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U.S. Renews Strikes On Iran, Tehran Retaliates; North Atlantic Council Meeting To Kick Off Soon; Marine Le Pen Says She Will Run For Presidency; Argentina And Lionel Messi Stun Egypt With 3-2 Comeback Victory; North Atlantic Council Meeting to Kick Off Soon; U.S.-Iran War, Strait of Hormuz Security to Dominate Talks; Trump Floats Selling F-24 Jets to Turkey Despite Ban; CENTCOM Says U.S. Military Hit More Than 80 Targets in Iran; Sources Say Ignored Intel Warnings Caused Deadly School Strike in Minab, Iran; China Conducts Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile Test; Philippines to Acquire Five Destroyers From Japan; Crews Work to Stabilize NYC High-rise. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 08, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Iran is retaliating after a wave of U.S. strikes, both sides saying they've attacked dozens of military sites.

A high-stakes NATO summit in Ankara. Donald Trump considers selling controversial fighter jets to Turkey, despite a ban from the U.S. Congress.

Plus, an extraordinary comeback by Argentina, landing them in the World Cup quarterfinals.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Hong Kong, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ivan Watson.

WATSON: I want to get straight to our top story. Iran has now retaliated after the U.S. hit more than 80 targets near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, further testing the fragile cease fire agreement between the two countries. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched drones and missiles at 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in the last few hours.

Earlier, U.S. Central Command released this video showing its latest round of strikes. Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard in a number of port cities. The U.S. also says it has reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for recent attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran calls that a clear violation of the memorandum of understanding with Washington.

The Strait is expected to be a major topic of discussion at the NATO summit, where all eyes are now on U.S. President Donald Trump, and what he might say in his address scheduled for next hour.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is with us live from Abu Dhabi, covering these rapidly evolving events. I know it is still early, but do you have any sense, Paula, of the extent of the damage coming from the U.S. and Iran opening fire against each other?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ivan, it's certainly one of the biggest tests that we've seen between the two countries, since that memorandum of understanding was signed. We know here in the Gulf, Bahrain and Kuwait have once again borne the brunt of the Iranian retaliation. We've heard from Tehran, from the military command, that they targeted the port in Bahrain, which is frequently used by the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and then in Kuwait, we know the Ali Al Salem Air Base was targeted, according to the Iranians. Both Bahrain and Kuwait saying they had a number of alerts and incoming missiles and drones overnight.

Now, what we have seen so far is a significant number of military targets on both sides being hit, or at least being targeted, more than 80, both the U.S. and Iran have claimed. The U.S. says that they have targeted areas that appear to be sort of close to the Strait of Hormuz, so port cities. We know that from state media in Iran there have been claims of explosions on the Kharg Island, one of their key islands when it comes to their oil industry. Also, Qeshm Island, one of the largest Iranian islands in the Gulf.

We had a statement from Central Command, and they pointed out exactly what they were targeting, saying that it was the air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites. We also know that the waivers on sanctions, when it comes to Iran being able to sell its oil, have been reversed, so those sanctions are now being put back in place, according to the U.S. Treasury.

Now, there has been a response from Iran. We have heard from Mohammad Ghalibaf, he's the chief negotiator, and he has said on social media, "Major MOU violations by the U.S., violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait." Also going on to say the era of bullying and extortion is over, it leads nowhere, we don't fold.

[02:05:01]

Now, the crux of this is the Strait of Hormuz, the fact that the U.S. says through a U.S. official that Iran had targeted three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. We know that there was a Qatari tanker that was targeted. We know a Saudi oil tanker was also targeted going through the Strait of Hormuz, and we know that many of these vessels are choosing to go along the so-called Omani route, which is the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, hugging the Omani coast as far away from Iran as possible.

Now, Tehran has said that this is not what should be happening. They say that they are in control of this critical waterway, and they need to be Iranian-approved routes that all of these vessels are using.

So, this will be talked about extensively today at the NATO meeting. It is the one crucial sticking point and hurdle to get over when it comes to seeing whether this MOU can be adhered to, but certainly the U.S. and Iran have very different ideas of what should be happening in the Strait of Hormuz right now. Ivan.

WATSON: All right. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi during what appears to be a very, very delicate moment in the region. Thank you very much.

Now to Ankara, where today, day two of the NATO summit is underway. Again, President Trump is expected to deliver remarks next hour after greeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The U.S. President has also been showcasing what he calls his great friendship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders met on Tuesday.

President Trump said his administration will soon lift sanctions on Turkey, and he praised Turkey for being, "Much more loyal than other countries." The U.S. President also said he will soon decide whether to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, despite a ban that he put in place during his first term, and which has been ratified by Congress into law. President Trump said he wouldn't be in Ankara if not for President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was very disappointed with NATO, and frankly, if it weren't held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it's possible that I wouldn't have attended. I would say the relationship with Turkey right now is better, probably than it's ever been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Asli Aydintasbas is the director of The Turkey Project and is a foreign policy fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Thank you very much for joining me, Asli.

Let's get started on the NATO summit. What are the big parties looking for? What are they asking for here? And what are you watching out for? Do you think anything pivotal could come out of this gathering?

ASLI AYDINTASBAS, DIRECTOR, THE TURKEY PROJECT, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, Ivan, great to be here. This is supposed to be a consequential NATO summit, NATO redefining itself after a huge push from President Trump. They're actually calling it NATO 3.0, a new NATO.

But it's hard to see if that will a date, which is today in Turkey, will be enough to see that emerge. What Erdogan is expecting is once again coming back into the transatlantic alliance, being accepted as an equal member of NATO, coming in from the cold.

What President Trump is expecting, that is unclear. He's already asked NATO Europeans to put more money into their defense spending, and they have agreed he might use this opportunity for a bit more criticism of Europe, which he likes to do.

And what Europeans are expecting, I was in Europe last week, it's very clear they want a no drama summit, and they want to maintain somehow guarantee continued U.S. leadership in Europe's defense, they're very terrified of United States cutting Europe, cutting it loose, and sort of packing its bags and leaving.

WATSON: And President Trump has reiterated demands to control Greenland, the constant drumbeat of criticism of European governments not spending enough on their defense budgets. Let's turn to the relationship between Washington and Turkey itself, because that is evolving in some interesting directions, and it involves next- generation fighter planes, doesn't it?

AYDINTASBAS: Turkey has been under U.S. sanctions. Why? Primarily because it got too close to Russia, and after 2016 and started buying Russian weapons, specifically S-400 missile system, which is one of Russia's alternative to patriots, and I think that triggered a whole set of sanctions in United States, and effectively kicked Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program, which is the top line fighter jet, as Trump has said today in Ankara, sitting in Erdogan's presidential complex.

[02:10:20]

But it is also one in which, for which Turkey was in the assembly line, production was part of the production. The fact that it was kicked out was actually, you know, something that has been a topic of debate in Turkey buying Russian missile systems was a big strategic mistake for on the part of Erdogan, and now he's trying to get back in.

And Trump is signaling today that he's interested in that, he's willing to bring Turkey back into the transatlantic defense security architecture.

WATSON: And there may be some congressional hurdles for Turkey to try to get access to these F-35 fighter jets again.

AYDINTASBAS: For sure.

WATSON: Before we close, can we pivot to one question about democracy in Turkey, where Erdogan's primary political rival has been languishing in jail, that's the mayor of Istanbul, and is now appearing on trial. Is anybody discussing that at the NATO summit in Ankara?

AYDINTASBAS: Not really, Ivan. To be honest, Turkey's democratic backsliding is well documented, from the arrests of comedians to activists, to, as you mentioned, opposition members, but this is not part of the conversation at all. Europeans and United States are at this point willing to turn a blind eye to what's happening. Maybe they actually take it for granted that this is a direction Turkey will has taken, but there hasn't been much of a conversation.

In fact, the fact that the event, the summit is in Ankara, is more or less a recognition that the West is willing to prioritize geopolitical concerns with Turkey's indispensable role and geography over concerns on its human rights and democracy.

WATSON: All right. Well, thank you very much. Asli Aydintasbas on the line from Washington, D.C. It's such a pleasure talking to you.

AYDINTASBAS: Likewise, Ivan.

WATSON: OK, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is planning her political future after an appeals court upheld her conviction. Coming up, the plans she's making and how the court's ruling made them possible.

Plus, the World Cup round of 16 wraps up in incredible fashion. Lionel Messi setting new records against Egypt, while Switzerland and Colombia go all the way down to penalty kicks.

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[02:17:27]

WATSON: Welcome back. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will run for president next year. Le Pen announced her campaign after an appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing funds, but shortened her ban from seeking political office. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a remarkably defiant Marine Le Pen who took to French T.V. in the wake of that ruling earlier on, announcing because there had been some doubt about whether or not even if the ban was lifted, she would go and hand her head and stand facing that part of the sentence, which includes her wearing an electronic tag. She previously said she would not consider a run for the presidency wearing such a device.

So, really, everyone was suspended on what she had to say on French television. She announced not only that she would be standing, but she was now appealing the conviction entirely. It will now take several months for this second appeal process to run its course, during which the question of the sentences will be suspended, and that means we've just been listening to her lawyer on French television saying that probably by sometime next year, when this campaign is, of course, well underway, there may be a decision. It may be that, as the Le Pens believe, and her partisans believe, that appeal will succeed where this one had failed, and she will be exonerated.

A lot of people believe that the ruling that judges found in which judges found her guilty the first time and the second time will stand again. If so, then will present itself the question of whether or not she wears an electronic bracelet, and whether that decision comes in time before the election itself. Then, of course, kicks in the kind of immunity that protected President Trump when he took office.

So, it is a fascinating period of French politics that opens now, and make no mistake, this is the starting gun, the unofficial starting gun to the race for 2027 we expect her to make her first official outing as the candidate for 2027 and essentially you're going to have over the course of the next few months this political campaign going on, this judicial saga continuing, and I think from what we heard, Marine Le Pen on French television that it was for the people to rule, not for the judges. I think you can expect a very sort of populist framing of this judicial battle as a woman fighting against the system to allow the people to choose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: To Britain now, where Nigel Farage, leader of the Populist right-wing Reform U.K. party and a chief architect of Brexit, has stepped down from parliament, but he plans to run for his same seat in a special election, a move which could grant him further political power. His resignation also pauses the parliamentary investigation into the source of his personal wealth and over controversial donations that he has received.

[02:20:36]

All right, fans celebrated in Buenos Aires as Argentina advances to the group of eight in the FIFA men's World Cup. Argentina pulled off a stunning comeback against Egypt on the final day of the round of 16. After trailing the Pharaohs for most of the match, the defending champ scored three unanswered goals late in the game, including the game winner in stoppage time. CNN's Amanda Davies is on the scene in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: This was not the day for it to end the dream of the big campeonato back-to-back World Cups for Argentina, or the privilege for the rest of us of watching Lionel Messi and his teammates do what they do on the biggest of footballing stages, but boy, did they have to work for it. You only had to see the emotional reaction from Messi and Coach Lionel Scaloni to see just how hard they had to work.

At 79 minutes with Egypt to no lead, a team who only won their first ever World Cup match at this tournament at this stage for the first time in their history, keeping the might of the Albiceleste at bay, the number of missed chances for Argentina, guilt-edged chances, and of course that messy missed penalty, you could feel and see the doubt starting to creep in amidst the Argentinian fans.

But not for nothing are they the defending world champions, two-time Copa America winners during Lionel Scaloni's tenure. They've lost just nine of 101 games. It was Cristian Romero who set them on their way, and just as I was starting to think they needed to channel a bit of Cape Verde, or of course, what we saw from that in that incredible final in Qatar against France, ott popped (ph) Lionel Messi scoring his eighth World Cup goal here in the United States, his 21st in all, and then it was Enzo Fernandez who put the icing on the cake to send Argentina through, completing a great escape on one of the greatest days of Argentina's footballing history.

Next up is Switzerland in the quarter final. Bring it on.

Amanda Davis, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Well, Switzerland has pushed through to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. After a scoreless two hours of play and plenty of squandered opportunities, the Swiss needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Colombia in the last match of the round of 16. Switzerland coming out on top, four goals to three, and heartbreak for Colombia fans. Switzerland will next face Messi and Argentina on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with CNN to talk about Israel's relationship with the U.S. as he downplays divisions with Donald Trump.

Plus, new details about the horrific U.S. strike on a school in Iran. Why sources say all that carnage could have been easily avoided. We'll have an exclusive report after this break.

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[02:28:48]

WATSON: Welcome back to the program. Let's return now to Ankara, Turkey, and that's where NATO heads of state are gathering for a consequential summit. They're expected to discuss in detail the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has become much more insecure in just the past few hours alone, and they'll also discuss collective defense with Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying member countries are signing deals worth, "Literally billions of dollars."

And Russia's war with Ukraine will also dominate the talks as Moscow steps up its attacks, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presses for more air defenses.

Now, CNN's Nic Robertson is live for us in Ankara. Good to see you there, Nic. I'm sure that the European heads of state are more concerned about the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, and yet we're now seeing a fresh spasm of violence involving the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening energy supplies and commercial shipping.

So, how are the leaders kind of addressing these competing priorities?

[02:30:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, they certainly recognize that Iran is going to come up on the agenda. And President Trump already put it on the agenda just yesterday because he was speaking about, you know, Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. War with Iran and his frustrations that NATO partners hadn't stepped up to provide more support either in the Strait of Hormuz or basing for aircraft in Europe, allowing those aircraft to take off on bombing runs or overflights over European allied countries.

Of course, this was not an Article 5 war, this was a war that President Trump chose to have against Iran, so there was no sort of NATO -- need for NATO allies to step in and help. But the president was chastising them for that. So today, it is going to be on the agenda. We heard Mark Rutte going in here to the summit just behind me, walks down the blue carpet. As for all the leaders, they are still going in. The British prime minister, his last summit coming up, he'll be the last one to go in.

Mark Rutte, though, very clear that this issue of Iran -- of the U.S. and Iranian strikes overnight will get talked about. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I expect allies today to reconfirm that Iran should never, ever get its hand on a nuclear capability.

And secondly, that the principle, the freedom of navigation, so the Strait of Hormuz completely opening up again is a sine qua non, is crucial for all 32 allies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Yeah, he said it was vital for the United States to respond forcefully to Iran's aggression. We've heard from other leaders going in saying that they want, you know, to see diplomacy play out here, for diplomacy to take the lead and resolve in that situation.

But so many other issues, as you say, Ukraine and support for Ukraine and NATO partners stepping up to make their commitments around the five percent of GDP on defense and security by 2035. Some countries like Poland already exceed that. We've heard other leaders coming in today saying that they were on track to do it by 2030.

Some countries like Spain have not put forward a path for it and are saying they're not going to do it. So undoubtedly, that will be, you know, part of the conversation today. But also, you know, going back to President Trump, when he walks in the room, and he will be here soon and making a speech, he puts issues on the table.

He put Greenland back on the table that he wants the U.S. to be able to control Greenland. We heard a strong pushback from Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, coming in saying that Greenland is not for sale, part of Denmark, of course, and that they will respond, that they will defend every inch of Greenland.

We heard also from the Icelandic prime minister going in as well, sort of sounding somewhat frustrated with this issue. Greenland is for the determination of the people of Greenland, not for the United States, so talking about the diplomatic track there. So much to get into here today.

Leaders only really having that one big sit down through the day. And of course, what President Trump says before they get into that conversation, just a couple of hours, that will also determine the character and nature of the conversation. More division, more unity. IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT & ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": And Nic, you know, what signals are the White House sending right now when it comes to the war in Ukraine, as the air war in particular between Moscow and Kyiv has escalated to kind of an even deadlier new level?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, look, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was in here yesterday, he was speaking to a defense industrial forum, talking about funding for Ukraine, about what needs -- what NATO nations need to do. There's a big push, not for the NATO nations just to make these sort of GDP financial defense commitments, but to figure out how they're going to improve their production, procurement of weapons, of how they're going to actually step up and support Ukraine in the longer term going forward.

And the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, we need to have a credible ballistic missile air defense. The future of the war in Ukraine is going to be determined in the air. He said Europe should have that. We know that he's asked the United States, President Trump, for permission to have licensed production of Patriot missiles inside of Ukraine. That doesn't look like it's going to happen.

He's pivoting to getting European nations to come together to respond to the challenge of ballistic missiles because it's not just Ukraine that could be under the threat of Russian ballistic missiles, of course, it could be the rest of Europe. That's his point.

So that will be a focus of the conversation. President Trump is sort of dealing with Ukraine in as much as he's willing to sell weapons to European countries to then pass on to Ukraine. It doesn't look like that formula is going to change. What we're likely to see from him is more pressure on those countries that aren't stepping up to increase their defense spending and their support of Ukraine.

WATSON: All right, Nick Robertson, live from the NATO Summit in Ankara. Thank you very much for that update.

[02:35:00]

Now, President Trump says he is considering lifting a ban on F-35 fighter jet sales to Turkey that he imposed during his first term. The potential move has drawn strong objections from Israel and marks the latest sign that a rift may be forming between the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister.

Earlier, CNN's Dana Bash spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Prime Minister Netanyahu, the conversation that the president is having with Turkey today is just the latest in moves that he has made that are not making you happy. He obviously imposed ceasefires in Gaza, in Lebanon, on Iran. He made you turn fighters back from attacking Iran last summer.

He's told you what you can and can't do in Hezbollah. Who is calling the shots for Israel?

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think there's a wide misperception in everything you said, because a lot of these things, some of them were not true, and some of them were agreed in advance. And some of it, yes, we had occasional disagreements.

Look, he is the president of the United States. He does what is good for the United States. I'm the prime minister of Israel. I do what is important for -- what is good for Israel. And most of the time, these things are identical.

I have to commend the president. He brought a huge American force to counter our common enemy, which is Iran that chants "Death to Israel, death to America." Had they developed nuclear weapons, if we hadn't acted, they would have them already. They would eventually use them against America, not only against Israel.

So on the big things, we see eye to eye, and occasionally we don't. But we're true allies. They call us -- the National Security Council issued a memorandum a few months ago. They called Israel the model ally. And I can tell you that even allies can have their differences, but I think America has no greater ally in the world than Israel, and Israel has no greater ally than the United States.

And I say that with complete recognition of the fact that we sometimes see things a bit differently. It's natural. You're a big country. You're far away. We're a small country, beleaguered and close to these regimes that want to destroy us.

BASH: I want to talk specifically about Iran for a moment, sir. President Trump said the memorandum of understanding with Iran is probably an unconditional surrender. But the specific question is, under this MOU, the United States terminates all types of sanctions against Iran. Is this a failure for your country, for Israel?

NETANYAHU: Look, I think it's too early to say what will happen. The president believes that he can stop Iran's nuclear program, which is a nuclear program to create atomic bombs. He believes that he can do this through negotiations.

BASH: Do you?

NETANYAHU: And various pressures. Look, I have my doubts, but I think he should be given the chance, and he's trying to achieve that. It remains to be seen. But I have said, and by the way, I think President Trump has said too, that deal or no deal, I certainly will not let Iran have nuclear weapons. And that is also the president's position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: OK, more now on our top story this hour. Iran and the U.S. have launched new rounds of strikes in just the last few hours, posing yet another threat to their fragile ceasefire. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran.

And a reminder to our viewers, CNN operates in Iran, but only with the permission of the government, but also maintains full editorial control of its reports.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iranian state media is reporting some pretty heavy explosions in towns around the Strait of Hormuz. One of them is Sirik, which is sort of in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz.

But another one is Bandar Abbas, where several heavy explosions have been reported. And Bandar Abbas is really one of the main port towns used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On the other hand, the Iranian foreign ministry is heavily criticizing the U.S. move to revoke sanctions waivers that they put in place for Iran to be able to export its oil, saying that this is a breach of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, which, of course, is supposed to ensure the ceasefire between these two nations.

Iranian deputy foreign minister also coming out and criticizing the military action that the United States is taking. And the Iranians say, in the end, it comes down to the fact that they reserve the right to respond to all of this in what they call their national interest. Now, it's unclear what moves the Iranians are going to make. But certainly, in the past, the Iranians have hit back at U.S. assets in the Gulf region.

And the Iranians have said that, at any point in time, their finger is always on the trigger. But what makes this situation different than what we've seen in the past is that, right now, we're also in the proceedings, which go on for several days, of the funeral for Iran's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

[02:40:00]

And at this point in time, the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is actually in Iraq, along with several Iranian political and military officials who are also there for those ceremonies. It's unclear whether or not that's going to influence Iran's response, but certainly Iran's military has said that it's on guard at any time.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

WATSON: Sources tell CNN that senior U.S. officials ignored critical warnings about outdated intelligence on potential targets in Iran. Those officials approved strikes back in February that hit a school, killing nearly 200 children and teachers, according to Iranian state media. CNN's Zachary Cohen has details in this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Before the U.S. hit this girls elementary school in Iran, killing more than 100 children according to Iranian state media, senior U.S. military commanders ignored warnings that the intelligence they were using was severely out of date. That's according to three sources who spoke to CNN.

Now that directly contributed to the accidental strike on the school, with one source putting it this way, it was obviously bad input. Now the approval for that strike, which was carried out on the first day of U.S. military operations against Iran, was based on 10-year-old information that had not been re-vetted.

Now sources tell CNN that the approval process for some of those early strikes was based around expediency, as U.S. military officials rushed to provide a list of targets for senior Pentagon leaders.

The February 28th strike in Minab, Iran, killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, according to Iranian state media. It occurred when the U.S. military was attacking an IRGC naval base, according to CNN's previous reporting. Satellite imagery from 2013 showed that the school and the naval base were once part of the same facility. The satellite images from 2016 showed that a fence was erected separating the two locations from one another.

And in December 2025, additional satellite imagery showed what appeared to be dozens of people playing in the school's courtyard. Now according to two sources familiar with the decision-making process, another factor that increased the risk of a potential mistake was that Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth gutted the Civilian Risk and Mitigation Office, which is really focused on preventing civilians from getting harmed in U.S. military strikes.

Now Hegseth's office did not respond to CNN's request for comment. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command both declined to comment when asked about the strike itself.

WATSON: China has carried out a rare test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. But its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region are not too happy about that. What they're saying about this issue, just ahead after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:47:26]

WATSON: Welcome back. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. Countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region are expressing their concern with China over a rare submarine-launched ballistic missile test. Australia's foreign minister calls it destabilizing to the region in the context of a rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent that the region expects.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's president says it highlights China's increasingly obvious ambitions for expansion in the Western Pacific. China claims the test was in accordance with international law and did not target any specific country or objective. It says the launch was part of routine military training and relevant nations were informed in advance.

Joining me now from Canberra, John Blaxland is a Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University. Thank you for joining me.

Can I ask you, you know, we've got protests from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, and China defending its submarine missile launch. How do you interpret the signaling here? What is going on here?

JOHN BLAXLAND, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE STUDIES, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Yeah, you know, I think it's a fascinating event to watch. It's very interesting to see how China is using a historically significant date, the 89th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident, which marked the commencement of Japan's full invasion of China back in 1937, as the date on which to launch this missile.

It coincides with the signing of the security pact between Australia and Fiji, and Australia has been playing a leading role in competing for influence in the South Pacific in the last few years. And that's been following a pact signed with Indonesia and with Papua New Guinea as Australia looks to shore up its relationships in the region in what is becoming a hyper competitive environment.

The missile firing itself reflects China's ability and desire to consolidate the nuclear triad, if you like, the ability to defend China from attack or counterattack with its missiles from land, sea and air. The submarine-launched missile is one that is clearly on the cutting edge of China's technological push.

[02:50:00]

And that is largely what this is about. But this has pushed the legal boundaries to the limit. We know technically China has not breached any territorial exclusion zones, economic exclusion zones. It's operated technically within the law, but to the edge of the law. And of course, along the way, it's irritated everybody in between.

So whether or not this is going to prove to be a benefit to China in the long run, when you irritate the neighbors and everybody starts getting worried about you, it certainly encourages countries like Fiji and others in the Pacific to look towards Australia, and sometimes the United States, Japan, and elsewhere as well. So whether or not it's proving worthwhile for China to do this is up for debate.

WATSON: So Professor, you're suggesting this is in part a message in response to Australia and Fiji's deepening ties. You have, just in the last day or so, the government in Manila announcing in the Philippines that it will be receiving destroyers from Japan, and that Japan and the Philippines have been deepening their own security cooperation. Of course, both of those countries are involved in territorial disputes and jockeying with China in the South China Sea, in the East Sea.

Could these destroyers make much of a difference in some of these confrontations?

BLAXLAND: So they certainly add to the credibility of the Manila's response. They add evidence of Manila's resolve to push back on Chinese assertiveness. China has been increasingly pushing into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and brooking no quarter in terms of making concessions to the Philippines.

Of course, the previous president of the Philippines made significant concessions to China's demands, and what did it get in return? More pushiness from China. So it didn't really prove worthwhile in the long run, and that's resulted in the current president taking a more hardline position towards China and looking to bolster its connections with Japan and other like-minded countries like Australia.

Japan and Australia, of course, traditionally being seen as the spokes in the U.S. alliance network across the Pacific, linked to the hub being the United States. But now, we're seeing more connection between those spokes, between Australia, the United States, and of course, the Philippines being a traditional ally of the United States as well.

That alliance connection with the United States has also enabled a degree of interoperability of common practices, procedures, and techniques between these three countries and others that has enabled the connection between them that has actually been accelerated by the fact that China's assertiveness is generating that blowback.

So we're likely to see more of that as the Philippines continue to feel that pressure. The Japanese are very keen to see the Philippines acquire these vessels. Japan is building a replacement set of vessels. Australia is also buying Japanese vessels. So we're seeing this East Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific collaboration really very much in response to what could be described as reasonably gratuitous pressure from China.

WATSON: And amid this growing competition, worth noting that China boasts the world's largest navy. John Blaxland, live from Canberra, thank you so much for sharing your analysis.

BLAXLAND: Good to be with you.

WATSON: Moving on, a scary incident in New York City after bricks started falling from a high-rise under construction. Just ahead, we'll tell you what's being done to stabilize the building.

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WATSON: In New York City, contractors are working to shore up an unstable high-rise that sent bricks falling onto the street below. Fire Department officials say the building, which is under construction, was evacuated after structural columns buckled on the 21st floor on Tuesday. Inspectors also found multiple cracks and sagging floors. Other buildings and a school nearby were also evacuated.

No injuries were reported. The high-rise is the site of a project to convert Pfizer's old headquarters into apartments. The New York City Department of Buildings investigated an anonymous complaint accusing the building's owner of doing construction that's contrary to previously approved plans.

The project developer provided a statement to CNN emphasizing that the building is not at risk of collapsing.

And now, some incredible images from Mount Etna as it erupts. This rare drone footage from Tuesday shows red-hot streaming lava that appears to pour into a neighboring summit crater.

Look at, wow, where are they standing? It also captured observers standing on the rim of the crater as lava glows below. Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology confirmed this is the latest activity involving both vents of the volcano. Etna is Europe's largest volcano and one of its most active.

Remarkable images. Well, thank you for joining us. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next after this quick break.

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