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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Former Biden Official Warns About Ending Conflict Too Early; Diplomatic Push Underway To Reopen Strait of Hormuz; Pope Leo XIV Presides Over First Easter Events As Pontiff. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 03, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you heard Woods mention there at the top of the story that he had spoken on the phone with the president. CNN has reached out to White House to confirm whether such a call took place.
Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you, Isabel.
The latest U.S. jobs report is due out in just a matter of hours and analysts are predicting a pleasant change from last month. Why experts though warn it might not last, just ahead on CNN.
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JIMENEZ: Let's get you a check of some of today's business headlines.
The March jobs report is due out in the coming hours and analysts predict the U.S. economy will have added 60,000 new jobs last month with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.4 percent. That's actually an improvement from February. But experts warn the war with Iran could have a negative impact across the economy if it continues on much longer.
President Trump says he'll soon sign an order to pay all employees of the Homeland Security department as the Senate passed a bill to partially reopen DHS. But the House says they won't back a deal without funding for ICE and border patrol, though a House vote is not imminent. Congress is on a two-week recess and there's no sign it'll be cut short.
And President Trump's sprawling White House ballroom project has gotten another green light to move forward as the board that oversees planning for federal buildings gave its approval to the plans. The National Capital Planning Commission is stacked with Trump loyalists who overruled more than 32,000 public comments opposed to the project.
We're going to head back to Abu Dhabi in just a few minutes for the latest on the war with Iran, including an exclusive CNN report about Tehran's military capability. Plus, Iran's neighbors are taking the brunt of Tehran's missile and drone fire, but we'll tell you why the threat from Tehran may not be over even when the war officially ends.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson and here are some of the stories that we are watching for you today.
And Iranian state media broadcasting images that they say are of a downed U.S. fighter jet. Iran claims it was an F-35 Stealth fighter. But analysts say the wreckage from the -- in the photos does appear to be from a U.S. Air Force F-15. CNN has reached out to U.S. Central Command for comment on the Iranian claim.
Roughly half of Iran's missile launches and attack drones are still intact despite daily strikes by the U.S. and Israel. That is according to three sources citing recent U.S. intelligence assessments. A Pentagon spokesperson calls CNN's exclusive reporting "completely wrong."
Well, President Trump says the U.S. military hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. He posted the threat on social media after a strike destroyed a major bridge west of Tehran. Iranian state media report eight people were killed and 95 were injured.
Well, a recent CNN poll shows 66 percent or two-thirds of the U.S. public disapprove of the war in Iran. But now that the conflict is underway one former Biden official says it would be a big mistake to end it too early.
John Kirby, a former U.S. national security comms adviser spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. Have a listen.
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REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: My worst-case scenario -- and I've kind of already alluded to it -- is that if the administration for whatever reason pulls the plug on this -- look, I mean, you -- we could all argue about the wisdom of launching these strikes at the time and the way that they were done, but now that we're in it it's really important that the U.S. military be allowed to finish obliterating and degrading -- I shouldn't say obliterating -- degrading these military capabilities as best they can.
So what I worry about is pulling the plug early, leaving the regime still in power -- and it is still the same regime. There has not been regime change. Leaving them in power to continue to persecute their own population and be able to propagate terrorism and a threat to the region, and then where we are. Are we simply back to, again, mowing the grass. So I worry about pulling the plug early and not letting the military finish its job.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And how do you see in our remaining minute the relationship between the Gulf Arab states, which where American allies have American bases, and Iran going forward given what's been happening? And also the relationship of America with those Gulf states. Would they keep having American bases there do you think?
KIRBY: Yeah. All of this depends on what's left and when it's -- when it's all said and done. And if the regime is left in power -- if that's the way this ends then we are definitely going to have to rethink our footprint in the Middle East and so will our allies and partners who have hosted us in bases throughout the region. Because clearly, even a degraded, greatly diminished Iran -- and there's no doubt about it, they have been greatly diminished -- can still lash out and strike at civilian and military targets throughout the region.
So I think if the regime is left in power -- if that's where this ends up -- then we're going to have to completely review our footprint in the Middle East and what that security posture looks like. And perhaps even our arrangements and agreements with our allies and partners in the Gulf in terms of what sort of facilities the U.S. occupies and to what extent, and at what scale.
You know, one of the things that they did before they launched the strikes was disburse American military power around the region. It's going to be interesting to see when this is over does that disbursement stay in place or do we reaggregate where we once were. I don't see -- if the regime is in power, I don't see how we do that.
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ANDERSON: Well, let's bring in senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Hasan Alhasan joining me this hour from Manama in Bahrain.
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You heard John Kirby there worrying about pulling the plug too early, as he described it, and leaving the regime in Iran in power. He said that gets the U.S. nowhere and will leave a constant threat to the region where you and I are, of course. I'm in the UAE; you're in Bahrain. This is the Gulf.
What do you make of what he just said?
HASAN ALHASAN, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: So the way I see it, Becky, is that Trump has really chosen the worst of all possible options and approaches for the Gulf States. He has chosen to escalate gratuitously against Iran's civilian infrastructure, pledging to bomb them back to the stone age and to take out their electricity and oil infrastructure. And we know exactly how Iran is going to respond to that. They will respond much more forcefully against the Gulf States than they will against U.S. or Israeli interests. So in a sense, he's chosen a path of escalation that is going to
provoke Iranian retaliation against Gulf interests on the one hand, and at the same time this is a path of escalation that does not involve liberating the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian extortion. So on the one hand a massive cost that the Gulf States are likely to absorb as a result of U.S.-Israeli escalation in Iran without the benefit of securing the Strait of Hormuz against Iranian extortion.
He could have chosen an escalatory path that would involve securing the strait. He could have chosen a de-escalatory path that would have spared the Gulf States from further Iranian attacks. But he has chosen, really, the worst of both -- of both outcomes.
I think Trump is seeing this quite narrowly from the Israeli interests given that Israel doesn't have a massive direct stake in the Strait of Hormuz and that Israel wants to keep on degrading --
ANDERSON: Yeah.
ALHASAN: -- Iran's military, industrial, economic capacity for as much as possible. I think this is the approach that ultimately President Trump seems to have adopted for the next phase of this conflict.
ANDERSON: I spoke last hour to the foreign minister of Norway who told me that a global coalition of more than 30 countries representing every continent affected by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is now acting to bring diplomatic pressure on Iran.
And Bahrain, the country where you are -- which the president has revolving presidency at the U.N. Security Council -- has drafted a resolution that would authorize exclusively defensive measures to secure transit for shipping through the state -- through the strait. I underscore the use of that term "exclusively defensive measures."
As far as what is going on in the strait and that those waters being held hostage by Iran at present, what do you make of this diplomacy that we see at present?
ALHASAN: Yeah. Bahrain has had to make multiple revisions to its draft at the U.N. Security Council in order to try and neutralize Russian, Chinese, even French opposition to the language of its original draft, which was more forceful, which included a reference to chapter seven and the use of military force to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
In any case, I think it is most certainly in the interest of the countries most dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, including the Gulf States, to assemble as wide-ranging a coalition of countries as possible to try and bring pressure to bear on Iran to end its extortionary practices in the Strait of Hormuz and essentially to prevent what is likely to be a situation of piracy should Iran continue to threaten this vital waterway.
Now the issue I think is that -- is that at this stage of the conflict Iran seems rather immune to diplomatic pressure. And one has to wonder whether the coalition without really the military resources and the will to potentially -- ANDERSON: Um-hum.
ALHASAN: -- engage in the use of force for the purposes of self- defense and for the purposes of securing the commercial vessels that need to transit the strait -- whether that is going to have an effect on Iran if these military sort of tools are not being put on the table.
ANDERSON: I want to close with just getting your perception of the voice from this region. Certainly we heard the GCC secretary general suggesting that while the GCC want to be involved in any talks between the U.S. and Iran, emphasizing the necessity for that, has also said that ultimately this region will want to sort of reestablish relations going forward.
I think you and I have now spoken over the past month on an almost daily basis and it's clear that there are differing sort of positions from this region about how to move forward and what should happen next.
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What do you read as far as the GCC is concerned and the risk for these countries should this not end quickly, and what should happen sort of post any ceasefire or deal effectively?
ALHASAN: I think you're right to point out that the Gulf States have actually very significantly different and divergent interpretations of the current situation and what needs to happen next.
The Omanis have been quite sympathetic and quite overtly and explicitly so to the Iranian point of view. They, along with the Qataris, have been calling for an immediate ceasefire. On the flip side, the Emiratis and the Bahrainis have advocated for a more forceful course of action that does more to address really the full spectrum of Iran's power projection capabilities and to do more, including militarily, if needed, to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Whereas we've seen somewhat more ambivalence from the Saudis and Kuwaitis.
In any case, I think that leaving the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control -- that's giving Iran massive leverage not only over the economies of the region, over the Gulf States, but also ultimately over global energy security and over the global economy.
There is no risk-free course of action here. Further military escalation is very risky. It could lead to a loss of lives and to a loss of military material and obviously is not guaranteed to deliver security in the Strait of Hormuz. And then not using military force and allowing Iran to continue controlling this waterway will give Iran indefinite advantage and leverage over countries that it can use to selectively punish, blackmail, extort, and so on.
So I think there really isn't an ideal outcome here for countries in the region, but I think ultimately, they have to consider all options. Work to assemble a wide-ranging coalition, explore the potential for diplomacy and cutting a deal with the Iranians, and ultimately consider having to use military capabilities if Iran proves to be completely obdurate and unwilling to cooperate.
So I think really there are no good options. There are no risk-free scenarios. And the Gulf States have to be I think not just open-minded and consider all of the options available to them but really I think in the first instance work out how then can building a more unified position among themselves to be able to essentially have more influence over the course of action and over the global debate as to how this goes forward.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Meantime, let's just underscore the threat from Iran for this region. Once again, you know, a series of alarms here and alerts here of incoming missiles and drones just in the past hours, Hasan. And in Kuwait we've seen the damage there to a water treatment plant this morning. It looks as if there's been sort of debris strikes -- debris from strikes causing fires in Fujairah here in the UAE as well.
It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
The threats remain here. Thank you for joining us. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Omar will return with some more of today's headlines after this short break.
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JIMENEZ: Pope Leo XIV is presiding over the first holy week since he was elected pontiff last May. He restored a religious tradition while also turning his attention to political conflicts.
CNN's Christopher Lamb reports.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in Pope Leo's first holy week and leadup to Easter he is showing already a difference in style to his predecessor Pope Francis, who on Holy Thursday used to go to prisons or refugee centers to perform the foot-washing ritual.
Leo, however, coming to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran behind me and washing the feet of 12 priests. In this sense he's returning to tradition in washing the feet of priests, 11 of whom he ordained last year, perhaps wanting to show an encouragement to young priests but also the more formal style of his papacy.
Of course, for Catholics, the washing of the feet commemorates Jesus' washing of the feet of his disciples and in the church's theology that is the instituting of the priesthood.
Now, Leo, in the coming days, also expected to speak out about his concerns of the war in Iran and the Middle East. On Tuesday, he told me he hopes that President Trump can find an off-ramp to end the war. We are expecting to hear more of that from the pope who is very concerned about the conflict in the Middle East.
So, yes, differences in style to his predecessor Francis, but similar messages. Leo, on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of humility, saying there's a tendency for people to feel powerful by dominating and being feeling great when they are feared. Pointed words perhaps that go beyond just Rome and enter into the political sphere too.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
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JIMENEZ: All right, Christopher Lamb. Thank you for that reporting.
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And thank you for joining all of us here on EARLY START. I should also thank our team in Abu Dhabi for joining as well with reporting from the region. I'm Omar Jimenez live in New York. We've got a lot more news from the Middle East and more across the world with "CNN THIS MORNING" starting right now.
