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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Trump Criticizes Israel Over Attack On Iran Gas; Iran Strikes Key Energy Sites In Gulf States; European Council To Discuss Fallout From Iran War; Trump Officials Testify At The Senate Hearing Amid War With Iran. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 19, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Said it was absolutely clear to everyone that wasn't the case. He said, in fact, Iran had been planning and plotting these attacks on its Gulf neighbors, he said, for a decade and a half pre-planned it was all that -- all the coordinates were there. They knew what they were hitting from day two, all intentional.

It creates the impression here of a robust diplomatic message, no military teeth yet coming in behind it.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

ROBERTSON: But you get that sense that this is still escalating. Anderson.

COOPER: Nic Robertson, appreciate it. From Saudi Arabia tonight, the news continues right here on CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

RAHEL COLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon live this morning in New York.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi.

And we begin this hour with rare criticism of Israel from U.S. President Donald Trump over the war with Iran. State media in Tehran report new attacks on its oil production facilities in the world's largest natural gas field. This marks a significant escalation in the conflict.

President Trump says Israel lashed out in anger and the U.S. knew nothing about this particular attack. He goes on to say no more attacks will be made by Israel pertaining to this, as he says, extremely important and valuable gas field.

Iran wasted no time in their attacks on oil facilities around the Persian Gulf, including here in the UAE and in Qatar and in Kuwait. Qatar reports extensive damage at its main energy hub.

And Saudi Arabia says it intercepted four ballistic missiles over the capital where regional foreign ministers were meeting.

Well, the diplomats called for Iran to immediately end these attacks, which they said targeted residential areas, oil facilities, desalination plants, airports and diplomatic premises.

Well, it is just after midday here Thursday in the UAE. Let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos live this hour in Dubai. And you'd be monitoring the impact and consequence of these attacks overnight. Just walk us through what we know at this point.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a clear escalation in this war and that is sort of the messaging that we've been seeing from Gulf states, but also importantly from the international community.

You know, we've been talking about the consistent attacking of critical energy infrastructure throughout this region since the start of the war. We're not in day 20 and we're seeing material damage coming through the Ministry of Defense here in the UAE condemning the attacks by Iran overnight, specifically in Abu Dhabi.

I want to focus on Hubshan processing facility, which processes gas that was hit by debris after an interception. Those operations shut down. The Bubb oil, sorry, gas facility also shut down. And I remind you a little bit earlier this week, the Shah gas field was also closed because of an Iranian strike.

So we're seeing significant production taken out of the system just this week. This is just in the UAE. Then we're focusing on what happened in Qatar at Rass Laffan. This is the largest LNG exporter in the world, also shutting down production. Kuwait responding to an attack on its oil refinery.

Saudi Arabia also intercepting drones heading towards its gas field. And interestingly, when Iran started these retaliations because its South Parse field was struck by Israel, there was an important diplomatic meeting happening between 12 Arab states.

Foreign ministers were talking about a potential diplomatic off ramp, but also calling on Iran to stop all its attacks. That focuses not only on U.S. assets, but also on airports, on critical energy infrastructure, on residential buildings as well as desalination plants.

The Saudi foreign minister came out with very strong words saying that Iran is clearly sending a message about not wanting to engage in diplomacy. Take a listen, Becky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL-SAUD, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: The targeting of Riyadh while a number of diplomats are meeting I cannot see as coincidental. And I think that's the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy. It doesn't believe in talking to its neighbors. It tries to pressure its neighbors.

And what I can say categorically, that's not going to work. The Kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure. And on the contrary, this pressure will backfire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: So Iran clearly using the leverage that it has to close the Strait of Hormuz to inflict economic pain by targeting infrastructure around the region. I'm watching European stock markets, Becky.

[04:05:04]

They're tumbling this morning. Asian markets under pressure. Brent crude, WTI also much higher on the back of what we've seen in the last 24 hours.

ANDERSON: Eleni, good to have you. Thank you for that. That is your update around the region. I want to bring in Jacob P. Larson, head of Maritime security with the Baltic and International Maritime Council. He joins me now live from Copenhagen.

You heard the words there of the Saudi foreign minister. There is no evidence of an off ramp at this point. We've been talking about the attacks on both Iranian and regional energy infrastructure overnight.

With you, I want to concentrate on the Strait of Hormuz just today, unknown projectiles hitting two vehicles in separate vessels. Sorry. In separate incidents in and around the Persian Gulf. More than 20 vessels have reported incidents in what are these vital waterways since the war began.

From a maritime security perspective, Iran clearly has missiles, drones, airborne and seaborne, and mines at their disposal. How difficult are these to neutralize?

JAKOB P. LARSEN, HEAD OF MARITIME SECURITY, BIMCO: I'm not a military expert. I don't have direct access to the intelligence. But the reports I read indicate that the Iranian military capability to project power into the Strait of Hormuz is, if not intact, then at least largely unharmed. And they have a very decentralized structure, both missile sites distributed along the coast, but also a valid decentralized command structure and command process.

So that means that they can take quite a bit of punishing and still be able to project power into the Strait and to the shipping industry. That is, of course, of concern because currently the Iranian threat is simply too high for ships to go through.

ANDERSON: The best way to counter what is this? Sabotage, and let's call it what it is, this is part of Iran's asymmetrical escalation. But the best way to counter this would of course be a coalition of like-minded countries sort of banding together to protect the area as it continues.

Foreign ministers of those Arab and Islamic states met in Riyadh yesterday to discuss the matter. We see the U.K. and the GCC nations in talks, Europe discussing what a coalition might look like. Trump asking China to somehow get involved.

And that is the question, what would a naval coalition look like? And which countries have the capacity and operational experience to do you believe to make a difference? I mean, for the shipping industry, which you are deeply involved in, what is the solution at this point?

LARSEN: I think the solution is to bring down the threat from Iran. And the threat is really the product of the intent and capability and opportunity of a would be attacker. And I think as it looks right now there seems to be a problem with generating enough military capability. And that means that you have to bring down the Iranian threat by other means. And that's really the intent piece I mentioned before that you have to look at.

So perhaps we should start to look to other options than purely military and also look at diplomacy.

ANDERSON: Yes, I think many people would agree with you. That though, is not, it seems, an option at this point. I mean, it may be that we can -- we'll see some sort of diplomatic activity going forward, but at this point, coalition building is what is on the table and that is tough. Make no mistake. Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE Minister of State, said, and I quote yesterday in a statement to me, this is a matter of international concern. All states must act in a manner that ensures the free and safe navigation in and around the strait in accordance with international law.

Attacks on neutral and commercial vessels constitute a grave violation of international law, and states in these circumstances have a well- established right to take action to ensure the safety and security of their vessels.

But you've been in this industry for a long time and you will be well aware that there is a precedent here. The Red Sea Coalition to protect the passageway in the Red Sea called the Bab El Mandab, that was sort of 2023, 2024. Do you see that as serving as a model?

LARSEN: I think that's more a political question that you have to ask politicians about. I don't have an opinion whether the warship that protect shipping are from one country or another. I know that there are several countries out there that you know formally have the capability, and no one greater than, of course, the United States. And they too have the capability if they wish to bring it into action. I'm sure they could do that.

[04:10:03]

So I think it's more a political question and not so much one for me as a shipping industry objective.

ANDERSON: Let's very specifically talk about then safety and security in that passageway of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has said it is willing to negotiate with countries over a safe passageway through that chokehold, small sort of 20 kilometer side stretch. It allowed two Indian tankers to pass through.

What conversation? I mean, you've said diplomacy is the only way forward at this point, but failing that sort of, you know, comprehensive deal and a ceasefire, do you see those bilateral conversations between Iran and other countries as the way forward for these vessels at this point?

LARSEN: I don't think there's one single way forward. I think the situation right now is very chaotic and as you said, there's a lot of exchange of hostilities between the belligerents and it's an extremely difficult scenario to navigate for everyone.

So I think everyone are basically, you know, trying to manage the situation as best as they can. And I think if certain countries are able to strike a deal, then good for them. I think the situation and the level of complexity makes it very difficult to identify one single way ahead in this year scenario.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Jakob. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. U.S. gas prices have risen 86 cents per gallon on average since the start of the war.

Now the price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. has reached the highest level since September 2023. In a bid to help offset costs, the Trump administration announcing it is temporarily waiving the Jones Act, which will allow foreign flagged ships to transport oil and gas between U.S. ports for the next 60 days.

Well, top European leaders are meeting at this hour to look into the impact of the war in Iran. We'll have a live report on their discussions in Brussels after this.

And controversy on Capitol Hill after National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard testifies before a Senate hearing. We will explain why her comments have some lawmakers alarmed.

Plus, a day after the U.S. counterterrorism chief resigned, citing disagreements over the Iran war, he is poking holes in the Trump administration's rationale for the conflict. You're watching CNN. Stay with us.

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[04:17:12]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. E.U. leaders are meeting in Brussels this hour to discuss the potential fallout from the Iran energy issues. The European Council meeting comes after a day of attacks on energy facilities in Iran and neighboring countries which sent oil prices to their highest levels since 2022.

Now, as those talks take place, Iranian dissidents are also gathering in Brussels. They're calling for tougher action against Iran and for the Iranian people to be the ones to lead any potential regime change in Iran. Let's get to CNN's Clare Sebastian who is following these developments

for us from London. Clare, good morning. So walk us through the agenda as we know it and what we expect to come from this.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think, Rahel, it's clear that these leaders are facing a situation where the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran has complicated their efforts on multiple fronts. And I think dominating the summit today will of course, be the issue with massively higher energy prices, which prices which was an issue that Europe was facing even before this new conflict in the Middle East.

But now, of course, gaining in urgency, we see European gas prices up some 70 percent. So since the conflict started, oil prices are surging. So they are going to be looking at various ways to ease the situation. That is going to be the area of most heated debate an E.U. official indicated going into this.

And I think, secondly is the fact that this complicates their efforts to tackle the war in Ukraine. President Zelenskyy is expected to address this summit virtually this morning because, of course, the longer this goes on and the longer the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, the more Russia stands to profit.

We've already, of course, seen a partial easing of some sanctions by the U.S. on Russia, and of course, oil prices benefit them enormously. So that is sort of the critical point here. We have a separate mess that they need to address when it comes to Ukraine's funding. Hungary is holding up a 90 billion euros loan that was painstakingly agreed by EU leaders in December, including Viktor Orban of Hungary.

Now he's saying he will not let that go through until repairs happen to the Druzeba pipeline, which Russia attacked in January and are now underway.

We just heard him coming into the summit this morning saying until Hungary receives the oil, they won't be backing any pro Ukraine policies. So Europe is in a very difficult, delicate situation, trying to remain united while fighting all of these different battles on multiple fronts. And of course, the energy situation remains particularly acute, Rahel.

SOLOMON: And particularly urgent, considering everything that's happening. And so, Clare, we know France's president has already come out to call for a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. What more are you hearing about the EU's messaging or plans around energy prices?

[04:20:00]

SEBASTIAN: Yes, so look, I mean, we watched European leaders in January toughen their stance towards President Trump when it came to the situation around Greenland. I think we're seeing the second sort of episode of that here. We are not hearing from any of the leaders coming into this summit that they are willing to sort of wade into this war in Iran. We have heard, for example, from France that they might be willing to

participate in opening the Strait of Hormuz, but only after the most acute phase of fighting is over. Similar nuances, albeit not from an E.U. member, but from here in the UK where Prime Minister Starmer made it clear this week that the only way to ease prices meaningfully would be to reopen that strait.

So I think we'll be watching for sort of how this messaging evolves throughout the day. But it does seem to be that Europe is fairly united on this issue. They are going to be looking at other quick fixes, perhaps reform to the Europe's -- to the European carbon market, the so called ETFs trading system, which means companies have to essentially buy carbon allowances that is accused by some of raising energy prices.

So that would be some of the sort of issues on the agenda. But I think Iran and the situation with energy prices is definitely going to dominate. Rahel?

SOLOMON: Yes, Clare Sebastian for us in London. Clare, thank you. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard was just one of several top Trump administration officials who testified before the Senate on Wednesday.

But some of her comments on the Iran war are getting a lot of attention. CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has more on the hearing and reaction to Gabbard's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a lot of questions on Capitol Hill about what Tulsi Gabbard was going to say about the threat that Iran posed to the United States because she had been a skeptic of the war in Iran before she joined the Trump administration.

In the aftermath of the United States attacking Iran, she has said very little publicly about the war that is ongoing in the Middle East.

But this for the first time, speaking before the Senate Intelligence Committee, gave a first glimpse into her thinking about this. And what was notable is her decision to sidestep questions about the imminent nature of the threat that Iran posed to the United States.

Because time and time again when she was asked about this issue, she said that it was not her judgment to make about whether Iran poses an imminent threat, that it was the President's judgment to make. And the intelligence community, the Director of National Intelligence, should not be playing that kind of role.

That caused alarm from Democrats in the room and said that is precisely the role they say that the Intelligence Committee should play, given the role that they have in providing intelligence to the president, intelligence in which to base his decision about whether to use military force. In the aftermath of that hearing, Senator Mark Warner, who's the top

Democrat on the committee, came out and contended that it shows, in his view, the president engaged in a war of choice.

What is your takeaway from her not saying this is an imminent threat? I mean, she was asked this repeatedly. What do you draw from that?

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I draw that the -- I draw the same conclusion I've made since day one of this war. This was a war of choice. There was no imminent threat. Now, the Iranian regime was awful. The unfortunate thing, it is still awful. And if anything, we've ended up with a worse and more repressive leader right now.

And again with -- I don't see any of the four goals the president laid out of regime change, getting hold of the enriched uranium, eliminating all of the ballistic missile capability and drone capability.

RAJU: Another big point of contention was the role that Tulsi Gabbard played in the recent raid by the FBI in Fulton County election offices to try to seize 2020 ballots. Remember, Donald Trump has been making that false claim for years of the 2020 election was stolen, that was rigged, and he's pointing to Georgia in particular. And Tulsi Gabbard showed up at the FBI -- during the FBI raid that raised a lot of question about what she precisely was doing there.

The Democrats on the committee on the Intelligence Committee said that if there was any threat of foreign interference in the election that would suggest if she was there, that was that kind of threat, that they needed to be briefed on that.

Now, Warner asked Gabbard about her role in this and she downplayed it. She said that she was simply there observing this. She said the president asked her to observe what was going on there. She said didn't even know what was in the search warrant that the FBI issued to seize those ballots. And she was not part of any law enforcement operation.

But she would not convey exactly how she was told this by the president or much about their interactions both on this issue or her interactions with the president when it came to briefing him about the consequences of an attack on Iran. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: The former U.S. counterterrorism chief says that there was, quote, no intelligence that Iran was preparing to attack the US.

[04:25:02]

Joe Kent spoke Wednesday with conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson one day after Kent resigned due to disagreements over the war with Iran. Kent told Carlson that Iran was not close to building a nuclear bomb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, THE TUCKER CARLSON SHOW: Was Iran on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon?

JOE KENT, FORMER DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: No, they weren't, you know, three weeks ago when this started. And they weren't in June either. I mean, the Iranians have had a religious ruling, a fatwa against actually developing a nuclear weapon since 2004. That's been in place since 2004.

That's available in the public sphere. But then also we had no intelligence to indicate that fatwa was being disobeyed or it was on the cusp of being lifted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: After the break, we will get back to our top story. Gulf states are condemning Iran's attacks on energy infrastructure and as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a massive threat. Those details straight ahead.

Plus, the latest developments in Lebanon, new Israeli strikes target Hezbollah as the death toll climbs. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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