarily loosening sanctions on the sale of Russian oil at sea to try to bring down oil prices that have surged since the war in Iran began, an unsettling move for many European leaders, who together with the U.S. have used economic leverage against Russia to try to end the war in Ukraine.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia may believe that the war in Iran will offer it a respite. It's mistaken.

KINKADE (voice-over): The U.K. and many European nations are united against the U.S. decision, saying easing sanctions, even on a limited basis, will help to replenish Russia's war chest.

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FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Russia continues to show no willingness to negotiate. We will and we must therefore have to increase the pressure on Moscow. I want to make this very clear. Easing sanctions now, for whatever reason, is something we believe is wrong.

KINKADE (voice-over): But Russia welcomed the change, saying its oil is badly needed to stop global oil prices from spiraling out of control.

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN (through translator): In this case, we see the United States taking action in an attempt to stabilize energy markets. In this regard, our interests align.

KINKADE (voice-over): After four years of war, some residents in Kyiv say they're disappointed in the U.S. fearing the new revenue gained by Russia will be used against them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Sanctions that are important to us are being lifted against our aggressor. They will not change anything for them. On the contrary, things will only get better for them. And they will use their funds to produce even more missiles, drones and similar weapons.

KINKADE (voice-over): Ukraine recently offered its expertise to countries in the Gulf about how to combat drone attacks. A Western intelligence source says Russia is advising Iran on drone tactics.

Two wars far apart, one diverting attention from the other and giving Russia an unexpected boost that Ukraine and its allies did not see coming -- Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: And for more analysis, let's head over to Paris now. We're joined by Nicole Grajewski she's a fellow at the nuclear policy program and also the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Nicole, thank you so much for joining us today

NICOLE GRAJEWSKI, FELLOW, NUCLEAR POLICY PROGRAM; CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Thank you so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: Just tell us a little bit about the implications right now on this 30-day waiver, not just for the war in Ukraine but also when it comes to oil markets around the world.

What does this mean?

GRAJEWSKI: I mean, essentially this means that Russia benefits from the ongoing war and hostilities in the Middle East.

We see a lot of the issues with the Strait of Hormuz and that impacting oil prices as well as the surge in oil prices. And so this not only gives Russia respite but, at least what the Trump administration assumes it will do is stabilize oil markets to some extent.

SANDOVAL: And then, of course, the potential for Russia to cash in on this opportunity. You may have heard my colleague, Lynda Kinkade's, report just now.

You could hear president Zelenskyy express his concerns that this could mean that Russia, that could potentially add up to $10 billion, if not more, to their war chest and then, in turn, use it against them.

I mean how real are those concerns?

GRAJEWSKI: I mean these are very real concerns. And especially as Russia faces a brand new arms package. So their state armament program is upcoming. This would definitely kind of provide Russia with the essential tools for Russia to actually rebuild their war machine and to continue waging a war in Ukraine and also for future wars.

So this is something that can really improve the Russian economy and also their ability to strengthen their military forces.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if you could also tell our viewers, just bring them up to speed on just where Russia lands on this ongoing war, this U.S.-Israel war against Iran.

Where do they stand, you know, in terms of both sides?

And do they perhaps see themselves as maybe even a mediator?

Would they want to be a mediator in this conflict?

GRAJEWSKI: Certainly Russia views this war as beneficial to their interests beyond oil. A lot of the activity in the Persian Gulf has involved Patriot interceptors. These are essentially the munitions that the United States would sell to the Ukrainians for their defense of Russia.

Additionally, Russia has a kind of longer-term view of this, is they have beneficial relations with Iran. They have close ties with many of the Gulf states. And so to some extent, they'd like to be seen as a mediator. Whether or not they can do that, that's another question.

But I think, in the immediate term, Russia is viewing this as beneficial to their interests and also something that distracts from the ongoing peace talks in Ukraine and also gives them leverage in any kind of negotiation.

SANDOVAL: And how do you see the White House in turn navigating the delicate nature of Russia's potential involvement in this conflict, while, at the same time, also involved in a conflict against Ukraine?

GRAJEWSKI: The White House has been quite dismissive of Russian involvement in the war. There's been evidence and suggestions and reporting by CNN and "The Washington Post" that Russia has provided Iran with targeting information. There's also been reports about Russian assistance on UAV or drone warfare with the Iranians.

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So in general, the White House hasn't really reacted to this with as much alarm. And so that is, I think, worrying going forward. And the U.S. hasn't really come out with a strong position here. And I think that is something that, to take away from this, is the kind of dismissive character toward Russian involvement from the United States SANDOVAL: Yes. You're referring to that video from Air Force One just

last weekend, when the president was asked about those reports that you point out. And he certainly was a lot softer than some critics would have wanted to see.

What do you see Russia, though, long-term, especially now that president Trump essentially took a timetable -- or I should say some timing off the table -- where he previously said that it would be over in about five weeks' time or so. And now essentially facing an indefinite conflict.

Do you see Russia at some point weighing in more than it already has?

GRAJEWSKI: It really depends on the way this conflict evolves. If there are ground troops involved, which it certainly seeming like it may lead to that trajectory, especially around some of the assets in the Persian Gulf.

You know Russia could be more involved in assistance with the Iranians whether that's intelligence or surveillance or the sale of, for example, small arms. But I don't see Russia fundamentally becoming involved as a party in this conflict. They're very unlikely to provide boots on the ground in support of the Iranians.

But they could do as much as they can to enable Iran's ability to withstand this war and also to prolong it.

SANDOVAL: Nicole Grajewski, thank you so much for letting us tap into your expertise. Really appreciate your time. Have a good weekend.

GRAJEWSKI: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: The U.S. hits Iran's critical oil export hub as the war rages on. We'll have the latest developments after a short break.

Plus, the Middle East conflict spreads; non-emergency U.S. staff now being ordered to leave Oman. And travelers are advised to reconsider visiting the country. More after the break.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. And these are today's top stories.

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SANDOVAL (voice-over): New video now showing smoke and small flames rising from a building near the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad. It's still unclear exactly what's happening there. CNN has reached out to the U.S. State Department for more information. But this incident comes just days after a suspected Iranian drone hit

a U.S. diplomatic support center near the airport in Baghdad.

Israeli planes, they dropped leaflets over Beirut Friday, urging residents not to become easy prey for Hezbollah's weapons. The message came from an Israeli intelligence unit in charge of recruiting new agents.

But Lebanon's military is now warning people not to scan the QR codes printed on those leaflets.

Iran threatening to retaliate after the U.S. said that it bombed every military asset on Kharg Island. That's according to Iranian state media, which reports no oil infrastructure was damaged. The island handles roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports.

U.S. President Donald Trump says that that island's oil infrastructure could still be targeted if Iran continues blocking ships from getting straight through the Strait of Hormuz. Here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond with more.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a hugely significant island and there's a reason why we haven't seen the United States or Israel target this island until now.

And even now, with these initial U.S. military strikes still avoiding hitting the oil infrastructure at this island, I am learning a little bit more about what exactly the United States did strike on Kharg Island.

This is from a U.S. military official I spoke with just a few minutes ago. They said that this was a series of widescale strikes on this island but strikes that use precision munitions to avoid hitting the oil infrastructure there.

Instead, I'm told that the targets included a naval mine, storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military infrastructure on the island.

But there's no question that president Trump's military action on Kharg Island tonight is intended to send a message to the Iranian regime, a very clear threat here that the United States is willing to strike that oil infrastructure, should Iran not change its posture as it relates to the Strait of Hormuz.

But I think we really need to consider what the impact of that actually would be, because, should the United States strike the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, you're going to see a series of short- and long-term ramifications for that.

Experts have predicted that it could send oil prices, which are already at over $100 a barrel, up to $150 a barrel, because of the fact that not only does Kharg Island produce and process 90 percent of Iran's oil exports but Iran's global oil supply amounts to about 4 percent of the global oil markets.

And in addition to that, Iran could escalate even further by striking oil infrastructure targets on the other side of the Gulf, in countries that are allied with the United States. We've already seen them carry out a very limited series of strikes on oil infrastructure in some of those countries.

[03:40:00]

Like in Bahrain and Kuwait. And so obviously, they could escalate even further. And then there's the long-term question here.

As the United States and Israel are clearly still pursuing this ultimate goal of regime change, what happens to the Iranian economy, even if the regime does change, if you destroy and dismantle something that is really the lifeblood of the Iranian economy?

And so all of that has to be considered as president Trump is threatening to go even beyond what he has done tonight, which is strike only the military targets on Kharg Island and now threatening to go after the oil infrastructure as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And the impacts continue. The U.S. State Department is now ordering non-emergency government workers and their families to leave Oman due to safety concerns.

Travelers are also being warned to reconsider visiting Oman due to this ongoing war with Iran. A level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory was also issued for Oman's border region with Yemen. That is the State Department's highest warning for U.S. travelers, indicating life- threatening risks.

For more on what's happening on the ground now let's go to Matias Grez.

Matias, it's good to see you again.

What is the situation there?

Are there still concerns that we could see more strikes?

MATIAS GREZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, it had been a relatively quiet 36 hours or so for us here in Doha. The last incident or warning we had of any kind came at around midday on Thursday.

But that all changed overnight. Last night, the first in a series of incidents was an evacuation notice issued by the ministry of interior to people's phones to evacuate two different parts of the city.

And then that was followed at around 1:30 this morning by emergency alerts sent to our phones and then a loud series of explosions overhead. And then again, just before 6 am this morning, another alert and more explosions. And I have to say that the explosions overnight, in particular those

around 1:30 this morning, were among the loudest and most powerful, if not the loudest that we'd heard so far here in Doha's West Bay.

I mean the force with which it shook the building that I was staying in was quite incredible. And maybe around an hour ago or so, we saw a gun-mounted helicopter here, patrolling the skies over West Bay.

This area is, of course, where CNN is based. It's where a lot of our staff are based. And it's a really popular commercial and residential area, both for locals and for foreigners.

And in the early hours of this morning, Qatar's ministry of defense did confirm that it had been subjected to two separate missile attacks overnight. But this is something we're now seeing across the region.

Authorities in Dubai there said that debris from a successful drone interception struck a building in the city but that there was no fire and no casualties.

And like you mentioned there at the top, U.S. -- non-emergency U.S. government personnel are being told, with their families, to leave Oman. The Saudi ministry of defense said that, over the last few hours, they've intercepted at least 19 drones and one missile.

And in Kuwait, we've seen explosions in Bahrain they've heard sirens there. And all of this coming after, of course, the Iran threatened retaliatory strikes for those U.S. strikes on Kharg Island.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it's good to hear the reports of interceptions versus some of these munitions reaching their targets. Matias Grez, thank you so much for that live report.

Cuba's president has now confirmed for the first time that his government has been holding talks with the Trump administration. Miguel Diaz-Canel says the discussions with the White House are focused on finding solutions to the bilateral problems between the new nations. Here's CNN's Patrick Oppmann reporting from Havana.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledging on Friday what had long been rumored, that his government is in direct talks with the Trump administration trying to forge a path forward as this island is suffering one of the worst energy crises in its history.

According to the Cuban president, no oil has reached Cuba for about three months now, essentially crippling public transportation, meaning many hospitals are shut down, unable to perform surgeries. We are seeing longer and longer Blackouts, sometimes lasting an entire day.

And so this is really verging on a full blown humanitarian crisis as many people say that they simply cannot live in these conditions, that their food is beginning to spoil. And that sense of desperation is creeping in here. Previously, Cuban officials said they did not want to negotiate under these circumstances, that they felt the United States was strong, arming them by cutting off the supply of oil from allies like Venezuela and Mexico. But they simply don't have any choice in the matter. And this is now a question of survival.

The Trump administration has said that they will take over Cuba the easy way or the hard way.

[03:45:02]

And that while they don't think military force is needed, it's not off the table entirely, either.

So these negotiations, while they might buy some breathing room for the government here, it is not clear how long the Trump administration will allow the negotiations to go on here. Very clearly they are employing the carrot-and-stick approach. And for the moment, they are talking.

But officials in the Trump administration have said that they are willing to take tougher measures if needed to force the kind of change they want to see take place on this island -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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SANDOVAL: The FBI is investigating Thursday's deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia as a terror attack. Authorities say that the gunman was a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Virginia National Guard member.

The FBI says that he killed one person and injured two others before a classroom full of ROTC students subdued and killed him.

The Justice Department charged a man on Friday accused of selling the gun that was used in the attack. The suspect was previously convicted of supporting ISIS and was actually barred from having a gun.

Authorities say that he was still on court-mandated probation at the time of the shooting. Officials have been pushed to explain why the attacker had been let out of prison about 2.5 years early and whether they had any idea that his movements were potentially leading up to the shooting.

Well, a federal judge has quashed the U.S. Justice Department's attempt to subpoena Fed chair Jerome Powell. The judge says that the DOJ has not produced any evidence that Powell is suspected of a crime.

Instead, the evidence suggests that the subpoenas were meant to pressure Powell into voting for lower interest rates or maybe even resigning.

The U.S. attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, she says that they plan to appeal the ruling but a GOP senator is now warning that an appeal could actually delay Senate confirmation of president Trump's pick to be the next Fed chair.

As Mexico prepares to co-host the soccer World Cup, it is ramping up some security measures. Ahead, we'll tell you the role anti-drone -- I should say anti-drone technology is going to be playing in order to keep the crowd safe.

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SANDOVAL: Well, with the World Cup set to start in June, co-host Mexico is now ramping up its security measures. And as CNN's Valeria Leon reports from Mexico City, anti-drone technology playing a big part.

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VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's the sound of a threat in the sky. Mexican soldiers prepare to take down an enemy drone in an exercise aimed at beefing up security less than 100 days before Mexico co-hosts the World Cup. LEON: On this military base, soldiers train daily for one of the most

technically demanding security missions of the year, protecting the World Cup from the growing threat of unauthorized drones.

LEON (voice-over): Colonel Vicente Gamboa leads this unit, which has been reinforced with dozens of additional personnel ahead of the tournament.

COL. VICENTE GAMBOA, MEXICAN ARMY (through translator): It's been a challenge to incorporate new technologies to provide security to the public, especially for massive events like the World Cup. But we've been gaining experience.

LEON (voice-over): Gamboa takes us inside the control center where teams monitor drone activity in real time. From here, they can detect where a drone takes off and even pinpoint the location of its operator.

GAMBOA (through translator): When we activate the jammer, it creates a kind of dome that blocks the signal frequency.

LEON (voice-over): Underground, this movable jammer offers short range protection. Captain Jose Alfredo Lara says strategic protection zones will be set up around stadiums and fan festivals.

CAP. JOSE ALFREDO LARA, EMERGENCY RESONSE BATALLIION (through translator): It allows us to create a wide protection perimeter. Any stadium, any facility, any fan festival within that zone will be fully covered. LEON (voice-over): With Mexico set to host 13 of the 104 matches of the world's biggest sporting event, including the opening game in Mexico City. And four games are scheduled to be played in Jalisco, where violence erupted after the capture of cartel boss El Mencho. Security questions still linger.

President Claudia Sheinbaum is trying to reassure the world that Mexico is safe. The World Cup trophy touched down at Mexico's airport. With less than 100 days to go, it's arrival signals that the countdown is officially on. With the global event fast approaching, Mexico security forces said they are preparing not just for the crowds on the ground.

[03:55:00]

But for the threats that may come from above -- Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

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SANDOVAL: Let's close on sports now. Team USA beat Canada 5-3, advancing to the semifinals at the World Baseball Classic. It was another big win for the U.S. over its rival to the north, just weeks after the U.S. hockey team in the Olympics beat Canada to win gold in the Winter Olympics just last month in Italy.

Team U.S.'s victory Friday night, it was a much-needed rebound after losing to Italy in pool play. But now the U.S. will be heading to their third straight appearance in the semifinals. They will be taking on the Dominican Republic on Sunday in Miami.

And thank you so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. Our breaking news coverage continues with my colleagues, Becky Anderson and Kim Brunhuber, after a quick moment. Don't go anywhere.