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Munitions "Impacts" Reported At Locations In Central Israel; Trump Claims "Other Countries" Sending Warships To Hormuz; Iran: "Legitimate Right" To Target UAE, U.S. "Hideouts". Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 15, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:31]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And we're beginning with our breaking news from the Middle East.

Missiles and interceptions could be seen lighting up the Tel Aviv sky in Iran's latest attack. Munitions impacts are being reported at several locations in central Israel. Emergency workers reported two people needing treatments, but there have been no reported casualties so far.

Meanwhile, the U.S. President has claimed that other countries will be sending warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. No confirmation from any of those countries, though, that they will take part in his plan just yet. This all comes amid a new warning from Iran's military following the U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude exports.

CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us live from Dubai. Eleni, thanks for being with me and thanks for staying across this for us.

What can you tell us about President Trump's claim about other countries sending warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz even though we haven't heard from them?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And I mean, this is really up in the air. This is a question we've been asking for the past two weeks when the Trump administration was talking about, you know, naval escorts. And we haven't seen any sign of that. It is very encouraging where you're hearing other are going to be doing the same. We don't know how it will be enforced.

A lot of the shippers that I've spoken to over the past two weeks have frankly said it's going to be very difficult. And one estimate from Lloyd's List was saying you'll need about eight to 10 destroyers to basically push through around five to 10 tankers on a daily basis. For context, you need around 50 tankers on a daily basis. That's normal days. That's how much oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. And you've seen a massive drop in the tanker traffic since the war

began. And apart from a few tankers that have been willing to brave it and also given the green light by Iran. But also importantly, President Trump overnight also saying that he's not ready to reach a deal with Iran. He says the terms are not good yet. This was in a telephonic interview with NBC.

We know that President Trump has been calling up journalists periodically to give updates. He's also called for the complete surrender. But importantly here you also have something significant that's played out over the last few days. It's those strikes on Kharg Island, which is a vital piece of energy infrastructure for Iran that manages around 90 percent of oil exports.

Now, the Americans are saying they struck 90 military bases. But things have changed and it seems like we're almost stuck in an escalation trap right now. The IRGC says they are going to be striking back specifically here in the UAE because they believe that the strikes launched on Kharg Island came from UAE territory.

They're saying they're going to be looking at ports here in the UAE. They're going to be looking at oil depots. And just this morning, about two hours been, we had announcement from the MOD, the Ministry of Defence, saying that they were dealing with missiles as well as drones coming into the region. For my part, and from what we are hearing here specifically in Dubai, we haven't had an alert, but we know that the Ministry of Defense is dealing with these interceptions and of course, continued strikes.

HUNTE: And we are reporting there were more strikes overnight from Saudi to the UAE to Kuwait, plus new threats from Iran. What else can you tell us about those?

GIOKOS: So let me just take you through what's happening regionally and importantly, I want to mention Fujairah oil terminal here in the UAE where debris fell on the terminal and we saw a fire ignite. Once again, this is sort of the second time since the war began. And to take you through the numbers, the Ministry of Defence says that yesterday they dealt with nine missiles and 33 drones. Saudi Arabia intercepting seven drones that went into Riyad.

Qatar intercepted four ballistic missiles in Kuwait. And I think this is where it's really important. They intercepted two drones on Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, resulting in what they say is material damage. The Civil Aviation Authority of Kuwait also said that radar systems had been hit and damaged because of drone strikes in Iraq. You had that consulate, the U.S. consulate strike. This is the second time in just a week.

So, you're seeing these many fronts that have been opened and Iran really doubling down despite calls for surrender in terms of the new ayatollah. And we haven't actually seen him. We've heard a statement that was read out on state media again, saying that they are going to continue to strike U.S. assets. The question is just how much of their capabilities has been deteriorated and targeted by Israel and by the United States, how long they can continue for. And the one piece of leverage that Iran has right now is that choke point of the Strait of Hormuz. And this is why we're seeing oil prices rise extensively and also trying to inflict economic damage and material damage across its neighbors here in the Gulf states.

[02:05:31]

HUNTE: Okay, well, thank you so much for that update. Eleni Giokos in Dubai. Thank you. And please stay safe over there.

Earlier I spoke to the Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom about the war with Iran. Here's what he had to say when asked about where this conflict is now heading now that President Trump said he's unwilling to make a deal to end the war. Have a listen.

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GREGG CARLSTROM, MIDDEL EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: We haven't heard Trump speak in recent days about wanting topple the regime in Iran or wanting to make some sort of a deal with the leadership there, which he did talk about in the early days of the war. I think the more we see this disruption to global energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the more both sides are digging in around that question.

We've heard Trump talking about wanting allies and then also countries like China to send warships to join some sort of coalition. It's all a bit vague, but some sort of coalition to protect shipping going through the strait. The Iranians continue to make these threats around at least some of the shipping that's going through. That's really become the focal point of the war.

And it's hard to see now how this ends until either the Americans are able to wrench that strait open or until Iran is able to inflict enough damage to the global economy and to energy shipments that the Americans are forced to wind things down.

HUNTE: Mojtaba Khamenei still hasn't appeared publicly since taking over and his first comments were delivered through state media rather than in person. What do you think that tells us about the regime right now?

CARLSTROM: We really don't know who is in charge in Iran. There are all of these rumors about most of his health, that he may have been wounded, perhaps badly wounded in Israeli strikes in the early days of the war, we have no confirmation of that. But I think between the fact that his first statement, as you say, was written and then we didn't hear from him at all on Friday, which for the Iranian regime is known as Quds Day, it's a day of state backed rallies, state backed demonstrations against Israel.

Traditionally the supreme leader will deliver a message on that day. And he was notably a no show. And so I think what that tells us is that power is actually in the hands of other people in Iran right now, probably the likes of Ali Larijani, who's the head of the National Security Council, Mohammad Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament, various other longtime regime figures like that. They are likely the ones calling the shots behind the scenes. And even

after the war ends, it's not clear how much most of it is going to be able to consolidate power and really be the supreme leader of the country as his predecessors were, or how much he's going to be a figurehead. And actually, other politicians, the Revolutionary Guard, other entities in Iran might be the ones in charge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: We now know the names of the six U.S. crew members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. They are Major John Klinner, Captain Ariana Savino, Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, Captain Seth Koval, Captain Curtis Angst, and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons. The incident is under investigation, and the military says it's not a result of hostile fire or friendly fire.

Rising oil markets are reacting to fears that the war in Iran will continue to disrupt the flow of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Global oil prices closed this week at their highest level since 2022. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, settled on Friday above $103 a barrel. U.S. crude finished just under $99 a barrel, and that's contributing to the spike that you see here in gas prices across the U.S. the national average now stands at about $3.67 per gallon.

Wow. We're joining me now from Bern, Switzerland, to discuss is Cornelia Meyer, an international economist, as well as the founder and CEO of Meyer Resources.

CORNELIA MEYER, ECONOMIST, FOUNDER AND CEO, MEYER RESOURCES: Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

I'm doing very well. How are you doing? And thank you for having me.

HUNTE: I'm doing good. Thank you for asking. I appreciate that. Let's talk oil.

Oil markets are reacting fast to this conflict. How worried are traders right now about a real supply shock coming out of the Gulf?

MEYER: Well, look, 20 percent of oil products and crude have to pass through the Straits of Hormuz. There're some reliefs with -- with a pipeline west -- east to west from in Saudi and the pipeline to FUJITA in UAE. But still, this is overwhelming. 20 percent of LNG have to come through the straits. Also, you know, it's aluminum, it's fertilizer, it's probably propylene, it's polyethylene, it sorts of other really important things that have to come through the Straits of Hormuz.

[20:10:38]

So, this is a shock to the, this is a shock to the economy. And obviously traders are worried.

HUNTE: A lot of the focus is on the Strait of Hormuz and rightly so. If shipping that does stay disrupted, how big of a problem is that for global supplies? Because were talking earlier about how it even impacts fertilizer.

MEYER: Yes. No, it is a problem for global supplies. Right now, there's still, you know, there's still enough sort of around the IEA, the International Energy Agency says it is releasing 400 million barrels of emergency stocks. The various countries are. But you know, the problem there is flow rate, how fast is this going.

So, at some stage we will -- it will get critical. And that is what, you know, that is what traders are looking at. Traders are sort of, you know, looking ahead and they're -- they're buying on the rumor or what they think is coming ahead. They will then sell on the fact. But it's -- it's a really critical situation. As you know, the CEO of Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, Saudi Arabia's oil company, said this will have dire consequences for the global economy if this persists.

HUNTE: The U.S. has now targeted Iran's key export infrastructure. Does that seriously tighten global oil supply or what markets already expecting that risk?

MEYER: Well, you know, they haven't, they said they had attacked the defense infrastructure, on the military infrastructure, but not the -- but not that -- not the oil infrastructure. It's very bad for -- that would be very bad for Iran because that's the only place where, deep -- deep enough where oil tankers can more. So, it's a really crucial thing for Iran.

You know, Iran has been exporting over the last year 1.3 to 1.5 million barrels a day because of sanctions. So, it's 1.5, about 1.5 percent of global consumption.

So yes, it matters, but it doesn't -- it will matter in the long run if it's taken out. It will especially matter to Iran. It will also matter to China, which currently buys about 10 to 13 percent of its oil from Iran.

But mind you, China has done a good job at buying a lot of oil when it was cheap and putting it into underground storage. So, I would say for the time being, they're okay, although not insulated from the higher price levels when they buy from other suppliers such as Russia.

HUNTE: Beyond oil and tanker rates and insurance costs and shipping risks, they're all climbing. What ripple effects from this war worry you the most for the global economy?

MEYER: Well, what worries me the most for the global economy is that the transmission mechanism of this and as I said, it's not just oil, it's all these other things as well is inflation. And you know, the especially European economies have sort of been sputtering if they're now stuck with inflation and can't even can't reduce, you know, base rates. And also, the U.S. Will not be able to reduce base rates. That -- that plus together not enough oil plus tariffs, that will have a very bad effect on the global economy.

HUNTE: Well, thank you so much for those updates. I really appreciate your insight. Cornelia Meyer there, thank you for staying up and waking up early for us as well. We really appreciate that.

MEYER: Thank you very much, Ben.

HUNTE: Thank you. See you soon.

Supporters of President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran rallied in front of the White House on Saturday, telling CNN that they see an opportunity topple the Islamic regime that has ruled since 1979. Some of them favor Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, as a nation's next leader.

Various attendees sport read Make Iran Great Again hats. Others held combined American Iranian flags or posters of Pahlavi with Trump.

[02:15:00]

Meanwhile, in Spain, protesters took to the streets denouncing the conflict in the Middle East and calling for peace. CNN's Pau Mosquera has this report for us from the demonstration in Madrid.

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PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These were the tense and the mood feeling downtown Madrid this Saturday morning. 23 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 used 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 to over lasting peace in the Middle East.

CARMEN REY, MADRID RESIDENT (voiceover): 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 (voiceover): I think it's an absolute disgrace the kind of world we're heading toward where ordinary people have fought to achieve some peace and we see how those in power crush everyone.

MARIA DOLORES, MADRID RESIDENTS (voiceover): 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 (voiceover): 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 dialogue and above all, much more effective United Nations.

ARMANDO LAFON, MADRID RESIDENT (voiceover): 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. MOSQUERA: From the Spanish government 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. Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Okay, Iranian civilians are caught in the middle as the US And Israel move ahead of their military strike.

Still ahead, we look at the high price that Iranians have to pay for that ongoing conflict. And first they were displaced by Israeli attacks on Gaza and now a massive sandstorm has thousands living in tent camps scrambling to keep their shelter.

Coming up, the amount of damage that storm has caused. See you in a moment.

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[02:21:31]

Welcome back. More than two weeks of aerial strikes have created an exodus for major cities in Iran. The UN says more than 3 million Iranians have been forced to flee their homes since the war began. Most have reportedly left Tehran and other cities for the relative safety in rural areas.

But some of them may not have homes to come back to anymore. Iran says close to 43,000 civilian units have been damaged in U.S. and Israeli strikes. Most of them are residential. One more than 1,800 Iranians have been killed so far, according to a US activist group.

For more we are joined by Babar Baloch, a global spokesperson at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and he's speaking to us from Geneva. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll get straight to it.

The UN says millions of people may now be displaced inside Iran. What are you seeing in terms of people leaving cities or moving to safer areas?

BABAR BALOCH, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON FOR REFUGEES, UNHCR: Many thanks for having us. These are initial estimates we are getting from Iranian officials on the ground. Our worry is that UNHCR, the UN refugee agencies, are for civilians who are now caught up into this conflict in the whole region. The Iranian officials were saying initially that from 600,000 up to a million Iranians are now displaced. Many of these people who are Iranians hope this is a temporary thing, but looking at the way this conflict is escalating, the fears are this may be a prolonged episode in their lives.

We have based this number so the number which was given to us, the average family size or household size in Iran, if you look at it from the recent census, that's 3.2 per household. That's how we have arrived at this number. But let's also not forget Iran has been a generous host for million

Afghan refugees in that country. So apart from 3.2 million, up to 3.2 million that are displaced now Iran also has 1.6 million Afghan refugees in addition, who are also worried for their safety, too.

HUNTE: That's just awful. Thank you for that. We have seen strikes hitting energy sites and other infrastructure. What sort of impact is that having on people just trying to act? Access basics like electricity and water and health care.

BALOCH: Indeed, we UNHCR has presence in many parts of Iran, Tehran and other major cities. Afghan refugees who are calling us desperately. I mean, we are receiving a thousand calls from Afghan refugees in the country every day, and they are worried for their safety. Also, their livelihoods have been lost. Mothers, single mothers are calling. They cannot feed their children.

You spoke about Iranians who have moved to safer locations for Afghans. They may not even have that choice. And let's just not forget just in the neighborhood in Afghanistan now, there are recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and many Afghans have left and returned back to Afghanistan recently. So, they are literally moving from one conflict to another conflict.

[02:25:00]

HUNTE: And while you're talking now, we're just seeing some images from the regions and it's just absolutely awful. Do you expect this to turn into a broader refugee crisis beyond Iran's borders, even if most of the displacement is happening inside the country for now?

BALOCH: Those are our worries at UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. The whole region is impacted and affected by this. So far, we have not seen big refugee movements from Iran or Iranians crossing into the neighboring. But UNHCR has presence in Turkey. We are in Armenia. We are in Afghanistan. We are also in Pakistan.

So far, we have seen more than 11,000 Iranians that have arrived in Turkey. But remember, Iranian citizens have up to 90 days visa free stay in Turkey. Our colleagues at the border points are saying they're not seeing a major shift in terms of population movements from Iran crossing the border. But the conflict has already spilled over. Now we have nearly a million people who are also being displaced inside Lebanon. And there are Syrian refugees who are being hosted in Lebanon, more than 100,000 that have crossed into Syria.

So, it's quite a worrying picture all across the region. That's why our calls are that there has to be a dialogue. This conflict has to deescalate so civilian populations get an despite.

HUNTE: Yes. And just as you're talking about those numbers there, they're so huge. Absolutely insane stuff. What are the biggest challenges humanitarian organizations face trying to assess the needs and deliver aid in the middle of an active conflict to so many people?

BALOCH: Yes, even before this conflict started, our estimates, rough estimates, were that around 25 million people in the region were displaced. We are talking about refugees. We are talking about people that were internally displaced and we are also talking about former refugees who had recently returned to their countries. Syria, we are talking about Afghanistan.

So now this is just adding up to those challenges that we humanitarians are already facing. My agency, UNHCR, we have expertise to deal with any large displacement situation stepping forward to help. So, at any moment we're ready to support one million people. But with so many humanitarian situations at the same time going all across the world, this will just add up to our challenges. And let's not forget, you know, we like in Lebanon, we have helped close to 200,000 people that have been recently affected with the stockpiles that we have had already in the ground.

We also have humanitarian supplies in many other places, but there's also a challenge to move those supplies. So that's why we are talking to authorities all across the region. We are ready to support, but we want to be able to do this alone. We would need global solidarity and more funding to help so many people who are on the move.

HUNTE: And there are so many people there. Well, thank you so much for your work and thank you for speaking to us as well.

BALOCH: Thank you.

HUNTE: Babar Baloch, we really appreciate it. Speak to you soon.

Okay. A destructive sandstorm in southern and central Gaza has thousands of Palestinians who were displaced by the conflict of Israel struggling to secure their temporary encampments. Have a watch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE (voiceover): 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. 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 (voiceover): These tents have already been worn out. They've been here for almost a year, maybe more than a year and a half. Worn out tents. In the winter, the water lands directly above our heads. When the wind blows, it just lifts everything.

HUNTE (voiceover): 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.

MOUHAMMED ABU HARBID, DISPLACED GAZAN (voiceover): 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 (voiceover): 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[20:30:09]

HUNTE: All right, restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving up global fuel prices. Still ahead, how countries are responding to President Trump's plans to reopen the waterway. Plus, we have a live report from Doha as the city recovers from airstrikes. Stay with us, CNN.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. President Trump insists that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains a top priority of the war with Iran. On Saturday, Trump posted on social media that, quote, "Hopefully other nations will join the U.S. in sending naval assets to help open the strategic waterway." China and the UK have both responded to the post by calling for dialogue and de-escalation to res the crisis.

CNN teams on the ground in Qatar say that it's been quieter in Doha after airstrikes shook the city on Saturday. But travel is still disrupted throughout the region and a couple of major Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have now been cancelled. For more, let's bring in CNN producer Matias Grez live from Doha.

Matias, thanks for being with me again. What is the latest where you are?

MATIAS GREZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, yes, like you said, fortunately a much quieter night last night than we had on Friday night when a couple of really loud explosions rocked the city not far from where we are. And yesterday, actually, the Ministry of Defense here confirmed that yesterday had been subjected to four missile attacks and a number of drone attacks, all of which it said had been successfully intercepted. And a bit Further afield, the UAE confirmed on Saturday it had intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones, while Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense said that since last night and into the early hours of this morning, it had intercepted 21 drones and six ballistic missiles.

[20:35:11]

And in Kuwait, the aviation authority there said that its main international airport had a radar damaged by a drone strike. Plus, there was damage at an air base further afield.

But look, these strikes are now having a major impact on huge sporting events. Like you mentioned at the top in the region. Formula 1 came out last night and said that the Bahrain grand prix scheduled for April 12, and the Saudi Grand Prix scheduled for the following weekend on April 19 had both been cancelled, with no replacements added to the calendar.

And similarly, here in Qatar, just up the road in Lusail, next Friday, were supposed to have the Finalissima, a huge football match between Spain and Argentina. Lionel Messi was meant to be coming back here for the first time since lifting the World cup with Argentina in Qatar in 2022. And that'll be a huge miss, both for locals and sponsors. There's been no official confirmation yet that won't go ahead, but reports coming out last night say, of course, very difficult for that to happen.

And look, these events, but in particular, I think Formula 1, have become huge prestige events in the region. Since Bahrain hosted the first regions, the region's first Formula 1 race back in 2004, this has become one of, if not the biggest growth area, growth market Formula 1 and for many sports beyond Formula 1. But aside from just being prestige events, they're huge economic events for the countries, the cities and the areas in which they're hosted. They bring in tourists, business and sponsors from all over the world.

And look, with Qatar added to the Formula 1 calendar as well as Abu Dhabi and those races scheduled for November and December later this year, organizers and fans, I'm sure, will be hoping things subside in time for those events to still go ahead.

HUNTE: Okay, well, thank you so much for that update, Matias. We appreciate it. And I'll speak to you again in an hour. Thank you.

More than 400 Filipinos were repatriated on a government-chartered flight from the Middle East over the weekend as the war with Iran, of course, continues. One man who worked in Dubai for more than a decade said he was fortunate to return home after learning an explosion happened near his workplace. The Philippines Foreign Ministry estimates over 2.4 million Filipinos live in the Middle east, most of them overseas workers.

In the U.S. more than 60,000 airport security workers are missing their first full paycheck this weekend because of the U.S. Government partial shutdown. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security ran out last month. Many workers are now wondering how they got by in the meantime. CNN's Camilla de Chalice has the latest details for us from Virginia.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: What we're seeing right now is that it has been relatively really quick lines, not major delays at this airport. But unfortunately, that is not the case of airports across the country. And even though we're not seeing major disruptions here, what you can't see on camera is just the emotional and financial toll this partial government shutdown has taken on several TSA agents here.

Now, I spent a lot of time just talking to TSA agents and they told me their sentiment is that they're feeling very fed up about what is happening. One of the biggest things I've heard is them feeling that it's very unfair that they're being financially impacted by this partial government shutdown because of what's happening on Capitol Hill and the fact that Republicans and Democrats can't strike some sort of a deal to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

One person just told me, hey, this is about immigration related activities. That has nothing to do with us. And so, I'm kind of confused about why we're being financially impacted by this. A lot of them talked about not just the financial strain that this partial government shutdown has taken, but also the emotional toll. Some people have told me how they've had a lot of work sick, just saying, because the stress alone of how they can't even think about how they're going to afford to pay their next bill is enough for them to not just show up to work.

And they're saying that the big picture here is that if this government shutdown continues, that we're going to expect to see major delays at airports. Because they're really saying to me that enough is enough. And even these past few months they've experienced government shutdown after government shutdown, that they're really feeling like they're the collateral damage and all of this, and it is unfair. And so, the big question here is that what we're going see in the days and weeks ahead if this partial government shutdown continues, and they're expecting to say that you're going to see more delays and more disruptions at airports as more TSA workers call out. Camila DeChalus, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.

HUNTE: The U.S. has considered Iran's ballistic missile program a major threat to its interests in the Middle East. But now another adversary makes a move to improve its own missile arsenal while Washington is busy in Iran that story is ahead. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:45]

HUNTE: Welcome back. As the U.S. zeroes in on its ongoing strikes in Iran, another adversary is moving to bolster its missile arsenal. The U.S. Military says North Korea conducted a test involving multiple ballistic missiles on Saturday. The statement says the launch doesn't appear to pose a risk to U.S. Troops and their allies.

However, North Korea says the launch involved nuclear capable rockets. That is happening after the country's leader, Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen North Korea's nuclear program. Well, let's talk about it.

bringing in at CNN's Will Ripley joining us live from Taipei, Taiwan. Well, thanks for being back with me. I appreciate it. What more can you tell us about all of this?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So it's been really interesting because we've seen now three major weapons tests by North Korea just in the span of a little over a week. It's all been happening in the month of March.

This latest barrage of nuclear capable rockets, as North Korea calls them, was fired this weekend from the Sunan airport area of the North Korean capital Pyongyang. They only flew for about four minutes or around 200 miles, hitting their island targets. Obviously, this is a shorter-range demonstration of potential nuclear capability, North Korea claims. But the test that happened last week from North Korea's new 5,000-ton flagship destroyer, the Traehyun, these involved like ballistic missiles or cruise missiles, I should say that actually flew for almost three hours, about 169 minutes, putting U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan, well within potential striking range.

So, Kim is trying to demonstrate his ability at the moment, especially with this latest test over the weekend with these mobile missile launchers to kind of drive these things out, fire with very little notice and hit targets. Of course, U.S. Military assets in South Korea could be potentially within striking range of these weapons. In fact, Kim Jong Un was seen in state media himself behind the wheel of one of these things a few weeks ago before their Workers Party Congress. He actually supposedly climbed in and they say he was driving it, although they only showed it from a distance. So, we don't really know for sure what was happening.

And at all these tests, of course, he's joined by his daughter who is rumored to be his likely successor in training. The girl believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, a teenager who's been by his side at a lot of these flexing of military muscle, these demonstrations of North Korea's weapons capability. That's also a signal for Kim to the world essentially that he has his daughter right there.

[20:45:06]

The Kim family legitimacy, the Kim family dynasty, as some might call it, is going to continue for many generations to come. And they're protected by this growing arsenal of nuclear weapons. Also interesting, though, there was a meeting at the White House between President Trump and South Korea's prime minister. It was not a scheduled meeting, but it happened earlier this week. And President Trump agreed to meet with the South Korean prime minister and then proceeded to ask him if he thinks that Kim Jong Un wants to meet with Trump again.

Obviously, they had several Summits back in 2018, 2019 during that Korean detente, that period of diplomacy that eventually ended in failure. And Kim has now pivoted very closely and sharply with Russia and Vladimir Putin. But President Trump asking the South Korean prime minister if he thinks that Kim wants to meet. And as a matter of fact, President Trump is going to be returning to this region at the end of this month for a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

So, is the United States now trying to signal that President Trump wants to meet with Kim while he's in the region? Are these launches getting President Trump's attention and is that part of the reason why Kim is doing it? Does he want the United States attention?

Also, of course, U.S. and South Korea military drills are ongoing on the peninsula right now. And North Korea usually does respond to those drills with this sort of thing. Ben, they consider the drill as a dress rehearsal for war and they want to show off their own military strength.

So, all of that happening along with everything else that you've been covering for the rest of this hour in the Middle East, HUNTE: There is so much going on, but you're on top of it. Will Ripley

in Taipei, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

We will be right back. Stay with CNN.

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[02:50:26]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Los Angeles is getting ready for one of the biggest international sporting events of the year, the FIFA World Cup 2026. On Saturday, communities came together for a road to the World Cup Community Day in the city. CNN's Gonzalo Alvarado reports.

GONZALO ALVARADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fun, excitement, but lots and lots of anticipation. That's what the Los Angeles is experiencing this weekend. Launching the road to the World Cup FIFA 2026 and how they're doing it. They' several activities here at the heart of Los Angeles.

KATHRYN SCHIOESSMAN, CEO, LOS ANGELES WORLD CUP 2026 HOST COMMITTEE: So, this is our inaugural community day presented by Amgen and what everybody's going to do, our volunteers and locals alike. We have 10 giant soccer balls. Everybody's going to be painting them in different themes and then those soccer balls will be placed throughout the community again to make the city look better, to help welcome the world.

But what today is really about is people working together who are excited about soccer, getting to actually do something to help welcome the world. Bringing them together.

ALVARADO: The Los Angeles World cup host committee will hold two community events like this one. Next community event is scheduled for May 2, events that according to Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass is going to help stimulate the World cup excitement.

KAREN BASS, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES: But I am so excited because in less than 90 days we will welcome the world here to Los Angeles.

ALVARADO: How do you feel as Angeleno that the World cup is coming here town?

BRIAN CHAVEZ, VOLUNTEER: I feel very excited and proud. We're going to welcome all the tourists, people out of town with open arms.

ALVARADO: Canada, United States and Mexico will be hosting the World Cup, FIFA 2026. Of all the 104 games that will take place throughout the Whole World Cup, 78 of them will take place in U.S. soil. Eleven cities in the U.S. will host the World Cup, Louisiana being one of them.

Eight of those games will take at the SoFi Stadium June 12. USA will face Parallel.

SCHIOESSMAN: This is an incredible opportunity to really showcase our city on the international stage. We have never in my tenure in this role of bringing major events and we've had a lot had the kind of excitement focused on World cup is the largest single sport event in the world and the media attention and everybody's excited about it and what are we doing about that opportunity.

ALVARADO: Gonzalo Alvarado, CNN, Los Angeles.

HUNTE: Iraq's national football team will travel to Mexico for their World cup playoff match. That is according to Reuters.

With the war in Iran causing travel chaos and airspace closed in places in the Middle East, the team had been stuck going nowhere, calling their heels, hoping for a resolution. The team's coach even called for the game to be postponed. But FIFA, World football's governing authority helped arrange a charter flight. So now Iraq is set to play either Bolivia or Suriname on March 31. The team hopes to qualify for the World cup for the first time in 40 years.

Security is being stepped up in Los Angeles ahead of tonight's Academy Awards ceremony. The move comes after an FBI memo flagged an unverified tip about a possible Iran linked drone attack targeting California. State and local officials say there is no imminent threat.

However, security around major events is being tightened out of an abundance of caution. Earlier we spoke of CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem for her take on the security ahead of the Oscars.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's so high profile that it is fortified. This idea of an Iranian drone being targeted at a specific time, you know it could, you know this is in, you know, you could imagine it. But in terms of a specific threat, there is nothing to believe that for us to believe that is true. Safety and security for an event like this has been going on a long time, weeks before in terms of fortifying the structure.

The crowds of vehicles near the crowds. So, anyone who is lucky enough to attend. Enjoy yourselves. I will be enjoying myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Hopefully we'll be enjoying ourselves too. This time tomorrow we will know who won Hollywood's top prizes. Here is CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister with a quick preview for you.

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 sinner star Michael B. Jordan in the best actor race. Why? Because all eyes are on Timothee Chalamet.

[20:55:17]

Timothee Chalamet was considered the frontrunner at the beginning of Oscar 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: 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 Oscar 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.

HUNTE: All right. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta and I'll be right back with you after this quick break. See in a moment.

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