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One World with Zain Asher
Beirut Hit By Fresh Israeli Airstrikes Moments Ago; Israel Unleashes Waves Of Deadly Strikes On Beirut; Pro-Iranian Hackers Claim Cyber-attack On U.S. Medical Device Maker; Russian Envoy: Discussed Energy Crisis With U.S. Officials; China Is Closely Watching The Widening War In The Middle East; Iran Steps Up Attacks On Tankers In Gulf; Oil Prices Rise Above $100 Per Barrel; Iran War Takes Toll On Kuwait Fish Market; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 12, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:41]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
Israel looks set to expand its operations in Lebanon.
ASHER: Yes. Here are the latest developments as the war with Iran rapidly escalates by land and sea.
GOLODRYGA: Israeli airstrikes just hit central Beirut. Reuters reporting, they were less than a kilometer from the government headquarters. This
after Iran-backed Hezbollah fired a huge barrage of rockets from Lebanon into Israel.
ASHER: And a statement said to be from Iran's new supreme leader was read live on state T.V. in Iran. In it, Mojtaba Khamenei says the vital Strait
of Hormuz will remain essentially closed. This is sources say U.S. intelligence shows that there is no sign the Iranian regime is collapsing.
(EXPLOSIONS)
GOLODRYGA: Iran is continuing to target tankers in the Gulf region. Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set on fire, killing at least one
person.
The International Energy Agency says the world is now facing the largest supply disruption in history of the global oil market.
Joining us now is senior columnist from "Jerusalem Post," Yaakov Katz. He's also an author and senior fellow of the Jewish People Policy Institute.
Yaakov, it's good to see you.
I know that you've recently argued that the IDF had always assumed that at some point Hezbollah would enter this war and this fight with Iran. But the
assessment among Israeli intelligence officials and government officials seem to have been that Hezbollah and their capabilities had been
significantly degraded given the war with Israel over the last year or so.
But during the ceasefire, they clearly have been able to amass and reconstitute some of their weaponry here given that huge barrage into
Israel overnight. I believe over 200 rockets were fired.
So, is this an Israeli intelligence miscalculation? And how do you assess Israel will now respond on not one but two fronts entering this war in
Southern Lebanon and also continuing its war in Iran?
YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, JERUSALEM POST: Well, I think you're right, 100 percent, Bianna, that Israelis felt that after the ceasefire with
Hezbollah, back in November of 2024, Hezbollah had been beaten and Hezbollah, I don't want to say decimated but was severely degraded and not
capable of these types of barrages of rockets or this type of capability.
I even went back earlier today and looked at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech when the ceasefire went into effect and he spoke about,
we promised victory and here is the victory, but we look at what happened last night. And we're looking at what's happening over the last few days.
It doesn't seem like Israel was victorious over Hezbollah back when that ceasefire went into effect. And then we saw the continuous Israeli attacks
in the year and a half since that ceasefire but still Hezbollah has significant capability.
So I don't know if it was an intelligence lapse. I don't know if it was the Israeli government not being completely truthful necessarily and what were
the -- the capabilities that Hezbollah retained when that ceasefire did go into effect, but we see what they're capable of.
If we listen to the IDF today, the Israel Defense Forces and the chief of staff Eyal Zamir is basically threatening a long-term campaign inside
Lebanon, one that will, for once and for all, and that's the term that I'm hearing within the IDF, once and for all, we will finally remove this
threat from the north.
And I just want to say one last thing on that. The people of the north, the Israelis who just went back to their homes in northern Israel, are now
sitting in bomb shelters 24/7. There's rockets. There's drones. There's the threat of a potential Hezbollah commando invasion across the border. And
for that reason, Israel has beefed up its forces in the north.
These are people who deserve a different reality. And -- and it is incumbent upon this government to finally try to create that new reality
for those people.
ASHER: I mean, I'm glad you brought that up because it has been difficult for a lot of people in northern Israel and it was almost traumatizing,
beyond traumatizing for them to be evacuated from their homes for so long.
And it -- it was as massive, as I understand it, political crisis for the Netanyahu government dealing with that. And so that's a problem that Israel
is having to contend with now.
But just in terms of what's happening with Hezbollah and really the Lebanese government, because they -- they are in sort of between a rock and
a hard place in all of this.
[12:05:05]
We saw the Lebanese president, Aoun, come out and talk about trying to sort of negotiate with Israel directly because they're so tired of consistently
being dragged into conflict by Hezbollah.
But it is very difficult from -- for the Lebanese government to sort of extricate itself from Hezbollah because Hezbollah is, of course, much more
than just an armed group, their political system. They are -- they offer sort of social and welfare services.
The Lebanese military is politically constrained and it's sort of hesitant, of course, for understandable reasons to sort of engage with Hezbollah
directly. The Lebanese political system itself is weakened, unstable.
So, if you are Joseph Aoun, what are your options?
KATZ: Well, I think Joseph Aoun has a significant dilemma but I think also Israel does. Because you're hundred percent right, Zain, that we are facing
a moment in time that on the one hand Hezbollah has to be dealt with, but on the other side of this, Israel is looking at a government in Beirut, led
by Joseph Aoun, with people in parliament, and they were supposed to hold elections just in May new parliamentary elections.
And it's -- it's fascinating to watch the candidates, now the elections have been postponed, but the candidates in those elections are -- each one
is trying to outflank the other who can be tougher in the rhetoric to dismantle, to disarm, and to free their country of Hezbollah.
So on the one hand, you want to take down Hezbollah, but on the other hand, Israel doesn't want to undermine this government. This is an amazing
government that has real potential to even normalize diplomatic relations one day with Israel. That's even a conversation that's been being had right
now as we speak inside Beirut.
So, Israel has to be careful. I think what we would want to see in Israel is that Aoun government take real steps to trying to take on Hezbollah.
At the end of the day, it is up to the Lebanese government to want to take that fight. They don't want to, and therefore, Israel is -- is -- is at
some point going to be constrained. Because if the Lebanese are going to do it on their own with the -- with the LAF, with the Lebanese Armed Forces,
it's going to have to be the IDF.
And the consequences of that are not going to be to the liking of either side here, right? The Lebanese are going to claim that Israel is
undermining their sovereignty. And the world is not going to want to see Israel going into Lebanon and a ground offensive like what we saw just
about a year and a half ago. So if either they take the action themselves or I'm afraid Israel is going to have to do the work it's -- on its own.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this comes as not only you're seeing more and more outrage not only from the Lebanese government, but Lebanese people and the
community there itself saying, we did not ask for this war again and very, very frustrated and angry of Hezbollah for starting this.
You've got pressure inside Israel as well though, because if you're going to see hundreds of thousands, perhaps a hundred thousand or so troops then
drawn into another front, this is an ongoing war for Israel that at some point, it's not only the human cost, but also the cost to the economy, and
as Israel said -- I mean as Zain said, the psychology and the psychological toll that this is having now on these two countries collectively
Yaakov Katz, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you, Yaakov.
KATZ: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And as -- and as we said, we've seen a fresh wave of strikes in the Lebanese capital and new Israeli evacuation orders in the last half
hour or so.
So, let's go straight to our chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh who is tracking all the developments live from Amman,
Jordan.
And, Nick, this speaks to the point that we were just making with Yaakov, it puts the Lebanese government in a very difficult position. They have
been more aggressive than ever and their demands for Hezbollah to disarm. And yet now, it's the Lebanese people and obviously those Israeli residents
that are facing the -- the brunt of this renewed fighting.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. And -- and put the point out to people exactly how central we're talking
about with these new two recent evacuation orders.
I mean a matter of a hundred meters away from key government prime ministerial offices in the very heart of Beirut, the last one I just saw
and then slightly out east further to still closer towards the (INAUDIBLE) kind of a northeastern part of the city.
I point that out because, traditionally, the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut has been the Israeli target in the late -- in the last
offensive back in 2024 and evacuation orders too. So this shows a spreading series of Israeli ambitions to hit targets around the city.
Also too important to point out, that we are hearing now a second evacuation order for southern Beirut, telling people to get north of the
Zahrani River. Now, that's about 20 kilometers further north. That's potentially tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom fled
the first evacuation order south of the Litani to keep moving further north. So the humanitarian toll of this, enormous.
[12:10:59]
And it's important to point out that this may erode some of the momentum that the anti-Hezbollah feeling was getting in Lebanese society, not
suggest that Hezbollah will somehow benefit from it.
But to see this sort of onslaught and this sort of displacement forced evacuation of people from huge areas is not going to play well in Lebanese
society. And it may potentially provide a window for unity against this Israeli onslaught.
Wherein the past, it seemed as though Hezbollah was certainly on a back foot in terms of the Lebanese military's move to try and disarm them. So a
key moment certainly in this conflict, one in which there are hundreds of thousands of people on the move.
And I should point out that eight people were killed in a strike on a beach just slightly north of the evacuation zone in southern Beirut there. And
that was I think a startling sign of how some of these Israeli strikes can spread somewhat to areas where this seems to have been predominantly people
who'd evacuated from these orders.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Nick Paton Walsh of us. Thank you so much.
Well, Israel has raised the specter of a major ground operation in Lebanon amid an intensifying conflict with Hezbollah.
ASHER: Yes. CNN's Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut. And it has more now on the toll this war has taken so far in that country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a heavy night of bombardment here in Lebanon. You can see the smoke behind. You can really smell the
smoke in the air as well. And we've been hearing jets overhead.
This happened as Hezbollah sent a barrage of rockets into Israeli territory and Israel responded by sending airstrikes initially about half a dozen
airstrikes. And these are some of the heaviest airstrikes that residents say that they've heard and seen so far.
The IDF has also warned individuals in Dahieh and in the southern suburbs to evacuate immediately and not to return.
As we've been moving around Beirut today, we've really seen this whole city has been, you know, turned upside down just in the last few days. Hundreds
of thousands of people have been displaced over the last week or so. So many people have just had their entire lives turned upside down. We've seen
people out in the street sleeping in tents, sleeping in shelters and schools, in a sports stadium, literally wherever they can find space today.
And we've heard them saying that, you know, for many of them, this is not the first time that they've been displaced. Many of them were displaced 16
months ago and now, they're absolutely exhausted to be going through this all over again.
Isobel Yeung, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. The lack of clarity from the White House over the U.S. military's mission in Iran is presenting a political problem for President
Trump and his Republican party, especially as oil and gas prices surge.
GOLODRYGA: Sources tell CNN that Trump allies are pushing Trump's administration to offer a clearer picture on the goals of the war and the
metrics for its success to the American public, who largely disapprove of military action in Iran.
On Wednesday, a top Republican echoed some of those sentiments in rare public remarks noting that the White House is conveying a level of
uncertainty that is causing confusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): The president says, we're almost done. And then we hear from others that, well, it's going to be weeks, maybe -- maybe
months, that the -- that the -- that the level of fighting is going down, and yet, then the next day, it seems like the intensity of the strikes is
even more than it has been.
So I think this is where the American public is following this with a bit of confusion.
If you haven't built the case as to why we need to be doing more, it may be a -- a challenge to get the support that you need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: In other developments, pro-Iran hackers have claimed responsibility for a cyber-attack on a major U.S. medical device maker.
ASHER: Yes. The Stryker company which produces a range of hospital equipment told CNN it has experienced a global network disruption.
Let's bring in Sean Lyngaas who wrote the story for us and joins us live now from Washington.
So, Sean, the hacking group actually claimed that the attack on Stryker was in response to the attack we saw on the elementary school in Iran.
But this is really the sort of first major attack from a pro-Iranian group on U.S. infrastructure. And I guess the expectation is, there could be more
where that came from.
SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: There could be. There certainly could be. We are -- we're waiting for this. Those of us who report on this.
U.S. intelligence officials were warning about this.
There was some questions about to what extent the Iranian cyber operatives in Tehran were still alive and well, given all of the bombardments that
they experienced in the last week or so.
But what we saw yesterday break overnight was the sort of disruption at global scale of a massive company based in Michigan. It has about 56,000
employees. But they -- they make hospital equipment for hospitals across the U.S.
[12:15:00]
And we're still tracking, trying to run down exactly what impacts we have. But what -- just one impact, for example, is the device that ambulances use
to communicate patient information to hospitals. That was taken offline because of the cyberattacks. So now, paramedics use -- use radio as they
can do, to communicate that information.
But it's really an alarming cyberattack. The health sector is convening calls almost hourly about this. The FBI is certainly investigating. Iran --
we knew Iran was capable of this. And it was -- it was frankly a matter of time before it happened.
Yes, they did cite the -- the bombing of the elementary school in Iran as justification. But truth be told, they would have probably tried to carry
out a cyberattack no matter what. And this company appears to be the unfortunate opportunistic victim of that.
ASHER: All right. Sean Lyngaas, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Coming up for us, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy says that he talked with U.S. officials about the global energy crisis. We'll
bring you the latest details, ahead.
ASHER: And also ahead, we'll look at Beijing's view of the unfolding conflict and how A.I. is playing an important role in messaging out of
China.
GOLODRYGA: And a picture is worth a thousand words, and a hero, assistant police chief, has more than that written about him over one picture. We'll
tell you why after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Russian presidential envoy, Kirill, met with American officials in Florida. He says that he discussed projects with his U.S.
counterpart that could restore Russian-American relations amid the current energy crisis.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Sources tell CNN that Russia has been giving Iran specific advice on drone tactics.
President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had this to say when asked about the matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WITKOFF, UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: On the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing.
That's -- that's what they said.
So, you know, we can -- we can take them at their work.
Jared and I had a call with Ushakov who reiterated the same. So I -- you know, that's a better question for the intel people, but let's hope that
they're not sharing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We can take them at their word.
For more on this, let's bring in Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. Alexandra, it's good to see you again.
And -- and wow, what a few weeks will do in terms of changing the dynamics and the tide for Vladimir Putin, at least in the short-term here. We had
you on just a few weeks ago before this war began on a piece that you had written, where you described Russia and the -- Russia's economy as being
stuck in a negative equilibrium.
[12:20:18]
Now, we are seeing gas prices, oil prices soar past $100 a barrel pushing Russian girls well above the Kremlin's $59 budget baseline.
How much of an immediate financial lifeline is this recent spike in oil prices for Russia, for Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine?
ALEXANDRA PROKOPENKO, FELLOW, CARNEGIE RUSSIA EURASIA CENTER: Thanks for the question and thanks for having me here.
Actually, Russia's economy is where it had been two years ago -- sorry, two weeks ago. Oil price swings could look scary, but don't let the -- these
numbers distract you from the bigger picture. And so far, Putin's most valuable gains from the Middle East war are political.
Yes, Euros (ph) crude jump from $41 in January and $44 in February to around 72. Now, yes, that rescues a budget that is heading towards crisis
but only if this price will stick for a while.
So for -- so economic wise, for Putin, the ideal scenario is not a quick victory or catastrophic escalation of the Middle East war but a medium-
length conflict of moderate intensity that keeps oil prices elevated. And we are not yet there.
But oil prices will eventually normalize when the -- when the intensity of conflict go down. What doesn't normalize is a weakened sanctions
architecture. And here, I see the major Putin -- Putin's gains. The Trump administration built the first hole in the sanctions regime itself which is
the 30-day waiver for India.
Now, as I heard broader relief under discussion and EU next second package quietly shelved. Moscow didn't lobby any of this, but the West did itself
under domestic price pressure and probably under pressure ahead of midterms.
So the principle that sanctions hold regardless of circumstances has been broken. And this is a precedent which brings Putin a lot of joy.
Ukraine is now a secondary front, diplomatically and militarily. Washington's attention, its patriot stock, patriot missile stocks and its
political capital all were directed to the Middle East.
The trilateral peace talks that had just resumed are stalled and Europe's ability to supply Ukraine with air defense systems is constrained by its
own exposure to the Gulf crisis.
So Russia's hands in the Ukraine are now free in a way they weren't three weeks ago. I think that's major Putin's gains here -- gain so far. And what
Russia actually loses is very little.
The relationship with Iran was always transactional and not strategic for Moscow. Bilateral trade was under five billion a year. Russian no longer
need, Shaheds -- Shahed drones. It can now produce them domestically.
So losing Iran as a partner simply doesn't hurt Moscow even though it saves money for the Kremlin because all joint programs of a railroad construction
and transportation corridors Putin bragged last year was paid from the Kremlin's bucket.
So summing up, the best -- the best option for Kremlin is a medium-length conflict, moderate intensity that keeps oil prices elevated for a couple of
months. These weeks are not decisive for Russian budget.
And also which is important that Middle -- Middle East crisis won't tip the world into recession because Russia will lose from global recession either.
Every week, these continues, Russia earns more. Western arsenals are further stretched and the sanctions regime erodes -- also erodes. So that's
Moscow -- and now Moscow getting everything they want.
ASHER: Alexandra, I want you to just expand on something you just mentioned, this idea of Russia's relationship with Iran being not
necessarily strategic, but basically transactional.
I mean, talk to us about the ways in which Russia's interests and Iran's interests align. I mean, obviously for Russia, Iran allows it to have some
kind of influence in the Middle East, but also this idea that they both face heavy sanctions.
Just talk to us a bit about how the cooperation between Iran and Russia aligns with Russia's interests and just what opportunity supporting Iran
during this war provides Russia.
PROKOPENKO: Well, I know a little about Russian-Iranian cooperation during this war. Allegedly, there are intel sharing but we don't know.
[12:25:08]
Previously, mostly, the relationship, as I said, they were transactional. So there was bilateral trade and Iran has little to offer Russia.
There were some -- there were some projects related to different transportation corridors from China to Europe via Russia, via Iran, and so
on and so forth.
But all I know about this cooperation was -- was the whole relationship between Moscow and Tehran there was built on Moscow providing loans to
Iranian regime. And Iran used this money for construction and for their own needs.
So I guess that this -- that this conflict is some sort of relief for financial work of the government who now do not need to find any arguments
for Putin why they don't want to provide additional funds for Iranian regime.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we --
PROKOPENKO: So here I guess -- yes.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I was just going to say recent analysis backs that up that -- that Russia is strictly playing sort of a backstage actor role here in
aiding Iran when it can while still wanting to avoid completely distancing itself or breaking its ties with Israel and then, of course, drawing the
ire of the Trump administration.
But to that latter point, how does Moscow interpret these comments from Steve Witkoff essentially once again seeming to give Russia and the Kremlin
the benefit of the doubt saying, you know, we're going to take them at their word?
PROKOPENKO: I guess Russia will remain silent, so they need -- they want to have U.S. partners engaged and they want -- and they don't want to -- they
-- that they don't want to undermine their words.
We heard that both Putin and Trump assessed the call they had on Monday -- on Monday -- on Monday or -- or in Sunday, the -- that the assessment that
the call was positive.
It seems that Putin could be a little bit offended that Trump doesn't want to see him as a mediator at this conflict and -- and that Trump wants Putin
to be preoccupied in Ukraine.
But anyway, I guess Russia will keep silent and then isolate Iran with economical and geopolitical instruments they have. And what's -- what's
also the points my attention that China is also silent about this conflict.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And that leads us straight to our next -- our next segment. Alexandra Prokopenko, thank you so much for the time and analysis. We
really appreciate it.
ASHER: Thank you.
All right. China had been buying at least 80 percent of Iran's exported oil. So President Xi Jinping is watching the war in the region closely and
calling for restraint.
GOLODRYGA: However, videos on Chinese social media are taking a much more aggressive stance mocking the United States.
CNN's Will Ripley takes a closer look at the roles Beijing and artificial intelligence are playing in this war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In China, this A.I.-generated video shows president Donald Trump trying to make
Iran's supreme leader disappear, but instead, his son pops up, a not-so- subtle jab at the United States.
Another viral video goes even further, this one, shared by Iran's embassy in Beijing, untouched by China's army of online censors, implying President
Trump started the war to distract from the Epstein files; showing a U.S. missile bombing a school.
Then, showing the destruction of American military bases, aircraft carriers, and the Israeli prime minister's compound.
Across Chinese social media, the message is blunt: America started this war.
Publicly, President Xi Jinping's government is striking a more diplomatic tone, calling for restraint. China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, says, "This
is a war that should never have happened, and a war that benefits no one."
China has long been Iran's economic lifeline. Beijing buying most of their oil exports despite years of U.S.-led sanctions. And now, U.S. officials
say they're watching signs Beijing could soon provide more crucial financial support to Tehran.
The war is shaking global energy markets, oil prices surging to four-year highs, attacks, threatening shipping routes in the Middle East.
For China, the world's biggest energy importer, that's a serious risk.
[12:30:59]
But strategically, Beijing may also see opportunity as the two superpowers compete on the world stage with the CIA putting out these official
recruitment videos brazenly and openly luring Chinese officials to spy for the U.S.
Analysts say a prolonged war could pull American attention and military resources back to the Middle East and away from Asia, allowing China to
flex its military muscle around Taiwan, in the South China Sea, and disputed islands near Japan, without U.S. interference.
RIPLEY: All of this is unfolding just weeks before a planned meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, a summit in Beijing expected to focus
on trade, technology, and the situation here in Taiwan.
For China, the war shows the limit of its clout and ambitions in the Middle East, but it also gives Beijing another chance to present itself as a force
for peace and stability, in stark contrast to President Trump's America.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Hey, welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
Several Gulf countries have intercepted new waves of Iranian drones and missiles. Iran has been escalating its attack on vessels in the Strait of
Hormuz. In just two days, six ships have been attacked.
According to a new message, said to be from the Iranian Supreme Leader, Iran intends to keep this key shipping route closed.
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, Saudi Arabia's defense ministry says that it has intercepted and destroyed more than 20 drones near the kingdom's oil
fields.
And take a look at this video from Bahrain. Firefighters battling huge flames at a fuel storage facility allegedly struck by Iran.
As for the UAE, their air defenses are also responding to incoming Iranian threats.
CNN senior producer Bijan Hosseini is tracking the story from the Qatari capital of Doha.
And so here we are, Bijan, 12 days in, in the attacks against other Gulf nations continue, despite the fact that the new supreme leader has said
that they will not be striking there, as he described them friendly neighbors, just U.S. bases and facilities there.
[12:35:13]
How is that playing out in Doha?
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, yes, as you two pointed out, a lot of activity happening specifically today as this conflict continues to
escalate throughout the whole region.
You know, starting -- today, Iran focusing a lot of that firepower on energy infrastructure, contrary to what the country has said.
We saw that video in Bahrain, a massive fire that broke out after authorities there said an Iranian drone attacked a fuel storage tank. We
know that civil defense have been battling that fire for hours.
We also know that authorities telling residents in four nearby towns and villages to stay inside and keep their window shut, which suggests a
potential environmental fallout from that attack as well.
Over in Oman, a similar story near the port of Salalah, another fuel tanker. This video was geo located by CNN. It purports to show an Iranian
Shahed drone hitting that facility.
Iran did come out and say that Oman is a friendly neighbor. They found that this attack was highly suspicious is what they said and that they would
investigate that attack.
But we're also seeing attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz. We know that two foreign oil tankers off the coast of Iraq and Iraqi waters were
attacked today. Those attacks killed at least one person. And we know that dozens of crew members had to abandon ship on those two vessels.
And as you guys pointed out, we're seeing attacks in multiple Gulf countries as well on land. Saudi's ministry of defense confirming 20 drones
were intercepted in the eastern part of their country.
Over in the UAE, ministry of defense, they are confirming that they were intercepting missiles and drones. We know that one drone fell and hit a
residential building in Dubai's Creek Harbour according to the government media office there.
And in Kuwait, several drones hitting the airport there. Authorities saying there was material damage from those strikes. And we also heard from our
colleague Nic Robertson that two people were injured and an overnight drone strike on a residential building there.
Here in Qatar, we had alerts again today on our phone, the ministry of defense confirming that they intercepted a missile attack from Iran. So
clearly no sign of slowing down here in the region.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Bijan Hosseini, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Still to come here, oil prices surge, as Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. What it could mean
for global supply and the world economy.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Even fish could become a new front in this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN reports on the toll the conflict is taking on fishermen in Kuwait.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:29]
ASHER: All right. Let's take a look and see how U.S. markets are doing right across the board. The Dow and the S&P down by almost about one
percent. The NASDAQ down a little bit more than one percent as well.
GOLODRYGA: The Pentagon is estimating that the first six days of the conflict has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $11 billion. That figure was
shared with lawmakers in a private briefing on Tuesday.
ASHER: And a top democratic lawmaker who serves on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense believes the amount of spending is
likely even higher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I expect that the current total operating number is significantly above that.
It isn't an even expenditure, because obviously, the number of munitions, the amount of assets engaged, the number of the missions set and the target
set has changed.
To assume that it is well above a billion and a half a day, I think would be a fair guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Oil prices surged Thursday as Iran's new supreme leader vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Brent crude, the international oil benchmark rose past $100 per barrel again. This as Iran has ramped up attacks to disrupt energy markets. This
video you're seeing now shows the moment a tanker was struck in the Persian Gulf.
ASHER: Yes. The International Energy Agency says the war is causing the largest supply disruption in history. However, U.S. President Donald Trump
says oil prices are not his priority. And actually, the United States stands to gain from higher prices.
Andy Lipow is the president of Lipow Oil Associates. He joins us live now from Houston, Texas. Andy, thank you so much for being with us.
I want to start with this IEA decision to release reserves or recommend its members to release reserves of about 400 million barrels of oil. Obviously,
I think the thing that struck everybody is that it's a lot higher than the 240 million barrels of oil it decided to release back in 2022 when the
Russian-Ukraine war was heating up.
Your take on what this signals because I think a lot of people are seeing this as a -- a belief by the IEA that this war is going to last a while.
And also, even if it does sort of cool prices temporarily, if this war really drags on, the reserves themselves will be depleted quite quickly.
Give us your take.
ANDY LIPOW, PRESIDENT, LIPOW OIL ASSOCIATES: Well, thanks very much for having me. Unlike the Russian-Ukraine conflict, we didn't have a supply
disruption then. We just had a reshuffling of supplies with increases to India and China.
Here, the IEA is now estimating that 10 million barrels a day of production is shut in between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq. So
we have a real supply disruption, hence, the major release of strategic petroleum reserves.
But having said that, if you look, the release of these reserves is over a period of time. And while the U.S. is saying it's going to release 172
million barrels, that's over the next 120 days, which is equivalent to 1.5 million barrels a day. So it's only a small in-road into the supply
disruption that we have.
GOLODRYGA: Andy, in response to predictions from Iranian officials that obviously have to be taken with a grain, a large grain of salt here that
oil prices could reach $200 a barrel, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that that will not happen. In fact, he believes that the U.S. reserve swaps
will offset any dislocation.
Do you share his optimism, if you call that optimism, by saying prices won't reach as high as $200 a barrel?
LIPOW: Well, we're certainly not seeing that optimism translate into the oil market today. I don't think that will reach $200 per barrel, because
we'll have a significant amount of demand destruction between now and then.
And you're already seeing, you know, countries impose, you know, regulations, if you will, in order to cut down on oil consumption, even at
these elevated levels.
ASHER: Just in terms of the IEA's decision, just going back to the 400 million barrels of oil dipping into the reserves, how much of a risky
decision is that? Because one of the key things that I'm sure they would have considered is the fact that they will have to replenish those reserves
at a later date.
And if market prices are higher, significantly higher, refilling those reserves will be quite expensive for them. So just explain the thought
process and how much of a risky decision it is to release that amount.
[12:45:08]
LIPOW: Well, I think the IEA decided they simply had to take action to show the consumer that they were doing something to mitigate the increase in
prices.
Now, you're absolutely right that sometime in the future, these countries are going to want to replace and replenish their strategic petroleum
reserves, which may be at lower prices, they may be at higher prices.
But one thing that we do know is we're having a substantial amount of oil being left in the ground throughout the Middle East, and it's very
difficult to actually make up for that loss in the future. And that is going to really be a dilemma for when this conflict ends, is how to
replenish those stocks without -- or at the same time lowering prices.
GOLODRYGA: And that is the -- the big factor here, the big unknown, when will this conflict end?
Goldman Sachs expects Brent to average $98 through April, that's up 40 percent from its to 2025 average, but then dropping back to $71 by the
fourth quarter of this year.
Since we already know the IEA says that returning upstream production to pre-crisis levels will take months, what do you make of that analysis from
Goldman?
LIPOW: Well, I think that analysis was done with the information they had. I think, you know, Goldman does revise their analysis as -- as new data
comes in. I don't think that we're going to go back to $71 in the fourth quarter due -- due to the immense amount of supply disruption we have.
And my expectation is that conflict and the supply disruption is going to last several more weeks, really causing a further, you know, increase in
oil prices here over the next couple of weeks.
ASHER: All right. Andy Lipow in Houston, Texas. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Andy.
Well, Kuwait says that its international airport was damaged by a drone attack early on Thursday.
ASHER: Yes. The country is separated from Iran by just a few miles of sea and the war is taking a massive toll on oil industries there.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: Even fish could become a new front in this war. Reason, really simple it's harder for the fishermen to get out to sea. The government's
giving them fewer permits.
So here in Kuwait's famous fish market, there's fewer local fish coming in. There's fewer international fish being bought in. This is all because of
the war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz not far away. Iran, even closer.
The fishermen here going out to sea every day. Their caches are down and that risk pushing the prices up. So even in the crowd here, you've got
government officials monitoring the crisis, making sure there's no price gouging.
Everyone thinks of Kuwait and the oil exports and that's the effect on the economy and the Strait of Hormuz being closed.
But there are ground realities even in the local domestic economy. The fish market is just part of it. Government officials here, the buildings have
been hit by missiles. They're working from home. Celebrations during the -- during Ramadan, they're being affected as well. People aren't gathering the
same way.
Life is being affected here. But this fish market is a place where you can see how much life is being upended by the war. The prices are a measure of
that. The governments here to make sure the prices don't go through the roof.
People's feelings about the war, there's nothing they can do about it. They say they wonder why Iran, a friendly neighbor, formally, is doing this to
them.
The ground reality is the longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the longer the waters that they fish in are dangerous, the longer the impact and the
bigger the impact is going to be here. The government's doing everything they can to mitigate against it.
But it's a war that they don't control. It's a war that they feel caught up in. And the fish market here, it's a war they're just trying to survive in.
Everyone just trying to get by as best they can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Nic for that report.
Still to come for us, a picture is worth a thousand words and more than 20 million clicks on social media. We're talking about this one right here.
We'll hear from this NYPD hero cop, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:11]
GOLODRYGA: All right. One final look at the headlines on the war in Iran this hour. In the last couple of hours, new Israeli airstrikes hit central
Beirut. Reuters reporting that they were less than a kilometer from government headquarters.
Now, this after Iran-backed Hezbollah fired a huge barrage of rockets from Lebanon into Israel.
ASHER: And a statement reported to be from Iran's new supreme leader was read live on state television. In it, Mojtaba Khamenei says the vital
Strait of Hormuz will remain essentially closed. This as sources say U.S. intelligence shows there's no sign the Iranian regime is collapsing.
GOLODRYGA: Iran is continuing to target tankers in the Gulf region. Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set on fire killing at least one
person.
And oil prices topped $100 a barrel just in the last hour. The International Energy Agency says the world is facing the largest supply
disruption in the history of the global oil market.
ASHER: All right. A snapshot of New York City police in action has gone viral. This image, take a look here, of Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards has
reportedly gotten more than 20 million views on social media.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. He was jumping a barrier to catch a suspect accused of tossing makeshift bombs at anti-Muslim protesters. This was close to Gracie
Mansion where the mayor lives. He wasn't there at the time last weekend.
This hero cop spoke with Anderson Cooper about that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: What went through your mind when you realize what was going on, when you were jumping over that -- that fence?
AARON EDWARDS, ASSISTANT CHIEF, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: You know, Anderson, there wasn't a lot going through my mind. It was a --
COOPER: It just instinct.
EDWARDS: It was just instinct. There was -- there was a -- a real serious threat in front of us. And, you know, I wanted to get to it. I wanted to
make sure that we apprehend the suspect. And, you know, nothing was going to stop me.
COOPER: In a situation like that, I mean, how -- how do you not let adrenaline -- I mean, I've been in some situations where adrenaline just
takes over and I mean -- I mean, I wasn't even thinking clearly in some situations.
How do you know how -- I mean, I guess it's just training that you know how to respond in an emergency situation.
EDWARDS: Yes. I've been doing this for -- for 22 years and -- and you learn how to -- how to manage that, you know.
In policing, you know, they say there's hours of boredom and minutes of terror. And you have to learn how to manage that.
COOPER: I understand your wife was not too pleased --
EDWARDS: She was not.
COOPER: -- of the photo that -- that everyone else saw.
EDWARDS: She was not pleased. She sent me a -- a nice text message.
COOPER: I understand she actually -- did she send you the actual photo?
EDWARDS: Yes.
COOPER: And what did she say?
EDWARDS: Yes. She said, wrong direction, sir.
(LAUGHS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I love that.
ASHER: Great story to end the show on.
Assistant Chief Edwards said that he was inspired to become a police officer after watching first responders rush to save people on 9/11. He's
actually been with the NYPD for nearly 23 years.
[12:55:03]
GOLODRYGA: He is the best of what New York has to offer.
ASHER: Totally.
GOLODRYGA: All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
