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Isa Soares Tonight
U.S.-Israel And Iran War Enters Day 7; President Trump Says There Will Be No Deal With Iran Except Unconditional Surrender; Israel Says It's Planning To Push Deeper Into Lebanon As it Moves To What It's Calling The Next Phase Of The War; Trump Tells CNN He Is Looking For New Iranian Leadership That Will Treat U.S. And Israel Well; Barack Obama Honors Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired March 06, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome, I'm Isa Soares in London. Tonight, we begin this hour in Middle East and day
seven of an expanding war without a clear end in sight. U.S. President Donald Trump says when it comes to the U.S. military campaign, there are no
time limits on anything as economic indicators flash red right across the globe.
What is the administration's strategy and what is the endgame this hour? We'll delve into those questions and try and find you some answers. But
first, I want to bring you up-to-date with the very latest developments from the region.
President Trump says there will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender. The President tells CNN, he's not worried about whether Iran
will become a democratic state. The United States and Israel are ramping up attacks on Iran with a major bombardment of the capital.
A CNN team on the ground witnessed a barrage of strikes and some Tehran residents described it as the worst night since the war began. The Israeli
Air Force released this video, it says, shows the destruction of the secret bunker used by Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The IDF says he was killed before he could retreat to the bunker. CNN cannot independently verify the time or the date of the videos. Well,
Israel says it's planning to push deeper into Lebanon as it moves to what it's calling the next phase of the war. More than 200 people have been
killed there in the last week.
That is according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. We're joined by CNN's senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak and Jeremy Diamond, who is now in
Tel Aviv. After spending a long time along the Israel-Lebanon border. We'll go to -- we'll go to you in just a moment, Jeremy.
Let me start first with Kevin at the White House, because we have seen President Trump, Kevin, doubling down on his vision. I think on his vision
for leadership in Iran. He says he wants -- he wants to stay in this, but the goal seems to be shifting, right?
And without boots on the ground, some may say that's impossible. Talk us through what the strategy is and the messaging is from the administration?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I think the messaging from the administration writ-large has now kind of diverged from
the messaging from President Trump himself. You know, he's talking about what he calls an unconditional surrender.
He doesn't actually specify what that might look like in his message, and he says that "after the selection of a great and acceptable leaders and
many of our brave allies and partners, we will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction."
He seems to be suggesting a much broader goal than what you've heard from the White House itself, which has tried to kind of contain the objectives
that the U.S. is seeking in this war. They've limited it to annihilating the Navy, getting rid of Iran's missiles and its nuclear program, and
eliminating its support for proxies in the region.
President Trump is suggesting something much bigger, and it does follow this pattern of the President kind of bobbing and weaving throughout all of
this. And his aides sort of scrambling to catch up with what exactly he meant, because remember, it was just earlier this week that the Defense
Secretary, Pete Hegseth, insisted this was not a regime change war.
You heard similar from the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Now President Trump is saying that, in fact, that is exactly what is going on here. We
did hear just in the last hour from Karoline Leavitt, the Press Secretary, who was asked what actually this meant. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What the President means is that when he, as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, determines
that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, then Iran will
essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: OK, so, now, I guess President Trump will be deciding what unconditional surrender looks like in Iran. But the details of that totally
unclear. I think maybe the best explanation of what it is Trump is looking for came in that interview with Dana Bash earlier today, saying that it's
going to work very easily.
[14:05:00]
It's going to work like in Venezuela, suggesting he envisions finding someone currently in the Iranian leadership, like Delcy Rodriguez, one-time
Venezuelan Vice President, finding someone like that to take control of Tehran.
But of course, the differences in these countries could not be bigger. For one, Iran is three times the size of Venezuela. It is run by a clerical
leadership. And so, a lot of questions about how that situation could be applied to Iran. But President Trump seems to think it could happen.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak for us at the White House. Thank you very much, Kevin. Let me go to Jeremy, who is joining us from Tel Aviv. And Jeremy, as
President Trump there, doubles down on his demands. I think he said for a great and acceptable lead in Tehran, we have been seeing a dramatic surge
in strikes inside the country, in Tehran, even. Give us a sense of what the U.S. and Israel have been targeting overnight and throughout the day.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Isa. Well, today alone, the Israeli military says that they have struck over 400
targets in Iran. They are continuing, of course, to hunt those ballistic missile launchers that threaten Israel and its population.
We know, of course, that those attacks have been largely successful in destroying at least, 60 percent of Iran's ballistic missile launch
capabilities, and has resulted in a reduction of the number of ballistic missiles that Iran is firing towards Israel.
In addition to that, we're continuing to see efforts by Israel to go after Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as internal security forces
targets as well. And the hunt that Israel is embarking on to kill as many senior Iranian political leaders as possible is also continuing as the
Israeli military is indicating today that they struck a secret bunker of the former supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, which was beneath regime
headquarters in central Tehran.
The Israeli military, releasing a video of this strike, and saying that in recent days, it appears that this command bunker was being used by some of
Iran's current leadership as well. They have yet to actually talk about any specific individuals who they believe they have killed as a result of this
strike.
But it shows of course, Israel's continued ability and desire to go after Iran's political leadership, in addition to targeting Iran's military
capabilities.
SOARES: Yes, and for Israel, this is, of course, as you and I have been discussing, is a two-pronged war as it takes the fight to Lebanon, where
I'm just seeing more than 200 people have died, where almost half a million people have been displaced, according to one NGO. Give us a sense of what
is happening in Lebanon.
DIAMOND: Yes, well, my team and I were along the Israel-Lebanon border today, and I got to tell you, it was very active, far more active than I
even anticipated.
Especially when you consider the fact that Hezbollah, you know, for over a year, was supposed to be gone from the areas closest to Israel, pushed back
not only by the Israeli military and continued strikes, some of which continued even during this ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
But also, by the Lebanese military which was in the process of and had claimed success in disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani. But what my
team and I saw today suggests a conflict that is only escalating.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): Wow, that was a drone that seems to have just made impact here. There were no sirens warning, but we just heard an explosion
right here in Metula. We're right along the Israel-Lebanon border, and we just heard something come in fast over our heads and make impact.
OK, so we're going to put our vests on now because you just saw not one, but two projectiles coming in. Still not clear exactly what that was. But
we're now starting to hear the outgoing Israeli fire responding to it.
We're just seeing -- hearing a lot of activity right now, kind of going in both directions, in fact, as this new front in Israel's war with Iran is
very much heating up. So, that smoke right there just came from Israeli artillery that was being fired from behind us.
It went over our heads. We then saw it make impact there, and you can see the smoke that's still coming up from the target location.
(EXPLOSION)
DIAMOND: And now, OK, and that wasn't hitting the same spot. Yes, getting very active here now -- oh here, too. So, we're seeing several areas now in
southern Lebanon that are being struck by the Israeli military and some of those positions that they are hitting are within a kilometer of the
Israeli-Lebanese border.
[14:10:00]
And that's significant because all of these positions in the most southern part of Lebanon were supposed to have been cleared of Hezbollah fighters
over a year ago. And so, the fact that Israel is now having to hit positions so close to its border suggests that Hezbollah is trying to re-
infiltrate those areas.
And obviously, Israel now fighting to try and rid those areas of Hezbollah once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND: And so, as you can see, there, Isa, very active crossfire on the Israel-Lebanon border. And today, in fact, Hezbollah was able to seriously
wound several Israeli soldiers as a result of some of these attacks. Five Israeli soldiers in serious condition, three additional soldiers were
lightly wounded as a result of one of those cross-border attacks.
And while we were down there, beyond the projectiles that we ourselves saw, the air raid sirens that went off at one point due to incoming missiles,
there were also a number of drone alerts across the northern part of Israel.
So, this is a front that we need to keep a very close eye on, particularly as Israel is issuing all of these evacuation warnings for the southern
suburbs of Beirut for every area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and carry out -- in carrying out intense airstrikes of its own
inside Lebanon, Isa.
SOARES: Important reporting there. Jeremy, thank you very much to you and your team. Jeremy Diamond, for us in Tel Aviv. Well, our correspondent Fred
Pleitgen, his photojournalist as well as producer Claudia Otto(ph) are in Iran's capital.
CNN is the first U.S. network in Iran since the start of the war. It is important to note, though, that CNN is operating in Iran only with
permission from the government, and here is Fred's latest report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): 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.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We believe that if we are killed, we are martyrs, meaning that whether we stand by the revolution or become
martyrs, both are a victory for us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The blood of our martyr leader has been shed, but his path continues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): With these killings and these martyrdoms, they will not achieve greatness, and they will not be able to
take even the smallest piece of our land.
PLEITGEN: All this is happening, of course, as the U.S. and Israel continue their massive bombing campaign, not just here in Tehran and the vicinity,
but indeed in the entire country. The U.S. says that it's hitting military positions and trying to hit Iran's religious and also political leadership,
while the Iranians say at this point in time, they are not willing to negotiate with the United States.
And they also say that they have a missile supply and drones to carry on military operations for an extended period of time. So, this is the Gandhi
Hospital here in Tehran, which was pretty badly damaged after an airstrike.
It seems as though a different building was struck in the vicinity. But then this building also was damaged very badly. I spoke to the head of
Iran's Red Crescent about this. Here's what he had to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Can you imagine if you were hospitalized in one of the wards here while it was attacked? How would you
feel?
PLEITGEN: The people on the ground who feel these airstrikes, who hear these airstrikes, hear the jets overhead, of course, for them, it's a
really difficult time to go through.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: That's Fred Pleitgen and his team, Claudia Otto(ph), on the ground for you in Tehran. Well, we are just seeing the first indication that
Russia may be involved in this war. Sources say Moscow is providing Intelligence to Iran on U.S. military targets, including the location as
well as movement of American troops, ships, as well as aircraft.
Sources say China may be preparing to help Iran as well, including providing missile components. Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary
Pete Hegseth told reporters that Russia and China are not really a factor. His words in the war.
Well, the Iranian strikes against Gulf states continue as multiple countries are forced to fend off those attacks. Qatar's Air Defense says it
successfully intercepted a drone attack targeting the U.S. Air base early on Friday. Air defenses are also being put to the test in Kuwait, where
falling debris has caused some damage.
And in Saudi Arabia, three ballistic missiles targeting the air base were intercepted and destroyed. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says U.S.
Gulf Arab allies are reconsidering their willingness to play an offensive role against Iran.
[14:15:00]
Hegseth also points the blame at Iran for forcing the hand of its neighbors to retaliate. Let's get more from our Nic Robertson who joins us from
Riyadh. And Nic, you know, while the war is spreading in the battlefield now, also moving, as we are just outlining there to the economic front, we
are seeing oil prices surging.
The Strait of Hormuz is still at a standstill. And the message that we are seeing for the last several days from stock markets is that this is
unsustainable.
Give us a sense of what you're hearing from Gulf nations, Gulf states who are now reviewing overseas investments or the last several days from stock
markets or the last several days from stock markets is that this is unsustainable. Give us a sense of what you're hearing from gulf nations,
gulf states who are now reviewing overseas investments, I understand.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, look, they are very aware that if the Straits of Hormuz remain closed for as long as
President Trump says this war could go on, or at least, Pete Hegseth said it could go on four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, maybe they're going to
have a huge problem.
What to do with the products they make, they run out of capacity to store them, they won't be able to get them to market. They'll have to shut down
part of production. All of that has long-term net effects for them. It has long-term global economic effects.
You were mentioning those ballistic missiles that were intercepted last night headed towards the Prince Sultan Air base just outside of the
capital, Riyadh, here. That wasn't the end of it from the Iranians, by the way, last night. They sent a drone; they sent a cruise missile.
They sent three more drones; they sent another drone. And then a couple of hours ago, they sent another cruise missile all in the same direction. But
here we are, I have to say, on one of the main cafe boulevards in the center of Riyadh, and you would think it's your average Friday, your
average Friday night where people are relaxing.
And this is their -- this is their weekend. They've just had their Iftar dinners here at the end of a day of fasting. So, they're out enjoying
themselves. And I've been speaking to people here, talking to them about their concerns.
And as often you often find in Saudi Arabia, there's a high degree of confidence expressed in the leadership. They're not worried. And genuinely,
people don't seem to be particularly worried about the situation. There is of course, a concern that it could get worse, but they're not worried now.
People have said to me, look, if we're really worried at the moment, would we be out on the streets? But despite how it looks, how it feels, and I
hear from officials here and they say they just want to stay on the sidelines, they don't want to get involved here in the circumstance at the
moment.
Despite all of this sort of normalcy you see around me here, all those geopolitical problems are absolutely piling up, and they really come into
focus in the Strait of Hormuz, which I think gets to what President Trump is saying about the Iranian Navy and disabling that in a way that you can
open the Strait of Hormuz, which just won't be that simple, far from it.
But -- and I say that just because we've been there before when Iran has been using very small boats to stick mines on the side of tankers, and this
was going back to 2019 and disabling oil traffic at that time. It's not an easy job to open the Strait of Hormuz up. But all of these pressures are
building, very real pressures building in the background, Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and the longer this goes on for, the more pressures, of course, will be applied to, of course, the leaders there in Riyadh, but
also to the people. Thanks very much, Nic, for giving us that perspective, from the streets of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
Well, at this hour, the Strait of Hormuz, as Nic was just saying there remains effectively closed. And that's got global markets, as you can
imagine, pretty rattled. The route is usually packed, dozens of ships carrying 20 percent of the world's oil.
But any shipments of oil going through the narrow, that very narrow strait you're seeing there, face being attacked by Iran. And that leads to oil
storage tanks in the Gulf region quickly filling up, which then leads to cuts to output, and you know -- you know what that means, basically
increasing prices.
Let's take a look at the oil market as you can see, that's WTI crude, and the numbers are surging. It's come down a bit from the last time I looked.
Let's give us a sense of how U.S. markets are reacting today, slightly better than all the picture we saw yesterday, but still very much in the
red, down 1 percent, that's the Dow Jones.
Let's get more from Matt Egan who joins me, Matt -- for more. And so, Matt, clearly -- have we got Matt, yes, he -- there you are. You heard there from
Nic Robertson.
You know, it seems people on the streets of Riyadh not feeling the pressure yet, but the problem is, the longer this continues and the longer the flow
of energy out of Middle East has -- continues to be derailed, that's the fear, right? That has a huge impact on prices.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Isa, that's exactly right. Look, this is a serious situation and the energy market is increasingly alarmed about when
exactly the flow of energy out of the Middle East is going to resume. Just look at oil prices.
This is U.S. oil, a 12 percent increase today alone, 12 percent. That's rare. That's not something you see every day. In fact, this would be the
biggest one day increase since 2020 during all the COVID 19 supply disruptions.
[14:20:00]
And this would surpass even the nearly 9 percent increase just yesterday. And look at the trend for oil prices. They're kind of low and stable,
especially the last few months, and then boom, the war hit, oil prices going straight up, topping $91 a barrel for the first time since the Fall
of 2023.
And look, this is having a direct impact on gasoline prices around the world, including here in the U.S., the national average for gasoline is now
332 a gallon. That's up by $0.34 since before the war, and this is the highest average gas price in the United States in either of the President's
terms.
Now, as you mentioned, the focus is, of course, on the Strait of Hormuz. The President has suggested that this is going to be a short-term
situation, that prices are going to fall rapidly. And hopefully, he's right. But some of the energy analysts that I'm talking to do not think
that's going to be the case.
Market veteran Bob McNally, he told me that investors have gone from complacency at the start of this war to the edge of panic. And he said,
until investors believe and actually see that vessels are going through the Strait of Hormuz, he thinks that oil prices are going to blow past a $100 a
barrel and just keep going until they cause a recession.
Again, hopefully, that's not the case. But look, we are clearly in the middle of a major energy price shock. And I think the questions now, Isa,
are, how long does this last, and how much damage does it do along the --
SOARES: Yes --
EGAN: Way?
SOARES: Exactly, the longer these drags, the more concern there is. I'm just looking at reporting just now, as you were talking from Phil -- from
our Phil Mattingly, who basically has spoken to a senior administration official that says there is no specific timeline on launching this Naval
escort operation.
And then obviously, for a lot of these companies, I'm thinking about Maersk and so on, there is not only a question of security, of course, for
personnel, but also insurance for their cargo.
EGAN: Yes, absolutely. Now, on the insurance front, we know that some of the insurance carriers at the start of the war, they discontinued coverage
for the vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz in the waters near Iran, for obvious reasons, right?
Now, the Trump administration, in the last few hours, they have announced a reinsurance plan to provide up to $20 billion of reinsurance for vessels in
the Gulf. However, to your point, this is not just about insurance. There are, real --
SOARES: Yes --
EGAN: Safety and even environmental issues here, and it's going to take some work and some time to restore confidence. Confidence that has clearly
been shaken.
SOARES: Matt Egan, appreciate it, thank you very much --
EGAN: Thank you, Isa --
SOARES: For keeping us abreast of the very latest. And still to come right here on the show, what we know about the investigation into the horrific
strike on an Iranian elementary school, and what the White House is saying about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Well, let's catch you up on the very latest from the war in the Middle East. U.S. officials says there's currently no specific timeline in
launching American naval escort operations in the Strait of Hormuz. The tight sea passage is seen as part of an active conflict zone where Iran has
already targeted several tankers.
A satellite image taken a few days ago shows Iran hit another key U.S. missile interceptor radar site. Dozens of American planes are also
stationed at the Prince Sultan Air base in Saudi Arabia. Sources tell CNN, Russian satellite imagery is providing Intelligence for Iran's war effort.
This is first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war. We've asked the Kremlin for comment. And British helicopters with counter-
drone capabilities have started arriving in Cyprus. The deployment comes after an attack on a British base just a few days ago.
The U.K. has confirmed the drone was not launched from Iran. Well, Iran's internet as well as communication blackout is making it difficult to hear
from people who are inside the republic.
But some messages are getting through, expressing deeply mixed emotions, and along with fear and grief, there is also hope. Leila Gharagozlou has
more on the 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 REPORTER (voice-over): 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.
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 MALE (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 (on camera): Meanwhile, for older Iranians, this is just another moment of upheaval in a country with a history of change and
uncertainty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (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 MALE (through translator): They don't worry about me. I'm here, inshallah(ph), 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)
SOARES: Mixed emotions there from inside Tehran. Well, President Trump says Iran's leadership has been neutered by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, in a
brief phone call with CNN's Dana Bash, he again said he needs to be involved with choosing Iran's next leader.
Mr. Trump also said the U.S. is open to having a religious leader in Iran. His requirements for any leadership, you ask, well, Trump said, they have
to be fair and just, and, quote, "treat the U.S. and Israel well, even if it doesn't become a democratic state."
The President's comments come amid reports that Iran's temporary leadership council is preparing to announce a successor. Let's go through all these
threads, and there's plenty for us to talk about. Sanam Vakil is the Director of Middle East and North Africa Progress -- Program at Chatham
House.
He joins me now. Sanam, great to see you.
SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Great to be here --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: A lot for us to pick through. Let me just get a sense from you of, you know, what we heard from President Trump doubling down yet again,
speaking to CNN's Dana Bash. He said it yesterday to "Axios" that he believes he should have a say on who should be the next leader.
Just your reaction first to what we're hearing from the President, because this is not Venezuela, as much as you'd like to think this is Venezuela and
Delcy Rodrguez.
VAKIL: I think President Trump has been bolstered by what he sees as a successful operation in Venezuela.
SOARES: Yes -
VAKIL: And I think he's trying to find ways to achieve that same outcome. He's looking for a submissive leader to emerge, and ultimately agree to his
terms and conditions. He wasn't able to achieve that through negotiations. And so, now it's about degrading Iran and weakening Iran and waiting for
that person to come back, maybe not to a negotiating table but to a deal that is a Trump deal.
[14:30:27]
SOARES: Right. So, is there such a person? Because I know we are hearing reports they may name a successor Khamenei. Is there anyone there that you
think would accept would be cornered to make some sort of deal with the U.S. president?
VAKIL: It's very hard to say that right now. We are in the fog of war and there is not a complete access to information. The internet is fully
blocked right now in Iran and obviously these debates are hard to assess. I would say in this moment, of course, no leader inside Iran is going to try
to make a case for themselves as the pragmatic leader that is going to come to terms with a president that is pummeling Iran and you know, wants an
outcome that is seen to be defeatist for these leaders.
SOARES: How many son was I've seen across the media -- I'm not sure if there's any truth to this -- seen as one of the favorites. But I think he's
he seems to be pretty hardline on the hardline side. He's very close to the IRGC. Is he from the conversations you've been having, from the research
you've done, you know this region so well, is he in your eyes one of the favorites?
VAKIL: Well, I think it's Iran is a factionalized system and what's interesting to me is they're still debating amongst themselves under
bombardment. And he's a favorite for some. Certainly he would be a candidate that reflects continuity. And he would be supported by members of
the IRGC, Iran's deep state, the security establishment that are looking to preserve their interests within the system and their place within the
system.
Can he may be over time evolve into someone pragmatic? To be determined. He's untested. Mojtaba Khamenei has operated behind the scenes in his
father's office. So, we really don't know what he thinks. He hasn't been a public figure. He hasn't had held any office.
SOARES: Let me play for you -- John Bolton was on air responding to these comments from President Trump believing that he should have a say on who it
should be. I want to play the sound and get your reaction. Have a listen.
It seems frozen. OK, let's try -- because he looks frozen to me. Can we try that again?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think the polite thing to say is it's delusional. The idea that the ayatollahs that form the
ruling circles of this regime are going to care what Donald Trump thinks is a mistake. And it's equally a mistake to think that after he picks the new
supreme leader that he'll just make deals with him like he did with Delcy.
The failure to remove Delcy Rodriguez and the other Chavistas still ruling in Venezuela means that the regime is still in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: I don't if you heard I think the polite thing to say it's, you know, this moving the regime having a say it's delusional. We don't know at
this point, Sanam, what the president sees as unconditional surrender. We don't know how he interprets that. I suppose the other question is whether
you feel that -- how realistic this is right now given no boots on the ground, air campaign with no boots on the ground.
VAKIL: Well, firstly, President Trump has moved the goals in the goalpost over the past week. We've gone from certain regime change to military
degradation to unconditional surrender. Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring. And I think under such military pressure, this regime in Iran that
is fighting for its very survival, this is existential in every way possible, it's not going to return to a negotiating table or surrender with
this president.
I think that actually there could be a boomerang effect for the Islamic Republic or the remnants of it as it sort of reconstitutes. This is a
regime that has seen unprecedented protests including in January. This has been a brutal regime that has massacred its own people. But at the same
time the regime, you know, is holding together. It's consolidating. There's a rally around the regime effect at the elite level. And what they hope
perhaps is per -- that people will come together and support them. And that's not going to be an outcome that Donald Trump can really play with.
SOARES: And the thing that we've all struggled with, and viewers I imagine have as well, Sanam, is that there hasn't really been a coherent strategy.
The goals have shifted. The messaging has been so mumbo jumble from this administration that we do not know what the endgame is. You know, it's
shifted so much from weapons to, you know, brighter negotiations in Geneva, to then regime change. But they're not going after weapons. They're not
going after the -- they're going after mostly their hardware and naval.
It's really a hard -- it's hard for leaders around the world including European leaders to get a sense of where this ends because they have been
sitting a bit on the sidelines -- Europe.
[14:35:31]
VAKIL: Absolutely. I mean I think it's abundantly clear that the United States, the strongest military power, has the capability of degrading Iran
in a meaningful way particularly if this goes on for weeks. But you know what is Europe worried about? They're worried about the no goals, the lack
of objectives. They're worried that there's been no day after planning and that's already very evident. The reports that the United States is arming -
- that they're arming the Kurds to then cause instability in Iran suggests that.
And then Donald Trump's sort of ad hoc messaging that I'll make a deal. I want to pick the Supreme Leader. I mean, he kind of needs to decide and
orient himself in a -- in a structured way in order to bring Europe on board. Right now, they're sitting on the sidelines because they don't want
to be implicated. They know they're going to be left to pick up the pieces like all of the countries in the region that have been targeted and are
bearing the price for this war.
This is a war that nobody wanted. And ultimately, if you really wanted to think about a different day after for Iran, it would have been through the
negotiating table because Iranians have been protesting for political change for so long.
SOARES: They didn't see that. We didn't even get to Vienna on their diplomatic front there. Thanks very much, Sanam. I really appreciate it.
I want to take you to the memorial service for civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson. I believe there you go. Former U.S. President Barack Obama
is speaking. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- and Secretary Clinton, Vice President Harris, Pastor Dates, my old friend though he
looking good, Reverend Meeks, Reverend Jenkins. It is an honor to join you today to celebrate the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, a man who when the
poor and the dispossessed needed a champion and a country needed healing, stepped forward again and again and again and said, send me.
Reverend Jackson's immense gifts were apparent at an early age, even if his circumstances conspired to try to hold him back. Born out of wedlock to a
teenage mom. Growing up under the oppressive cloud of segregation, confined to schools, sports facilities, movie theaters that were separate and
unequal. It was a world where on Thanksgiving he'd have to wait for his mother to come home on the bus carrying leftovers from the dinner she had
to cook for somebody else. A world designed to tell a child that he or she could only go so far. That to think otherwise would be foolish or
dangerous. And that wisdom required you to accept your lot in life.
Young Jesse refused to accept that verdict. He was a born leader, an athlete, a talker, knew how to talk, star quarterback, student body
president. He could have succeeded within the confines that were determined for him and had a successful life. But like so many of his generation, so
many extraordinary civil rights leaders in the late 50s and 60s, that Joshua generation, he instinctively understood that individual success
meant nothing unless everybody was free.
So, he became inspired by the bus boycotts in Montgomery, led seven black students into the Whites-only library sitting down and getting arrested for
reading. Think about that. The library closed, but then it reopened. And when it did, it was open to everyone. Send me, Jesse said, even as a young
man and the world got a little bit better.
[14:40:58]
By the time Reverend Jackson graduated from college, he had attended Chicago Theological Seminary, he knew the nature of his calling and he
became as everybody knows the youngest member of SCLC assigned to lead Operation Bread Basket here in Chicago right around the time that Isaiah
Thomas is talking about. And it was during this period and especially after Dr. King's death when the optimism of the early movement had begun to fade
and leadership had begun to fracture and when the country seemed to have grown bored gotten weary of the idea of justice and equality and moved on
to other concerns that Reverend Jackson rose above despair and kept that righteous flame alive.
Through Operation Push, he led boycotts and challenged corporate policies around hiring and contracting, recognizing that civil rights without
economic justice was an empty promise. He backed unions in their organizing efforts and activists in fair wage campaigns. Understanding that if the
have nots and the have-little-bits ever learned to make common cause across racial lines instead of fighting each other over breadcrumbs, everybody
would benefit.
He helped register millions of voters. He fought against biases in the criminal justice system. He drew attention to local abuses of power and
called folks at the national level to account. And by the early 80s, he was delivering that message of change and hope across the globe, freeing
hostages from captivity, fighting to end apartheid in South Africa.
And then in 1984, as the powers that be in Washington were rolling back hard one progress, slashing the social safety net, when more and more folks
were getting left behind and greed was being trumpeted as a virtue -- see, we've been there before -- he stepped forward once again and said, send me.
He ran for the presidency of the United States of America.
I had just graduated from college during that first campaign, and I was living in New York at the time. I was working to pay off my student loans,
eating a lot of tuna fish and camel soup. And if I went to a diner, you know, I'd grab some extra crackers, put in my pocket. And I was inspired by
the Civil Rights Movement, and I had my mind to work for social justice.
[14:45:05]
But even though I was full of good intentions, I was uncertain of how to serve and fighting off self-doubt. And I remember how at the time plenty of
people, including I'm sorry, plenty of Black folks were dismissing Jesse's chances, suggesting he just wants attention. He can only get Black votes.
But then I remember one night sitting in my janky apartment and I got an old black and white TV with the rabbit ears and I'm kind of jiggering
around and it's about this big. I know young people can't imagine, but TV was about this big.
And I'm watching the Democratic primary debate between him and Walter Mondale and Gary Hart. And I remember how when that debate was over, I
turned off that TV and I thought the same thing that I know a lot of people thought that night, even if they didn't want to admit it, that in his
ideas, in his platform, in his analysis, in his intelligence, in his insight, Jesse hadn't just held his own. He had owned that stage. He wasn't
an intruder. He wasn't a pretender. He belonged on that stage. And the message he sent to a 22-year-old child of a single mother with a funny
name, an outsider, was that maybe there wasn't any place, any room where we didn't belong. And that message of fairness and dignity, of justice and
hope, that's what the Rainbow Coalition was all about.
In 1984 and then again in 1988, Jesse didn't just speak to Black folks, he spoke to White folks and Latinos and Asian-Americans and the first
Americans. He spoke to family farmers and environmentalists. He spoke to gay rights activists when nobody was talking to gay rights activists and
blue-collar workers. And he gave them the same message that they mattered, that their voices and their votes counted. He invited them to believe. He
invited us to believe in our own power to change America for the better.
By the delegate count, Jesse's two candidacies ultimately came up short, but he paved the road for so many others to follow. Doug Wilder became the
first elected Black governor. Carol Moseley Braun went to the U.S. Senate. Because of Jesse, the Democratic Party changed its rules, ending the
winner-take-all distribution of delegates during presidential primaries, which meant underdogs and outsiders like Bill Clinton or Bernie Sanders
could stay competitive and build momentum instead of getting knocked out early. And it was because of that path that he had laid, because of his
courage, his audacity that two decades later, a young Black senator from Chicago South Side would even be taken seriously as a candidate for the
presidential nomination.
[14:50:05]
I still credit that first run of justice and Harold Washington's campaign for drawing me to Chicago. And I didn't know anybody when I first arrived.
And I was working as a community organizer, as it so happens in neighborhoods right around here, Roseland, Woodlawn, Altgeld, West Pullman,
and I -- and I mean these young preachers like Meeks and some crazy priest named Pfleger. And I guess Jenkins was running around, but he's kind of
young. He came a little bit later, but I -- so I'm going to churches and I'm listening to all these amazing preachers, and it was hard work. And
half the time I didn't know what I was doing and progress was slow. And I definitely didn't know how I was going to survive these Chicago winters
because I grew up in Hawaii.
But I do remember heading to the PUSH headquarters some Saturday mornings to listen and learn from Reverend Jackson. And y'all remember how on some
mornings if there was a major issue going on, the room would be packed to the rafters, and sometimes some celebrity just wanders in. And then some
mornings it was kind of lowkey. Either way though that the announcements would be made and Rev. Barrow say a prayer. And Jesse sit there and then
finally he'd gather himself up and stand and he'd start kind of slow, you know, and sometimes he talked kind of low so you couldn't quite catch what
he was saying, so everybody lean in.
And over time, it was that same boundless energy that would emerge and that same passion and that same insight. And he'd offer you a master class in
economics on a -- on a Saturday morning. And he'd give you a seminar in American history and American politics. And he'd make complicated things
plain and he'd tell stories that would make you laugh one minute and cry the next. And whether you are a bus driver or a teacher or a business
leader or a young organizer, you came away from those meetings with a better understanding of how the world worked, how power worked. And more
importantly, he made you believe that if we came together, we could make the world work better.
Now, we've been talking about Jesse telling us we are somebody. I am somebody. And he wasn't just talking to young Black boys like Isaiah,
though he loved them fiercely. He wasn't just talking to young Black girls to help them believe, though he believed in them. He was talking about
everyone who was left out, everyone who was forgotten, everyone who was unseen, everyone who was unheard. And in that sense, he was expressing the
very essence of what our democracy should be. The ideals at the very heart of the American experiment. The belief that regardless of what we look like
or how we worship, regardless of where our ancestors come from or how much money we got, we're all part of the American family. We're all endowed with
the same inalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We're all obligated to answer the call and step forward and take
responsibility for making wrongs right and for caring for our neighbors and bringing the reality of America a step closer to its glorious ideals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:55:18]
SOARES: You have been listening there to former U.S. President Barack Obama paying tribute as you can see to the civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse
Jackson, who died on February the 17th at the age of 84. What we've heard from the former president is really him crediting the Reverend Jesse
Jackson for helping him pave the path to his presidency. If you remember, Jesse Jackson was in tears when Barack Obama became president. Incredibly
moved.
He's talking, he's paying tribute to him and telling the story of his life and saying how much he paved the path for so many to follow, not just him.
He also said as he put a picture really drew a picture of him saying how he began as young man in Greenville. He had been a successful life with so
many talents, Obama said. But he instinctively understood that individual success meant nothing unless everybody was free.
And alongside, of course, the former US president Barack Obama, also there to remember him, pay tribute is Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, as well as the
first ladies, Dr. Jill Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Max Foster will have more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
