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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; High Oil Prices Could Stick through 2027; Gas Prices Climb with Hormuz Turmoil; World Happiness Report; BTS Returns for First Show after Nearly Four Years. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired March 21, 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East headquarters here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

U.S. President Trump sending mixed signals about the timeline in the war with Iran. He posted on Truth Social that he is considering winding down military efforts but thousands more Marines and sailors are being deployed right now to the Middle East.

Tehran doesn't believe Trump's comment. A senior Iranian source says America's military posture in the region hasn't changed significantly. Well, earlier on Friday, Trump also reiterated that the U.S. has, quote, "won the war" and downplayed any efforts for a ceasefire.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, look. We can have dialogue but we don't -- I want to do a ceasefire. You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side.

They don't have a navy. They don't have an air force. They don't have any equipment to -- they don't have any spotters. They don't have anti- aircraft. They don't have radar and their leaders have all been killed at every level. We're not looking to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Meanwhile, U.S. embassies in the region remain under threat. A U.S. official said that Iran unsuccessfully targeted a joint British-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean with ballistic missiles. Some Gulf states say they continue to intercept missile and drone strikes, including here in the UAE.

Also on Friday, Iranian state TV read a statement attributed to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. There was no audio or video of him and he has not been seen publicly since he was appointed and reportedly injured nearly two weeks ago. Let's start this hour with CNN's Paula Hancocks, who joins us now from Abu Dhabi. Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, overnight, we did see a number of interceptions in a number of different Gulf nations. We know Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones in the overnight hours.

We also know there has been a barrage to Israel as well. The home command there saying that they have been dispatched to areas where they believe there has been some impact but they say no injuries at this point. So we are seeing a continuation of Iran threatening its neighbors.

We also saw Iran targeting, according to a U.S. official, Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean, which is further afield than it has been targeting, certainly in the Gulf direction.

We had heard from Iran that they were seeing the U.K.'s decision to allow the U.S. to use its bases, they say, in a defensive fashion, as an indication that they should come under attack as well. And this is what we saw.

Now we've also heard another warning from the Iranian military. They have said that they have warned the UAE that there will be heavy strikes on the port city of Ras al-Khaimah if the U.S. and Israel continue to attack the islands, Iranian islands, along the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Now in the past, Iran has made good on its threat. So certainly there will be a heightened sense of alert in the port city there. They have said that ports and docks in recent days will come under attack.

Now we have been hearing some mixed messages from the Trump administration, suggesting that they are close to achieving their objectives, according to the U.S. president, that they are considering winding down the war.

But, of course, that does come at the same time as we are expecting thousands more military personnel to be reaching this region. One Marine Expeditionary Unit, for example, that would comprise something like 2,200 Marines and personnel, is on its way to this region at the moment with the USS Tripoli.

We also understand that a second has been rerouted and its deployment accelerated.

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Now, of course, that would take some weeks to arrive to this area. Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.

While analysts are warning that oil and gas prices could hit new highs, the longer the war with Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, Goldman Sachs says the price for a barrel of Brent could be in the triple digits for years if supply disruptions stretch on.

Gas prices are skyrocketing in the U.S. since the start of the war. The AAA auto association says the current U.S. average is about $3.92 per gallon. We're talking about gasoline prices here. That's the highest average price since October of 2022, the beginning of the Russia's war with Ukraine.

Of course, the Trump administration is granting a temporary license for Iran to sell around 140 million barrels of crude oil to calm what are these jittery markets.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent writes, and I quote him here, "Iran is the head of the snake for global terrorism. And through president Trump's Operation Epic Fury, we are winning this critical fight at an even faster pace than anticipated. At present, sanctioned Iranian oil is being hoarded by China on the cheap.

By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran."

I want to bring in Amena Bakr now. She's the head of Middle East energy and OPEC+ insights at Kpler, joining us this hour from Dubai.

Good to have you. Bessent described this as using the Iranian barrels against the Iranians to temporarily boost supply and keep prices down while military operations continue. Amena, this follows similar short- term waivers to Russian oil at sea.

What do you make of Bessent's assessment here?

AMENA BAKR, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST ENERGY AND OPEC+ INSIGHTS, KPLER: This is the latest marathon of messages to the market. Becky. And I mean by our numbers, we see around 156 million barrels of Iranian oil on water.

But at the same time, there are many challenges to unlocking that volume, starting off with Iran's response, saying that we don't have any oil to offer the markets. So that's the response from them so far.

But at the same time, I mean, there are challenges around, what payment structure will this be made in?

Are they going to be paying in U.S. dollars?

Is there going to be an activation of the SWIFT system with shipping?

For example, Iran has used this shadow fleet for so long, are insurers available to ensure Iranian vessels at this point?

And if they do that and more transparency is required around the location of vessels, is Iran willing to give that level of transparency that might expose them later?

So all of these are question marks. Plus, given the amount is only 156 million, if we divide that, that's 5 million barrels a day. So that's 30 days of coverage and doesn't come close to bridging the supply gap that we're seeing.

ANDERSON: There's a pattern here. We are seeing the U.S. administration making announcements, quite often on a Friday evening or Friday afternoon, there is the weekend for these announcements to be processed by the markets.

How do you see or what do you see in the markets as a response to this very specifically?

And what are your forecasts?

What are, what are traders telling you about what happens now Monday, for example, and going forward as far as the oil price is concerned?

BAKR: For sure, there's a swaying of sentiment. And when you sway sentiment, yes, there tends to be a kind of calming down. And we've been seeing that in prices.

I mean, prices staying around that $100 mark; now they've kind of jumped beyond $110. So these messages, to some extent, maybe with some traders, they still listen to it. And the constant messaging from the U.S. that the war is going to be over soon.

As we know, Becky, and being based out of the UAE here, that's clearly not the case. In reality, on the ground, the attacks continue to target Gulf states and infrastructure in the region. So that's not happening. And we don't know when soon is.

But does it have this messaging?

Does it have an impact on some traders?

Yes, it does. But I think fundamentals is eventually going to catch up.

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And we are going to see prices rise way beyond the levels that we're seeing today.

ANDERSON: And, of course, you will assess that by looking at the futures markets.

What are they telling you at this point?

BAKR: Yes, for sure. I mean the futures markets we've seen prices rise to $150 to $160. And that's a very, very steep increase.

And the key here, Becky -- and it's very unclear on when we're going to resume normal flows through Hormuz. Nobody knows when that will be. And the latest communication from Trump is that this is not his problem.

And countries that are using this strait or benefit from the strait should safeguard it. So that adds a level of uncertainty around the 20 million barrels a day of flows.

ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you, Amena. Thank you. It's 1:10 here in the UAE. Amena is in Dubai. I'm in Abu Dhabi.

Let's get you back to Kim, who is in Atlanta, with more of the day's top stories. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Becky.

Senators from both parties met late into the evening Friday, working on a deal to end the stalemate over funding for the Homeland Security Department.

Democrats are refusing to approve those funds without significant reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed earlier this year.

White House border czar Tom Homan says discussions are continuing. Republicans insist the White House has improved its offer to Democrats, though they declined to provide details.

But as negotiations go on in Washington, airports across the U.S. are seeing long lines for security screenings as TSA officers continue to miss work. The agency says nearly 10 percent of its workforce didn't show up on Thursday. TSA officers have been working without pay for over a month.

Democrats have offered several bills that would fund the TSA and other critical departments but they've been rejected by Republicans.

Here's what one passenger had to say about the long lines and government shutdown.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our flight was at 6:00 am. We've been here since 2:45. We were in line at 2:50, still missed our flight.

I feel bad for the people that are not being paid. I feel bad for the people that are standing in line. I feel bad for everyone, except people in Washington, D.C.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, president Trump claimed he didn't need help with securing the Strait of Hormuz but now he's upbraiding allies for not doing enough. We'll have the latest on efforts to reopen the vital waterway, coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Iran has tried and failed to strike a joint British-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean. That's according to a U.S. official, who says two Iranian ballistic missiles missed the Diego Garcia base Friday morning.

Now it happened as the U.K. said it would allow the U.S. to use British bases to go after Iranian missile sites that target ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later warned Britain that it considers the move participation in aggression.

President Trump has slammed NATO allies as "cowards" for not helping secure the Strait of Hormuz. But NATO says it is discussing how to reopen the vital waterway. South Korea has also signaled its willingness to join the effort. Trump's call for help from allies is a reversal from what he said earlier in the week. Listen to this.

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TRUMP: Well, we don't need too much help. We don't need any help, actually. We don't need help.

But you need a lot of help in the sense that you need ships, you need volume. And NATO could help us. But they, so far, haven't had the courage to do so. And others could help us. But, you know, we don't use it. You know, at a certain point, it will open itself.

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BRUNHUBER: Now Trump's remarks come as U.S. officials work to avoid a potential months-long closure. An assessment determined Iran could possibly keep the waterway shut for up to six months. That's according to multiple sources familiar with the document.

But White House and Pentagon officials insist the assessment and that timeframe weren't being seriously considered.

For more, we're joined by Nina Haase-Trobridge, the chief political correspondent for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and she joins us from Berlin.

Thanks so much for being here with us again. Appreciate it.

NINA HAASE-TROBRIDGE, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, DEUTSCHE WELLE: (INAUDIBLE).

BRUNHUBER: So president Trump just called NATO allies "cowards" and called the alliance "a paper tiger."

I mean, how is that likely to go down with leaders in Berlin and across Europe?

HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Well, they're saying that it's not NATO's war. NATO is, after all, a defensive alliance. And this is something that officials in Berlin have been stressing throughout, that it is an alliance to defend. When there is an attack on the territory of one of the members, everybody else comes to help.

This is not the case here in Iran. It's very clear. Pedro Sanchez from Spain, for example, was one of the first to call it a violation of international law when the U.S. and Israel launched those strikes against Iran. Most experts agree it is.

Germany refrained from calling it that publicly and at first said they don't want to lecture Donald Trump. They don't want to essentially say how to behave in these situations.

But as the war is dragging on, the tone is also shifting in Berlin, with people saying, you didn't consult us, so we would have advised you against it but you didn't ask. And now, essentially you're saying you don't share your strategy with us.

But you want us to risk our people's lives in a war where we don't know what your strategy is?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. OK. But you talk about Germany's shifting position on this. I mean, they're saying this isn't their war but they also signed that agreement that several countries signed, promising to help to keep to help keep the strait open.

But they also basically ruled out sending ships while there's an active war.

So kind of which one is it and what are they actually willing to do?

HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Well, of course, there's, at the same time, a big fear that the economic situation could just deteriorate even more.

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When the war drags on for a while and when the Strait of Hormuz is closed for a couple of months, of course, that would have an effect on Europeans as well.

And so they now have to learn how to define their own interests and walk that very, very difficult tightrope walk between not being dragged into a war where they say they are not a member but at the same time.

And they have to find ways of securing safe passage. And that is also something that you hear from German chancellor Friedrich Merz but also the German defense minister, that they do say, we need to sit down and talk diplomatically about how to make safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz possible once the active fighting is over.

So preparations are ongoing. But at the same time, they're saying, we're not sharing the details yet.

BRUNHUBER: OK. So the key distinction there, I guess, would be that they might help when the fighting is over.

I mean, is there a world where Germany would actually send ships into the strait? HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Well, they have sent ships to the region, under the auspices of the European mission. That is a defensive mission. That is exactly designed to protect commercial vessels against attacks by the Houthi rebels. So this mission does exist.

But it is not one that can easily be switched over to the current situation in Iran. And here, Friedrich Merz said in recent days that he does want to talk to Donald Trump this weekend, because it does feel very vital to officials here in Berlin that they find out what the plan is by the U.S. before they engage their military vessels in a region.

That is, of course, one of the most dangerous in the world, where they risk people's lives. But our speeders (ph) could, under some circumstances, of course, be given a different mission once the goals are clear.

BRUNHUBER: One of the things, that Merz would probably want to talk to Trump about is the concern, I guess, in Washington that -- in Berlin, that Washington is so distracted by the war in Iran that they've basically forgotten about Ukraine.

That's a big issue for Germany, right?

HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Not just for Germany but, of course, now that the U.S. has essentially withdrawn its active support from Ukraine, Germany has stepped in as the number one supporter for this country that has been under attack for four years from Russia.

So this is something that is vital to Europeans and to Germans above all, that the media doesn't lose interest in this active war of aggression that is going on because, of course, there's a big risk if Russia does win this war, if people lose interest, if the U.S. withdraws and the Europeans have to deal with it alone.

Russia takes over and essentially that could encourage others. And the famous fear of, you know, might makes right is something that is very, very concerning. And that is, of course, something that Europeans want the U.S. also to understand, that Ukraine is still ongoing at the same time.

And they are aware that they do need Washington as part of NATO for credible deterrence against Russia.

BRUNHUBER: Another concern -- and you touched on the economic impact that this is having in Europe and specifically in Germany.

How scared is the German government that high prices from this war with Iran are going to sink the economy and then just basically hand a massive win to the far right?

HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Well, Friedrich Merz actually won the election. He became chancellor with that promise of getting the economy up and running again, because it has been slow, of course, all of those factors are playing a part. You know, the COVID pandemic and then Russia's war against Ukraine,

all of these things affected the German economy. And now there is a big fear that the slow growth that we have been seeing could be affected if the war in Iran and the region drags on for a couple of months.

Then experts are estimating that it could slow down again. And that is a very risky situation for the German democratic pillars, the parties in the center of the country, because, of course, that gives rise to populist parties.

And we have the far right AfD party, which is in part right-wing extremists, already breathing down Friedrich Merz's neck.

BRUNHUBER: So great to get your analysis. Nina Haase-Trobridge, thanks so much.

HAASE-TROBRIDGE: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll head back to the Middle East after a short break.

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Israel and Iran trade new missile strikes as the war enters its fourth week. Stay with us.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. This is our Middle East programming headquarters. Let's check some of the day's top stories for you.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): And a huge ball of fire and clouds of smoke rose over a Beirut suburb. Israel says it was attacking alleged targets of the Iran proxy group, Hezbollah. The Israeli military also says Iran has launched more missiles toward its territory.

Iran has tried and failed to strike a joint British-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean. That's from a U.S. official who says two ballistic missiles missed the Diego Garcia base on Friday. The U.K. allowed the U.S. to start using British bases for some operations in Iran. Tehran later said it considers the move participation in aggression.

The U.S. officials say thousands of Marines and sailors are being sent to the Middle East. The rapid response forces have been rerouted from the Indo-Pacific region, where they were originally expected to deploy. It is unclear when they will arrive in the Middle East or what they will be doing once they get here. Well, CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joining me now from London.

And, Salma, I think it's worth just getting our viewers up to speed on what we understand to be the latest from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and what we are seeing from Tehran in attacks around the region.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Becky, very much a war that continues unabated.

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With missiles being intercepted over the UAE, over Kuwait, Iraq also reported that there was attacks on it today. Israel is carrying out fresh airstrikes on Lebanon, on Iran. And all of this comes as president Trump issues some mixed messages, taking to social media, saying he was considering winding down the war.

But as you mentioned, thousands of American troops are on their way to the region. Let me give you the details of that.

We understand that thousands of troops were rerouted and their deployment accelerated to the Middle East. They were originally intended to go to the Indian Ocean. It is the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and an amphibious ready group.

This also comes as another deployment was being reported. That is the 31st Marine Group and the Tripoli Amphibious Group. Just to give you an understanding of the numbers here, with each of these rapid response units, you're talking about 2,200 Marines in addition to the amphibious groups. That's a total of 4,500 times two.

So this is a massive deployment to the region. Unclear when they will arrive, what their tasks will be when they land, how long they will be there. There's absolutely no details on that.

But we do know that president Trump, during his daily briefings, has absolutely had the consideration, the option of putting American boots on the ground. That remains something on the table.

But again, adding to that mixed messaging is how the Trump administration has decided to relieve pressure on the oil disruptions, the economic shock waves, by allowing a limited license for Iran to sell 140 million barrels of crude oil. Take a listen to how the Trump administration explained this.

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MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: The measure is targeted toward oil that's already out there on ships, already out there in storage and to the previous question is very temporary.

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ABDELAZIZ: So experts say that this is about 1.5 days' worth of supply. So a very temporary measure that could provide very temporary relief while everyone continues to ask the question, of course, Becky. What is the plan here?

How does this war end?

And what does Trump mean when he says he's considering winding it down, when you have thousands of American troops on their way to the region?

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Salma. Thank you.

Well, let's bring in Bader Al-Saif. He is a professor at Kuwait University and a fellow at Chatham House. He joins us live this hour from Kuwait City.

Iva barak (ph), Bader. Thank you for joining us. At the end of what is this third week of this war, Donald Trump, on the one hand, says he is thinking of winding down military operations. On the other, thousands of troops are on their way to the region, U.S. troops are on their way to the region.

From a Gulf perspective and sitting where you are there in Kuwait, how do you -- how do you assess where we are at this point?

BADER AL-SAIF, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY AND FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, Becky, we're entering week four. And in the last few days, there has been a major escalation. The attacks on the oil and gas infrastructure mark a new stage of this war. And what we're hearing on Hormuz could be the yet another escalatory stage.

And there the options are quite interesting. It has become an international issue that supposedly merits an international response. But I would beg to differ. I think we should go regional with this issue.

But let me lay out some of the scenarios that can come in the next few days. Now there is the hope of having a deployment of a Coalition of the Willing, as we heard from Mr. Trump, and some of the countries around there. But that's not going to simply work. We're looking at an asymmetric war.

We've seen limited bandwidth and limited returns in another nearby strait. And I'm thinking Bab-el-Mandeb by Yemen in the last few months and years. And no navy can fully expunge drone and portable anti-ship missiles. So that's your first option.

Now if you move into a second, more interventionist option to what the reporter was just mentioning about more U.S. boots and on the ground, in this case, that's -- I mean, what reinforcements?

What are these reinforcements for the thousands of troops that are coming through?

Are they going to be used to occupy land around Hormuz?

Are they going to be used to take over Kharg Island?

Are they going to be used to go even further into the Iranian mainland and go for that uranium, supposedly in Isfahan or other areas?

All of this is a recipe for disaster. You're looking at a new Vietnam in the making. And I hope that we do not end up going there.

And to add to what's happening right now, I mean, to the mixed signals, I remember the U.S. administration going after the European states for buying Russian gas during the Ukraine war at some phases. And now we're allowing Iranian oil to be sold.

Are you going to be funding Iranian budgets to continue this war with that?

[05:35:03]

I mean, we're talking about 150 plus million barrels of oil. That's close to $15 billion, Becky. So this is quite alarming. I think we should focus on regional solutions where the international community can trust the region and its partners, namely in the Gulf, working alongside Iran to get our way forward.

ANDERSON: So what are those regional solutions look like?

I'm glad you brought this up because, for a very long time, from U.S. administrations past, we have heard that, you know, this is your own back yard; regional solutions for regional problems. Well, you know, we are sitting on an absolute tinder keg at the moment.

So what are those regional solutions?

AL-SAIF: Well, look, there are several. And I think we've seen some signaling from -- in the last few days from various Gulf states. I mean, in one -- at one end, we saw the UAE go first when they closed ties with -- they ended ties with Iran.

And we saw Qatar follow up with the attaches also being kicked out.

We saw Bahrain issue a statement with other European states concerning the safe passage of the corridor.

But I think I would -- I would limit it to three options at this stage. I think we need to open up channels with other countries for immediate remedy. We've seen the Gulf states go for such an option in the Iran-Iraq War. We flagged our tankers with other countries' flags in the past.

I think at this moment we can go for countries that are in better relations with Iran. I'm thinking China and Chinese flag tankers. So that could be a quick option to maintain the flow of oil and the prices of oil.

A second option, Becky, is quite clear. I mean, look, we need to go for direct Gulf-Iran discussions. Whether it's back-channel talks, we need to identify powerbrokers on the ground in Iran.

And we need to come to understandings that dissociate the Gulf region, the Gulf being on both shores, Iran and the Gulf states, from being part of this war. This is something between Iran and the U.S. and Israel that they need to figure a way out forward, too.

And finally, a third option can be, I mean, we have a good U.S. -- working relationship with the U.S. and I think there could be a moment in which we ask the U.S. for -- to take a hiatus, to take a break maybe, you know, safeguard some of the spaces here from some of the American presence.

And to show that we're recalibrating our own defensive posture as we think of the next stages.

ANDERSON: You talk about opening channels of discussion between Gulf states and Iran. I just want to finally just ask you, at this point today, that feels very unrealistic. I mean, the hardening of the rhetoric from this region toward Iran has been quite startling at this point.

We do know, for example, somebody like Ali Larijani, who was assassinated by the Israelis just last week, was one of those interlocutors who had been in touch and, in fact, traveling through this region over the past months.

Is there a channel open, do you believe, at this point?

And if so, with whom within this Iranian regime?

AL-SAIF: This is a very good question and a very hard one to answer, Becky, because the issues on the ground are changing in Iran day to day. It's a closed system, so it's hard to maneuver it. And it took us time to even develop these relationships with the likes of Larijani.

And it's unfortunate that the assassinations policy is also stripping us from a window into this regime and hence it needs to also be reassessed as we move forward.

That said, I totally believe in the ability of Gulf diplomacy to manage this and to find an offramp not only for the U.S. but for the region, to have some breathing space to move into normalcy.

ANDERSON: Well, I hope you're right on that. It's important, Bader. But thank you very much indeed for joining us. And regards to your family very specifically for this weekend.

AL-SAIF: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Well, stay with us. Kim will have more of today's top stories after this short break.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: Some say happiness is just a state of mind. Whatever it

is, Finland is good at it, topping the list of the world's happiest countries for the ninth year in a row.

This year's report warns happiness among young people is declining, especially in countries like the United States. Researchers say heavy social media use is a key factor and linked to lower life satisfaction, particularly amongst teens.

Now the report highlights the importance of real-life connections and suggests relationships and community are essential to a full and satisfied life. Joining me now for more on this is Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of economics and behavioral science at Oxford University.

Thank you so much for joining us on this fascinating topic. So here in the U.S., you know, we're not that happy. Finland's been at the top for so many years. Now here in the U.S. we're sitting at number 23, I think it is.

What is it that countries like Finland are getting right that we're not?

JAN-EMMANUEL DE NEVE, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: Well, first of all, there's no hocus pocus here. It's simply that the Finns rate the quality of their lives, their life satisfaction, much higher than in the United States.

And to be precise, the average Finn response to this survey was a 7.7 out of 10 on life satisfactory; whereas the average person in the U.S. is closer to 6.8, like it is in the United Kingdom.

And that explains the key difference in the ranking scores. But obviously, the science of well-being then kicks into motion and tries to explain why there are such differences. And here we see that, indeed, over the years, gradually we've seen decline in the U.S., the U.K., most of the English speaking world actually.

And that's driven by differences in inequality, social trust, social support eroding, political polarization, healthy life expectancy not quite going in the same direction as it does in the Nordic and Scandinavian countries and so on and so forth.

But we do find, I have to say, that, especially in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, the English-speaking world, youth well- being has taken a real hit over the past decade. And that's what's really behind this drop in the rankings.

BRUNHUBER: OK, well, let's drill down on that then.

Why are our young folks, at least in the English-speaking world, so unhappy?

DE NEVE: Well, there is no smoking gun, is the honest truth. There's a variety of things. I would call it a toxic cocktail going on over the past decade. [05:45:02]

As you know, most youth will have had to do part of their studies through COVID. So online, disrupting part of their social lives at a critical moment.

Affordability, cost of living the future of work, which isn't looking all that great for most, sadly, with ChatGPT and the likes having their jobs taking up jobs and having them disappear before their eyes for people coming out of school now.

And in addition to that, technological changes that are both opportunities but also sometimes disruptors. And we see in this year's report, we take a specific look at the role that social media can play in terms of driving forward or backward youth well-being.

And we find it certainly does play a role, especially for youth that spend too much time on these platforms.

BRUNHUBER: OK, so I won't ask you too much about that angle, because we've, you know, we've covered that. We know that, if you use social media a lot, that you become, you know, you have more chance of becoming unhappy.

But I want to ask you about this because I thought this was interesting. It might seem counterintuitive, given what I just said. Your report found that kids who use social media for less than an hour a day are actually happier than kids who don't use it at all.

Do we know why?

DE NEVE: True. It's a very good point and thank you for picking it up. So we find in the OECD's PISA data, which is 15-year-old boys and girls, that obviously excessive use is very much associated with a drop in life satisfaction.

In fact, 15-year-old girls using social media over five hours are more than a point lower in terms of life satisfaction than those that use it an hour or less, which turns out to be the optimal, if you will, within the context of the OECD.

OECD's data for 15-year olds, however, it's important to point out that, while those boys and girls who proactively stay off of social media might be slightly lower than this optimal of an hour or less, we can't cannot quite rule out the fact that it is in part because their friends are still on it. And there's an element of fear of missing out.

Now if everybody else was also off social media, that group that has decided not to be on social media might be a little bit up and on par maybe with using it positively and moderately an hour or less.

Now importantly, I should point out that most people in the data set obviously use social media well beyond the hour or less a day, so there's definitely still room for improvement. BRUNHUBER: Yes. And your report also found it depends which social

media platform you use. Those scrolling ones seem to lead to more unhappiness.

I want to ask you this just to finish off. It's a ridiculous question in a sense, because I mean, happiness, as you've kind of alluded to, is so multifactorial.

But for those of us, you know, here who live in English-speaking countries, where happiness is trending down, what's one thing that that kind of came out of your research that you said, all right, we here might be able to do to make ourselves a little bit happier?

DE NEVE: Well, thank you for asking. And throughout the world, happiness reports, that started back in 2012, there's always a message that comes through, which is the importance of our -- of our social lives, social support, helping others, sharing meals with others.

And in the context of social media, try very hard, everybody listening in, to put the social back into social media and make sure that you leverage these extraordinary technological platforms to do more social activities and improve your social life while at it, rather than having it disrupted further.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, great advice to end on. I really appreciate all of this. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, thank you so much for joining us.

DE NEVE: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: BTS fans have been waiting for almost four years and, in just over an hour, thousands of them will experience the K-pop group's comeback concert. We'll have details just ahead. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: We are just about one hour away from the highly anticipated concert by K-pop megastars BTS in Seoul, South Korea. It comes after the seven-member group dropped its long-awaited album, "Arirang," on Friday.

You're watching a live countdown to the concert. This will be their first concert in almost four years. They had to put their music careers on hold to complete mandatory military service.

So what you're seeing there is basically a countdown clock for the thousands that are gathered for this live concert that's going on. CNN's Hanako Montgomery is somewhere down there and she has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: BTS is taking to the stage in a matter of hours at the stage right behind me. And you can see there's already a group, a crowd of people gathered here to watch BTS's first concert in four years.

All these people are sitting on newspapers, towels. You can see fans waving over there. They're just so excited to see their favorite K-pop band take to the stage once more.

And let me tell you, these people actually don't have tickets to see the concert. Only a fraction of people were actually able to secure tickets. But because there's just so much excitement, so much energy around this concert, they're just gathered here, trying to get as close to BTS as possible.

And I want to show you, also, if you take a look, there's that stage, right?

This is where BTS will be performing in just a matter of hours. And behind it is actually a palace where kings once lived. And we're hearing reports that BTS will actually be exiting from that palace and walking down a path that kings would traditionally take to take to the stage.

And also just this police barricade you can see here, Seoul authorities are really emphasizing the need for public safety, given that there's going to be such a huge crowd, so much congestion. So they've already set up metal detectors.

And again, just being very cautious of potential congestion. Now fans again are so excited to see their group come back as a full group for the first time in four years. Here's what one fan told us about just how excited she was.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our first time. We are -- we are too much excited.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you answer the question, I feel like this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's really unbelievable for me.

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MONTGOMERY: Now analysts predict that the, "Arirang" world tour could earn nearly $2 billion. Now that could be just as much, perhaps even more, than Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which is the most successful world tour to date.

So again, really just speaking to how powerful, how loved BTS is around the world, not just by Seoul and South Korea but by the entire globe.

Already their album, "Arirang," breaking records on Apple Music, becoming the most successful K-pop album for the first 24 hours since it was released. So again, just speaking to the sheer power of this group, the excitement that fans are feeling after their very long four-year hiatus -- Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Seoul.

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BRUNHUBER: Actor Val Kilmer is set to appear posthumously in an upcoming film, thanks to the use of generative artificial intelligence. Now Kilmer, who died aged 65 last April, will take on a role in "As Deep as the Grove (sic)."

He was cast before his death but was unable to work on set due to his throat cancer diagnosis. First Line Films says his appearance will be the first time a movie studio has used AI this way.

The filmmakers say they worked closely with Kilmer's estate and his daughter, adding that this will be a fitting way to honor Kilmer's attachment to the character.

We'll leave you with this. Thousands of worshipers in Indonesia packed a soccer stadium to celebrate Eid and mark the end of Ramadan. The massive crowd came together from nearby towns and villages outside of Jakarta to pray.

Many worshipers said the struggles of Muslims around the world were top of mind, particularly as the conflicts in the Middle East rage on. Many attendees expressed their hope that the holiday would bring a sense of peace, reflection and togetherness to those struggling.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks so much for all of you for watching. "CNN THIS MORNING" is next.