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Iran's Leadership Gathers People in Tehran to Protest Airstrikes; Israel Orders Evacuation Including Beirut Neighborhoods; New Attacks on Day Seven of U.S., Israel War with Iran; Gulf Nations Weigh Their Options; Trump Demands "to be Involved" in Picking Iran's Next Leader; Trump "All For" Kurds Launching Popular Uprising in Iran; Investors Rattled by Sharp Rise in Oil Prices; U.S. Economy Lost 92,000 Jobs in February; War with Iran Costing U.S. Nearly $900 Million a Day; Iranians Express Deeply Mixed Emotions as War Escalates. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired March 06, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:29]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, hello and welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, from our Middle
East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi.
We start this hour with the U.S. president's blunt warning to Iran, which appears to quash any chance of negotiating an end to this war. Donald Trump
posting on social media in just the past few hours that there will be no deals with Iran outside of what he describes as unconditional surrender.
That comes as people in Tehran describe what they call the worst night of airstrikes on the Iranian capital since this began.
The United States and Israel intensifying attacks on what is the seventh day of this war. As Iran fires back at Israel and widens the war in the
Middle East and beyond, an Iranian official tells CNN any firms investing in U.S. government bonds are legitimate targets because they are financing
the attacks on Iran. Meanwhile, oil prices surge their highest in almost two years, with Iran effectively blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a key
transit lane of course for oil exports from the Gulf.
Well, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, has just spoken to my colleague CNN's Dana Bash. He spoke to her by phone and she also spoke to my
colleague immediately afterwards about their conversation moments ago. This is Dana Bash to John Berman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: 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 to put Marco over there and we'll see how that works 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 mark. Can you imagine that? Big ones, 25 ships are down. We're doing very well.
And, John, just real 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 attacked 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, it'll 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 may be, yes. 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.
[10:05:08]
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: That is the latest from CNN's reporting. Then demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran Friday as the government attempts to put on a
defiant face.
CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his photo journalist and producer Claudia Otto are in Iran's capital. You may have heard me say that, but
this is the -- we are the first U.S. network in since the start of the war and it is important to note that CNN is operating in Iran only with the
permission of the government. This is the latest that Fred has filed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 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.
At the same time we have to keep in mind this is just a small snapshot of Iran's society and the people who come to Friday prayers here in Tehran
usually are political conservatives and religious hardliners. At the same time, it does show that the government here is still able to mobilize
masses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Fred has been taking us along, so to speak, on this reporting journey into and through Iran. Here's the report that he filed a little
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: 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. There were also some massive airstrikes, 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 airstrike 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 that their missiles are very capable as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, as Israel's military chief says that Israel is moving into a new phase of the war in Iran, in Lebanon the IDF turns its fire on what
it says are Hezbollah targets.
You're looking at live pictures of Beirut. The IDF saying it has hit 500 targets since the start of this war. Israel has ordered the evacuation of
entire neighborhoods around Beirut and in other parts of the country.
Well, a CNN team in Beirut witnessed panic and large traffic jams as people try to get out of the capital. Many who followed the order to abandon their
homes have now been left to sleep outside of doors. The United Nations warning that this is an escalating crisis the far right Israeli minister,
Bezalel Smotrich, is threatening to turn Beirut's southern suburbs into Khan Younis in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): We are now on the northern border after the IDF instructed all residents of the area
to evacuate. You wanted to bring hell upon us? You brought upon yourselves. The Dahiya will look like Khan Younis. Our northern residents will live in
quiet, peace and security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as a reminder, this is what Khan Younis looked like after Israel's bombings there.
Well, Maureen Philippon is the Lebanon country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council. She joins us now from Beirut.
And lest we forget, people caught up in these attacks as they try and get on with their lives, your organization has recently reported that 65,000
people have now been displaced since the latest Israeli bombardment began. Footage from Beirut, which our viewers are seeing now on their screens,
speaks volumes about the current situation.
What can you tell us about what is going on?
MAUREEN PHILIPPON, LEBANON COUNTRY DIRECTOR, NRC: And listen, there is a lot of anxiety and suffering and despair.
[10:10:01]
The figure you quoted is actually a very old figure. And now, even though the escalation only started six days ago and the recent figures of the
government of people who found safety in collective shelters is 100,000. And from previous experience of the displacement already in 2024, but also
past experience in Lebanon, it's about 20 percent to 25 percent who go to the government designated official shelters.
So it means that probably at the time we speak, the number of actually displaced people is closer to 400 to half a million people only in the span
of five days. And as I said, 100,000 of them are in mostly schools opened by the government. And the rest have -- the luckiest one, you know, maybe
have a secondary homes in the -- in a safe area outside somewhere else in Lebanon, in the northern or eastern part of Lebanon. But also many people
are renting.
ANDERSON: Right.
PHILIPPON: And some people still sleep in their cars to try to find out where to find a landing -- a safe landing space for them.
ANDERSON: Yes. Maureen, let's just hear from some of those then displaced in Beirut's Martyrs Square.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They displaced us and we left. This is what they call displacement. I've never slept on the ground like this in
my life. I've been forced to sleep like this. No one even brought a blanket. They said tomorrow, after tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And there have been concerns about the sort of realistic ability of residents to evacuate as quickly as the IDF has asked them to do, or
demanded that they do. This, perhaps for many of them, won't be the first time of course that they've had these evacuation orders over the years.
What sort of -- what's your sense of these evacuation sort of orders in terms of sort of logistics?
PHILIPPON: It can be very stressful when it comes at night. There is also no clear direction about how much time you have to prepare and to evacuate.
And there is a strong sense of collective solidarity. So when somebody receives either a call or on social media, the fact that Israel has asked
an area of Lebanon to evacuate, then people would go on the street and trying to make noise and potentially shooting in the air just to wake up
people, make sure they wake up, pack and leave.
And you can -- therefore you can find people especially at the beginning who would really go with nothing more than the clothes on their back, you
know, with the -- also the stress effect. You just catch your kid and you run out of your flat and you try to go as far away as possible from the
area that may get struck quite soon after you do that. And if you have more time than which was a bit yesterday evening, then you can see people piling
suitcases in their cars and then floating on the highway.
ANDERSON: Yes. And these have been described by critics as blanket displacements. I do want to ask you finally about the IDF, sorry, the
Israeli army spokesperson warning that any movement to the south could put people's lives in danger. Is your organization capable of aiding those who
can't evacuate? And what will come of them?
PHILIPPON: It's a very good question. I think it's currently a race against time to try to provide support to everybody, people who stayed behind in
areas under evacuation order, but also people who've moved. And there is a massive safety concern. And there will be convoy organized as much as we
can but of course maintaining the safety of our teams is also a priority but all efforts will be done to try to reach the people in the area under
evacuation orders.
ANDERSON: Right. Maureen, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for your point of view on the ground there in Beirut.
Nick Paton Walsh is live for us in Tel Aviv.
And Nick, you heard there the stories of those who are impacted, the people of Beirut here. What do we understand about the Israeli operation from the
vantage point where you are?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it doesn't appear at this stage to involve a significant ground incursion
deeper into Lebanon as far as we know publicly at this point. And that's significant because it potentially suggests the scope of what indeed may be
ahead.
[10:15:03]
What is startling is the scope of the evacuation orders that we've been hearing, the hundreds of thousands on the move, and the intensity of the
strikes against Dahiya.
Now I think many saw Israel begin this and obviously question the wisdom of Hezbollah provoking that response that Israel had been itching to provide
for months, but then possibly also wondered exactly how much Hezbollah may indeed be left for Israel to degrade. Israel's defense minister has been
clear they wish to disarm the group entirely. And now I think looking at the intensity of the strikes against Dahiya, there's clearly a move there
to ensure no infrastructure exists for Hezbollah indeed going forward.
But this is -- feels to me, Becky, something of a separate chapter from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, one that wasn't possibly a predictable
path in this. Many perhaps presumed Hezbollah would not risk what remains of them by joining this war, but nonetheless, one that is still indeed
happening and may indeed continue if indeed we see some kind of resolution to the U.S.-Israel- Iran conflict in the coming weeks or days.
Remember, the Israelis have been striking around Lebanon for the past month since the ceasefire at will when targets indeed arise. But it's also
important to point out while we saw initially in Northern Israel minimal signs of a Hezbollah response, there have been more over the past days or
hours. And 70 rockets is the latest numbers we've been hearing. We saw one fly over our head a couple of days ago.
So clearly there is enough Hezbollah there yet to be what an Israeli official referred to me a few days ago as a significant threat. But it's
going to be interesting to see exactly how long Israel wish to persist. They do appear to be moving quite fast, certainly in terms of the vast
scale of the evacuation orders and the frankly terrifying disruption that will cause to ordinary Lebanese fleeing the likely airstrikes that will
come with that. But it is a separate chapter here, and I think it's an interesting one to see progress, particularly when we have President Trump
talking about the demand for unconditional surrender from the Iranians.
A very tough posture there, but nonetheless one that does still raise the question that he is thinking about the end and the conditions that he would
like to see for the end. Now, that doesn't say it's imminent, but it certainly means the president's mindset is turning towards that
particularly if he's also discussing publicly his conditions about who would be the new supreme leader in Iran, a position still vacant nearly a
week since the death of Ayatollah Khamenei --Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, you make a very good point. He hasn't put a time limit on how long whatever this -- how long this phase will be. But, you know, the
U.S. Pentagon has talked about what its military objectives are and they have set out a sort of time frame for the decimation, the complete
degrading, as they want to see of the military, the ballistic missile program. They've taken out the Navy, the Iranian Navy warships. I think it
was some 25 to 30 now, that Donald Trump is suggesting have been taken out.
So there's a real degrading going on. You're right to point out, you know, perhaps we are beginning to see sooner rather than later, you know, another
phase of this conflict. Thank you.
To step out and look at the wider region then and the regional picture, I want to bring in our Nic Robertson. He is in Riyadh. And we are beginning
to see the economic impact here in and from the Gulf on the global economy frankly, perhaps even more so than we see, you know, any sort of step up in
sort of military action here. We continue to see a sort of defensive posture from these Gulf states that continue to be struck by Iran.
But let's just talk about what we've heard from Qatar, very specifically from the CEO of Qatar Energy today, about the likely impact on Gulf energy
exports going forward should this war continue for much longer.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it is getting to a moment where all these countries who have been watching, hoping that their
infrastructure doesn't get damaged or too badly damaged, and fully aware that the more damage there is, the longer it takes to recover. Fully aware
that the longer this goes on and they're not able to export at previous volumes that they need to store those products and then figure out as a
storage fills what to do with it.
Vital questions that potentially have a military offset if the Straits of Hormuz can be opened, and this is the sort of dynamic at play that when
President Trump talks about sinking the Iranian Navy it comes into play.
[10:20:11]
Therefore, how easily or it wouldn't be easy, let's face it, for the Straits of Hormuz to be effectively and cleanly opened. But that's what's
in play. And I think that's the point that the energy minister in Qatar was getting to here, that if this goes on and that isn't opened, then the
consequences will ripple way beyond here.
And I'll just read you what he had to say. He said, "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. Everyone's energy prices will go higher, there will be shortages of some products, and there will be a chain
reaction at factories that cannot supply."
That's what he said. That's the imperative, the military imperative to sort of open the Strait of Hormuz, if you will. But there's another imperative
that works in the background to that because it's not clear that the military can do that. And these economic consequences will ripple out to
the countries that didn't want to get involved in this.
The European Union, for example, and we've heard from them today, from the spokesperson, the Foreign Affairs at the European Union, and I'll read you
what they had to say because it brings you their view, less about conflict more about conversation.
This is what the spokesperson said. "We are firmly attached to diplomacy with our partners on the ground in order to find solutions to resolve the
crisis because this can have consequences on regional safety, stability, effects on our neighborhood. We reiterate the inalienable right of the Gulf
Cooperation Council countries to defend themselves under the U.N. Charter of Fundamental Rights and defend themselves against the attacks of Iran."
Of course, there was that phone conversation between the GCC foreign ministers and the E.U. foreign ministers yesterday. They are sort of
looking at this through the same prism, not the same shared experience. Europe is hoping that the war doesn't touch them even though some missiles
are reaching out in their direction. But stating that the GCC countries have a right under international convention to respond, they've been
restrained from that as you say.
But the crux of it comes either you can free the oil and tamp down the global economy, and therefore these concerns, and if you can't, then you
either have to win militarily, which seems a long stretch where we are right now, or as the Europeans are saying, get into conversation, try to
talk and find diplomacy out of this war.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you, Nic.
A lot going on, a lot of challenges. It's complicated. But we're on it, so stick with us as we continue to cover this unfolding Israel-U.S. war on
Iran, and the impact it is having around the region.
Oil prices have spiked today. This is the picture and this is the story on the U.S. markets which have been trading for about 40 minutes today. No
real surprise they are lower. They have been lower in this trading session actually, now down nearly 2 percent. So actually they're somewhat clawing
back their losses at the moment, but down more than 1 percent. It's been an ugly picture, hasn't it, across the board apart from one trading session
this week?
It is the end of the trading week of course. It is day seven of this war on Iran. I've been speaking with the editor-in-chief of "The National," Mina
al-Oraibi. I started by asking her how the Gulf nations are weighing their options to her mind. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: The UAE and the rest of the Gulf countries have made it clear that they retain the right of response.
What does that look like? That doesn't just have to be offensive military, which is on the table. There's also the diplomatic offensive. And you see
that now. Countries from around the world, I mean, you see the number of leaders that have been calling in to Abu Dhabi, to other Gulf capitals, not
only check in, but to sound solidarity and support, but also say, where do we take this from here?
And the UAE and the rest of the Gulf countries are very clear that they want to adhere by international law. They are looking at what international
law gives them as rights and tools to respond. They're not going to do this without thinking, without thinking through all the international treaties
and laws. You saw in the UAE, they announced that they closed their embassy. They've pulled back their ambassador and staff from Tehran, have
been very vocal at how much they reject the Iranian position that claims they're only targeting the American assets.
[10:25:08]
This is not true. And so I think what goes from here is, first, how long the Iranian military machine can continue with very targeted strikes from
the Israelis and the Americans on this so it depends how long it goes. Second, how those deliberations are happening, only GCC internal but also
wider with the Arab League and with Europeans and others.
And also then to think what happens next, because, yes, we're focusing on the Gulf, an important lifeline to the world in terms of energy, capital,
technology, but also the wider Middle East. And so now we see Lebanon pulled into this. We see Iraq, Jordan was affected. So I think this is
becoming very quickly not only regional but of global ramifications. And their response will take that into account.
The GCC is an international player that wants to take into account where the international situation itself will sit and of course let's not forget
Russia and China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mina al-Oraibi speaking to me earlier here on CNN. Important insight.
Coming up, President Trump claims he will have a say on who leads Iran next, comparing the situation to Venezuela. Analysts say it's going to be a
lot more complicated than that. More after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The U.S. president says he needs to be involved in choosing Iran's next leader, announcing on social media that he will not accept
anyone who continues the policies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Now, this comes amid reports that Iran's temporary leadership council is preparing to
announce a successor.
My next guest is Ali Alfoneh. He's a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, a political scientist who has focused much of his research on
the Islamic Republic.
Sir, it's good to have you. Thank you. Donald Trump just told my colleague Dana Bash --
ALI ALFONEH, SENIOR FELLOW, ARAB GULF STATES INSTITUTE: Good morning.
ANDERSON: -- that installing a new leader is going to work, quote, "just like Venezuela." Is that realistic? And if not, why not?
ALFONEH: Iran's social media is producing all sorts of amusing A.I. generated photos of President Trump wearing the clerical robe and a turban,
participating in election of the next leader. The reality, of course, is that Iran is a different type of regime than that of Venezuela. We know
that the leadership election process is very much like a papal conclave. It is extremely secluded and secretive, and 88 individuals needed to cast
their votes.
They probably already have selected a leader, but we do not know the name of that individual possibly because of the security considerations of the
regime.
[10:30:03]
And I am not imagining the regime consulting President Trump concerning who the next leader should be. Right now, the expectation is that the regime
has elected the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei, to be the next leader of Iran. And this is a message of defiance
but also of continuity. The message is you kill one Khamenei, we give you another.
ANDERSON: I just wonder, given that Axios was the first to report that Trump is demanding a new leader in that same interview, he reportedly
demanded that Israel's president must pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to simultaneously pick Iran's next leader and shield his
war partner from criminal prosecution, Axios writes.
Does that -- does that tell you that Trump wants power across the board in this region?
ALFONEH: President Trump, unfortunately, has an ability to offend everyone both allies and adversaries. And it is deeply humiliating to the people of
Israel that he now intervenes in the internal affairs of that country. And it is just as offensive to many people inside of Iran, I suspect even the
opposition to the Islamic Republic, that the president of the United States wants to have a say concerning who will be the future leader of the
country.
ANDERSON: I want to ask you about how the country is being run and who's in charge at present. For example, Iran now says that it considers firms
across the Gulf that buy U.S. government debt a legitimate target. It is clear now, you know, whether Iran admits it or not, that it is trying to
hurt this region of the Gulf economically. It had threatened attacks on U.S. military assets, but these are nonmilitary assets and these economies
are being put under pressure.
Is this a strategy that you think can work, or will the Gulf states hold off until Iran pretty much runs out of firepower at this point?
ALFONEH: The regime in Tehran is clearly struggling to secure its survival. And it believes that rather than unconditionally surrendering or
capitulating to President Trump it needs to continue negotiations. And some of the actions that we are seeing are their way of negotiating and
communicating. The message to President Trump that if he wants to overthrow the regime, the regime will see to it that everybody goes down and will do
great harm to the global economy, and of course, also to the U.S. economy.
They believe that the one of the few soft spots, or one of the few vulnerabilities of President Trump is the price of gas at the gas stations
here in America. So they are doing their best and utmost to drive up the price of oil. And once President Trump decides to negotiate again rather
than pursuing a regime change policy, Iran will be in a better position to continue negotiations.
ANDERSON: Talk to anybody around this region they say, even if they do get back to the negotiating table, they are a much, much, much weakened, they
are in a much weakened position of course.
Sir, I want you to stand by. I want to get your thoughts on the Kurdish people potentially launching an uprising in Iran. U.S. President Trump says
that he would be, quote, "all for it." Let's just remind our viewers that the Kurds make up 8 percent to 17 percent of Iran's population as we hear
now from my colleague CNN's Clarissa Ward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Everyone is watching to see whether Kurdish fighters will launch a ground offensive into Iran.
So who are the Kurds?
(Voice-over): They're one of the largest stateless ethnic groups in the world. About 30 million to 40 million people spread across a mountainous
region spanning Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. After the collapse of the Ottoman empire a century ago, they were promised a state of their own. It
never materialized.
In Iran, Kurdish armed groups have fought the government for decades, operating from bases along the Iraqi border. Multiple sources say the CIA
has backed some of those groups as they prepare for a possible ground offensive.
In Iraq, the picture is very different. Kurds here built a powerful autonomous region after the fall of Saddam Hussein and worked closely with
the United States in the fight against ISIS but they're wary of provoking Iran and are trying to stay neutral, calling for peace and stability.
[10:35:12]
In Syria, Kurdish militias became one of Washington's most effective partners against ISIS, controlling much of the northeast. But they were
ultimately forced to give up some of that territory to the government in Damascus.
Across the region, Kurdish politics and loyalties vary widely, but many share a long history of struggle for recognition, autonomy, and in some
cases their own state.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Erbil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So, Ali, with that context in mind, you said a Kurdish incursion would amount to civil war with Iran's territorial integrity at stake. Your
thoughts on how likely this scenario is and how it might play out.
ALFONEH: President Trump is unfortunately trying to force the Kurdish government of Iraq and more precisely the Kurdish Iranian opposition based
on the Iraqi side of the border to take action, military action against the central government in Tehran. And I suspect that even though the Islamic
Republic is a deeply unpopular regime, the threats and the risk of a civil war and partition of the country will actually mobilize the people to
support the regime, an unpopular regime which is to be preferred to a devastating civil war in northwestern parts of Iran.
These, particularly the cities, have a mixed population. Such a war would be a disaster, a humanitarian catastrophe for Iran.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Important insight. Thank you.
Well, next up, oil prices surge once again as fears escalate over supplies. We're going to have more on the market reaction and how the U.S. energy
secretary is responding. Those are the live oil prices, WTI crude there nearly 10 percent higher this Friday trading day. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
These are your headlines. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his social media Web site just a short time ago that nothing short of Iran's
unconditional surrender will end the U.S.-Israeli war on the country. Well, that comes as the U.S. and Israel pound targets in Iran, and Israel
continues to attack targets in Lebanon.
[10:40:03]
On the seventh day of this war, people in Tehran have described the latest overnight bombing as the worst night of airstrikes there.
Well, the IDF says it hit 500 suspected Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past week. It issued orders for civilians to evacuate large parts of
Lebanon including neighborhood of Beirut that it considers a Hezbollah stronghold. The United Nations warning that this is an escalating crisis.
Well, the logjam of people trying to get out of the Middle East is starting to clear. Airlines are resuming some flights, and governments around the
world are organizing charter planes to evacuate their citizens.
Oil prices rising again after seeing their biggest one day increase since May 2020. Now, Qatar is warning there could be huge economic ramifications
if this war continues, saying, Gulf energy suppliers may have to halt production, something that could send oil prices shooting up to $150 a
barrel, he said.
Gasoline prices in the U.S. are also at their highest level of either of Donald Trump's two presidential terms, although the president appears
unconcerned, telling Reuters if they rise, they rise.
Well, Matt Egan following the market reaction from New York.
Let's start with those markets. Oil prices up again. The U.S. energy secretary has just spoken about the prospect of escorting ships through the
Strait of Hormuz. That has been met with some criticism, I have to say, around this region. Be that as it may, what do we -- what more do we know
at this point?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we know we're living through an energy price shock right now. I think the question is how long
is it going to last and how much damage is it going to do to the world economy along the way? Looking at live oil prices, this is the U.S. oil
contract, as you mentioned up 9 percent. This is after a nearly 9 percent gain yesterday.
That means that U.S. oil prices are once again on track for their biggest one-day increase since 2020 during COVID. And look at this trend for oil
prices. Prices were relatively stable and low. And then boom, the warhead. And now they're going basically straight up. And look how much higher oil
prices are right now relative to June, the last time there were supply concerns in the Middle East.
And look at what this is doing to gas prices. The national average in the United States now $3.32 a gallon, $0.34 up just since the war started. Gas
prices are higher than when President Trump took office. And as you noted, they're now higher than at any point during either of the president's
terms, although I should note that gas prices are not as bad as they were after Russia invaded Ukraine under President Biden and people are making
more money right now. So gas is swallowing up a smaller share of wallets.
But as you mentioned, Energy Secretary Chris Wright talking about what kind of support the U.S. government can provide. Take a listen to what Wright
said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How quickly will that be done?
CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Well, as quickly as we can. You know, right now all the U.S. military assets, and God bless the men and women in
the United States military, all of their focus right now is to suppress Iran's ability to wreak havoc on their neighbors and on Americans in the
area. So first we got to get their ability to cause trouble way down. And then as soon as it's reasonable to do it, we'll escort ships through the
Straits and get the energy moving again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: Look, there's a lot of pressure on the administration to try to get this situation in the Strait of Hormuz resolved because I think the message
from the market right now, Becky, is this is unsustainable.
ANDERSON: The U.S. jobs report has just come out today. I'm just looking at the stock markets and they are down. I mean, perhaps not surprisingly given
this oil spike. But they're not going to like these numbers either. What are they telling us about the broader picture?
EGAN: Well, Becky, they suggest that the job market may not have stabilized from what was an awful 2025. We learned today that the U.S. economy lost
92,000 jobs in February. That is much worse than the gain of 60,000 that was expected. It's a significant slowdown from January, which was
surprisingly strong. Also, December was revised from a modest gain to also a loss.
So that means the U.S. economy has lost jobs in two out of the last three months. When you zoom out and look at the trend since early 2025, you can
see the job loss has become something that has been more frequent, right? Five out of the last nine months the U.S. economy has lost jobs. That's
after going about four years without any months of job loss. And when you look at the unemployment rate, it unexpectedly went up to 4.4 percent in
February.
[10:45:06]
That's not high but when you look at the last three years or so, it is moving in the wrong direction. As far as why this happened, part of it
might have been worker strikes, health care had a major nurse strike. Those jobs will come back because the strike has ended. Weather may have been a
factor as well because it was extremely cold.
But look, Becky, there were a lot of concerns about the economy heading into this report. And I think that this one is going to renew those
concerns, especially about the labor market.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you. Matt Egan in the house for you folks.
EGAN: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Right. It is quarter to 8:00 here. 745 in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The war with Iran is expected to come with a massive price tag for American taxpayers. Analysts say the conflict is already costing nearly
$900 million a day. The first 100 hours of this war has cost $3.7 billion, according to experts.
Well, Malcolm Nance is a former U.S. Navy intelligence and national security expert. He joins us now live from Montreal.
Good to speak to you again. You and I spoke earlier on in the week. How do those numbers compare to previous conflicts? I mean, it begs the question,
is this sustainable of course?
MALCOLM NANCE, FORMER U.S. NAVY INTELLIGENCE: Well, every conflict has very, very high initial numbers. You know, during Operation Desert Storm,
we weren't operating two aircraft carriers. We were operating six in the Mediterranean Red Sea and in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Gulf. And not to
mention we had bought almost a third of our Air Force there. So you know, I can't give you the exact numbers but this is always going to be an
expensive operation.
The real issue is the sustainment of these operations. This is not going to be a short war. There are a lot of analysts who think so, but it is based
on Iran's timeline of how often they want to shoot ballistic missiles and drones. And with an inventory of 80,000 drones, maybe we've gotten rid of
half of those, but they could make this last for months. Now, you could be going into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
ANDERSON: I'm glad you pointed out the drones because what we've seen here, certainly in this region, of course, and what they are going after is both
drones and ballistic missiles. Now, those ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90 percent, we are being told. Here in the UAE, we are seeing
that reflected just nine, thankfully, nine ballistic missiles today out of a total of 205 since Friday. That's a slight let up in drones, too.
European allies and Ukraine offering some support on these drones now.
Can you explain how bolstering Gulf defenses might actually work when we talk about these drones specifically?
[10:50:04]
NANCE: Right. Well, let me point something out to you. I lived in Abu Dhabi for 10 years, too. The defense systems that the Gulf states have put in on
anti-ballistic missile capability was enormous investment, and it has paid off. It has been done for exactly these reasons. So that's why you have a
93 percent to 95 percent ballistic missile intercept rate. Drones are a different animal because, one, there's not one type of drone. The Shahed
136 type drone is very small, very low, very low observable.
But there are many different types of drones that have been managing to leak through and penetrate some of these air defenses. I served in the
Ukrainian army in the international legion. We had drones hitting us all the time. We had drone defenses. Every machine gun that was available was
on the line and waiting to look up at night with drones. We're not seeing that. We're seeing advanced technology systems. You know, anti-aircraft gun
systems, surface-to-air missiles.
The Iranians knew that for decades, and they knew that these drones would leak. The problem is, I don't think that they've actually done the largest
drone campaign that they have. They may be waiting, as we discussed this yesterday, asymmetrically, for a time that is beneficial to them and the
right point of pressure to launch a thousand drone raid, and to see whether the Gulf State air forces and air defense can handle it.
ANDERSON: I mean, the response from these defense forces has been absolutely remarkable across this region and particularly in the UAE.
NANCE: True.
ANDERSON: But I mean you are right to, you know, you know, provide this sort of analysis on what we could expect and how we might expect air
defenses to respond. I am told from sources here that the layering of these air defenses, the defenses are not only strong and built up, as you say,
over years, but the layering has been creative and innovative. And of course, involving, for example, the French with their Rafale jets in the
air. And I'm sure we will continue to see that sort of innovative creative solutions being provided.
It's great to have you, Malcolm. Thank you very much indeed.
I'm Becky Anderson. We're taking a break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: I want to connect you to life inside Iran right now where people are expressing deeply mixed emotions as this war rages along with fear and
grief. There is hope that the conflict could bring about the change in leadership many have called for.
My colleague, Leila Gharagozlou, has more now of those voices in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My friends, family and people around me were all stuck between not knowing whether to be happy or sad.
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With U.S. and Israeli airstrikes reshaping Iran by the day, it's nearly impossible to hear from voices
inside the country. Some Iranians have sent CNN voice memos, despite a partial internet and communications blackout. To protect their privacy
we've distorted their voices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The hardship here is if we want to talk about the impact on the people is that there is no internet. We cannot
get any news. They have no idea when an attack is going to take place.
[10:55:01]
What I've heard is people say, we just know that something is coming at us in the sky. We don't know if it's ours or theirs.
GHARAGOZLOU: Many Iranians say they have conflicting feelings about the war coming just two months after a bloody and brutal crackdown on anti-regime
protesters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Right now, you can hear what's going on in the background. This is life right now. They come out every
night. These are really strange and unknown days. An enemy is attacking us, is carpet bombing us, and yet we aren't upset. The thing is, that
continuing with what we had before was much harder. I really prefer this situation. I think it should continue and end so we can see these changes.
GHARAGOZLOU: Meanwhile for older Iranians, this is just another moment of upheaval in a country with a history of change and uncertainty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): But don't worry, I'm fine. This isn't the first war I've seen. I even remember Reza Shah leaving. I've seen
a lot of these types of events. I'm not scared.
GHARAGOZLOU: As Iranians inside the country live through the ongoing conflict, they offer reassurances to their loved ones abroad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Don't worry about me. I'm here inshallah. We're here. You don't need to be worried about us here. Just
watch out for yourself inshallah. We see each other soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson from the team working with me including Leila. It is a very good evening. Stay
with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
