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Trump Urges Countries to Help Secure Strait of Hormuz; Analysts Warn War Could Spark More Attacks in U.S.; Markets React to Escalating Conflict in Middle East; Oscars Honor this Year's Biggest Films and Top Talents; Berlin Welcomes Spring with Free Tulips. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 16, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[00:00:36]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: And good -- good -- good to have you with us. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and also all around the world.

We are continuing our breaking news coverage of the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran, now entering its third week.

President Donald Trump urging other countries to help keep the critical Strait of Hormuz secure.

And he now has a very blunt message for NATO. In fact, in an interview with "The Financial Times," he warned NATO that it faces a, quote, "very bad future." And that's if U.S. allies fail to assist in securing the strategic waterway.

He spoke more about that on board Air Force One just a moment ago. It's a little tough to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are talking to other countries about working with us for the policing of the Strait, and I think we're getting a good response. If we do, that's great. And if we don't, that's great, too. But remember, like, as an example in many cases in NATO countries, we're always there for NATO. We're helping them with Ukraine. It's got an ocean in between us. Doesn't affect us. But we've helped them. It'd be interesting to see what country wouldn't help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the Strait open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A small endeavor, he says, when it comes to securing the Strait of Hormuz.

China, it is one of the countries' presidents that President Trump is urging to help address shipping disruptions sparked by the war. And now, he says that he may have to postpone a planned summit with the Chinese president. In the meantime, Israel says that it's planning at least three more weeks of its campaign against Iran with, quote, "thousands of targets remaining."

Israel's military claiming that it struck more than 200 targets in Iran over the past day, with the IDF now saying that operations are taking aim at what it called Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and air defense systems.

Inside Israel, police say that at least three people suffered minor injuries after a cluster missile struck the street in Tel Aviv on Sunday. You can see how close someone was to the impact site.

Iran claiming that it fired about 700 missiles and more than 3,600 drones at U.S. and Israeli targets since the war started.

Let's go to CNN's Ivan Watson, joining me now from Hong Kong. The president aboard Air Force One, as you highlighted in the last hour, calling it a small endeavor. Would it actually be that easy, though, to secure the -- the Strait of Hormuz?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's a -- it's a much bigger potential operation. Iran, its military has been under attack, but it has perfected strategies and methods of asymmetric warfare.

And it has targeted not only shipping going through the Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, but also other infrastructure like international airports and fuel depots.

So, this is -- this is a major deal that President Trump is suggesting.

And he's in a conundrum here. The U.S. and Israel launched this war largely without the support of traditional allies. Iran has retaliated by targeting shipping, and this affects oil prices and other fuel prices all around the world.

And now President Trump is telling countries you must help protect the strait. So, he's put out this call to governments like China, France, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and others, all actively threatened NATO, saying that they have to help out with this thing that he basically began.

The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has told Parliament, quote, "We have not yet made any decisions whatsoever regarding the dispatch of naval vessels. We're currently examining what Japan can do independently within our legal framework."

Japan, like other countries in Asia, heavily dependent on fuel supplies coming from the Gulf.

Another country has done an interesting thing. India says that it secured the safe passage of two tankers with LPG that crossed over the weekend. One of them is expected to arrive at an Indian port today. India's foreign minister saying that this -- this was a result of

negotiations with Tehran and also an indicator that perhaps some countries might try to make side deals with the Islamic Republic to try to get vital supplies in and out of the region.

[00:05:04]

And the threats are very real, because we've just seen images of some 20 crew members, Thai crew members from a cargo ship that was hit by some kind of munition in the Strait of Hormuz.

Those crew members arriving safely at Bangkok Airport. You can see them there. But three of their compatriots are still missing after their vessel was hit on Wednesday.

And that's just one of more than a dozen ships that are believed to have been targeted over the course of the past two weeks, since the U.S. and Israel embarked on this bombing campaign.

The fact that President Trump is calling on nations to help protect shipping more than two weeks into this war is evidence that the Trump administration was not prepared for this scenario, the choking off of a vital global transit route.

SANDOVAL: And Ivan, that volley of Iranian missiles and drones, it has not stopped. Any indication of what has been targeted in the last hours?

WATSON: Sure. Dubai International Airport has temporarily suspended its operations after a drone hit some kind of a fuel installation there. And we've heard about large numbers of passengers being stuck sitting on the ground. No reports of injuries. The fire has been contained, Dubai officials say.

But the -- the flagship carrier -- carrier, Emirates Airlines, has told people not to go to the airport. That is just one of the examples of civilian infrastructure that has come under attack all throughout the region and has put a dent not only in international shipping by sea but also air transport.

And that's costing countries and economies vast amounts of money right now.

The Iranian government says it has fired at least 700 ballistic missiles since this war began; more than 3,000 drones. The Israeli government says it targeted at least 200 places in Iran over the course of a 24-hour period.

The civilian death toll continues to rise. Iran says more than 1,300 civilians killed in Iran thus far.

And another major front in this war is Lebanon, where the Israeli bombardment of vast parts of Southern and Eastern Lebanon and Southern Beirut continues.

Israel has declared huge swaths of territory to -- it has issued what it describes as evacuation orders. But they're basically declaring large parts of the country kill zones for Israeli air strikes, which have killed more than 800 people in Lebanon thus far and forced the dislocation of more than 100,000. Sorry, a million Lebanese people.

So, a vast amount of that population suffering as a result of a conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, which continues to carry out attacks against Israeli targets, both in Southern Lebanon and across the border in Israel.

SANDOVAL: Ivan Watson, thank you so much for those reports, those updates on -- on multiple fronts.

Meanwhile, inside of Iran, I want to show you some video of some crowds that were seen chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" after strikes rained down near a rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: In this video, which was verified by CNN, a religious singer is performing in front of a large crowd in the city of Hamadan. They were there to commemorate what they're calling the martyrs of the Ramadan War.

After strikes were seen near the city, the singer started chanting.

Meantime, Iran's foreign minister spoke to CBS News and said that his country will not back down in this war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: No, we never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Iranian media now reporting that the U.S.-Israeli strikes, that they have damaged more than 54,000 civilian units across the country since the start of the war.

We should point out that that figure cannot be independently, independently verified by CNN. It is, in fact, according to Iran's semiofficial news agency, the outlet reporting that more than 29,000 residential units are damaged across multiple provinces, as well as hundreds of medical and health facilities nationwide.

Sixteen medical workers, according to them, have reportedly been killed, and nearly 100 have been injured in some of these strikes so far.

[00:10:04]

Economists, they are voicing concerns over the war with Iran, arguing that oil disruptions in the Middle East could spark a recession.

But President Trump and other administration officials, they are both -- they're quite optimistic, saying that they expect the conflict will end within weeks and that the economy will rebound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: There's no guarantees in wars at all. I can guarantee the situation would be dramatically worse without this military operation to defang the Iranian regime. This is short- term pain to get through to a much better place.

I think that this conflict will certainly come to the end in the next few weeks. Could -- could be sooner than that. But the conflict will come to the end in the next few weeks, and we'll see a rebound in supplies and pushing down of prices after that.

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We expect that the global economy is going to have a big positive shock as soon as this is over. And we're still being briefed that it would be 4 to 6 weeks from the beginning and that we're ahead of schedule.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big positive shock, 4 to 6 weeks. So, this is an April 9th scenario you're talking about. You're going to see some kind of boost.

HASSETT: The president will decide --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even --

HASSETT: The president will decide if they -- if they no longer have the capability of blackmailing us and harming our neighbors. And once he decides that, then he'll call an end to the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And all this comes as the Israeli military told CNN that it is now planning for at least three more weeks of its campaign in Iran.

President Trump, he has given a number of conflicting timelines for when he believes the war will actually end.

Want to keep the discussion going now, head over to Asha Castleberry- Hernandez. She's a national security and foreign policy expert. Asha previously served as a senior advisor to the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and also the Kuwait desk officer at the U.S. Army Central.

We should also mention that you were also part of the State Department's mission to the United Nations; not to mention, of course, a U.S. Army combat veteran. So, thank you so much for your service.

ASHA CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ, NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY EXPERT: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Asha, if I could just get some of your thoughts. My understanding is if you -- that you actually previously served with the ROTC instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw, who was just a few days ago killed by an individual convicted of supporting ISIS, killed in that Old Dominion University incident in Virginia just a few days ago.

I wonder if you can get your -- get your thoughts and, you know, any -- any thoughts on him?

HERNANDEZ: Yes. Unfortunately, yes, Lieutenant Colonel Shaw was a highly decorated Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was recently attacked at ROTC program.

And it's very unfortunate, because he has -- he loves his country. He's spent his life sacrificing his -- his work to -- to better serve this country.

And in what you've seen recently is a clear example of how these homeland attacks are flaring up as a result of the United States being engaged in the war against Iran. He's just one example. And among many others, such as what happened in Michigan against the -- the Jewish community, as well as what had flared up in Texas with the possible Iranian sympathizer who was engaged in shootings.

So, as long as the United States stays engaged in this war, we'll most likely experience homeland attacks on our own soil.

SANDOVAL: The Trump administration maintains that there is no current credible direct threat that would be directly tied to the -- to the conflict in Iran. Nonetheless, they certainly encourage Americans to remain vigilant -- vigilant.

That being said, I wonder if we can expand more on that last point on how this incident that, unfortunately, took the life of Lieutenant Colonel Shaw, how it highlights what could be at least an elevated threat in the United States right now.

CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: Yes. Well, first, I would say my condolences to his family and his loved ones.

But when you look at these attacks I just mentioned, they come with different intents. They -- it's pretty complex. Like for instance when -- with regards to Lieutenant Colonel Shaw, it was pretty much an opportunist moment, where an ISIS sympathizer would pretty much target Lieutenant Colonel Shaw, based on very unfortunate circumstances; versus a potential issue that happened recently in Michigan, where it was targeting a Jewish community that was a lot more catastrophic too, as well.

So, and -- what I think moving forward is -- is that a lot of these sleeper cells that are happening, that are probably in the United States orchestrated by Iran, are most likely going to build out its battle confidence as far as being in pursuit of -- of targeting critical locations in the United States, so that it can hit or maximize its casualty -- casualty rate.

So, we have to stay vigilant.

[00:15:11]

And it's not just about the in-person attacks. It can also be with cybersecurity. Like, for instance, Iran is -- is really good at engaging with cyberattacks against our own homeland.

And we have to make sure that our national security federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security is prepared for this moment, as far as engaging in potential homeland threats and could possibly all work very closely with our competitors and adversaries like Russia and China to bring down the United States at this moment.

SANDOVAL: Yes, a potential opening there for some of the nation's adversaries. Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. And again, I appreciate your service.

CASTLEBERRY-HERNANDEZ: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: More details have been released about the suspect in Thursday's attack on a Michigan synagogue.

The Israeli military now saying that Ayman Ghazali's brother, that he was actually a Hezbollah commander, according to them, who was in charge of managing weapons operations for the Iranian proxy groups unit in Badr, the IDF says that Ibrahim Ghazali, that he was killed on March the 5th in an attack on a Hezbollah military building used to store some of those weapons.

U.S. authorities say that Ayman Ghazali drove a vehicle into Temple Israel near Detroit, before exchanging fire with security officers there. A security guard was injured. Fortunately, nobody lost their lives.

The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, tensions, they are high in the Gulf states after Iran's latest warning. We're going to bring you some of the details from the region.

And a little later in the show, we'll be diving into the winners of this year's Academy Awards ceremony, with help from an entertainment expert. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:48]

SANDOVAL: The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, as you can see here, it is currently sending oil prices soaring to their highest levels since 2022.

Brent crude, which is the global benchmark, that surpassed $106 a barrel earlier. In fact, right now you see it there, a little past 104.

And U.S. oil has also spiked. The surge causing U.S. gas prices to rise some 24 percent since the start of the conflict. And that's according to AAA, the auto association.

Let's go now to CNN's Hanako Montgomery, live from Tokyo for the very latest on how Asian markets are reacting right now to this escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Hey, Hanako.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Polo. I mean, Asia markets were cautious as they opened on Monday, because of course, they're reacting to the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran dragging into a third week.

We saw the Japan benchmark Nikkei 225 dipping 1.27 percent so far. Also, South Korea's stocks and India's stocks dipping slightly, as well.

Now of course, markets are also reacting to the largest oil disruption in history, which is, of course, pointing to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, about a fifth of the entire world's oil passes through this key waterway. And many Asian economies are affected. That includes -- that includes India, Japan, South Korea, China, for example.

And right now, a lot of countries are trying to figure out just the ways in which they can deal with this huge, huge oil disruption.

For example, in Japan as early as Monday, it will be releasing about 80 million barrels of oil from its emergency stockpile. Now, that is about 45 days' worth of domestic consumption. But it's really a temporary solution to a much larger problem, especially if this war continues to drag on for days and days, weeks and weeks.

Now, for the effective closure of Hormuz, Trump has suggested that some countries like France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, China, and Japan could help the United States in guiding ships through that waterway.

In fact, as -- early on Sunday on Air Force One, Trump said quote, "China, as an example, gets about 90 percent of its oil from the Hormuz Strait, and it would be nice to have other countries police that with us. And we'll help more militarily we've seen, as far as I'm concerned, we've defeated Iran.

So again, suggesting that some of the U.S.'s allies and also China can help the United States in guiding ships through that waterway.

But that is a lot easier said than done. For example, in Japan, it's very, very limited by its pacifist constitution. It can't really get involved militarily.

In fact, earlier last week, the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said that Japan will not be sending minesweepers to the Middle East at least until the war is over then it might reconsider it. But again, Japan is very, very constrained in terms of how it can respond to Trump's requests.

But this really puts Japan and other Asian allies in a very awkward position with Trump, because, again they don't really have that much skin in the game during this war. But it looks as though Trump is increasingly looking for support from other allies.

Now also, something to watch for here, Polo, is that the prime minister of Japan does have a key summit with Trump later this week, on Thursday. And we are expecting Trump to make those demands again of Takaichi during that face-to-face meeting, where Takaichi will have to respond and give Trump some kind of answer as to why Japan can't go to the Strait of Hormuz, as Trump is expecting her to -- Polo.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Hanako Montgomery with that live report from Tokyo. Thank you, Hanako.

The U.K. maritime trade operations, they say that the Strait of Hormuz remains under critical threat, despite no incidents being reported over the weekend.

But all that could change in the coming hours, perhaps even days, as Iran's military threatens to retaliate after a U.S. attack on its critical oil hub.

CNN's Nic Robertson has the very latest from Kuwait.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It appears at the moment as if the Gulf countries are really trying to ride out the current situation.

We heard, of course, from the Iranians, the foreign minister, the IRGC ramping up the rhetoric, saying that they're going to go after U.S. commercial, particular oil interests in the region.

[00:25:08]

We've had the advisor to the president of the UAE saying that the Gulf countries are doing their best to -- to sort of find a resolution to this and that Iran is just upping the ante, making the situation more difficult.

In the skies here in Kuwait -- this is the Gulf right behind me -- in the skies here, hearing fighter jets, they generally go up to defend against incoming missiles.

Overnight, there were strikes here hitting, drone strikes getting through defenses, hitting a military air base in the South.

A drone strike getting through to the civilian international airport, damaging radar equipment. Three Kuwaiti service personnel injured. South of here in Riyadh, ten drones intercepted around the capital;

ballistic missiles fired at that key Prince Sultan Air Base just outside the capital. Again, intercepted.

But that is an air base where the U.S. Air Force operates out of in -- in Qatar. There have been attempted strikes by Iran in the last few hours.

And in the UAE, as well, they've been intercepting ballistic missiles, drones. Bahrain, the sirens going off there. Jordan, also reports of sirens going off.

So, Iran is keeping up its drumbeat of attacks, perhaps at a lesser pace, but the impact is being felt.

The countries here trying to stay out of it. The mood is that, potentially, there could be some diplomacy, but they're not seeing it materialize.

Indeed, what I'm hearing from sources here is that the -- that the message they're getting from Iran is that the price Iran wants for a diplomatic off-ramp to unblock the Strait of Hormuz is too high a price to pay. Unclear what that is at the moment.

But diplomacy really taking a sideline to the talk with Iran's weapons that's going on here right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Another report from Nic Robertson.

And we are going to resume our breaking news coverage of the war with Iran after a very short break. Still ahead, how the uncertainty surrounding the conflict's timeline, how that's influencing global oil prices. More on that in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:42]

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

Global oil prices, they are skyrocketing amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude and WTI, they are charting their highest prices per barrel since 2022.

U.S. gas prices, they have also shot up and are now hovering around $3.70 a gallon, according to AAA.

More than 100 million people across the Eastern half of the U.S. are facing severe thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes. The powerful storms causing blizzard conditions, damaging wind gusts, and creating dangerous travel. The storms are expected to continue well into Monday. President Trump claiming that the U.S. has had some positive response

after reaching out to other countries to help in securing the Strait of Hormuz.

He also said that a few would rather not get involved.

Separately, in an interview with "The Financial Times," President Trump warned NATO that it faces a, quote, "very bad future." That is, if U.S. allies fail to assist in securing that critical waterway.

CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. David, it's so good to see you again.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: David, let's pick up on where Ivan left off there as he reported and as you know very well, that the administration, as Ivan put it, is right now scrambling to try to -- to turn to its allies, putting out that all-call for anybody to -- any of these countries to send in any potential naval assets to help with these escorts.

Ultimately, though, what is the president's ability to gather a coalition of willing nations? I mean, many of these he has criticized and insulted in the past.

SANGER: Well, there is an element of irony here for a president who has not had a whole lot of use for alliances before to suddenly be pressing the Asian allies, the NATO allies, and of course, the allies in the Gulf to contribute.

I think he'll have a moderate amount of success. I think, as NATO has tried to deepen its relationship with the Gulf cooperation council and all that, they will see an advantage in contributing to this.

I think that some of the Asian countries will certainly feel pressure to do so. The timing of the request is interesting because you're seeing the prime minister of Japan come to Washington this week in her first visit, her first official visit since taking office.

And they thought they were there to discuss tariffs and Taiwan and security. Those security issues now will be dominated by this.

Now, President Trump, of course, is turning this a little bit into a threat. You heard him say earlier today, or we read a transcript of him saying earlier today that things would not go well for NATO if they turned him down.

This is outside of NATO's territory. And of course, NATO is tied up right now helping Ukraine. But my guess is, at the end of the day, NATO will contribute.

SANDOVAL: The president's back in the nation's capital right now, facing what will be many decisions to make in the coming days.

David, ultimately, though, what is your reporting tell you about President Trump's thinking right now as we're three weeks in, as the latest piece of reporting from you and your colleagues at "The New York Times," he's essentially right now faced with two options.

Does he continue with the United States in the fighting or, to use the word in your reporting, does he extract himself from this conflict that continues to intensify? Any indication of which way he may be leaning?

SANGER: So, I think you're going to see him stay in for a number of weeks more. He said at the beginning of this conflict, two weeks ago, that it was a 4-to-6-week operation.

And White House officials have said to me in recent days, and my colleagues, they think that is still about right but that may be 4 to 6 weeks of active combat, Polo, of taking out Iranian facilities, arms, and so forth.

What we're learning from the experience in the Strait of Hormuz is that he will probably have to be patrolling that, and so will the allies, for months or years, so that Iran doesn't use its one greatest weapon of stepping in to interrupt that flow.

And then he's got to make decisions about ground troops to take Kharg Island if he decides he wants to do that, the major Iranian export site and the nuclear site at Isfahan which is believed to hold the, most potent of the near-bomb-grade uranium. And there, that -- that would be a particularly dangerous operation.

SANDOVAL: Now, on that last point that you mentioned, David, I wonder if you could just expand exactly where the administration currently stands when it comes to Iran's nuclear stockpile?

Speaking to a former IDF spokesperson about 24 hours ago and he told me that that is really one of the main priorities, if not the main priority for the Israeli government, that this does not end until that stockpile is secured.

What about the United States, though, and their thinking?

SANGER: I think they both have come to that conclusion, because let's assume for a minute, Polo, that while they have killed the supreme leader, they have left in place a clerical government, run ostensibly by his son. We believe he's injured. And still by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which will now feel more than ever that it needs to have the potential to build a weapon than it did even before the attacks.

And so, that will make the fuel extremely valuable to them.

So, I can't imagine the president letting this end without attempting to secure that fuel. It is 500 miles or so, maybe a little less, into the country, about 270 miles, thereabouts, from Tehran. It's deep under a mountain. It's really hard to get to.

And it would be one of the most difficult Special Forces operations you could imagine, dealing, of course, with highly radioactive and potentially toxic nuclear fuel.

SANDOVAL: Yes. We've heard from Israeli sources before already, or at least recently, that they believe -- they're confident that, if it does get to that point, that the Israelis and the U.S. could carry out a mission like that. Nonetheless, as you highlight, a dangerous and very risky one.

David Sanger.

SANGER: I think that they could, but perhaps at some cost.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely that's a really good point to, to end on. David, as always, appreciate you joining us and thank you for all your ongoing reporting on this.

SANGER: Thanks, Polo. Great to see you.

SANDOVAL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukrainian teams are in the Gulf region right now. They're assisting countries facing Iranian attacks.

Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, President Zelenskyy also said that Russia has been providing Iran with drones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Russia gave drones already, the Shaheeds. They are using Iranian licenses, you know, that they built and produced a lot of drones they gave them.

I have 100 percent facts that they -- that Iranian regime used against American bases and against all Middle East -- in Middle East, I mean, and Middle East neighbors of Iran. They used these drones.

We saw intelligence shared with us, some details, and it was Russian details in these Iranian drones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The Ukrainian leader also highlighted growing concerns in Kyiv that the conflict in the Middle East will divert U.S. attention and weapons from their ongoing war with Russia.

Ahead here on CNN, NEWSROOM will shift gears. It's about 8:30 p.m. Right now on the west coast. The party there is just getting started. A night of glamor and celebration at the Oscars. Just ahead, well look at some of the big winners from Sunday's Academy Awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:42:19

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. The Academy, it has spoken, and celebrations are now kicking off after this year's Oscars. The newly crowned best and brightest of the film industry are celebrating their big wins.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS: "One Battle After Another."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That was tonight's big winner, Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another," the film winning six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It also raked in a win for Sean Penn as Best Supporting Actor, though unfortunately, he wasn't on hand to receive that award.

Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," that had actually earned a record-breaking 60 nominations, and it also did not disappoint, winning for Best Original Screenplay, best original score, as well as best cinematography.

The Best Actor Award going to Michael B. Jordan after playing two roles, twin brothers, in that film. Jessie Buckley, no surprise there. She won Best Actress for her emotional performance as a grieving mother in "Hamnet," and that made her the first Irish winner of that category.

Segun Oduolowu, television host and Emmy Award-winning entertainment journalist. He joins us from Los Angeles, ground zero right now for the party. Thank you so much for joining us, Polo.

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Polo, thank you for having me. And you said it. It was groundbreaking in some areas but it also if you're a sports person, it was kind of chalky. The favorites won.

I was upset that Ryan Coogler didn't win for Best Director or that "Sinners" didn't win for Best Picture. But can you really quibble with Paul Thomas Anderson and "One Battle After Another" having, you know -- having people nominated in the major categories right along with "Sinners:?

So, yes, I felt that the Academy missed the moment but it made up for it with Michael B. Jordan's speech and Sinners making a record with the first female cinematographer winner in the history of the Academy.

SANDOVAL: That was significant. So, you know, your assessment. No major surprises. Any upsets, though? Any additional upsets?

ODUOLOWU: Well, "Frankenstein." You know, this was a Netflix film and it's in there with heavyweights like "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners."

And it's winning for costume; it's winning for makeup. And then you start to think, oh wait, that's Guillermo del Toro. He makes incredible looking movies. Sure. "Frankenstein," Jacob Elordi, 14 hours in the makeup chair. Yes, that should probably win for best makeup.

But it was surprising, because when it was released, on Netflix, it didn't have the same type of push, the same type of attention that "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners" did, or "Marty Supreme," being in the theaters. "Frankenstein" didn't have that, but they still walked away with some gold statues.

So, kudos to good filmmaking, wherever you're going to watch it.

SANDOVAL: You mentioned Mexico's Guillermo del Toro. I mean there's the international element at play, too. I'd love to get your thoughts on this.

The Academy, some about a quarter of -- of them are international voters. How much do you think that played a role also in some of what we saw Sunday night?

ODUOLOWU: I think it played not a major, but it does play a role, right? We don't want to say that it played a huge role.

But when you start seeing the first Irish winner, the -- you know, when you start seeing even people in the category like a Wunmi Mosaku or you know, actors and actresses from all over the world. Wagner Moura being -- being -- being seen and coming out there and speaking.

And then the people that were touching the stage, they come from different backgrounds. Zoe Saldana was a presenter. Gosh, Penelope Cruz's husband Javier Bardem.

Like, there's a lot of foreign influence within the Oscars or within the film industry. And that needs to be represented. It needs to be seen, because that's what makes the tapestry so rich. It's why, when you go to a film, you can feel as if you're seeing either someone that looks like you or represents where you come from.

Even Conan O'Brien. Turning to the camera and speaking in Spanish. Yes, the Los Angeles part was funny when he spoke in Spanish. But it does -- it does illustrate the point that we're being watched in 32 countries, and that's important.

POLO: His Spanish is pretty solid, by the way.

You know, also the Academy Awards wouldn't be the Academy Awards without some of those moments of activism, some of these political statements that are made by -- by winners, nominees, presenters, et cetera.

There was that moment when the mother of a Uvalde School -- victim from the school shooting actually had her moment to -- to, you know, in front of the mic. I wonder if there are any other moments that really stood out to you, any of those meaningful moments?

ODUOLOWU: Well Javier Bardem, as I said, walking to the microphone, and the first words out of his mouth are free Palestine."

The gentleman who won for the documentary, speaking in Russian, that we need to end wars everywhere for our future and the sake of our children. Those were powerful moments. Everything else with, you know, digs at

-- digs at our current president. Yes, like you expect that from Hollywood.

And honestly, it's -- it's kind of trite, because you're not only preaching to the choir, you're -- you're the pastor in the pulpit. Like, that's your church. There's -- there's nothing brave to me when you're in a room full of people that are like-minded to say something in that way.

If you take it to the street and I see you protesting and I see you marching, then your activism speaks more to me the mother from Uvalde that is powerful. Like, she's got real, you know, skin in the game. Like, this is important to her. Like, she's lost someone dear to her. That is important.

These are rich actors wearing diamonds and couture clothing, saying things that are convenient. It wasn't convenient for that mom. So, take the stage, then say what you feel.

But for the actors and actresses that will go on private jets and $350,000 gift bags, kind of understand where you are. The documentarians. I love what they said. The high paid actors and actresses, par for the course.

SANDOVAL: It's such a good point, mom. Paying tribute to her little girl, Jackie. I made a note of it, saying that her little girl, her light and her life and hearing that from a mother who lost her child, it certainly has potential to -- to last much longer than what we heard from some of the more notable names.

I will say -- and we do have to leave it here, but the "In Memoriam" segment, I could fill a whole hour when it comes to that. I thought that was absolutely remarkable the way they did that and paid tribute to the late director Rob Reiner and his wife. So, thank you so much for your time.

ODUOLOWU: Barbara Streisand, singing about Robert Redford, "The Way We Were." Are you kidding me? It brought tears.

SANDOVAL: Yes, exactly. Absolutely. That was such a powerful moment.

Segun, thank you so much for -- for watching this with us and for letting us pick your brain a little bit. Thank you.

ODUOLOWU: My pleasure, Polo. I'm going to go party.

SANDOVAL: As he should. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, an event in Berlin. It is being hailed as a bright spot amid a lot of darkness in the world right now. How locals there are ushering in the start of spring in a unique and -- you see here -- really colorful way.

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[00:53:48] SANDOVAL: Hundreds of TSA airport security workers, they are quitting their jobs during the ongoing partial government shutdown, likely because they're just not getting paid.

More than 60,000 workers, they went without their first paycheck this weekend, their first full paycheck. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, he says that at least 300 workers have already left their posts.

And also, they say that the callouts, that those numbers are doubling. And he warns that the situation could get even worse.

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SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: These are men and women who don't make a lot of money. And so, some of them are making choices to go, you know, whether they're driving Uber or, you know waiting tables, they have to put food on their family's table. And in these places where this is happening, you're seeing really long lines.

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SANDOVAL: And if that doesn't make travel hard, there's also what Mother Nature is doing right now.

More than 100 million people in the Eastern half of the country, they are facing the threat of severe thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes. The sprawling storm, it's packing everything from several feet of snow, to blizzard conditions to parts of the Midwest and the Great Lakes, even roaring winds and also fire concerns in the Plains and Rockies.

The greatest risk of tornadoes, that exists with storms in parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The storms are expected to continue well into Monday.

But in Berlin local officials, they have been welcoming the arrival of spring in floral fashion. The German capital's famous memorial church, it was transformed into a pick-your-own tulip garden.

Officials say the event was devised as a way to symbolize the leaving behind of darkness, and certainly, badly needed these days.

CNN's Ben Hunte, with the story.

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A celebration of spring in Berlin. Tulips in a rainbow of colors are ready for the picking in a pop-up garden in one of the city's busiest squares.

ARJAN SMIT, DUTCH TULIP GROWERS REPRESENTATIVE: The tulips tell us it' s the springtime start. People start to be happy. It's a dark period behind us.

HUNTE (voice-over): Visitors outside of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church lined up to pick a free bouquet of tulips, a gift from flower growers in the Netherlands to Germany, which is one of the top importers of their blooms.

It's only the second time the event called Tulip Day, organized by the Dutch embassy and an association of Dutch flower growers, has been held in Berlin. But it's already drawing a crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm a big fan of tulips. Tulips are my favorite flowers.

HUNTE (voice-over): Some visitors say the tulips are a bright spot in a time when there is a lot of negativity in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's a lovely distraction, really focusing on the detail of something beautiful, something wonderful that exists in the world.

HUNTE (voice-over): Some might say that Berlin's Tulip Day is a clever marketing campaign from Dutch flower growers. But for many people, heading home with a bouquet in hand, it's something that's left them smiling, as flowers often have the power of doing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For us, seeing this view and everything, it's very nice. Yes, yes, it's really awesome.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ben Hunte, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: It is awesome.

Thank you so much for sticking with me the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. The news continues with my colleague Ben Hunte in just a moment.

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