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Pentagon Identifies Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Gas Prices Skyrocket Amid Gulf Crisis; IRGC Shares New Warning for U.S.; Drone Warfare Poses New Challenge for Gulf States. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired March 15, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:31]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

We begin with the latest developments out of Iran. Video geolocated by CNN shows thick plumes of smoke over Isfahan, a major city in central Iran. State media say that several points were targeted by missiles from U.S. and Israeli fighter jets.

Meanwhile, in Israel, missiles and interceptions could be seen lighting up the Tel Aviv sky in the latest attacks from Iran and Hezbollah. Munitions impacts are being reported at several locations in central Israel. Emergency workers reported two people needing treatment.

Now, this as President Trump says he's not ready to strike a cease fire deal with Iran yet. And he questions whether the country's new supreme leader is even alive.

Speaking with "NBC News," the president said if Mojtaba Khamenei is alive, he should, quote, "do something very smart for his country, and that's surrender."

President Trump is calling on other countries, including China and the U.K., to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran threatens more retaliatory strikes following the U.S. attack on Kharg Island.

CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us live from Dubai.

So, Eleni, looking at the Strait of Hormuz and President Trump asking countries to help with escorts, what's been the response so far?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, it's really interesting. So, on the social media post, you know, President Trump was saying, we're going to get help from China, the U.K., Japan, South Korea and France. And it's really interesting that it's come to this point, because many experts are saying it's almost like drawing in other countries into this hot war that we're seeing. Importantly, we've heard from Japan, and they say that it's -- they're going to face high hurdles in terms of deployments, that they're not ruling it out at this point, but they need to engage further with the United States. Really interesting. So, it's not a categorical no or yes, but also highlighting the potential risks that Japan would face in terms of sending warships to the region.

Importantly, we also heard from South Korea, and the South Koreans are saying that they are at this point not going to be ruling it out, but they're going to be communicating again closely with the United States. The experts that we've spoken to saying it is going to be a dangerous mission. We've been reporting some of these numbers that we've heard from experts, that you'll need about eight to 10 destroyers to escort around five to 10 tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. And that's far below the 50 tankers that we normally see during times of normal operation that carry around 20 million barrels of oil into the international markets.

Just for context here, and it's really important, Kim, to understand this, there have been 17 vessels that have been struck since the start of the war in the Persian Gulf, as well as the Strait of Hormuz, so clearly causing a lot of fear in the overall sector. And a lot of tankers and shippers really concerned about passing through.

Iran, for its part, saying that they have full control of the Strait. They have allowed on Saturday two Indian tankers to pass through, with the caveat to use the Chinese yuan as opposed to the U.S. dollar. Really interesting sort of play here, but the Iranians are trying to inflict economic pain not only here on the Gulf region through targeting critical energy infrastructure, but cause supply constraints on oil and gas that is going to have major ramifications around the world.

We're already seeing that. We're seeing gas prices increase in the United States. You're seeing a lot of fuel shortages, specifically in Asian countries. And the contagion is pretty enormous because it also has an impact on all of those refined products, like jet fuel, like plastics, as well as fertilizer.

At this point, we also know there have been numerous threats on the United Arab Emirates after that strike on Kharg Island, which is a lifeblood for the Iranians. They export around 90 percent of their oil into the -- up into the international market from that island.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that, Eleni Giokos. Thank you so much.

I want to go now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi with the latest on Iran's escalation towards the UAE.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've certainly seen the UAE has been singled out for the most amount of missiles and drones over the past two weeks. And now another threat from Iranian officials, that it will be targeted even more. This is the latest that we have heard from the spokesperson of the armed forces.

[05:05:10] It comes after the U.S. attack on Kharg Island, even though it was military targets that were taken out. We did hear from the U.S. President saying it could be oil infrastructure next if the Strait of Hormuz is not back to normal.

So, I'll quote what we heard from this statement, saying, "We warn the UAE leadership that the Islamic Republic of Iran views it as its legitimate right to strike the origins of American missile launches, those concealed in ports, docks and shelters used by U.S. forces under the cover of Emirati cities in defense of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Now, it's worth pointing out that the UAE maintains that its defensive posture remains unchanged. We certainly not heard anything different to that. But Iran feeling that some of these missiles are coming from Emirati territory, despite no confirmation or suggestion that that is, in fact, accurate.

Now, we have seen on the east coast of the UAE in a place called Fujairah. This is where there are a lot of oil depots. And this is where we see black smoke and fire that is climbing into the sky. Once again, this is not the first time that Fujairah has been targeted. Now, we understand it was an interception and debris from that interception that damaged this particular port area.

But we do know that sources to "Reuters" and "Bloomberg" say that some of the loading operations, those oil loading operations, have been suspended. So, this obviously puts the UAE, although it is on a high state of alert, on notice once again that it is going to be the most heavily targeted by Iran's retaliation.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. For more, I want to bring in Yasmin Farooq. She's the project director for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula for the International Crisis Group, joining us live from Paris.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, we're more than two weeks into this war, and Iran has hit many of its neighboring countries with missiles and drones. There are civilians dead, airports shut down, oil facilities on fire. I mean, give us the big picture of where things stand right now for people living in these Gulf states.

YASMINE FAROUK, PROJECT DIRECTOR, GULF AND ARABIAN PENINSULA, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: So, even if the attacks and the number of -- in terms of numbers of missiles and drones has declined, you have now a larger scope of those attacks, for example, mainly expanding to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where we had -- we had -- we see that the targets are being limited to the eastern province and to the oil -- the oil wells and to the Prince Sultan Air Base in Riyadh, but the number has increased.

So, this is a change. The other change that was significant is that is the publishing by Iran of a list that basically includes any kind of U.S. strategic interest in the region, even if it goes through private companies, being a target. And of course, again, mainly focused on the UAE. We've seen on this list, you know, oil companies. We've seen Amazon. We've seen, of course, weapons companies.

So, this is also a significant increase. And we have seen Iran doubling down on -- saying that the Gulf countries will continue to be a target, but at the same time denying that some of the attacks are coming from Iran, which is something that the Gulf countries don't take in a credible way.

The other development and the mood in the Gulf countries is that we are hearing more and more Gulf officials, whether on the GCC level, the Gulf Cooperation Council or individual countries, saying 0that despite reserving the right to respond, they still think that diplomacy should, you know, be reinvigorated. We've seen reports that are confirmed that, you know, there are still diplomatic channels between most of those countries and Iran.

So, this is also trying to offer an off-ramp that we've seen, again, according to press reports, that President Trump has rejected because Iran has put some conditions. And so, we don't see an end to this war, at least for now.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's interesting about the diplomacy apparently happening behind the scenes, because as you as you point out, Donald Trump seems to be rejecting that out of hand. In the meantime, I want to ask you about the attitude of the Gulf states here. I mean, they spent years sort of building ties with Iran, repairing those ties. They gave assurances their territory wouldn't be used against Iran.

So, how do they sort of process the fact that Iran is now hitting them anyway?

[05:10:00]

FAROUK: Look, first of all, Gulf countries knew since the June war that another strike was coming. They were doing really their best through diplomatic channels with both Iran and the U.S. to prevent this war from happening.

As is becoming clear from this war and as Gulf countries have warned, this war is not reaching the objectives that were, let's say, declared at the beginning. First of all, the objectives keep changing. Second of all, they are -- they are offering, you know, less window than the diplomatic negotiations that were taking place.

I don't think that the diplomatic path with Iran will be closed because simply these countries, as they keep repeating, are Iran's neighbors. Iran is not going anywhere. And by the way, even if Iran collapses, they will be the ones that will be left to deal with this collapse.

So, it's not the trust has been shattered. I expect them to demand more from Iran in any upcoming negotiations. But I don't think that they completely will abandon the diplomatic path with Iran. BRUNHUBER: So, on the flip side, then, I mean, these the Gulf states issued that joint statement with the U.S. that was affirming their right to self-defense, but they haven't joined the fight. But where do they draw the line then between sort of condemning Iran and actually taking any military action?

FAROUK: Look, these countries were against the war since the beginning. The U.S., the rhetoric coming of the U.S., but also of out of Israel and Iran is making it clear to them that if they join this war, they will be even more on the front line with even a more expanded, you know, expanded list of targets and they will be automatically put in the U.S.-Israel offensive operation.

I am not saying that they are excluding it, and I'm not saying that measures haven't been taken since Iran started attacking them. But I think that for now, they have shown that their option is to try to de- escalate with Iran through those open channels, but also to avoid becoming in the U.S.-Israel camp in an offensive.

Now, the question of the red line, I think the red line will come -- it would come with mass casualties in one of those -- in one of those countries, which is something that we haven't seen so far. We have seen, for example, a red line even by the Trump administration itself when it comes to critical infrastructure, and that includes oil, but also includes water desalination plants, for example.

So, I expect this to be a red line that the Gulf countries would at which the Gulf countries would reconsider maybe to join. For now, it is clear that they are choosing to continue resisting that temptation of joining a war that they did not want.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Listen, we'll have to leave it there, but appreciate your insights, Yasmine Farouk. Thanks so much for joining us.

FAROUK: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: In Iran, state media have been showing scenes of Iranians rallying for their besieged nation. The reports say people are standing defiantly against the U.S.-Israeli attacks and expressing allegiance to their government.

And a different scene in the U.S. Capitol. 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 to topple the Islamic regime that's ruled since 1979. And some of them favor Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, as the nation's next leader. Various attendees sported red Make Iran Great Again hats. Others held combined American-Iranian flags or posters of Pahlavi with Trump.

Well, we now know the names of the six U.S. crew members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. Captain Seth Koval, Captain Curtis Angst, Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons, Major John Klinner, Captain Ariana Savino, and Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt. The incident is under investigation. The military says it isn't a result of hostile or friendly fire. Well, as the war with Iran rages in the Middle East, recent attacks in

the U.S. are shaking American sense of safety. We've got an in-depth report and perspective from an expert.

And lines at U.S. airports might be getting longer, and that's because TSA agents aren't getting paid. We'll have details on those stories and more coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Amsterdam's mayor is denouncing what she calls a targeted attack after a bomb exploded at a Jewish school. The blast hit the outer wall of the building. No one was injured. Police say they have images of the person who allegedly set off the device. Officials in Amsterdam said they increased security after similar incidents in Rotterdam and Liege, Belgium. All the incidents have occurred since the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran two weeks ago.

So, as that war rages, recent attacks in the U.S. are shaking Americans' sense of safety. On Thursday, there were two separate incidents now being investigated as terrorism. A deadly shooting and a targeted vehicle ramming.

Days earlier, two men accused of throwing IEDs during New York protests told law enforcement they were inspired by ISIS. And two weeks before that, a shooter killed three people and injured several others in Austin, Texas. CNN's Holmes Lybrand has more.

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HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: Since the start of the conflict with Iran, several attacks have occurred inside the U.S. that are now being investigated as potential acts of terrorism. While some members of Congress have voiced concern over potential Iranian sleeper cells, the issue now facing U.S. law enforcement is lone wolf attacks. That threat, while not being new, brings with it significant challenges, both in attempting to thwart such attacks and trying to predict where they might take place next.

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After Thursday's attacks, police departments across the U.S. ramped up patrols and security around places of worship. And they are all on high alert for similar attacks that might even be inspired by those two this Thursday.

Now, when the conflict began with Iran, the FBI specifically tasked agents to keep close eyes on people of interest inside the country who might be activated or triggered by the Iran strikes. The threat of lone wolf actors will continue to be a key concern for law enforcement as the conflict with Iran continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: So, with these terror-related events seemingly coming to an end, CNN's Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem assesses just how vigilant Americans should be.

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JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The threat environment is elevated. Theres just -- I mean, you don't have to be an expert to know that we are -- we -- we started a war. It was not quick. It's now a regional war. It's having global consequences. And -- and we ought we need to be prepared as a homeland. That means both the government, but our communities, local and state law enforcement.

To date, the administration has yet to issue what we would call an elevated threat advisory to state and locals. But -- but we all know anyone in the field knows it to

be true.

I talk to enough police officers and state officials. They know it to be true. And that is -- and that would be true of any war, and that would be true during any presidency.

So, that is one concern, right, obviously. And then I think out there somewhere is some concern about Iranian state-sponsored terrorism. I don't think we should expect that immediately right now, but, you know, Iran plays the long game, and they've definitely been a state sponsor of terrorism.

For the average American, you know, basically watch your surroundings. Don't go into hiding. Don't -- don't be too fearful. You know, then they win, and I really believe that. For certain communities in particular, the Jewish communities we saw in Michigan, they are going to be and probably should -- you know, organized for greater defenses at Jewish institutions, temples, congregations, elsewhere, because in the antisemitism that animates some of this terrorism, they're equating disagreement with Israel's policies with Judaism, which is just antisemitism, and I do worry about that.

BRUNHUBER: More than 60,000 TSA 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'll get by in the meantime.

CNN's Camila DeChalus has the latest details from Virginia.

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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 biggest 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 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 to call out 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 this -- 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 in all of this, and it is unfair, and so the big question here is that what we're going to 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.

BRUNHUBER: Tehran warns it's not done retaliating. It comes as U.S. allies in the Gulf continue to be targeted by Iranian strikes. We'll go live to Doha with the latest.

Plus, we'll take a look at how the conflict in the Middle East is impacting global oil prices. Stay with us.

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05:28:08

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

The Pentagon has identified the six U.S. military members who were killed when their refueling plane crashed in Iraq. They range in age from 28 to 38 years old. They include a squadron operations chief who just recently earned her wings as a pilot, a major who oversaw flight training for dozens of airmen, and a young boom operator remembered for his million-dollar smile.

The war with Iran is taking a toll on Americans at the pump. According to the AAA Auto Association, the national average for a gallon of gas is up 23 percent since the start of the conflict. Now this, as disruptions to the flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz have sent global oil prices soaring to their highest levels since 2022.

Iran's military issued a new warning following the U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90 percent of the country's crude exports. Earlier Tehran said it believes it has a legitimate right to target the UAE, including what it calls U.S. military hideouts.

All right, for more on all of that, we have CNN's Matias Grez in Doha, Qatar, and Nada Bashir in London.

Nada, let's start with you. What's the latest from Iran?

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: As you mentioned, Kim, we are hearing fresh warnings from the Iranian regime with regards to American assets in the Middle East region surrounding Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard now warning American citizens near U.S. industrial plants or any sort of U.S. industrial assets in the region to avoid these areas for their safety.

The Iranian regime on Saturday also warned that it could begin to target UAE ports, docks, anything they believe has been used by the U.S. military in order to carry out devastating strikes on Iranian territory. They have also said that if the United States and Israel target any oil or energy-related infrastructure belonging to Iran, then there will be retaliatory strikes by the Iranian regime targeting oil-related infrastructure belonging to the U.S. or any infrastructure that has any significant U.S. interests involved. These will be clear targets for the Iranian regime.

[05:30:25]

Now, of course, this has stoked concern, and this comes after a series of quite devastating strikes carried out by the U.S. military on Kharg Island, a five-mile strip of land just off the coast of Iran. It is an oil hub. It is responsible for handling some 90 percent of Iran's crude exports. And we heard from the U.S. president speaking just 24 hours ago, saying that they had targeted all military targets on the island, according to the U.S. president.

But he was clear that oil-related infrastructure was not part of those targets. However, he did warn that that could be next, if Iran fails to allow vessels to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, of course, there have been questions around what that would look like. Of course, President Trump has suggested allowing ships to pass through with a naval escort. We have heard from Iran, saying the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is only closed to U.S. and Israeli-linked vessels. But, again, real questions as to what the next steps will look like. We have continued to see devastating strikes across Iran. Just overnight, since the early hours of Sunday morning, we have had reports of large explosions in the city of Isfahan.

We have heard from one resident of Isfahan describing it as a loud explosion, which shook residential buildings nearby. And we have seen video now appearing to show plumes of smoke emerging in the city. It appears those devastating strikes by the United States, by Israel, are continuing.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that. And now turning to Matias, you're monitoring what's happening in the Gulf states. What more can you tell us?

MATIAS GREZ, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, well, fortunately for our team here in Doha, last night was a much quieter night than Friday was, when a couple of really loud explosions shook the area of the city, not far from where we are. But, yesterday evening, Qatar's Ministry of Defense said that they intercepted -- successfully intercepted, four missiles and a number of drones that rained at the country on Saturday.

Similarly, the UAE said they engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense, from last night into the early hours of this morning, have confirmed that they intercepted at least 21 drones and six ballistic missiles.

And Kuwait's aviation authority said that their main international airport, a radar there, was damaged by a drone strike. Plus, there was another drone strike that caused damage to an air base not far from there. But these strikes are now having major repercussions to major events that are supposed to be happening in this region.

Formula One came out last night and said that the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for the 12th of April and the Saudi Grand Prix, scheduled for the following weekend, April 19th, have now both been cancelled.

And just up the road here, in Lusail, the Finalissima, a huge football match between Spain and Argentina, is supposed to take place next Friday. Now, there's been no official confirmation that that's been cancelled just yet. But reports came out last night saying that, of course, it looks very, very difficult and complicated. That match will go ahead. And that will be a huge blow to locals, a huge blow to businesses and sponsors.

Lionel Messi, one of the greatest and most popular players of all time, was supposed to be back here for the first time since 2022. And he lifted the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina. But these events have become real prestige events for the Middle East, since Bahrain hosted the region's first Grand Prix back in 2004.

This region has become one of, if not the key market of growth for Formula One and sports beyond Formula One. But they're not just key prestige events. They're huge economic events for these countries, for the cities and the areas in which they're hosted.

And later this year, we also have the Doha Grand Prix and also the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November and December. And organizers, of course, will be hoping that things subside in time for the business, the tourism, the travel that comes with that, for them to take place.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right, listen, appreciate both of you, Matias Grez and Nadia Bashir. Thank you so much.

Well, more than two weeks of aerial strikes have created an exodus from major cities in Iran. The U.N. says more than three 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. Now, while more than 1,800 Iranians have been killed so far, that's according to a U.S. activist group.

[05:35:04]

The U.S. and Israel say they're targeting energy infrastructure that supports Iranian military efforts. According to CNN analysis, recent strikes on fuel depots in Tehran have sparked fires, spilled oil into surrounding landscapes and scattered toxic pollutants into the air. Investigative Reporter Katie Polglase has more on how the fallout is now prompting public health concerns.

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KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (voice-over): Israel struck multiple oil depots across Tehran last weekend. They say these sites are fueling Iran's military, but the strikes are also spreading polluted air across the city, and it's made worse by these mountains that trap toxic fumes in the region.

POLGLASE (on camera): Environmental and legal experts told us that Israeli military planners would or should have known that targeting oil facilities right next to a city of millions would have a catastrophic impact on human health and daily life. So, we began analyzing the strikes and their consequences, using public data and imagery.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Getting air quality data is difficult due to the communications blackout, but various monitoring platforms show a huge surge in pollution in Tehran on March 7th, around the same time as the strikes on oil depots. The pollution level later drops as the pollutants settle, but experts say the health risks remain high.

This is the southern Tehran oil depot. Millions of people across the city rely on it for power. Two days after the strikes, the depot looked like this. Fires are still burning. The Conflict and Environment Observatory told us this black smoke indicates high levels of black carbon, which can cause respiratory disorders. This blackened ground is likely spilled oil, which could seep into the soil and contaminate crops and water supplies, they said.

You can even see it from NASA's satellites, smoke from this same oil depot stretching for miles and reaching other nearby towns. We saw similar black smoke at Shahran oil depot in the north and Aqdasiyeh in the northeast of Tehran. Environmental experts say this pollution mixes with chemicals released by other bombed buildings in the city, forming what they describe as a cocktail of pollutants.

The Israeli military have publicly stated their objective in targeting these oil depots to incapacitate Iran's military, but the question under international humanitarian law is whether it is proportionate to the harm inflicted on civilians and the environment.

POLGLASE (on camera): CNN reached out to U.S. CENTCOM and the Israel defense forces for comment on these strikes and their proportionality. U.S. CENTCOM referred us to the IDF. The IDF told us that these strikes were deepening damage to Iranian military infrastructure, and they would continue to operate with determination to remove threats to the state of Israel.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving up global fuel prices. Still ahead, we'll look at how countries are responding to President Trump's plans to reopen the waterway. Stay with us.

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[05:41:05]

BRUNHUBER: 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 hopefully other nations will join the U.S. in sending naval assets to help keep the strategic waterway safe for oil shipments. China has responded to the post calling for dialogue to resolve the escalating conflict. The U.K. says it's discussing a range of options with allies to protect shipping in the region. At least 17 vessels in and around the Persian Gulf have been attacked since the war began 15 days ago.

Now, drone warfare is just one of the ways Iran is targeting ships in the Strait, as well as other sites around the Gulf. Just in the last 24 hours, air defense systems in Kuwait responded to two drones targeting an air base causing material damage. And the Kuwait airport was targeted by several drones that hit a radar system in Iraq. A drone hit the UAE consulate general in the Kurdistan region injuring two security personnel.

And in Saudi Arabia, defense authorities say they've intercepted seven drones in the capital of Riyadh today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who's faced his own share of drone warfare during the ongoing war with Russia, has reached out to Gulf nations with an offer to share knowledge.

Though for more on this, we're joined from Philadelphia by Michael Horowitz. He's a Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation on the Council on Foreign Relations. He's also a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities.

Great to get your expertise on this subject. I mean, you coined this term precise mass, the idea that cheap drones with good guidance can now be produced and launched at a huge scale. And we're seeing it play out right now with Iran firing thousands of Shaheds. I mean, it's been clear, certainly since Russia's war on Ukraine, how important drones are to modern warfare. So, what more are we learning now from this conflict with Iran? MICHAEL HOROWITZ, SENIOR FELLOW FOR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, CFR: That's a great question. I think that what we're seeing in Iran is that these one-way attack drones have really become like the machine gun in World War I or the tank in World War II. These kinds of one-way attack drones, they're not a substitute for other ways of fighting.

It's not that you don't need fighters anymore or you don't need Tabak missiles anymore, but this is just now a ubiquitous part of modern warfare and likely to be there in conflicts moving on as every country around the world, and even militant groups like the Houthis, as we saw in the Red Sea over the last couple of years, have the ability to -- to launch pretty large quantities now of long-range strike weapons at each other.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and the price is the factor here, right? Because the U.S. is using, you know, Patriot interceptors that cost around $4 million apiece to shoot down drones, that cost maybe $30,000 to $50,000, and Gulf allies were already running low on interceptors. I mean, is there a way to close that gap or is the -- the -- the defense side just kind of stuck on the wrong end of the math here?

HOROWITZ: The way to close the defense gap for countries seeking to defend against these really inexpensive, precise mass attacks has to involve something like much cheaper interceptors. It's really interesting now to see the West looking to the Middle East, looking to Ukraine for insight. You know, Ukraine has tragically faced, you know, tens of thousands of these a month sometimes, a launch from Russia's version of the Shahed, the Geran-2, and has developed some much more inexpensive ways to try to shoot them down. It's just not sustainable, even for a country as rich and powerful as the United States, to fire a $4 million missile to shoot down something that costs about $35,000 a pop.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and Ukraine, to your point, are sort of producing these interceptor drones, I believe, that cost around $2,000. So, what specifically do you think the U.S. and Gulf nations might learn and in what time frame would it be enough to help them in this conflict?

[05:45:04]

HOROWITZ: So, the U.S. had already been experimenting with some of these much cheaper Ukrainian interceptors, as you said, that cost about $2,000 each, and there are some American defense companies that have been experimenting with other much cheaper options. The idea is to have these interceptors that are much less expensive. And so, some of those have now been reportedly shipped to the Middle East to try to bolster U.S. defenses, but the issue is that even if money wasn't an option in the short term, the, you know, U.S. defense industry can reportedly produce only about 600 Patriot missiles a year, and that's just not enough if Iran can keep up this rate of firing at countries in the region. And so they're going to have to explore a lot of these more inexpensive options from Ukraine. And in some ways, like the Ukrainians, just keep trying different things, iterating and experimenting to see what works.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and ironically, the U.S. is learning as well from captured Iranian missiles as well. So, turning to Iran, I mean, there's reporting that Russia's providing Iran with targeting intelligence on U.S. forces while at the same time, as we mentioned, Iran supplied Russia with the Shahed drones that Moscow's been using in Ukraine. I mean, how significant is that two-way relationship between Moscow and Tehran?

HOROWITZ: I mean, that relationship's really substantial and has been a difference maker for both countries. You know, in some ways, when Russia was really struggling against Ukraine, Iran bailed it out in many ways, you know, with -- you know, tens of thousands of Shaheds, and then providing Moscow with the expertise to build its own version.

And by the way, you're absolutely correct that the U.S. captured a Shahed and reverse-engineered it. But now Russia is -- now Russia is providing Iran with assistance. In some ways, you know, paying it, I would say paying it forward, that's not quite right. I think Iran is a little disappointed with the level of assistance that it's getting from Russia. And although Russia's benefiting from the war now with sanctions relief and higher oil prices now, you know, helping them continue to wage their brutal war against Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. You've written that the U.S. spends, I think, less than half a percent of its defense budget on these kinds of mass- produced systems. I mean, if this really is sort of the future of warfare, why hasn't the Pentagon moved faster on this?

HOROWITZ: It's tough for a large bureaucracy like the Pentagon to, you know, to shift -- to shift really quickly, and especially since the American military, since the end of the Cold War, has been built on having qualitatively superior systems, systems that just work better than everybody else's. And something like the Tomahawk missile, which the U.S. has used since the first Gulf War, is a good example of this.

You know, the -- there were reports in the media that the U.S. is starting to run low even on Tomahawks. The U.S. has fired, you know, 400 of them against Iran. They cost about $2 million each. The U.S. is now pursuing its first precise mass system, the LUCAS, which costs about $35,000 each. That's basically for the cost of rebuying those 400 Tomahawks. You could buy 23,000 LUCAS missiles. That's just a whole different mindset in thinking about industrial scale and something the U.S. military hasn't been used to, but is now learning again in the context of this conflict.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's fascinating. We'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Michael Horowitz, thanks so much.

HOROWITZ: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: At least one person is dead and 18 others injured after Russia's latest strike in southern Ukraine. Local officials said Saturday that Russian-guided bombs hit the city of Zaporizhzhia. Video from the site showed volunteers helping people leave a damaged building after the strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. wants to delay the next round of peace talks. North Korea launched a series of ballistic missiles on Saturday.

That's according to the U.S. military. The United States Indo-Pacific Command said the launches didn't pose an immediate threat to U.S. forces or its allies in the region. North Korea's show of force comes after its leader, Kim Jong-un, vowed to strengthen his country's nuclear capabilities.

We'll have much more here on CNN Newsroom. Please stay with us.

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[05:53:09]

BRUNHUBER: Security's 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's no imminent threat, but security around major events is being tightened out of an abundance of caution.

Earlier, we spoke with CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem for her take on the security ahead of the Oscars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYYEM: 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 for us to believe that -- for us to believe that 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 vehicles near the crowds so anyone who is lucky enough to attend, enjoy yourselves I will be enjoying myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, by this time tomorrow we'll know who won Hollywood's top prizes. Final touches to the red carpet are underway ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards. Here's CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

[05:55:13]

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.

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.

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)

BRUNHUBER: And you can catch Elizabeth on the "Red Carpet" tonight. CNN is teaming up with Variety for our special coverage and it starts at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific.

All right that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN THIS MORNING is next.

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