Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Two Killed By Iranian Missile In Central Israel; Iranians Caught Between U.S.-Israel Strikes And Government Forces; Hormuz Closure Could Spark Global Inflation Double Whammy; Cuba Works To Restore Power After Nationwide Outage; Trump Says Won't Be Long Before Strait of Hormuz is Secure; Global Fuel Prices Spike Amid Strait of Hormuz Disruptions; Trump Rebukes Allies in Europe and Asia Over Iran War; E.U. Airlines Extend Suspension of Flights to Middle East; Zelenskyy Meets With European Allies, Says Ukrainian Drone Experts Can Assist in Middle East; U.K. And Ukraine Agree to New Military- industrial Partnership; Rare Daytime Fireball Spotted Over Eastern U.S. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 18, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:34]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

And we begin with breaking news in the war with Iran. New video from a state affiliated Iranian news agency shows what it says are missiles fired toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of top national security adviser, Ali Larijani. He and the leader of the Iranian paramilitary group Basij, were among those killed in an Israeli strike late Monday. Israel says it will also find and neutralize Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Video from Central Israel shows what appear to be cluster munitions exploding in the sky over Tel Aviv. Authorities say at least two people were killed in central Israel, several neighborhoods and a train station were damaged. U.S. Central Command says it dropped 5,000 pound guided bombs on underground missile sites along Iran's coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has effectively closed the Strait, which accounts for about 20 percent of the world's oil shipments.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq has come under attack for the second straight day. Local security officials tell CNN, several drones and rockets hit the heavily fortified compound, causing some damage. There are no reports of casualties.

So, let's bring in CNN's Mike Valerio, following the latest developments live from Beijing. So, Mike, what can you tell us?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Rosemary, it's a lot to follow. What I don't think we got to in the introduction to this segment is Beirut, with new video coming into CNN of a building that has collapsed after an Israeli strike.

So, let's bring it to you again. This is the first time that we're showing it. After we've cleared this reporting, we're working on some more reporting, but essentially what we know is that the IDF warned in Arabic that it told people that there were -- there was a Hezbollah site facility within or near this building and told people to evacuate. That happened about an hour before the strike. And then we're working on clearing and verifying video of people were able to take out their cell phones and record the moment that this building came down.

It's notable, since this is in the center of the city. And of course, we can't forget about this front in Lebanon opening up where U.N. estimates are showing and conveying to the rest of the world that about a million people, Rosemary, have been displaced in this latest front of the war.

Our latest reporting at least 17 people killed in Lebanon after this latest salvo back and forth between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

We also want to get back to the scenes in Israel that we showed at the top of the broadcast. This is in response Iranian Khorramshahr missiles raining down bomblets on Tel Aviv and the Tel Aviv area in response to the death of Ali Larijani, who is the top security official in Iran, was, we should say the top security official in Iran before his death from an Israeli strike and the death of Gholamreza Soleimani, who was the head of -- you could essentially say the volunteer militia, the Basij militia that was in charge of volunteers keeping people loyal to the regime, quashing dissent.

When we saw those protests over the past few weeks, from the early part of the year until a couple of days ago, that was essentially the job of the militia to quash.

We also heard from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, talking about what is next, and speaking directly to the Iranian people about this moment. Let's listen to him, and we'll talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:05:03]

NETANYAHU: In the past 24 hours, we knocked out two of the terrorist chieftains, the top terrorist chieftains of this tyranny. Our aircraft are hitting the terror operatives on the ground in the crossroads in the city squares. This is meant to enable the brave people of Iran to celebrate the festival of fire. So, celebrate and happy Nowruz, we're watching from above.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: OK, so, when he talks about Nowruz, for everybody who might not be familiar with Persian New Year, that's Persian New Year. It's celebrated on the first day of spring, coming up on Saturday here, and the fire festival has had a couple -- held a couple days before Persian New Year.

So, Rosemary, let's wrap up here by talking about the other main avenue of conversation and certainly developments. That's the United States launching 5,000 pound bombs on Iranian military targets around the Strait of Hormuz. We showed the map not too long ago, that is, as a means of trying to secure the Strait.

But interestingly enough, what analysts have told CNN, among them Brett McGurk, who used to serve in the White House from the days of the George W. Bush administration up until the last trump administration, before Trump 2.0, he and other analysts have been telling us that you can wipe out, perhaps these anti ship missile installations that were the point of this mission, but you also have perhaps thousands of boats along this waterway that can launch attacks, and it only takes one to instill, you know, a feeling of potential chaos with one ship potentially attacked.

So, his point was, this could be the first of up to -- in his words, up to three weeks of action by the United States and Israel to make this shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, safe.

So, a lot going on. We should also mention that Tehran state media, they're reporting damage in residential areas. That video is now on CNN.com we're working on some more reporting on that, but a lot happening as the Middle East is waking up the early morning hours there that we're tracking as we are awake here in East Asia. But those are the three main centers of activity that we can report right now, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And we thank you so much for covering that so well. Mike Valerio with that live report from Beijing, appreciate it.

Well, I do want to bring in Mehran Kamrava now, professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar. Thank you so much for joining us.

MEHRAN KAMRAVA, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY IN QATAR: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, Iran is vowing revenge and retaliation for the killing of its security chief, Ali Larijani, and Iran's leader of the Basij paramilitary force. In actual fact, they have just begun responding by launching missiles toward Israel. What is the significance of the killing by Israel of these two men specifically?

KAMRAVA: Well, the head of the Basij, the commander Soleimani, was not popular in Iran, and his death is unlikely to be mourned by many ordinary Iranians. Larijani's death is different story. He wasn't necessarily popular, but he was a figure within the deep state, and I think it's important to note that he was extremely pragmatic and practical. He knew the inner workings of the system, and he was responsible for many of the top decisions that the state was taking, particularly in relation to the nuclear file and the conduct of the war. He was extremely pragmatic.

So, I wonder if his killing was deliberate on the part of Israel to ensure that voice that was pragmatic and practical is removed at this critical juncture.

CHURCH: And why do you say that?

KAMRAVA: Well, you know, obviously what we have seen is a divergence in the objectives of Israel and the United States. President Trump seems to be -- although he is unwittingly escalating the war, he seems to also be looking for an off ramp. The Israelis have different objectives. They want to foster a popular uprising in Iran, which is not quite in the American calculus.

And so, what we're seeing are two very different approaches to the conflict and the war, at least in So, far as the Iranian theater is concerned. On the one hand, the Israelis are continuing with the so called decapitation campaign, whereas the Americans are focusing on almost purely military targets.

CHURCH: And what is the likely thinking right now of the people living in Iran as this war continues, and, of course, the death toll rises? I mean, I know, you know, we're talking about more than 90 million people. So, they're all not thinking the same way, but with the contacts that you have inside the country, what are people thinking about this war and where this is going?

[02:10:28]

KAMRAVA: Iran is suffering from a national trauma, a trauma that started back in December, when the government started indiscriminate killing of protesters, and that national trauma has only been deepened with the war at the end of February, and what we see is the pervasiveness of death and destruction across the country.

And so, there's very little mood to celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian year that's coming up, and many Iranians are anxiously waiting to see what happens next.

CHURCH: And on that, I mean, what is Iran's likely future right now, as it continues to strike back across the Gulf region and use its considerable leverage over the Strait of Hormuz by waging this global economic war, which seems to be its more powerful arm of this this war, doesn't it?

KAMRAVA: Absolutely the Islamic Republic is fighting for its survival. This is the most critical existential crisis it has faced since its inception back in 1979. And what we see is, at least from Washington's perspective, regime change is no longer in the cards, but certainly a serious degrading of Iran's military capabilities, is what Washington, at least, is hoping for. So, it appears as if the Islamic Republic will, if this war continues

as it has been, will survive. People will continue to suffer. There is a sense of resignation and trauma, and this region, of course, will never be the same.

I live in Doha, and this was one of the safest places in the world, and unfortunately, over the last three, four weeks, that peace and tranquility has been shattered.

CHURCH: It certainly has. Mehran Kamrava in Doha. Thank you very much for talking with us. We appreciate it and your analysis.

KAMRAVA: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the Iranian government is explicitly threatening potential protesters who may look to take advantage of the chaos, even telling people not to mark Tuesday's annual festival of fire, which leads up to the Persian New Year. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reports on the people caught between foreign bombs and a repressive regime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Celebrating the death at their oppressor. This is what the world saw coming out of Iran last month after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, but cloaked in digital darkness, a new wave of brutal suppression was already beginning.

Teenage brothers, Ahmad Rizza and Amir Hussein Faizi (ph), were among the crowds that poured into the streets on February 28th, this was the car they were in with their father, honking the horn in celebration. Security forces opened fire on them, according to activists, killing the 15 and 19-year-old boys.

As the regime faces America and Israel from the sky, it is tightening its grip on the ground, determined to extinguish any ember of an uprising.

Two months ago, it did just that, killing thousands of protesters in the bloodiest crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic. Iranians still reeling from the collective trauma of January 8th and 9th, now being warned, take it to the streets and it will happen again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our team have their fingers on the trigger.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The chief of police threatening protesters, they will be treated as the enemy and shot.

The feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, promising another massacre of protesters. This time, they say it will strike harder than they did in January. Messages we've received from Iranians inside the country describe a regime using every tool in its playbook to crush dissent. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time you go outside, even just to go to the market, you see machine guns and Dushkas, heavy guns on the streets. Everyone is afraid of the checkpoints. They are basically the regime's street level enforces.

[02:15:05]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are randomly being checked, their phones being searched, being asked questions like, what are you doing out here? They even arrest and take them for a further investigation.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Video trickling out only a small window into this new climate of fear. Iran is a superpower, they chant. Iranians are proud. Regime supporters roam the streets at night with a menacing message. They are still here. They are still in control.

State media, like so many times before, has been airing videos of those arrested allegedly confessing to being foreign agents. Text messages like this one warn those who find a way around the imposed internet blackout will be treated as spies.

This crackdown only expected to get worse, as outside forces that want to overthrow this regime add fuel to the fire.

REZA PAHLAVI, IRANIAN POLITICAL ACTIVIST (through translator): We are now at the decisive stage of our final struggle. Await my final call.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The Israeli Prime Minister telling Iranians his forces are, "Creating the conditions on the ground for them to rise up."

As the IDF releases video like this showing what it says are attacks on regime checkpoints that have become a major instrument of suppression and killing the regime's top leadership, one after the other. An uprising seems impossible right now for those who find themselves trapped between two hells. From inside their homes, they still defiantly cheer against the regime that time and time again has failed to silence people risking it all for freedom.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: With the Strait of Hormuz shut down, consumers are already feeling the pain at the gas pump due to rising oil prices, now they may have to brace for higher costs on a wide range of goods, from the pharmacy to the grocery store.

So, let's go to CNN's Ivan Watson, who's off the coast of Hong Kong. Ivan, how is the closure of the Strait impacting global shipping and, of course, energy prices?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's effectively stopped the supply of 20 percent of the world's oil. And this is an example of the kind of ships that have been impacted. This LPG tanker was actually in the Gulf and transited the Strait of Hormuz days before the war broke out, and Iran has targeted ships like this since the beginning of hostilities.

So, if you get up close, and we're trying to show viewers when you're this close, you can see how huge These ships are. This thing is 159 meters long, longer than a football field. It's worth tens of millions of dollars without its cargo, and at least 16 ships have come under some kind of incident, suspected attacks in the past two and a half weeks.

Most recently, there was a tanker off the coast of Fujairah hit while anchored on Monday. That's off the UAE. There was a cargo ship from Thailand hit last week, and three of its crew members are still missing. It was trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, and you had a couple of tanker ships off the coast of Iraq that Iran claimed responsibility for hitting it with undersea drones.

The speaker of the Iranian parliament repeated a threat the other Iranian officials have had, "The Strait of Hormuz situation won't return to its prewar status."

So, with this threat to commercial shipping to ships this size, and if we pan over, you can see other ships here coast of (AUDIO GAP) these are the types of ships that move the world's gas and oil around, the container ships that get you the stuff that you buy for your house and your home, and it's been blocked coming in and out of the Gulf right now because Iran has weaponized its geographic position.

The Trump administration wants to reopen the Gulf, as it's seen, energy prices soaring easier said than done, because Iran has asymmetric warfares, sea drones, drones, missiles, sea mines that can one of those can immobilize a ship worth tens of millions of dollars, and that's why commercial shipping companies are not willing to take the risk of sending their ships through. It's not only a threat to the vessels, it's a threat to crew members as well.

[02:20:13]

Iran has indicated that it would be open to allowing ships to go through if they're government pay for oil with Chinese currency, the U.N. and we've seen some governments make side deals. India and Pakistan, for example, have both gotten tanker ships through the Strait of Hormuz safely over the course of the last week. A ship from Hong Kong just went in on Monday through the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran has indicated it will target other shipping.

The Trump administration is asking for other countries, China, Japan, South Korea, NATO, member countries to help it keep the Strait of Hormuz open. There have been escorts in the past, escort operations, but I spoke with a former Australian naval officer who worked on some of these operations. She said that a ship like this, an escort, would require fighter planes overhead, reconnaissance planes would require warships as well all to try to protect the vessel, and you could only begin this type of escort operation once Iran's drone capability had been completely neutralized. And we're far from that moment right now.

So, for now, the Strait is effectively shut. Iran is threatening ships like this, and it's imposing conditions on governments if they want that critical supply of oil and energy to come out.

And until it's reopened, the cost of your plane tickets are going to continue to go up, because jet fuel is going up, and the amount you're paying at the gas pump is also going to cost you more. And that's how important this vital waterway is, and how it is important this is for international commercial shipping, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, it is indeed critical. Ivan Watson reporting there from off the coast of Hong Kong. Many thanks for that live report.

Well, still to come, Cuba is slowly getting electricity up and running again after Monday's power grid collapse. A look at how the U.S. oil blockade is impacting the island's energy crisis. We're in Havana. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:26:53]

CHURCH: Cuba has a new warning to the Trump administration. Its president says that any attempt by the U.S. to take control of the island nation will be met with, "Impregnable resistance." He says the U.S. is now using economic weakness as an outrageous pretext to seize Cuba. This message comes after President Trump on Tuesday suggested potential U.S. action could be happening soon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said it's time for Cuba to change its leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Bottom line is, their economy doesn't work. It's a nonfunctional economy. It's an economy that has survived. It's -- for 40 -- that revolution, it's not even a revolution. That thing they have has survived on subsidies from the Soviet Union and now from Venezuela. They don't get subsidies anymore, so, they're in a lot of trouble.

And the people in charge, they don't know how to fix it, So, they have to get new people in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Cuba is struggling to restore electricity following a nationwide blackout. The country's power grid collapsed Monday, weeks after a U.S. blockade of oil effectively shut off supplies to Cuba, the island of around 10 million people, heavily relies on oil for generating electricity. Here's how some Cubans are reacting to the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Trump is a person who doesn't even listen to those who follow him. He simply makes decisions that, in my opinion, aren't the right ones. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want Trump to understand, to leave us alone, and I want our government to focus more on us, not to worry so much about other people's business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Patrick Oppmann is in Havana with the latest on the recovery from the power outages.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: After more than 24 hours of an island wide blackout, power is coming back to many parts of Havana, still there are other parts of the city, many parts of the island, that are still without any electricity. And the underlying causes of this blackout an aging electrical system that is collapsing an oil blockade on the part of the Trump administration on this island, those are still there. The power could go out again at any point. That's really the concern here.

And so, the Cuban government says they are negotiating with the United States. They are trying to work out some kind of deal. But we've heard Donald Trump say that he plans on taking Cuba, essentially being the one to call the shots here, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say that, in his opinion, the officials in charge of this island are unable to resolve the problems that they have here and that they need to leave.

So, while talks are going on, it is clear that Cuban Government is being pushed to do much more than up until now they have been willing to do, and very soon, officials here could be facing an ultimatum from the U.S.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump is naming Gulf nations that are willing to help with the Strait of Hormuz. Coming up, how the war with Iran is impacting global trade in the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:34:27]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. President Trump is predicting it won't be too long before the Strait of Hormuz is secure. He claims Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are on board to assist, but he hasn't said in what capacity.

Threats from Iran have resulted in the effective closure of the vital waterway since the conflict began, spiking fuel prices around the globe. For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos. And Eleni, you've just heard some explosions. What can you tell us?

[02:35:00] ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so Rosemary, we've had three alerts today in the last, I would say, about eight hours. One at 2 a.m., one around 5 30 a.m., as well as one around half an hour ago. And we heard two very big blasts.

The Dubai authorities have confirmed that all interceptions were successful, no injuries reported. And let's not forget that Iran has continued to vow retaliation against Gulf States, and specifically now after the killing of Ali Larijani, who is a key decision maker.

But at the end of the day, I mean, Gulf States and President Trump and this major effort in terms of trying to figure out how to also solve the other big issue, and that is the Strait of Hormuz, where you've seen now 21 vessels that have been attacked.

Importantly, the UAE, and this is from Anwar Gargash, he is an Advisor to the UAE President. He said the UAE would play a role if there was an international coalition that was put in place. So if there was an international group that was put in place to try and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

And he was speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations on Tuesday, and I want to sort of read some of what he said. "I don't see any sort of formal structure plan right now, but the UAE's thinking is that this is an international waterway. The idea of holding the world hostage is deplorable. And importantly, we need to move in unison to address that."

Keeping in mind that President Trump reaching out to allies to ask for some kind of assistance, for everyone to come together to create naval escorts, a plan to move tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. But Rosemary, the experts and the maritime specialists that I've been speaking to say, even if you get naval escorts, you'd need about eight to 10 destroyers to escort between five and 10 tankers daily.

For context, normally, on a normal day, 60 to 70 tankers cross through the Strait of Hormuz. I want you to listen to Lloyd's List Intelligence, the editor-in-chief, what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MEADE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, LLOYD'S LIST INTELLIGENCE: I find it incredulous that the U.S. would go into this conflict not understanding the direct threat that Iran poses to one of the world's most important energy choke points. There are no ships moving through in less than 90 in, you know, nearly three weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Right. And so we're seeing the, you know, chain reaction on oil prices, on oil products, the downstream products, jet fuel, helium, the likes of fertilizer as well. So opening up the Strait of Hormuz is going to be top priority for not only Gulf nations, but also the rest of the world, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course. Eleni Giokos bringing us that live report, appreciate it. Well, President Trump now says the U.S. no longer needs any help in securing the Strait of Hormuz. And he again criticized U.S. allies for resisting his previous request to send their warships to the vital waterway. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So, this is a -- this was a great test because we don't need them, but they should have been there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you rethinking the United States' relationship with NATO, possibly getting out?

TRUMP: When they don't help us, I mean, it's certainly something that we should think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: For more, let's bring in CNN European Affairs Commentator, Dominic Thomas. Good to have you with us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course. So after NATO allies rejected his calls to help the U.S. open the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump saying there, we don't need any help and blasting NATO saying they're making a very foolish mistake. What is your reading of his conflicting comments on whether or not the U.S. needs NATO's help? And why do you think he's surprised by their response?

THOMAS: Yeah, well, I think there's a lot of things going on here. I think, of course, the E.U. and NATO's response is, of course, linked to the fact that there is an uncertainty, inconsistency in what President Trump says. And there is very deep concern about getting embroiled in a long term conflict, in war, in the Middle East again. The electorate isn't supporting that.

And certainly European and NATO leaders are concerned about their economies, about population displacement, and all the sort of follow- on effects from this particular disruption. I think there's also misunderstanding here. You know, NATO, yes, is an ally. The United States are not under attack on U.S. soil. They have launched a conflict here. They are seeking their assistance to police the Strait of Hormuz.

But that's secondary, really, to the greater concern of these leaders, which is what happens in the aftermath of securing that. What is the future of Iran? What is U.S.' involvement going to be in that? What is their level of tolerance for regime change and so on and so forth?

[02:40:00]

So I think that together, collectively, those are the motivations for these leaders. It's not some kind of punitive reaction to the fact that they were not consulted in the first place. But very real concern, Rosemary, moving forward as to what exactly this conflict is about and what it would mean for them to be involved long term.

CHURCH: Right. Of course, it's strong language, isn't it? Germany's saying it's not NATO's war. The U.K. prime minister saying there's no real plan in place. But while European leaders are pushing back right now and leaving Trump to deal with the war that he started, how likely is it that in the end, they will need to help open the Strait of Hormuz if this drags on for a long time?

THOMAS: Well, that's the real dilemma and the kind of the paradox of this is, of course, the ultimate objective is going to be peace and how they go about framing that is going to be incredibly important. There's deep frustration that Trump under his first presidency withdrew from what's called the Iran Nuclear Deal.

NATO allies have done everything, really, to respond to pressure from Trump over the past years in terms of increasing their contributions. But even within NATO, the irony once again is that it's the United States that has been problematic here, including just recently when it came to the situation over Greenland and threats to Denmark and so on and so forth.

So they see a U.S. leader that is increasingly multiplying threats in different areas, whether it's domestically against the judiciary or the media or his political opponents, but also in an international sphere where he's threatening them with tariffs, threatening them with potential withdrawal from NATO or hinting in those particular areas.

And it's important for him to understand that the alignment that he gets from within his cabinet and his support in the United States is not going to translate on the international scene, especially when it comes to important transnational, supranational organizations like NATO and like the European Union who are able to stand up to his pressure in meaningful ways and ask for concrete plans of action here before they commit themselves and before they return to their parliaments and their electorates and explain what it is they're doing here in supporting this president.

CHURCH: And Dominic, when President Trump lashes out at allies saying they're making a foolish mistake and threatening a very bad future, what do you think he means by that after suggesting he might think about leaving NATO? I mean, could he -- would he do that? What would be the ramifications of that if he does that?

THOMAS: Well, there are people in his foreign policy entourage who for a long time have been lukewarm on NATO. I think there's a lack of understanding as to what that organization has represented and what allying with Europe has meant since the Second World War.

There's deep concern about what's going on in that other conflict, which is Ukraine, which is increasingly being pushed into the background. And I think that there's a concerted event really to kind of manage this president and that working along with them is something they have done in very good faith. But there is going to come a point at which they're going to have to disagree.

The problem is, is that the situation unfolding in Iran has a global impact and it's going to be essential for them to try and keep President Trump in the conversation here, so that the damage does not go on for too long and for what they fear most, which is uncertainty yet again in the Middle East is going to translate into reality.

Now, whether that means troops on the ground under the flags of NATO or of E.U. member countries is a different matter. But whether or not they can work in the diplomatic channels, providing logistical support, military support, framed under the aegis of peace-seeking and a diplomatic solution, that might possibly be a way forward, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Dominic Thomas, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis as always. Appreciate it.

THOMAS: Thank you so much.

CHURCH: Well, several European airlines continue to cancel flights to the Middle East, including to Dubai, Qatar and Tel Aviv. British Airways said it was due to airspace instability, while Air France mentioned the security context at the destination.

Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, told our Becky Anderson how they're handling the disruption the war is causing for flights and travelers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL GRIFFITHS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DUBAI AIRPORTS: Well, firstly, the ability to detect and respond to threats as they've unfolded have been very, very effective and efficient. We've closed airspace, we've opened it as the threat level has changed, and we've been able to keep aircraft in the air and obviously, to route through corridors that are properly designated by the GCAA across here and obviously, holding aircraft at outstation, making sure that they can be safely diverted if there is a threat.

[02:45:20]

We've facilitated the journeys of over a million passengers over the last 17 days and the recovery rate is significant. We're back up to about 40, 45 percent of normal traffic movements.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR, ABU DHABI: Talk to me about what you've been doing very specifically to support passengers.

GRIFFITHS: Well, first of all, when schedules are disrupted and you know, in a normal day, we would handle something like 320,000 customers through DXB. So when that supply chain gets interrupted, it's incredibly important that we keep people informed, keep people already at the airport safe and secure, whilst we dealt with the backlog and got people to the places they needed to be and also provided the information to make sure that people only came to the airport when they needed to be. That seems to have worked pretty well. The airport has remained calm and composed, and the many different comments we're getting from our customers I think suggests that for the most part, we're doing a reasonably good job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Ukraine's president is once again visiting European allies. This time, instead of asking for help, he is offering Ukrainian expertise on defending against drone attacks. We'll have details for you after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:16]

CHURCH: Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is traveling through Europe, meeting with allies to ensure his country is not being forgotten during the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. In the coming hours, Zelenskyy will meet with Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez. This comes after Zelenskyy stopped in London to meet with Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. While in London, Zelenskyy also met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

During Zelenskyy's time in London, he made the case that Ukraine can offer its drone expertise in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With concerns rising that Ukraine has fallen far down the U.S. priority list, President Zelenskyy used his moment in the spotlight Tuesday, addressing the British Parliament to deliver a hard-hitting argument, complete with visual evidence that supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia translates into real- world expertise that its partners now need in the war with Iran.

Ukraine has already sent, he said, more than 200 people to the Middle East and Gulf region, with more ready to deploy. But for a president who has long warned that if Russia wasn't stopped in Ukraine, the risk would spread and who warned President Trump in that, now, infamous Oval Office meeting last February, that the U.S. would quite feel it in the future. This was also, to an extent, a thinly veiled 'I told you so.'

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: What is happening around Iran today is not a far away war for us because of the cooperation between Russia and Iran. And we do not believe we have the right to be indifferent, even if we are separated from human suffering or shared danger by an ocean. An ocean, however big and beautiful or by anything else, ballistic missiles can strike at thousands of kilometers. Drones can do the same. But if evil wins, the evolution of war will cross any distance on Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SEBASTIAN: Well, not so subtle a dig at President Trump there. But this is a clear evolution for Zelenskyy. He's gone from directly appealing for support to pitching Ukraine as an indispensable partner in security. The U.K. and Ukraine agreed Tuesday to deepen their defense partnership, including with the U.K. funding a new A.I. Center of Excellence in Kyiv.

And the urgency of this moment for Ukraine is clear. The longer the war with Iran goes on, the more Russia stands to profit.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

CHURCH: A rare fireball was spotted in the daylight sky. Where it was seen, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:56:26]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, NASA confirms that a bright fireball that crossed over several U.S. states was a meteor.

Video captured this extremely rare shooting star crossing the daylight sky in the eastern U.S. The American Meteor Society says daytime fireball sightings are unusual since they have to be brighter than those at night. NASA says they burn as bright or brighter than Venus.

The fireball was observed from Virginia all the way to Ohio. It triggered a sonic boom heard in the Cleveland area when the fast- moving meteor broke through the sound barrier.

Well, a new study shows eating a combination of two award-winning diets can help slow aging in the brain by over two years. The brain- focused eating plan is called the Mind Diet and it combines the Mediterranean and DASH diets.

The plan restricts salt and focuses on specific ingredients thought to help reduce the risk of dementia. This includes berries, beans, whole grains and leafy greens as well as fish, poultry and nuts. Foods with saturated fats such as butter, cheese and red meat are extremely limited.

Sounds like a great plan. Thanks so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:57:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]