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U.S. Strikes Military Targets on Kharg Island; Trump Threatens to Take Out "Entire Country" of Iran, to Hit Major Infrastructure; UNSC Vote on Strait of Hormuz Proposal; Iran War Disrupts Supply Chains, Aid Deliveries; Artemis II Crew Return to Earth. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 07, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in our Middle East programming HQ

here in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening. And we begin with what could be a major escalation in the Iran war.

U.S. sources say that the United States has struck military targets on Kharg Island, seen here, the island critical to Iran. It is a transit point

for almost all of Iran's oil exports. A U.S. official says oil facilities there were not struck.

But the U.S. president in the past hour or so has doubled down on threats to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or cut a deal, saying "A whole

civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.

"However, now that we have complete and total regime change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something

revolutionarily wonderful can happen, who knows?"

And he closes with saying, "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world, 47 years of

extortion, corruption and death will finally end. God bless the great people of Iran," is how he closed his post.

This, as an Israeli source says, Israel is now targeting transport routes across Iran. Strikes are being reported on multiple Iranian railway lines.

We're covering the story from multiple angles. Stephen Collinson is in Washington. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.

And Jeremy, let's start with you.

What more can you tell us about those Israeli strikes on Iranian infrastructure today?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, even as we await the United States' deadline, this 8 pm deadline for Iran to agree to a

ceasefire or face crippling strikes on its infrastructure sites across Iran, we are already seeing the Israelis carrying out a number of strikes

on infrastructure in Iran today.

With a particular focus, it would seem, on railway lines; we've seen multiple railway lines that have been struck inside of Iran, railway

bridges as well and several other sites, highways inside of Iran as well.

To add to all of that, in addition to that, we've seen another Israeli strike on a petrochemical facility. We saw one yesterday as well.

Yesterday's strike targeting a petrochemical facility that produces about half of Iran's petrochemicals altogether.

Today's strike, the Israeli military said, was aimed at a facility that was used by the Iranian military to produce ballistic missiles because of a key

ingredient known as nitric acid.

In addition to that, we are seeing that the United States has carried out strikes on Kharg Island, which is where Iran processes 90 percent of its

oil exports inside that country. The United States once again targeting that island, only targeting the military sites on that island, according to

U.S. officials.

But the question now is why?

Why today?

What is this for?

Is this laying the groundwork for future operations?

We know, of course, that the United States has been considering, you know, ground operations, potentially some to take Kharg Island. We don't yet know

what the purpose of those strikes are.

But that certainly could be one of the options that this could be shaping operations for a potential ground operation by the United States. But

certainly a very perilous moment in this region, particularly as you see the threats from president Trump to go after not just Iranian

infrastructure but now he's talking about Iranian civilization altogether.

Language that is indicative of potential war crimes being committed if you look at just the bare bones language there from the president of the United

States. But as we understand it, you know, there are still efforts to try and reach a ceasefire agreement here with the clock very much ticking down.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Stephen, I think even Donald Trump, many will agree, has surpassed himself with the language and tone of this latest post.

What's your analysis of his mindset after seeing that?

[10:05:00]

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Trump has a record of trying to use maximalist language and threats to try to force people to

the negotiating table. That has not worked through the entirety of the war in Iran.

There doesn't seem to be that much understanding in the White House of how Iran operates and the logic that they may see of their interests and their

national security imperatives. Clearly, he's worked himself into perhaps the edge of the greatest precipice of his presidency.

If he doesn't follow through on this language, if Iran doesn't capitulate as he's demanding, he's going to seriously hurt his credibility and his

personal ego.

If he does follow through, he gets into an escalation of the war that could create all sorts of dire circumstances inside Iran, outside Iran, reprisals

by Iran, mayhem on the global markets.

And it still doesn't really get to the key issue of would it help open the Gulf of Hormuz, the Strait of Hormuz?

And would it get the war ending closer?

It seems as though the president really does want to end the war but he doesn't have a clue how to do it, apart from his normal tactic of raising

escalation and threats.

We'll see in the next few hours whether he follows through on those threats, whether he creates some, you know, impression of a diplomatic

breakthrough or whether there's some halfway house set of strikes and military action that he could use to save face and send a message to the

Iranians.

ANDERSON: And I think you and I know that there will be those who say, come on, this is just Donald Trump -- untraditional, unorthodox.

And the question is, you know, one of the questions that will be asked, though, is that language acceptable and is the threat?

And let me bring in our national security analyst, Alex Plitsas, here.

That threat that Donald Trump has laid out is apocalyptic in its atmospherics.

Alex, your thoughts?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I mean, the president's known for, you know, very bombastic, dramatic language that he uses at times.

But you know, sometimes that can also have legal connotations that comes with it, especially preparing to strike significant number of

infrastructure targets, potentially inside of Iran if they miss his 8 pm Eastern deadline to capitulate on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

You know, we've seen, again, language of that type, maybe not quite that broad in the past that doesn't result in action that necessarily ties to

it. But you can imagine that that's extremely worrisome for the folks on the receiving end of that message and also for the attorneys who are

reviewing, you know, potential strike options.

And then, you know, intentionality is one of the things they have to review. And so those types of statements then feed into their legal

reviews.

ANDERSON: I'm interested, Alex and Stephen, in how, you believe JD Vance responded just an hour or so ago. He's in Hungary where the leader there,

Viktor Orban, faces elections at the weekend and he's providing some support.

He told reporters that he doesn't think the news about U.S. strikes on Kharg Island represent a change in strategy. So just have a listen to what

he said and then I'll come back to you guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some military targets on Kharg Island, I believe we have done so. The president's

deadline is -- has been followed by us and everybody else.

And he said very clearly, we're not going to strike energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians either make a proposal that we

can get behind or don't make a proposal.

But he's given them until Tuesday at 8:00. So I don't think the news on Kharg Island is -- represents a change in strategy or represents any change

from the president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That certainly wasn't in response to the actual post, the language of the post. It was very specifically in response to these strikes

on Kharg Island. So let's start with you, Alex. I'll go back to you, Stephen and Jeremy.

What are we watching unfold right now to your mind, if you consider what we've just heard from JD Vance?

PLITSAS: So what I'm hearing from U.S. officials is that that was in fact, a message to the Iranians that we are serious. They restruck some military

sites on the island there that have been reinforced. So again, there was no attacks on the oil and gas infrastructure. So it doesn't speak to a change

in strategy.

I think, you know, the vice president was reinforcing the administration's position of an 8 pm deadline and that they hadn't yet struck any of those

infrastructure targets they mentioned or oil and gas facilities, which he specifically cited in that clip.

And that this was just reinforcement of that message from him and, you know, reinforcing the fact that they were not hit at this point. It was

military targets that were struck. Again, speaking to administration officials.

[10:10:00]

I was told this was a clear message to the Iranians that, if there was any doubt the president was serious, that should leave their minds over the

next 12 hours from the time the strike happened until the deadline hits.

ANDERSON: And it is 11 hours and counting at this point.

So Stephen, when it comes to the diplomatic offramp, Iran insisting on its key demands; full end to the war, reparations, sanctions, relief and

financial authority over the Strait of Hormuz. Those are way away from what will be acceptable to Donald Trump.

So at this point, do we see any room to bridge the gap before this deadline?

COLLINSON: I think it's difficult because the administration is making its demand for not striking Iran as immediate reopening of the Strait of

Hormuz. That is Iran's prime negotiating matter, its biggest object of leverage.

So if it were to give that up, I think it would probably have very little expectation that whatever it gets from the administration would be honored;

although, of course, it does have, I suppose, the option to declare the strait closed again.

So I think there is room for creative diplomacy. There is a lot of contradiction even inside that Truth Social message where the president is

talking about wiping Iran's Iranian civilization off the map and then saying at the end, God bless the great people of Iran.

There are some reasons, I think, to think that he expects this will be -- there'll be some kind of agreement to step away. And therefore he's making

it look like it was his threats, apocalyptic threats that got this diplomacy, such as it is, to a new level.

So I think it's very difficult to say. I think we do not know. We do not know what is actually going on behind the scenes. We do not know, as

always, how much we can trust what the administration is saying, whether it's all talking from one song sheet, if you like, whether everybody in the

administration is in the loop.

Donald Trump basically lives by the maxim of getting to the end of the day and surviving. And I think this really falls under that kind of rubric. He

doesn't necessarily think about consequences in advance. He maneuvers in the moment.

And I think that's what we're seeing here. That is a very volatile way to conduct international relations. And to your earlier point, I think it

shows that the world we are in right now, where an American president is threatening to annihilate a civilization, it tells us a lot about where

we've come.

ANDERSON: Jeremy, let me bring you back in. Israel opposed, as we understand it, diplomatic efforts to end this war. And there is a nuance

here.

Donald Trump has actually changed his positioning from he wants to see an end to this war -- and that was the deadline of Monday -- to a Tuesday

deadline, which set an end to the war or open the Strait of Hormuz. There's a little bit of a kind of -- left himself some wiggle room to a degree.

But let's just concentrate on where Israel is focused.

What more can you tell us about its thinking?

DIAMOND: Well, we know that the Israeli prime minister has spoken with president Trump and, like several other Gulf countries as well, has advised

the president not to go for a ceasefire at this moment, has counseled him against it.

In part because the Israelis also just don't believe that the Iranians are there in terms of being willing and capable of making the types of

concessions that would equate to a, quote-unquote, "good deal" in the eyes of the Israelis.

And that would mean, you know, a number of the points, the 15 points that we've seen the United States put forward as well, which is, you know, zero

uranium enrichment, full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; you know, a number of restrictions on their ballistic missile capabilities, et cetera,

et cetera.

As well as, of course, addressing the issue of Iran's regional proxies. And so, you know, from the Israeli standpoint, they are really just waiting for

tonight, for the president of the United States to say there's no deal. And we're going with these infrastructure strikes.

In fact, we're told that Israeli officials have prepared a new target list of infrastructure and energy sites across Iran that they would be striking

in conjunction with the United States, should they get the green light from president Trump.

So again, a very, very critical moment tonight. And, of course, you have to think with that comes along with it a severe Iranian retaliation, likely

aimed here at Israel. We'll see how much more the Iranians can do in terms of their capacity.

What we certainly do know is that they have a lot more capacity to strike the Gulf nations, to strike oil --

(VIDEO GAP)

[10:15:02]

ANDERSON: We've got some new sound just in. Stand by, everybody. Let's just listen to what the U.S. secretary of state has just said on this war.

This was just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The whole world's been impacted, unfortunately, because Iran is violating every law known by

striking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. And it's a big problem for the world.

I mean, this is a regime that doesn't believe in laws, rules or anything like that. It's a state sponsor of terrorism. So it's not surprising that

they're now conducting terrorist activity against commercial vessels. So all right. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Alex, let me just get your response as the last question to you about that.

PLITSAS: So I think the secretary is speaking to the legality of what Iran has done, because I think, you know, in the previous questions you asked

both of our fellow panelists here, made some, I think, very important points to home in on. The straits (sic) themselves are not physically

closed, right?

They're being held at risk and shippers are voluntarily not moving their boats through because they're worried about being struck. So you know,

that's due to the tactics, the asymmetric tactics Iran has adopted because it realizes it can't fight the United States conventionally and win.

So it's holding the strait at risk. So far, the United States has chosen not to address that militarily to a significant extent. It's softening the

coastline, trying to hit the offensive capabilities.

But we haven't seen the U.S. Navy start to move in or anything along those lines to really go after those capabilities. The president is attempting to

solve that right now diplomatically. And I think, you know, Jeremy used some specific language there that I think was very, very important and very

nuanced in terms of the willingness, right?

This is a battle of attrition on the military side to get rid of the drones and missiles and everything associated with that, the navy, et cetera. But

whether or not this ends in a political statement or a political settlement is a battle of wills at this point, as Jeremy rightly put it.

And the Israelis are worried about the Iranians' willingness to do so. So far, they don't appear willing to capitulate because they believe that

they're winning, is what I'm hearing from interlocutors who are in discussions with Tehran.

They believe all they need to do is continue this strategy and they get to run out the clock. But I think the other piece that was mentioned

previously by our panelists was also important.

The Iranians are holding the strait at risk. It only takes a couple of drones hitting a boat (INAUDIBLE) to be able to do that. And Iran was a net

exporter of drones prior to the war beginning.

So if there was some ability, at least temporarily, to test a ceasefire, Iran could theoretically turn that, you know, capability back on and hold

the strait at risk again. So it really becomes a question of whether or not they're willing to give it a shot at this point. And so far, it doesn't

appear so.

ANDERSON: Yes. It's great having you all. Thank you very much indeed for joining us on what feels like a very, very consequential day.

And on this day, an hour after or just at the top of this hour, in fact, the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution to protect

commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The vital energy artery has been effectively closed, as we've been discussing, since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in late February, which

is, of course, seen global oil prices surge and a surge in the price of other commodities as well.

Brought forward by Bahrain, the proposal requires the support of at least nine of the council's 15 members to pass and no vetoes from its five

permanent members. One of those 15 members is Latvia. It has a revolving membership of the U.N. Security Council at this point.

The country's parliamentary secretary of foreign affairs, Artjoms Ursulskis, is with us live from Riga.

It's good to have you. I want to dig into this resolution vote in a moment. First, I do want to get your reaction, your reaction to these latest

strikes on Kharg Island and Trump's threat that a whole civilization will die tonight, should Iran not come good on a deal or on opening the strait.

Do you see this as an inflection point?

ARTJOMS URSULSKIS, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, LATVIA: Thanks a lot, Becky, and it's great to be with you here

today.

Well, first of all, I think that it's too early to actually make a conclusions on what's happening today. Of course, we closely follow the

latest developments here in Riga but let's see where it goes.

But also we need to understand that sometimes we do hear announcements that are quite strong. But the real actions are not always in line with the

announcement. So let's see how it goes.

ANDERSON: Let me ask you as a follow-up then, what do you make of his language?

I mean, to, you know, to end Iran's civilization.

I mean, is that acceptable language from the president of the United States, to your mind?

URSULSKIS: I'm definitely not in a position to comment the language of the president of the United States.

[10:20:00]

But we should understand that this situation is not going to be forever there. So there need to be some changes, substantial changes. There need to

be some ways how we can end the conflict.

Because it affects not only Strait of Hormuz, it affects not only the countries in the Gulf, it affects also the countries in NATO, countries in

the European Union. And it's about strikes, it's about economy. So there should be a way forward. But I would assume that most favorable way forward

is diplomacy.

ANDERSON: I won't ask you then how you personally feel about that language because you're speaking to me as a -- in your role as a member of the

Latvian parliamentary group. Let's talk about the U.N. Security Council resolution.

The language in this version, which sources tell me has been significantly watered down to try and ensure it gets adopted, originally, we understand

the language was for countries to use all necessary means to open the strait.

Now it encourages states to, quote, "coordinate efforts defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances to ensure security of

navigation."

Do you expect this vote to pass?

URSULSKIS: Well, I would abstain from making some bets on that. We saw the process through the last several days, how the resolution has been changed.

And, I think that we are closer to the maximum support of it. And we definitely hope that the support will be there. Latvia is supporting the

latest text resolution. And we'll see how the vote goes.

ANDERSON: Right. Well, it needs at least Russia and China not to veto it and to get it adopted you need those two countries, P2 to abstain. At

present, I don't know whether you can tell me whether you have confidence that either of those two countries won't veto this.

Do you?

URSULSKIS: We can never be 100 percent sure before the vote. But from the comments we are hearing from all the states that will participate in the

vote, we can definitely say that, today, we are much closer to the positive result as we were a week ago. So let's hope that it will be the --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: This language has been softened in order to get this adopted.

To your mind, what exactly would the mandate be for an international coalition or action on the street, given this vote and this resolution

being adopted?

What does it allow for at this point?

URSULSKIS: My understanding is that one of the results is the maximize pressure on Iran and the maximum support of many countries in the world

toward this pressure, because we need to understand that Iran is an existential threat. And that's quite a broad understanding in the world.

So at least there is an agreement on that. It's probably too early to predict if one resolution or another resolution will lead to some bigger,

larger results. But there is joint understanding on what to do next.

ANDERSON: So what has the economic impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz been on Latvia?

And what contingency planning do you have in place if this gets worse?

URSULSKIS: Yes. Well, luckily, Latvia is not, directly, involved in the Strait of Hormuz. We are not buying large amount of oil from the countries

in the region. But of course, the prices in Latvia for the energy resources have skyrocketed.

We'll probably see more in the upcoming weeks or months. But we expect to see the inflation higher.

And also, it is quite important for us what's happening with the other countries in the European Union. We have 70 percent of our trade with the

countries in European Union.

And whenever there is a bad impact on those, we are impacted there as well because we are participating in the supply chains. We are trading a lot. So

this is that direct and indirect threat we are having. Our government is ready to --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Go on, finish your sentence. Thank you. Your government is ready ...

URSULSKIS: -- ready to implement measures to support our citizens. We are -- we have lowered the tax for the gasoline and diesel. And we are ready to

implement another measures if they would be necessary.

[10:25:05]

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Apologies for interrupting you.

Well, up next, I want to speak to an international law expert about whether Donald Trump's escalating threats constitute a war crime. More on that is

after this.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ANDERSON: OK, well, we are just under 10 hours away from U.S. president Trump's ultimatum to Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Cut a deal or face the bombing of energy sites and bridges?

Well, these remarks have been met by condemnation. And one U.N. official stating such action would violate international law. President Trump has

rubbished such suggestion. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Are you concerned that your threat to bomb power plants and bridges amount to --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: No, not at all. No, no I'm not. I hope I don't have to do it.

QUESTION: Are there certain kinds of civilian targets, though?

I'm thinking --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I don't want to tell you that. I don't want to tell you that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, joining us now is legal scholar Adil Ahmad Haque, who is one of over 100 signatories on a letter which states U.S. actions in Iran

do violate international law.

It's good to have you.

When you hear Donald Trump threaten a whole civilization will die tonight, which is what he posted a couple of hours ago after threatening to

essentially blow up the entire country and all its civilian infrastructure, are those war crimes, even if some of those targets have a dual use for the

military and civilians?

ADIL AHMAD HAQUE, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, JUST SECURITY: Yes. So it appears that president Trump intends to harm civilians and to use the threat of civilian

harm as a method of coercing Iran's government into conceding in negotiations.

And this is illegal. Civilian infrastructure are first and foremost civilian objects. They are often indispensable to civilian survival. And

it's important to remember that, in a modern society, all sorts of objects are interconnected. And there may be some trivial military use.

That alone does not justify a strike on an object like electrical infrastructure, which is primarily for the benefit of civilians and has

only a tenuous connection with military operations.

ANDERSON: OK. That's understood. At the same time, Iran calling on its young people to form human chains around its power plants. We are beginning

to see pictures of that and those are on our screens as we, you and I, speak.

Would that amount to using people and kids at that as human shields?

And would that be illegal under international law?

HAQUE: So it is illegal to use civilians as human shields of a military objective. So if some of these sites were, in fact, military objectives, it

would be illegal to use civilians to shield them.

[10:30:03]

Many of these sites do not appear to be military objectives. They appear to be civilian objects.

There is a separate question, though, about whether Iran is wrong to put civilians in harm's way, given that the United States does not appear to be

conducting itself or planning to conduct itself in a lawful manner and maybe intending to strike civilian objects, regardless of the law.

ANDERSON: You suggesting that that excuses the Iranians?

HAQUE: No, quite the opposite. I'm just saying that it is morally wrong to expose civilians to harm in any circumstances. However, the legal

prohibition of using civilians as human shields applies when you locate civilians near military objectives, near lawful targets. Some of these are

not.

ANDERSON: It would take me a long time to list all of the civilian infrastructure that has been targeted or impacted by strikes from Iran here

in the Gulf where I am -- and I'm in the UAE.

And Abu Dhabi energy facilities, airports, hotels, data centers, American universities, for example, I'll use just one illustrative example of the

past 24 hours where a strike on Iran's Sharif University of Technology, has been seen as their MIT of sorts, led Tehran to threaten to hit the UAE's

Stargate project.

This is this sprawling data center campus being developed with OpenAI and Nvidia and Oracle and the likes.

What is -- what is your assessment of the risk of these sites being bombed?

And has Iran already gone way, way beyond, any legal kind of retaliation here?

They're called provoked, unprovoked and reckless acts, by the way, here in the region.

HAQUE: Yes. So there's no question that Iran is systematically violating international humanitarian law targeting civilian sites throughout the Gulf

as well as in Israel. And this is inexcusable.

Whether or not it is in retaliation for illegal strikes by the United States or Israel, we teach our children two wrongs don't make a right. The

same is true under international law. So all of these strikes are illegal. And that's why I've characterized the war, as a whole, as a lawless war,

law -- international laws being violated on both sides.

ANDERSON: So you've said this entire war is illegal on all sides, both the U.S. and Israel's so-called preemptive attack on Iran and Iran's unprovoked

attacks and reckless attacks on the Gulf.

Yet it doesn't seem that the international community is able to effect any change. So what is -- I'm going to use the term are, because I am one of

that, you know, international community and one being affected here.

What is our recourse?

HAQUE: So first, I think that all states should demand an immediate and unconditional end to the war as a whole and then deal with other issues

like the Strait of Hormuz separately.

I think that states should refuse to allow their territory or airspace to be used for military activity by either belligerent. And I think states

should look for other measures to bring accountability to all sides for violations of international law, including war crimes.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. It's been very useful. Thank you.

Well, up next, I want to get you to a humanitarian hub here in the UAE to see how billions of dollars in food and medical aid is held up as those

involved in logistics try and get it to those who need it most. I'll explain, coming up.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson from our Middle East and Gulf programming

headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Your headlines.

The U.S. struck military targets on Iran's Kharg Island overnight. According to U.S. sources, the island, strategically located in the Persian

Gulf, handles roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports.

However, a U.S. official tells CNN that last night's strikes did not target oil facilities per se.

Well, Israel is targeting railways, bridges and highways across Iran, a source has told CNN. The IDF this morning issued a warning to Iranians on

X, despite the site being blocked in Iran.

A statement read, "Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life."

As more infrastructure is targeted in Iran, Tehran responding with defiance and in some cases asking for public participation. Iran's deputy youth and

sports minister called for young people to form human chains around the country's power plants today, in an act of resistance.

ANDERSON: Well, the conflict has severely disrupted supply chains, including vital aid deliveries. Here in the UAE, Dubai Humanitarian is one

of the biggest aid hubs in the world. It plays a huge part in getting aid into Gaza, Lebanon and, for example, Afghanistan.

The UAE itself accounts for more than 45 percent of international assistance or about $3 billion to Gaza. The World Health Organization is a

key member of the Dubai hub. I went down to see just how much impact the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has had on the unit's ability to deliver key

supplies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT BLANCHARD, HEAD, WHO HUB FOR GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES LOGISTICS: So what we have here today is 57 metric tons of medicines valued at about

$1.8 million that are intended for Gaza. This has everything from antibiotics, anticoagulants, medicines that are going to be needed to treat

diabetes and hypertension.

ANDERSON (voice-over): This is the World Health Organization's hub at Dubai Humanitarian, the largest aid center in the world.

BLANCHARD: Primarily emergency health kits.

ANDERSON (voice-over): From here, supplies can reach two-thirds of the global population within hours. On a normal day, this is a lifeline for

millions of people in need.

BLANCHARD: On a normal day, we would see 100 metric tons of medicines moving in and out of the hub to reach those in need in response to health

emergencies all around the world.

ANDERSON: On a normal day.

BLANCHARD: On a normal day.

ANDERSON: Things aren't normal at present. We're in the middle of this conflict. We've seen the, certainly in the early days, the suspension of

flights and you are facing real supply issues at present.

Is that why we see nothing in here?

BLANCHARD: Well, that's certainly part of the reason.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The U.S.-Israel war with Iran is now choking global supply lines, forcing aid supplies to slow down or stop completely. With

shipping squeezed through the Strait of Hormuz, airspace disrupted and ports targeted by Iranian attacks --

BLANCHARD: -- emergency health kits.

ANDERSON (voice-over): -- getting life saving aid out of the UAE has become increasingly difficult.

BLANCHARD: It's almost a perfect storm. It's going to cost more to deliver supplies. It's going to take longer to deliver those supplies.

[10:40:00]

And we're doing it under a period where we're constrained financially.

ANDERSON: To explain exactly what's in here, you can see it says Egypt in transit to Palestine Authority. This is Gaza's WHO.

And this pallet, for example, what's in there?

BLANCHARD: Simvastatin; so this would be for hypertension, for example. There's other pallets that would contain antibiotics. It's a real mix of

what you have here. It's a tremendous number of line item medicines.

ANDERSON: I'm just looking here. We've got Kenya. We've got Sudan up here.

BLANCHARD: We have Zambia, cholera.

ANDERSON: So we've got here trauma and emergency surgery kits.

BLANCHARD: We have external fixators here. These are used to secure and mobilize the bones after a fracture or break.

ANDERSON: Right.

BLANCHARD: What you have here are general surgery instruments for dressings. So perhaps after a burn or a serious injury, the surgeons can

use these immediately to render care.

ANDERSON (voice-over): As the conflict rolls on and supply routes remain compromised, getting critical shipments like these out means constantly

adapting.

One solution for the WHO's current emergency efforts in Lebanon, a land corridor via Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. A shipment successfully

reached the Masnaa Crossing just as the WHO warned me that some hospitals in Lebanon had just two weeks of supplies left.

That crossing is now closed, cutting off aid to the million people displaced in Lebanon.

ANDERSON: It's not just the WHO. There are dozens of aid agencies moving medical supplies, equipment and food from here at Dubai Humanitarian.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The World Food Programme is also rerouting shipments. They say costs and transit times for freight out of Dubai are up

30 percent since the crisis began.

MARWA AWAD, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: We're looking at one of the most complex humanitarian detours since the Middle East crisis began; 400 metric tons of

nutritional aid from the World Food Programme are being loaded by the United Nations humanitarian response depot from the warehouse in Dubai

Humanitarian.

Twenty trucks will set off from the UAE to Saudi Arabia and all the way to Turkiye and Turkmenistan, where they finally enter Afghanistan.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Throughout this conflict, Dubai Humanitarian has kept operating but at a fraction of its capacity. In January, aid reached

25 countries. By March, that number down to just nine.

Despite the logistical challenges, this shipment will be flown out of the UAE today, bound for al-Arish in Egypt, from where it will enter Gaza. A

72-hour trip for a consignment, which could be the difference between life and death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. State Department has issued a shelter in place order for all Americans in Bahrain. That order has just come through and it

is in place until further notice, according to the State Department. More on that as we get it.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming headquarters here in the Gulf. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Still to

come, the Artemis II crew now making the long journey home after surpassing the record for farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth

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[10:45:00]

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ANDERSON: Well, Artemis II has boldly gone where no one has gone before. Monday's lunar flyby took the astronauts more than 250,000 miles from

Earth, surpassing the 1970 Apollo 13 record.

The crew also enjoyed a total solar eclipse for nearly an hour from their perspective, in the Orion spacecraft. And they witnessed what's known as an

earthrise and photographed parts of the moon never before seen by humans.

Well, in a solemn moment, they paused at one point to name a crater on the moon in honor of astronaut Reid Wiseman's late wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: So at certain times of the moon's transit around Earth, you can -- we will be able to see this from

Earth.

And so we lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie. And if you want to find this one, you look at

Glushko and it's just to the northwest of that, at the same latitude as Ohm. And it's a bright spot on the moon.

And we would like to call it Carroll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Ohh. Sorry. Randi Kaye following this story for us from Johnson Space Center.

I have to say, that got to me, Randi. Sorry. Let's recap some of the big milestones from yesterday's mission, if you will, for us.

RANDI KAYE, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was certainly one of them. Becky. It was really an emotional moment. Everybody was watching

that. And just to see them there, you know, they've been training together for years. And they're clearly very, very close.

But it was an incredible day. They took about 10,000 different images during the lunar flyby. And we have just a few of them to show you. One of

them, the first one, is a shot of the Earth dipping behind the lunar horizon. It is truly an incredible photo there, as you can see.

And you can see the moon in the foreground. It is just remarkable. And then there's the eclipse that you can see as well. This is the first time we've

seen anything like this since the Apollo days.

And on the eclipse photo, there are these little bright spots. And those are the planets. It's just remarkable. And the crew themselves were just

taken aback by what they were seeing with all these images from that Orion space capsule.

And then they are asleep now for another hour or so, a well-deserved rest. But they did lose contact yesterday with the Mission Control for about 40

minutes as expected. And that was when the Earth went behind the moon.

And when they regained contact with people here in Houston, this is a little bit of what mission specialist Christina Koch had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA KOCH, MISSION SPECIALIST, ARTEMIS II: Houston, we have you the same and it is so great to hear from Earth again.

We will construct science outposts. We will drive rovers. We will do radio astronomy. We will sound companies. We will bolster industry. We will

inspire.

But ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.

Integrity from Earth. Our single system, fragile and interconnected. We copy. Those of us that can are looking back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Such an amazing moment. And just a few hours from now, Becky, the Artemis II crew will leave the lunar sphere of influence. That's the point

where the moon's gravity is stronger than the Earth as they slingshot their way back to Earth and start that journey home.

And also today, another remarkable moment. The Artemis II crew is expecting to have a call in space, an inspace call of some sort, with the crew on the

International Space Station. And then later this afternoon, the crew on board will have a debrief with the lunar scientists here at the Johnson

Space Center.

[10:50:00]

Pretty cool day.

ANDERSON: Wow. It's all going on up there. What a day. What a day. It's been fantastic having you there. Thank you so much. What a job you have.

Very lucky.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: All right. Thank you.

Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, we will go live to Doha, where a key Qatari official has told our Matthew Chance that the Iran war could spiral out of

control. More on that is after this.

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ANDERSON: OK, before I finish out this hour, I do want to return to the war in Iran as we get more regional reaction to president Trump's Strait of

Hormuz ultimatum. The U.S. struck military targets on Iran's Kharg Island overnight. We've been reporting that in the past couple of hours.

And president Trump is now threatening to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges from 8 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, which would be the middle of the

night here in region. We've had reaction from officials at the Qatari foreign ministry, who say that the situation in the wider region could

spiral out of control.

I don't want to steal the words from your mouth but -- CNN's Matthew Chance was at a press conference -- and you spoke to Majed al-Ansari, as I

understand it, who is the spokesman for the foreign ministry and an advisor to the prime minister. Just explain what happened.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right. I mean, look, I mean, it's just hours to go now before president Trump's

latest deadline to destroy civilian infrastructure inside Iran, you know, passes.

And there's a great deal of anxiety, as you well know, in this entire region about what happens next, because it's not just Iranian

infrastructure that we're talking about. We're talking about the potential for Iran to retaliate. It has vowed that it will do that against energy

infrastructure across the whole region, including in Qatar.

I'm talking to you from Doha right now; earlier was at that news conference by the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari.

And we spoke, you know, again, as this region seems to be once more on the brink of escalation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Given that we're now approaching president Trump's latest deadline, I think it's his fifth deadline, do you have any reason to be

confident that this crisis can be defused before it's too late?

MAJED AL-ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY: We have been warning since 2023 that escalation, left unchecked, will get us into a

situation where it cannot be controlled and we are very close to that point.

And this is why we have been urging all parties to find their resolution out of this, to find a way of ending this war before it spirals out of out

of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Yes,. Becky, pretty strong words there, saying that we're almost at a situation now where it could spiral out of control.

You know, despite that, though, there are still, you know, hopes; however, you know, kind of thin hopes that there might be some kind of development

in the hours ahead before the deadline passes.

There's a Pakistani-led initiative underway that still may have some results. You know, Iran itself has issued a 10-point ultimatum, if you

like, to -- or plan to bring the war to an end. And so, look, there is a possibility that something diplomatically can be brought out. But at the

moment there's no sign of publicly that that happening.

[10:55:03]

And so everyone is bracing themselves for the escalation that may come next, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you, Matt. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with CNN. As we've been saying over these past couple of hours, it does feel very consequential

certainly for this region. These next few hours, the deadline, 8 pm Eastern time, Tuesday. We will be back Wednesday morning, local time, for you here

from Abu Dhabi. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

[11:00:00]

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