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Connect the World
U.S. Stock Futures Down on Job Losses, Energy Market Concerns; Israel Orders Evacuations Including Beirut Neighborhoods; Iran's Gulf Neighbors Report New Attacks, Most Intercepted; Saudi Arabia Intercepts 3 Ballistic Missiles Targeting Air Base; British PM Announces UK Sending Four Fighter Jets to Qatar; Trump Threatens Spain with Trade Embargo Over Iran War. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired March 06, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, the skyline of Lebanon's capital right now. You can see smoke rising there after the latest Israeli
strike. Just one of the numerous date lines that we will cover across the next two hours on "Connect the World".
It is 04:00 p.m. in Beirut. It is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. Welcome to CNN's Breaking News coverage of the war with Iran from our Middle East
programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Well, if you think you've seen something, just wait. Those words coming from the U.S. Defense Secretary is
see U.S. and Israel ramp up attacks on Iran and Lebanon.
U.S. Central Command says the number of missiles and drones launched by Iran has fallen dramatically. And Israel's Defense Chief says Israel is
moving into the next phase of the campaign against Iran, while its forces also pushed deeper into Lebanon and the death toll after nearly a week of
fighting has passed 1200 in Iran and 120 in Lebanon, according to state media in both countries.
While Iran has been firing back targeting Israel and more than a dozen other countries. We have had reports of drones intercepted today in Israel,
as well as Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In Iran, Muslims went to Friday prayers today for the first time since this U.S.-Israeli war began.
Crowds dressed in black, some holding Iranian flags and mourning the death of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed last weekend, along
with top officials. While U.S. President Donald Trump has maintained he will not send American troops into Iran.
Iran's Foreign Minister says the country is ready for a ground invasion if it happens. Here's what he told NBC News on Thursday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you afraid of a U.S. invasion in your country?
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: No, we are waiting for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are waiting for the U.S. military to invade the ground troops?
ARAGHCHI: Yes, because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let me get you the very latest from Donald Trump. He has just posted on his Truth Social channel. This is just moments ago. There will be
no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender, exclamation mark. After that and the selection of a great and acceptable leader, leaders we and
many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it
economically bigger, better and stronger than ever before.
Iran will have a great future, and then he closed out Make Iran Great Again, MIGA. Well before we take you across the region, for more on this,
we're going to get you into Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon where reporters have fanned out. I do want to check in on the stock futures.
They're about 30 minutes ahead of the opening. Of course, on Wall Street, that's the picture. A surprising jobs report, the U.S. lost 92,000 jobs in
February. That's lost 92,000 jobs in fed. That's just one factor dragging these markets lower 30 minutes out before the trading day begins, oil is
higher.
And we do have breaking news on the global energy story. Qatar's Energy Minister has just told the "Financial Times" that gulf energy exporters
might have to shut down production within days, which would drive these prices into the triple digits probably. Well, I want to start our reporting
this hour with CNN Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his photojournalist and producer, Claudia Otto, who are in Tehran.
CNN is the first U.S. network in Iran since the start of the war. It is important to note for you all that CNN is operating in Iran only with
permission from the government. Here is Fred's report.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's certainly been quite a kinetic morning here in the Iranian capital Tehran. There were
really heavy air strikes, say, a little bit before dawn, we heard jets flying around this area for an extended period of time.
[09:05:00]
There were also some massive air strikes, and we saw thick black smoke billowing from one location, which seemed to be in sort of the central,
maybe southern central part of the city as we were driving around. That also went on for an extended period of time as well.
Clearly, a very large air strike that happened there with that plume of smoke hanging over almost the entire city. This, of course, happens as the
United States and Israel continue their air campaign, not just here in Tehran, but in various locations around the country. They say that they're
going to continue to try and degrade the Iranian military infrastructure, and then also take out, as they put it, key leaders as well.
At the same time, the Iranian government is vowing not to back down, not to negotiate with the United States. And Iran's military says that it is going
to continue targeting not just U.S. assets here in this region, like military bases in the Gulf states, but of course, continue to target Israel
as well.
The Iranians are saying that their missile stockpiles are still very much filled, and their missiles are very capable, as well.
ANDERSON: That's Fred Pleitgen in Tehran for you. Right. Let me get you on to what is going on in Lebanon, because that is an important story this
hour. Israel's military says it has hit more than 500 targets in Lebanon since the war began, including an area of Southern Beirut that it considers
a Hezbollah stronghold.
The IDF issued mass evacuation orders for Southern Lebanon and entire neighborhoods of Beirut, and this is why. You're looking at live pictures
of smoke over the city. Many people who follow the order to get out of their homes have been left to sleep out of doors.
The United Nations warning that this is an escalating crisis. CNN's Matthew Chance has more from the Lebanese capital.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's heightened alarm here in Beirut, because Israel has again ratcheted up the
tensions by ordering an entire neighborhood of the Lebanese capital to evacuate, to make way for intensified strikes against Hezbollah, the
country's Iranian backed militia, the sprawling suburb of Dahieh in South Beirut.
Right here behind me is a Hezbollah stronghold that has already been targeted by multiple Israeli air strikes. We went there with the permission
of Hezbollah to try and take a look at the damage, but almost as soon as we arrived, that new Israeli warning came through, plunging the mainly sheer
neighborhood into chaos and panic. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: OK, we've got to go because they said there's been a warning from the Israelis that there could be a strike coming in. So, we got to get out
of here, Alex (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I --
CHANCE: I don't know what we need to get out. OK. Can you hear me, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CHANCE: -- but we've just been trying to film at this location here in Dahieh. And we've been told to move away quickly now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
CHANCE: People were showing us their phones saying, look, there's a there's a warning coming in. Go round. Go around. This guy. We've come into what is
the most dangerous part of the Lebanese capital, which is a very important stronghold of Hezbollah, the Iranian backed militia group.
It's the place where Israel has been focusing. And you can hear the gunshots outside there that Israel has been focusing its activity, its
intensive campaign of air strikes against the Hezbollah group. That's often we're told a warning to local residents who don't have cell phones or don't
have that communication to tell them there may be an Israeli strike in coming.
So, we're going to get out of here. I mean, this chaos that where we're getting a glimpse of in South Beirut, it's all happening remember, because
in the hours after the Iranian Supreme Leader was killed last weekend in those U.S. and Israeli air strikes in Iran. Hezbollah, which hadn't struck
Israel since 2024 fired rockets and drones across the border into Israel, and this has been the response.
Israel is absolutely pounding South Beirut, forcing thousands of people out of their homes, and really dragging Lebanon into a conflict that many
Lebanese tell us they're not ready for and they do not want.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (on camera): All right. Well, Dahieh and the surrounding areas has hundreds of thousands of residents, and we were in a long traffic jam, I
can tell you, trying to get out of there. Israel has also ordered the evacuation of vast areas of Southern Lebanon, nearer to the Israeli border,
to make way for military action there as well.
[09:10:00]
And of course, causing a mass displacement of people now trying desperately to escape the intensifying line of fire. Matthew Chance, CNN, Beirut.
ANDERSON: Chance there in Beirut, well, the U.S. military says that Iranian ballistic missile attacks in the region had decreased by 90 percent. Drone
attacks were down 83 percent and that may calm nerves somewhat in the Gulf states that have been forced, of course, to fend off Iranian strikes for
nearly a week now, some of those missile and drone attacks are getting through.
In Bahrain, an oil refinery was struck on Thursday, a hotel and two residential buildings came under fire today, Friday, the government says
there was no loss of life in those incidents. Well, unjustifiable, unprovoked and unlawful. That is how the Gulf states are describing these
attacks on them by Iran.
Let's get the view from Saudi Arabia. CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Riyadh for you, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, like you are in Abu Dhabi. They are here in Saudi as well, trying to sort of interpret, are
they seeing a drop off in the number of missiles incoming? If so, are they coordinated? What does it mean? And I think it was very instructive for the
Saudi's last night, what they witnessed in terms of attacks.
For the first time, Saudi officials announced that they had intercepted ballistic missiles, three ballistic missiles, in the early hours of the
morning not far from Riyadh, they believe targeting the Prince Sultan Air Base, a major Saudi Air Base, a base that historically has been used by the
United States Air Force in the past.
Not clear if they're doing that at the moment. But what was interesting was an hour or so after that, salvo of three ballistic missiles that were
intercepted, a drone was fired in the same area, and a few hours after that, a cruise missile was fired in the same area. And an hour or so after
that, three more drones fired in the same area, and an hour after that, another drone intercepted in the same area, no reports of casualties.
All of those incoming weapon systems were intercepted. But the key takeaway here is, people have talked about trying to analyze the command-and-control
in Iran. Are they able to sort of use their drones in concert with their cruise missiles, in concert with their ballistic missiles?
Are they in the hands of different groups, et cetera? It appears, at least around Riyadh last night, that this certain area came under attack multiple
times from all those systems. So that's instructive. What does it tell us? Probably a level of resilience continuing within the Iranian sphere.
And I think just sort of cap off that point, the details that we had from Kuwait late last night, 212 ballistic missiles fired at them. 394 drones
fired at them, a very small country. 86 ballistic missiles on the first night. 68 intercepted, four nights later, only 27 ballistic missiles all
intercepted, two Kuwaiti service personnel were killed, more than 67 injured.
Big numbers of incoming missiles, big numbers of casualties for a very small country, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, Nic, Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, or war, as he likes to be called, earlier this week, suggested that there could be more
involvement from Gulf states in this conflict to date, of course, this is U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. This is a U.S.-Israeli, Iran war at this
point. Have a listen though to what Pete Hegseth had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Their Gulf neighbors who would have preferred not to be in conflict, didn't want to. But now realize that this
is something that has to be dealt with, so whether it's UAE or Qatar or Bahrain or Kuwait or Saudi, on different levels, they're reaching out to
us, whether they're going on offense, which they are, whether they're giving us additional access basing an over flight.
We're getting we're working very closely and collaborating with them, also on, air defenses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The GCC has been very clear they reserve the right to respond. There is no doubt about that. And to date, we have seen that response. It's
been in self-defense. Based on what you are seeing on the ground, what you are hearing is there any evidence at this point that Gulf countries or have
moved into offense, a switch to a combative role for example?
[09:15:00]
Or is the reality different?
ROBERTSON: I'm not detecting any sense of a switch. I was talking very late last night with a very senior, well placed Saudi official who was briefing
me that Saudi Arabia is not doing that, that they are on the sidelines, watching, trying to interpret what is happening in terms of Iran's ability
to strike, as we're talking about just a few minutes ago.
And also trying to understand what's coming from the White House in terms of they how the White House intends to play this militarily, if they have a
diplomatic track, how they want to end what their end goal really is. And the language Pete Hegseth used there and the day before, I believe, was
very, sort of ambiguous, implying that they were that these Gulf countries are joining in strikes.
And the implications seem to be in an offensive way, certainly the Saudi's and the Emirates, where you are and others, are defending their own skies
and trying to shoot down missiles, either from aircraft or from defensive systems on the ground before they get into contact with their targets on
the ground.
So, they're engaging in defensive measures to defend themselves. Beyond that, they're -- if whatever they're doing, they're certainly not making
that public. And there's no sense of any of the officials I talked to here that they even want to step over that line at the moment into joining the
U.S. and Israel for multiple reasons, the optics and also the level of chaos it could bring.
ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. What you've heard echoed and reflected by what I've been hearing here and across the region as well. There is absolutely
no doubt, though, that Iran has lost the goodwill that it may have had in and perhaps more in some parts of this region than in others in the past,
but it certainly lost the goodwill that it has had to date, if it had any at all.
Well, for more analysis on the global impact of this, let's cross to Doha, Rashid Al-Mohanadi is a non-resident Fellow at the Middle East Council on
Global Affairs. It's good to have you. Listen, I want to start specifically with a very important story. Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said
today to the FTSE that if this conflict with Iran continues for weeks, Gulf exporters may have to hold energy shipments, and oil could surge to $150 a
barrel.
And he said, very specifically, quote, this will bring down the economies of the world. If this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the
world will be impacted everybody's energy price is going to go higher. Mr. al-Kaabi clearly laying out for our viewers that this is not just a war on
Iran, a war that is spilling out into this region, but this is a war that could have an enormous impact on the global economy. Your thoughts.
RASHID AL-MOHANADI, FELLOW AT THE MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: So, as somebody that used to work in the oil and gas industry, you know you
always learn that safety always comes first, and the oil and gas industry is an industry that avoids risk. What's happening in the region is just
chaos, and I think the decision to stop production after the Iranian attack on Rus Laffan was the right decision to make.
That's in terms of a safety point of view, in terms of its global effects, that's, you know, I agree with the assessment of the minister. You cannot
suddenly change or exchange or replace the energy coming out of the region. It's not only LNG, it's LNG, it's helium that feeds into the semiconductor
industry, that feeds into different critical industries, like, you know, the space industry and the medical industry, in addition to, you know,
feeds into fertilizer production in South Asia.
It's if this continues for longer, this will wreck chaos, and not just the energy industry, but all the associated and linked industries with them.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and I think you make a very good point there. Just, can you just expand on that briefly?
AL-MOHANADI: So, Qatar is one of the biggest producers or the biggest exporter of helium.
[09:20:00]
Helium is a critical input into most semiconductor production. And you know semiconductors now is a very important, you know industry because of, you
know, the issues between the U.S. and China when it comes to industrial decoupling and onshoring and friendly shoring.
And this will affect production capacities in Japan, in Taiwan, in South Korea. So, yes, I think it's very easy to predict the effects of the energy
industry, which the minister illustrates, which is hikes in price. But I also urge people to look at the reverberations in the associated other
industries.
Another good example is in fertilizers, you know, feed from the Gulf, feeds into the fertilizer industry in India. And many companies and production
units in India have informed their customers that if they do not get any feed from the Middle East, they will have to stop.
And India is a bread basket country, and having no fertilizer also affects food security, not only in South Asia, but also in the bigger Indo-Pacific
region.
ANDERSON: Following a Gulf EU meeting yesterday, the UAE Minister of State, Lana Nusseibeh, thanked European partners for their strong expressions of
solidarity and support. The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that he will bolster UK forces in support of Qatar. Let's just have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We're sending four additional typhoon jets to join our squadron in Qatar to strengthen our defensive operations
in Qatar and across the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How consequential is this in terms of your country's defense? But wider the Europeans solidarity and support, sort of, across the region for
a war which, frankly, nobody in the Gulf asked for a war that the Gulf region has been dragged into.
AL-MOHANADI: So, I think what the Gulf states are doing now is they're trying to sustain strategic restraint. And it comes also to your previous
speaker, where the Gulf states had made it very clear that they don't want to be party to this conflict, and the only way to do that is to make sure
we protect our skies, seas and our land territories from Iranian attacks.
And at the same time, push parties towards a diplomatic solution. We're doing that in partnership with the U.S., but also with the UK. With the UK,
Qatar has a joint typhoon squadron. It's the first joint squadron The UK has since World War Two, and where Qatari and UK pilots operate advanced
typhoon fighters to protect the skies over Doha.
And looking at the statements coming from the UK and -- and from the Qatar -- they have been active in shooting down aerial threats from cruise
missiles to Shahad one way attack drones.
So, this illustrates a deep defensive partnership. But also, there is a big economic angle, because the UK and Qatar are huge economic partners. Qatar
provides the UK with about a third of its natural gas, the UK is a destination for Qatari investment. Many UK companies operate within Qatar.
So, it's this symbiosis between European and Gulf partners that you know hopefully will bolster our defenses further and having extra typhoons to
shoot down incoming drones and missiles from Iran is always a good addition.
ANDERSON: Great. It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
AL-MOHANADI: Thank you, Becky.
ANDERSON: As much analysis on the Gulf from the Gulf is what we want and Rashid, your insight is really valuable. Thank you. Well, we want to get
you to the U.S. right away. U.S. President Donald Trump has just spoken to my colleague Dana Bash by phone. She told my colleague Jon Berman about
that conversation moments ago. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He just broadly speaking, he insists that on a scale of 10, with 10 being the
best, he thinks that the war is, I would say at 12, maybe 15. He said that the U.S. is doing very well militarily, quote, better than anybody could
have dreamed.
He said that he rebuilt the military in his first term. He's using it in his second. And then he quickly turned to Cuba. He said, without being
asked, Cuba is going to fall pretty soon, by the way, but Cuba is going to fall. They want to make a deal so badly. And I asked how so he said, they
want to make a deal, so I'm going put Marco over there, and we'll see how that works.
[09:25:00]
But we're really focused on this one now, meaning Iran. We've got plenty of time on Cuba, just more quickly on, obviously, what's going on with Iran,
and you were just talking about this with our colleagues in the region, I asked about rising gas prices, and he said, that's all right.
It'll be short term. It'll go way down very quickly. And I said, well, they're pretty high now. And he said, No, they're not. They're up a little
bit, not much, but it'll drop to record lows. And so, I asked, well, does this mean that you're going to figure out the Strait of Hormuz soon again,
something you were just talking about?
He said, quote, it's already figured out we've knocked their navy, because, you know, when you knock out the navy, they can't do what they wanted to be
able to do. The navy is almost he said, we just hit the 25 marks. Can you imagine that big 125 ships are down. We're doing very well.
And John (ph), just really quick. I also asked about the Gulf countries being hit. He said, they're doing unbelievable, and they're fighting. They
made it they meaning Iran made a terrible mistake when they attack them. The UAE is freezing the assets, and they have the assets, all of them, and
they got hit enough where they were going to freeze them.
They're brave people. I do want to tell you one other important thing that he discussed with me, and it was about a five-minute discussion, and that
is, who the next leader of Iran will be. You know, he told our colleague, Barak Ravid, yesterday that he had like three people in mind, and that he
wants to pick the person.
And I asked him about that. I said, how is that going to work? And he said, it's going to work very easily. It's going to work like it did in
Venezuela. We have a wonderful leader there. She's doing a fantastic job, and it's going to work like that. And I said, OK, but are you OK with
having a religious leader again, a different Ayatollah?
And he said, well, I maybe, yeah. I mean, it depends on who the person is. I don't mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders, and
they're fantastic. And then he went on to say, I'm saying there has to be a leader that's going to be fair and just do a great job treat the United
States and Israel well and treat other countries in the Middle East.
They're all our partners. So that was the gist of our discussion on the war and where he thinks they are and what the impact is having when it comes to
gas prices.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: It's Dana Bash, she has just spoken to the U.S. President. Well, coming up, some European governments are mobilizing forces to defend allies
in the Gulf. We're going to look at the contrasting reactions amongst NATO members to the violence in this region, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: Well, nothing can dent those ringing the bell on Wall Street. It's Robinhood Ventures Fund today, and they are whooping away as they ring
in that trading day. It is 09:30 there on Wall Street, it's 06:30 here in the UAE, and markets are expected to open lower. We'll get you that full
story in just about five minutes time.
Well, for now, let's focus on Europe. NATO member states are increasing their defense support nearly a week into the U.S. Israel war in Iran. After
a suspected Iranian missile was shot down on Wednesday, heading towards Turkish Air Space despite criticism of the war, multiple countries in the
EU ramping up support to defend Gulf allies, Italy, Spain and the UK, announcing plans to send support, including warships.
This comes just a few days after President Trump threaten to put an embargo on trade with Spain because its government refused to let the U.S. launch
attacks from Spanish bases. Let's bring in Arancha Gonzalez Laya. She is the Former Spanish Foreign Minister, now the Dean of the Paris School of
International Affairs at Sciences Po.
It's good to have you. Thank you. How would you characterize Europe's response so far to this U.S.-Israel, war with Iran? It certainly appears
cautious. Who do you think is driving or what is driving that approach?
ARANCHA GONZALEZ LAYA, FORMER SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, it's, as you say, Becky, is extremely prudent. And why is it prudent? One, because this
is not a war of necessity. There was no imminent risk or threat either to the U.S. or Israel, nor is it the humanitarian intervention.
Actually, we see more and more civilian casualties happening by the hour. It's a war of choice, and it's a war of choice that no ally has been
informed or consulted on before starting it. So, if let's say that Europeans are extremely prudent, you hear a lot of -- saying very clearly,
they will not go anywhere near being part of it on the offensive side, or letting military bases that the U.S. has in European countries be used for
offensive operations.
But clearly, we stand by our allies, whether it's Turkey, whether it's Cyprus, whether it's Gulf countries, and obviously we will be there to help
defend them if and when they are attacked.
ANDERSON: So, there's a spat between Washington and very specifically, Madrid. Trump has even threatened to cut off trade with Spain. Let's have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Spain has absolutely nothing that we need other than great people. They have great
people, but they don't have great leadership. And as you know, they were the only country that in NATO would not agree to go up to 5 percent.
I don't think they would have agreed to go up to anything, they wanted to keep it at 2 percent and they don't pay the 2 percent. So, we're going to
cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I just wonder, from your point of view, given your former jobs, just how significant is this?
LAYA: Well, this is not the first time that the President of the U.S. is aggressive against other European leaders. We saw this with Zelenskyy. We
saw this with the Danish Prime Minister. We've seen this with the British Prime Minister and also with the Spanish Prime Minister.
What do all of these have in common is that they have contradicted, or maybe said no to the U.S. President. So, you know, Becky, cool headed firm
defend your interest. As a matter of fact, the U.S. has a positive trade balance with Spain. So, it would be foolish on the U.S. to fulfill that at
the time when the U.S. is pushing European allies to buy more.
Well, here is a country that is buying a lot from the U.S. So cool headed defends your interest the farm. There's one thing we've learned in this
one-year, Becky, is that if you're not strong, if you show weakness, that's a liability in today's environment.
ANDERSON: Europe, of course, already dealing with the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, and it's really still felt across the continent. How
worried are policy makers about what other major conflict? What another major conflict in the Middle East could mean for energy prices, energy
security and economic stability? How real is the risk at this point?
[09:35:00]
LAYA: Well, I think it's pretty real for. For two reasons, one, because the conflict is now not just about Iran. Is about the entire region. The
caucuses the Gulf countries part of the Mediterranean, including Cyprus and the Indian Ocean. So, it's spreading. And number two, it's a fundamental
energy root in the world, Europe is decarbonizing fast.
It's moving to renewables fast. But obviously it's not immune for now to increase in energy prices. Nor is it by the way Asia, nor is it by the way
Africa, nor is it by the way Latin America, which tells us that this will go in the direction of inflation. And we know what happens with inflation,
because we've just gone through a very serious period of high prices, including high energy prices, not good for politics, including for American
politics.
So, I guess someone should be paying attention to the energy prices.
ANDERSON: It's always good to have you. Thank you. We'll have you again. I hope you're enjoying that new role. Thank you. Well, next up new fears over
energy supplies, the war in the Middle East escalates, Qatar issues an alarming warning that could have ramifications for the economy worldwide.
That is part of why you are seeing these markets down. The DOW there on the left and the oil prices up on the right. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, let's see our stocks are getting on. We're about 8.5 minutes into the trading day, and that is the story on Wall Street. Well,
that is a significant reduction. I mean, we saw these futures markets down about a half of 1 percent. So, the expectation was that these markets would
open in relatively good shape.
I have to say, half of 1 percent isn't a disaster, but these markets are already off by more than 1.5 percent. Thursday, the DOW plunging nearly 800
points as oil prices spiked nearly 9 percent. The biggest one day increase since May 2020, and that, of course, was COVID.
And let's bring up these oil prices now, 85.5 on Brent, 89 and change on WTI. So, we're looking at a near 10 percent rise on the WTI price. These
markets are spooked. I want to get straight to Eleni Giokos for more on what is this market reaction? What are you hearing?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, we're hearing a lot. I mean, frankly, what we've seen, I think most crucially is Qatar's Energy Minister
warning that this war could bring down economies of the world.
[09:40:00]
And he said that, importantly, that Gulf countries are going to have to, at some point, start considering shutting down production, just like the
Qataris have with LNG production at that Ras Laffan facility. They've also stopped all downstream products. In fact, we've also started to see Asian
economies starting to declare force majeure on products that they are producing.
We're seeing this spreading across the world. He also said, and this is so important, $150 a barrel is what they're pricing in right now. And it's not
just production issues, its storage issues, because they don't know how to get it out. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. This is despite the talk
about insurance guarantees.
Nobody knows how that will work. No one can secure, you know, naval escorts and what that ultimately means, logistically, this energy shock is now
coming into play, and investors are looking at it way more serious --
ANDERSON: It's interesting. This is the sort of the nightmare scenario for Donald Trump.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
ANDERSON: I mean, he's not going to want to see these local U.S. domestic gas prices going high. He is absolutely determined that this is a short
term. He's been telling reporters today, these are just short-term price rises, and it'll only be, you know, really, it will be relatively quick at
the gas tank, which is ultimately what, you know, what he is concerned about.
But you know, the global impact of this, see the idea that the Europeans, the United Kingdom, Asia, the U.S. is now going to be having emergency
meetings about energy prices, about energy security, about economic stability at this point, is just a real indication of how wide this war has
spread.
GIOKOS: Absolutely and you know, the few experts that I've been talking to is that the one piece of leverage that Iran has, that hasn't actually used
before is the Strait of Hormuz. Not only that have we seen before during conflicts and sort of hostilities, but also now hitting critical energy
infrastructure.
People that I've spoken to say that was never priced in to the scenarios that they were modeling and looking at. And now it's now the realization
that even though we've only had a week of this, if this lasts for week, for weeks, make no mistake, it's going to affect everyone around the world.
Everyone is going to feel the pain of what we're seeing here in the region. Jet fuel prices have doubled over the past few days. We're starting to see
incremental increases in the United States. President Trump playing it down, saying, well, we have to do this. This is more important.
They're going to come down very quickly. But if this lasts even four weeks, there is major fear that production is not going to get back online. And I
have to say, Iraq has already announced that they've cut back on production. You know, there's anticipation that we might see more countries
cutting back on production.
And it's not a tap, Becky, that you can switch on and off when you have to go back into full production. That takes some time, and there's going to be
backlog.
ANDERSON: This is important stuff. It's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Well, we are keeping an eye on those numbers throughout
the rest of this hour. And all day here on CNN, of course, you're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson.
It is just -- of quarter to seven in the evening here in the UAE, quarter to 10 on Wall Street. Those are the numbers back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
ANDERSON: CNN's team in Iran's capital city, says that there were heavy air strikes just before dawn. Aid groups say Tehran is bearing the brunt of the
attacks, with residents telling CNN of their terror following what they felt was the worst night of air strikes. This comes as the U.S. and Israel
intensify their air campaign on Iran, not just in the capital, but in various locations across the country.
The Iranian Red Crescent says more than 3000 homes have been damaged, along with 14 medical and pharmaceutical centers and nine Red Crescent centers.
Well, demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran on Friday as the government attempts to put on a defiant face.
CNN Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his photojournalist and producer Claudia Otto are in Iran's capital. CNN is the first U.S. network in Iran
since the start of the war. And I have to point out, and this is important, that CNN is operating in Iran only with permission from the government.
This is Fred's latest report.
PLEITGEN: Iran's leadership has gathered thousands of people here to Tehran after Friday prayers to voice their anger about the U.S. and Israel's
bombing campaign across the country, but of course, also to mourn Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And thousands of people have
indeed turned out here.
The same time we have to keep in mind this is just a small snapshot of Iran society. And the people who come to Friday prayers here in Tehran usually
are political conservatives and religious hard liners. At the same time, it does show that the government here is still able to mobilize masses.
ANDERSON: And that is Fred reporting live, or certainly is his recorded report there from Tehran in Iran today. Well just ahead the World Health
Organization on the W.H.O. says it is worried about the war's toll on health care in this region. I want to ask one of its top voices how she is
working to protect humanitarian medical aid in the Middle East. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Between bombs and blackouts, Iranians are trapped in a deepening crisis. My next guest writes that the World Health Organization has
verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran and one in Lebanon. She goes on to say, in her words, violence has also affected first responders, with
paramedics killed and injured.
Dr. Hanan Balkhy is the World Health Organization's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. She joins us now live. And the W.H.O. says it
has verified 13 attacks on health care facilities. Hanan, thank you for joining us. What do we know about what these facilities were and how badly
Iran's health system is being disrupted right now? Let's start there.
DR. HANAN BALKHY, W.H.O. REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN: Thank you, Becky, it's really nice to see you again, and good afternoon to
all of the audience.
[09:50:00]
Of course, we do continue to see attacks affecting health care which is on reporting, it is a mandate of the W.H.O. that came through our World Health
Assembly many years back. And
specifically, of course, in conflicts across our region, we are seeing that impact. But this must never become normal.
We hope that this does not become normalized. And the attack on health care is totally unacceptable. We monitor it, we monitor them. We verify these
attacks. We have a full manual and the process that we do this, and we have several levels of certainty on these attacks.
So, so far, as you had said, we had, we had 14 attacks affecting health care Iran, which resulted in four deaths, unfortunately. And yesterday, a
pre hospital emergency post in Tehran was affected by a nearby explosion as well. So, most of the damage appears to be linked to health facilities
being close to the targeted sites, and some facilities have been temporarily evacuated.
As well in Lebanon, by the way we've seen also, we verified one attack affecting health care in which three health care workers were killed and
six injured. So, this is really not acceptable, and we wish to not see this happen.
ANDERSON: Yep, it's not acceptable. It will not surprise you, though, that it is happening, and you are clearly appealing for a de-escalation at this
point. I mean, what does an organization like yours do and need to continue operating effectively given funding cuts that we are seeing at this point?
I mean, where do you focus your attention, hyper focus your attention in and these -- in these funding sort of stricken times?
BALKHY: Absolutely, I think even, thank you for that question, in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as you know, we have the largest number of
conflicts, the largest number of displaced populations. This specific conflict, Becky, is coming at a time where the region is already spread
thin when it comes to resources, when it comes to the health care facilities that are capable to address these attacks and these -- and the
dramatic increase in the need for health care services.
So, our biggest concerns will always be, how do we mitigate casualties for civilians? So, the work is usually done before the conflicts happen, but we
never get a breath.
ANDERSON: Right.
BALKHY: We never get a breath in this region. We're always chasing our tail on what we need to do. So, what we need to do is further prioritization.
The cuts that took place last year led to a drop of 30 percent of our capacity, by the way, and that is not a good thing for this region, nor for
the world, and we have to continue to prioritize.
The priorities are to support the public health services, to support the ministries of health and to ensure safety, of course, of all of our staff
that exist in many of these countries, actually, in all of my countries, we have offices, we have staff.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
BALKHY: We stand ready to continue to support. So, there are clear priorities, especially at the time of conflict. And as you know, we're also
worried --
ANDERSON: Can I --
BALKHY: Yeah. We're worried about chemicals and biology, nuclear as well, and all of that requires training and preemptive, preemptive risk
management.
ANDERSON: Sure. Understood.
BALKHY: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Sorry. And I didn't mean to interrupt you there. I did want to, before I run out of time, just ask you about the global health
emergencies logistics hub here in the UAE, the W.H.O. says its operations now temporarily on hold because of insecurity and air space closures linked
to the Strait of Hormuz.
How critical is that hub to global health operations? And what are the immediate consequences of that being offline?
BALKHY: Of course, as you said, this is crucial for us. The hub has shown significant importance and relevance, specifically during the COVID
pandemic, and continue to do so. It is now ready to begin gradually resuming a limited number of air and land shipments, but the sea shipments
remain frozen at the time, and that is of concern.
At the moment, we have at least 50 emergency supply requests from 25 different countries, and these shipments are expected to benefit around or
even over 1.5 million people. It includes medical supplies, lab material, the necessities for emergency responses, for polio detection and
eradication, which is important.
So, our priority now is, while it's coming back, this little pause that had to take place because of the air space, as you mentioned, has created the
backlog.
[09:55:00]
So now we are in the process of prioritizing from this backlog, how do we start prioritizing for Gaza, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and of course, Syria,
Somalia and Sudan as well?
ANDERSON: OK. It's a big file and a very important one. Hanan, thank you very much indeed for joining us --
BALKHY: You're welcome. Thank you, Becky.
ANDERSON: Iranians living here in the UAE say they are worried about what will happen to loved ones back home. Dubai has one of the largest Iranian
expat communities in the Gulf. And many are saying that it has been very difficult to contact family and friends in Iran since the war began.
Mortezi Asaadi owns a spy shop in Dubai. He came to the UAE in 1977 as a student.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORTEZI ASAADI, IRANIAN LIVING IN DUBAI: -- So, we just cross the finger -- Everything will be all right. I think Saturday was the last time that we --
that we communicated, and after that, the internet and the phone was disconnected, no connection there.
I can say, not only for me, for all the Iranian expatriates who are living in Emirates and other government, but especially in Dubai, you know, we
feel uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable, and we sell that. We thank the government -- Dubai -- They've been very, very kind to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And his story reflected in so many stories that you hear of Iranian expat community here and around the region. That is, it for the
first hour of "Connect the World". I'll be back after this short break with the second hour of the show. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
