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One World with Zain Asher

Trump Vows to Finish Iran War as Disapproval Rate Grows; Trump Urges Allies to Lead Efforts to Reopen Strait of Hormuz; UK Hosts Virtual Summit on Reopening Strait of Hormuz; Police Release Video from Tiger Woods' DUI Arrest; Global Airline Industry Feeling the Squeeze as Fuel Prices Soar; Iran Threatens More Destruction Following Trump Speech. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired April 02, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World".

Strikes continue in the Middle East, oil prices are surging, and the president continues to ramp up rather than wind things down with Iran.

That's the situation following Donald Trump's first address to the nation since the war with Iran began nearly six weeks ago. The president promised

to bomb Iran back to the Stone Ages, adding that the U.S. objectives are nearly reached.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Our objectives are very simple and clear. We are systematically dismantling the regime's

ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders. That means eliminating Iran's navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting

their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base. We've done all of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Now while the U.S. President says the hard part is over, Iran insists that it will choose when the war ends. The Iranian military

dismissing Trump's claim that four weeks of attacks have left it weakened. This as fresh strikes are caught on video, like this one near Esfahan.

As Israelis are marking the first night of Passover, Israeli defenses intercepted incoming Iranian missiles on Wednesday. And in Lebanon, health

officials say Israeli attacks killed at least 50 people within 24 hours. As we noted, oil prices are up and so are U.S. gas prices up 37 percent since

the start of the war.

Meantime, the UK is gathering with more than 40 countries in hopes of figuring out how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Jeremy Diamond is tracking

all these developments live for us from Tel Aviv and Jeremy as Israel is about to enter the second night of Passover, the country was inundated with

missiles last night from Iran.

What is the reaction from the president's speech in Jerusalem now, especially that two to three weeks window that he laid out in terms of when

he thinks this will wrap up.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Bianna, well, we haven't gotten any official reaction yet from the Israeli government, because the

first day of Passover has not yet ended, and officials will likely wait until the end of the first day of the holiday to put out any statements.

But there is no doubt that President Trump's statement about continuing this war with Iran for at least the next two to three weeks will be

welcomed by Israeli officials, by this government and its military, which has clearly still has a lot more road to go in terms of the number of

targets that they would like to and believe that they still can strike inside of Iran.

The Israeli Prime Minister has offered no indication that he is interested in winding down this war, although he certainly has shown deference to

President Trump. As the president last week, appeared to be pursuing some diplomatic efforts. But the last 24 hours, you know, has really indicated

to us that this war is not winding down between President Trump's statements about, you know, bombing Iran back to the Stone Ages over the

course of the next few weeks.

And then between what we've seen both here in Israel as well as in Iran, all parties are showing the capacity for escalation, rather than any kind

of de-escalation. That's because last night, as you were mentioning, as millions of Israelis were preparing to sit down at the Seder table for the

first night of Passover.

We had one alarm after the next hitting here in Israel with at least five waves of Iranian ballistic missiles within the span of two hours, the most

intense rate of fire that we have seen from Iran since the beginning of this war. Iran clearly telegraphing that, timing that to the Passover

holiday, and telegraphing that they have the capacity to deliver those kinds of strikes.

Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, also delivering waves of strikes today, with dozens of rockets being fired at Northern Israel. Israel, for its

part, fire has targeted hundreds of different targets inside of Iran over the course of the last few days, with a focus, it seems, on Iran's

Revolutionary Guard Corps.

[11:05:00]

And the Iranian officials, for their part have indicated that they are prepared to continue escalating. The response that we saw from Iran's

military from the Iranian Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, was all about the fact that Iran is prepared to continue this conflict.

We heard from Ghalibaf, in particular, after the speech, who said that Iran is locked loaded and standing tall. He said, bring it on in response to

President Trump, which is particularly notable given that it's coming from the man that the United States would potentially negotiate with.

On the other end of the negotiating table, should those talks ever come to fruition, the Iranian military, for its part, said that they were

threatening more destruction in response to President Trump's speech. A lot of this, of course, is bluster, but as we saw last night, Iran certainly

still retains many capacities, both to strike Israel, but also, of course, American bases in the Gulf.

GOLODRYGA: And Gulf neighbors as well. And we've seen the impact that all of that has had on the U.S. economy, on the global economy and energy

prices in particular, you mentioned potential escalation with regards to the war in Iran. We're also seeing that to the north of you, with regards

to the war with Hezbollah, which continues to expand. Jeremy, just tell us what's the latest on that front?

DIAMOND: Yeah, we're getting reports of a real intensification in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the course of the last 24 hours, and Hezbollah has

also ramped up its fire against Northern Israeli communities today. We know that this week, we heard the Israeli Defense Minister say in pretty much

the clearest terms possible that we have heard from him so far that Israel intends to control the area of Southern Lebanon all the way up to the

Litani River, as far as 20 miles into Lebanese territory.

And that Israel intends to remain in that part of Southern Lebanon, even after operations against Hezbollah in that area have concluded, effectively

laying the groundwork for an Israeli occupation of parts of Southern Lebanon. We know that it has, you know, as the conflict has intensified, it

has proved increasingly deadly for Israeli soldiers.

We saw on Tuesday, for example, four Israeli soldiers were killed, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed to 10 so far since we've seen

an intensification of ground operations in recent weeks. And again, the Israeli military threatening to continue, you know, taking -- putting

Israeli soldiers deeper into Lebanese territory.

It is certainly not going to be, you know, it's going to be an intense fighting on both sides of Hezbollah and Israel in the fight in Southern

Lebanon. And there is no diplomatic pathway that is presenting itself right now. We've heard repeated entreaties from the Lebanese government to try

and pursue direct negotiations with Israel, to try and find a path towards disarming Hezbollah.

The Israeli government, for now, seems intent on, you know, removing the threat of Hezbollah anti-tank missile fire from the residents living in

Northern Israel, you know, creating that buffer zone inside of Lebanese territory, while also destroying civilian infrastructure in that area as

well, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Hezbollah, proving that it's still capable of firing hundreds of salvos a day. I guess the key question is, will the United

States at some point intervene here. Jeremy Diamond, thank you. Good to see you. Well among the familiar talking points of last night's address, Trump

signaled the U.S. is prepared to intensify its military response.

Alayna Treene joins us from the White House. And on the one hand, Alayna, this was an audience that unlike us, that have been covering the daily

headlines, the daily posts on Truth Social and the minute-by-minute reaction to this war thus far, for the majority of the American public that

this speech was aimed for.

This is the second time only that they've seen the president on this front. The first obviously being the night that the war began. What is the White

House saying about its reaction and its response to the question of whether the president was able to achieve what he hoped to in speaking to the

American public?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a few things I point out. One, I did catch up. I was here last night for the address, and

caught up with some officials here at the White House shortly after, and the broad reaction was that they were very pleased with how it went.

He essentially did what they were hoping he would do. I'd remind you that uncharacteristic for this president, he actually stuck to the script and

also kept it fairly tight to the 20 minutes that he was allotted for this speech. And I think what you said, Bianna, is exactly the whole point of

this address, one, the nature of it being an address to the nation was, of course, very much deliberate.

They wanted this to be something that many Americans who are not often tuned in to what the president is saying on a daily basis. They wanted them

to receive this message.

[11:10:00]

And the message that the president wanted to deliver, and his team believes he did well, was this justification for the war and kind of explaining why

the United States is involved in Iran in a time when, of course, you know we have new polling. I know the White House is looking at the same type of

numbers that only 34 percent of Americans actually support this war with Iran.

What the president did was try to lay out some of the successes that the military has had thus far. And also, I think, and this is key here, explain

very clearly that he does not expect this to be a Forever War, and try to emphasize that he believes the war is nearing its completion.

Of course, whether that's actually true is another question we've seen signs from the Middle East that that's not exactly happening. Actually

simultaneously, we saw Tehran launching missile attacks towards Central Israel while this address was happening. But that was really the message

that he wanted to impart on the American people.

Because many people, Bianna, inside the White House, they recognize that this war is maybe not politically going the way that they had hoped. They

know Americans are losing patience. They recognize that higher gas prices here in the United States is hurting a lot of the messaging that they have

on this war.

And so again, this was really kind of almost a sale of the war to the American people. But I do want to point out some things that I took away

from this, specifically. One, was his answer on the Strait of Hormuz, kind of confirming our own reporting that this war very well could end without

the United States reopening that key waterway. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Number one, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much. And number two, build up some delayed courage.

Should have done it before, should have done it with us as we asked. Go to the straight and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you can see there, kind of repeating what we've heard from the president in recent days, this idea of trying to lay the responsibility

for reopening the strait at the feet of allies. He also did not mention at all something I know that the military and the president is considering

very closely, this idea of putting troops on the ground inside Iran.

But again, this was more broadly supposed to be a messaging speech, I think, for the American people. And White House officials say they believed

he did that, but we're just going to have to see whether or not it actually resonated the way they hoped.

GOLODRYGA: It didn't resonate the way it hoped I would imagine, with the market reaction.

TREENE: Yeah.

GOLODRYGA: With oil prices surging, the stock market plummeting following that speech in futures trading last night into this morning's trading.

Alayna Treene, good to see you. Thank you. Well, President Trump is calling on U.S. allies to take the lead on reopening the Strait of Hormuz while the

same time he was blasting NATO again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've had some very bad allies in NATO. And you know, we spend trillions of dollars on NATO, and when we need them, which we never do, we

didn't need them here either. To be honest, I was really asking, because they wanted to see what they do. We didn't need them.

We blasted the hell out of them, out of Iran, and the last thing I needed was NATO stepping in our way, because they're not -- they're a paper tiger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The president renewed an old threat by saying on Wednesday that he would absolutely consider pulling out of the alliance. And this all

comes as the NATO Secretary General is set to visit Washington next week. Meantime, today, leaders from around the world have met virtually to

discuss options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The vital waterway has been effectively closed since the Israel and U.S. attacked Iran. Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned quote,

saying Iran's recklessness in blocking the strait and its impact on global economic security. CNN's Anna Cooban joins me now from London.

Anna, we have the French President Macron saying today that the strait can't be opened militarily, that it can only be through diplomatic talks.

So, what are some of the takeaways from this meeting that's happening today?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, Bianna, we yet to get a full readout of what was said in that meeting, but among the things that

were probably discussed, which we've heard leaders talk about over the past few days, is the idea of there being this coalition of countries with

military escorts to allow these tankers safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now what Trump has done is really put the onus on countries that rely more directly on the oil coming out of that strait to sort of solve this

problem. And we, you know, just heard from Alayna there that this war could end, but without the strait being open. I think that idea was pretty

unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

And there's still a lot to be done if this strait was to reopen, we need minesweepers. We need to know it's completely safe for the ships to go

through. We need insurers to be betting on that safety and to be ensuring ships to go through. But Macron said himself, you know, it's unrealistic to

expect other countries to become involved militarily.

[11:15:00]

So, any sort of military escort would not be a way to get involved in the conflict, but to simply allow the safe passage of the ships. Now, Trump has

framed this as being not so much the U.S.'s problem this oil supply. He's right in saying the U.S. is more insulated in terms of the oil supply, but

not completely.

This is a global market we've seen after his speech yesterday. U.S. stocks sunk, oil rose and still, U.S. gas prices are extremely high, above $4 a

gallon. So, this isn't impacting the United States, despite what Trump might allude to.

GOLODRYGA: Right. It's traded globally. So, despite the fact the United States may have plenty of oil ourselves, we are impacted by what is

happening thousands of miles away, that is for sure. Anna, thank you. Well, President Trump's address, as we noted, did little to calm energy markets.

Matt Egan, joins us with a look at where the oil market may be heading. What are you seeing and hearing today, Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Bianna, look, if the speech was designed to try to calm those fears in the market, then it failed. If

anything, investors seem more concerned than they were 24 hours ago. I think the hope was that they'd get some clarity, some de-escalation, a plan

to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But we really didn't get any of them. That is why oil prices are up again today, up another 9 percent U.S. oil at almost $109 a barrel. Believe it or

not, this is actually off the highest levels of the day, though not dramatically lower of GasBuddy's, Patrick De Haan, he described his speech

on X as hollow.

And said he just does not think that the U.S. has a plan right now to avoid $5 a gallon gasoline on average in the U.S. Now the clock is ticking right,

because this is just a massive supply disruption. Analysts over at Macquarie, they've warned that if the war with Iran lasts through June,

then you could be looking at $200 a barrel oil.

That would translate not to that $5 gas, the gas, but he was talking about but $7 a gallon gasoline. And I asked Macquarie, well, what if the war ends

but the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, as you and Anna were just discussing, and they said, yes, in that scenario, you could still get to

that $200 a barrel oil.

And I know that this sounds extreme, but analysts are saying we can't dismiss it, just given the scale of the problem. We are looking at a

situation where an estimated 15 percent of world oil supply has been disrupted during this war, some context, that is well more than the 9

percent during the Gulf War in the 1990s and it's even more than the Arab oil embargo and the Iranian revolution in the 1970s.

It's really the biggest supply disruption that's ever happened. And the question, of course, is, how long does it last? The Bank of America has

said that if this doesn't get resolved in the next two or three weeks, then you could be looking at a breakdown of the oil supply chain.

Now, the White House has pushed back on some of these calls for very high oil prices. They've said the president has a plan and that he has taken

action here, and he has right, I mean, they've released enormous amounts of emergency oil. They've waived some shipping restrictions.

But clearly it hasn't been enough, because the prices continue to go higher, including, yes, at the gas pump, right? The national average now at

4.08 a gallon. Look at this, more than $1 above where prices were before the war started. We're looking at the highest gas prices in the U.S. in

almost four years.

And this is not just a problem in those higher cost Blue States like California. In fact, according to AAA, the top seven states seeing the

biggest price hikes for gasoline over the past month are all states that President Trump won in the 2024 election, including look at this, Florida,

Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah.

Utah gas prices are almost $1.50 higher than they were at this point a month ago. And Bianna, you look at what oil prices are doing right now, a 9

percent increase that implies that gas prices are going to continue to go higher in the coming days. Back to you.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and you have a whole new report about what gas prices could look like for the busy Memorial Day weekend as well. So, I suggest

our viewers go to cnn.com and read your new reporting. Thank you, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Tiger Woods has been on television a lot in the last 30 years, but there is newly released video that he probably hopes you won't

be seeing. We'll bring you those details ahead. Plus, did Trump make the case to the American people for the war in Iran? We break it down with CNN

Political Analyst David Sanger, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

GOLODRYGA: Police in Florida have just released body cam video from Tiger Woods' recent arrest for driving under the influence came after last week's

rollover crash in Florida. The golf legend has pleaded not guilty to DUI and refusing to submit to a lawful test.

Isabel Rosales joins us live with the story. What do we see in this video, Isabel?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So right now, we're working toward clearing several videos that we obtain from the Martin County

Sheriff's Office of that car crash. This is the first one that we have in house right now that we can show our audience. We're going to get more to

them. But this is from our CNN affiliate, WPBF.

And it shows the moments right after the crash. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked down my phone and all of a sudden, boom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me just take a look -- Is this is this comfortable for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- our medical and check you out, all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, they --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's OK. I just checked for anything on his back. I didn't feel anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And thankfully, neither Woods nor the driver whose trailer he clipped were injured in this, but you can see in the video that is his land

rover right there on its side. He lost control the vehicle, and it went flying, rolled over and pinned him right under there.

So, the driver of that truck right there, that white truck, ended up coming out and helping extricate Woods from his vehicle. Now we don't see the

field sobriety test from this video. Again, we're going through those videos, but we do know from court records that we obtain the arrest

affidavits, what happens after this moment.

We know that the deputies there saw behavior that made them suspicious, that they were dealing with driving under the influence, that he had blood

shot, glassy eyes, the pupils were, quote, extremely dilated.

He was hiccuping. He was sweating profusely. So, they ended up doing field sobriety tests, which he failed. He refused to do a urine test, and he did

submit to a breathalyzer, which he blew triple zeros, meaning no alcohol in the system. And as they were arresting him for DUI with property damage and

also refusal to submit to a lawful test.

They found in his front pant pocket two white pills, which turned out to be prescription hydrocodone. So that is a prescription opioid to treat chronic

pain, and we obviously know he's been doing this comeback story, right?

[11:25:00]

And competitive golf coming back from multiple crashes in his history, and also several injuries, several back and leg surgeries as well. Now this is

a criminal traffic case, so still serious business here, despite this being a misdemeanor, not a felony. He did waive his right to an arraignment,

meaning he won't show up to court.

He's going through his attorney. He's pled not guilty and is demanding a jury trial. And of course, so many people had high hopes this year and next

with The Masters, with the Ryder Cup, and had questions of whether he would be coming back. Well, the PGA of America announced that Woods has turned

down the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy.

And on The Masters website, they have since updated it yesterday morning to show that Woods will not be playing. And we do know from court documents.

I'll leave you with this, that a judge has agreed to his motion to let him travel out of the country for inpatient treatment.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Isabel Rosales thank you.

ROSALES: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Just ahead for us. U.S. President Trump gives a prime-time address about the war with Iran. How Gulf states are responding. That's up

after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga, New York. Here are some headlines we are watching today. In his first national

address since the beginning of the war with Iran, President Trump says the conflict is nearing completion.

However, Trump isn't providing a clear timeline to end the war. He promises to bomb Iran, and his words back to the Stone Ages if no deal is made. And

across the Middle East, fighting rages on with no signs of any clear exit plan. The Iranian military dismissing Trump's claim that four weeks of

attacks have left it weakened.

They now warn the region can expect, quote, more extensive and destructive actions. Both the U.S. and global crude oil benchmarks are above $100 per

barrel today, this after President Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is the rest of the world's problem.

[11:30:00]

The UK and European Union are meeting today to find ways to reopen the vital waterway which Iran has kept closed since the U.S. operation began.

Video obtained by the Associated Press appears to show the kidnapping of a U.S. journalist earlier this week. Shelly Kittleson, was abducted Tuesday

in Baghdad.

It's unclear who is responsible, but sources say she was warned of threats against her from an Iranian proxy group. The U.S. government says it is

working with the Iraqis to secure her release. Airlines are facing some tough decisions as fuel prices continue to soar. Industry CEOs are weighing

options to minimize the fallout from the war in the Middle East. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, before the war, an economy class ticket on Cathay Pacific from Sydney to London would cost you $1,370 but

now it cost you more than $2,000 thanks to another jet fuel surcharge. And on some days, it's over $3,500.

LU STOUT (voice-over): Before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran started, the global airline industry had forecast record profits of $41 billion for

2026. But with the price of jet fuel more than doubling, carriers are under pressure, and they're scrambling to cope. Carriers ranging from Air New

Zealand to Vietnam Airlines have started cutting flights.

Korean Air is shifting to emergency management mode to deal with the supply crunch. And the President of the Philippines has said grounding planes is a

quote, distinct possibility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in the Middle East.

LU STOUT (voice-over): To secure its own supply, China has banned exports of jet fuel. China's airlines are also finding opportunity during the

crisis.

LU STOUT: Adding thousands of flights to Europe thanks to China's ability to save fuel by bypassing the Middle East and accessing Russian Airspace.

LU STOUT (voice-over): Nevertheless, China's carriers remain exposed to the Iran energy shock. Air China, Eastern and China Southern Airlines are all

reporting cautious outlooks for the year. According to HSBC, fuel made up 35 to 38 percent of the operating expenses for all three airlines in the

first half of the year.

Why is Asia so vulnerable? Well, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. And the region relies more heavily on oil and gas that transit the

strait than any other parts of the world.

LU STOUT: So, while Iran maintains its iron grip on the strait, expect higher fuel costs around the world, from Asia to the United States, and

expect airlines to pass that cost on to you, the consumer. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Well, Iran's military dismissed President Trump's claim that four weeks of the conflict have left it weakened. Israel's air defenses

intercepted Iranian missiles Wednesday, on the first night of Passover. And Gulf states are reacting to President Trump's speech too.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in Doha, Qatar with more on the regional reaction.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, I spoke to Iranian officials earlier on today, and they said they didn't

put much stead in the public remarks of President Trump, because they don't reliably reflect what actually happens.

And they went on to say this reflects a trait of him that he is eccentric and unpredictable, which, of course, we all know. But I mean, there's been

a physical response as well to this speech in the region, with alarms going off and missiles and drones being launched by Iran across the region,

particularly at the United Arab Emirates.

Within the past few minutes, we have had those reports coming in of attacks from Iran again against those surrounding Gulf Arab states that have been

so terribly battered in the course of the past month or so since this Iran war began. These are energy rich countries that depend almost entirely on

energy exports for their survival.

And they've seen those revenues because of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and because of the attacks on the energy infrastructure, absolutely

sort of devastated, dropping from billions of dollars a day, in some cases, to close to zero. And so, we're looking at an existential economic crisis

for this region.

And there was very little in terms of reassurance in that speech by President Trump. We talked about potentially escalating the conflict at

least continuing it. Certainly, there was no word on, you know when this conflict would come to a conclusion. And in so much as he did address that,

I think we're all left with the impression.

That at the end of this conflict, we could see an Iran which is strengthened strategically, that will keep the Strait of Hormuz under its

control and possibly even have the capability to have ballistic missiles and even a nuclear program at the end of this war. And so that's very

alarming for the countries in this region.

[11:35:00]

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Matthew Chance for that report. Well, in his speech, President Trump told Americans that the war is nearing completion,

but also that the U.S. is prepared to intensify its military action. Here to break it all down, with us is CNN's Political and National Security

Analyst, David Sanger.

David, I was watching you last night in real time react to the speech you had overnight to think over it and really analyze the takeaways for us. And

the first question I have for you is, yes, the president did say that the majority of the United States core objectives have already been achieved

and they have been met.

He laid out a two-to-three-week timeline for completing that for either a peace deal or massive military escalation. Strategically speaking, how do

you reconcile the president declaring the mission, for the most part, successful, while at the same time threatening to bomb the country back to

the Stone Ages, in his words?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, really great question, and it is something of a mystery, because the president is

frequently contradictory. I think the core of what we learned from yesterday is this, within the next two to three weeks, President Trump

wants to be done with the war.

It's not clear that the war will be done with him in two to three weeks. If as we just heard from Matthew, the Strait of Hormuz is still closed to a

restricted access or the Iranians show that they can charge tolls and take control over it, if that nuclear stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium

is still sitting under the mountain.

And if a clerical regime is still fundamentally in place, run by the son of the Ayatollah, it will be reasonable to ask whether or not all those bombs

that were dropped and the 11,000 targets were hit actually accomplish the goals the president set out, because those goals were not to drop a certain

amount of ordinance over Iran.

They were to bring about certain changes in the nuclear program, in the missile program, whether I think they have been more successful in wiping

out a fair bit in the way Iran is governed. And most of that has not happened.

GOLODRYGA: And you have tracked Iran's nuclear program, probably longer than most other journalists for years now, David, you've written books on

it. Trump implied that we could simply leave the 460 kilograms of highly enriched uranium there under the rubble untouched.

But at the same time, we also know that the military has placed orders for two specific MEUs to the region that happened to be trained for these types

of very dangerous, very risky expeditions where they would extract the uranium if need be.

SANGER: Yeah.

GOLODRYGA: So, you, as an analyst and a close watcher, what are you paying more attention to the president's rhetoric here, or what you're seeing

transpire militarily in the region?

SANGER: Well, the rhetoric could be a deception, but it is pretty remarkable, Bianna, that after the negotiations collapsed in February

because Iran would not agree to move its stockpile out of the country and stop, you know, all enrichment. The president is then saying, I'm not

really that worried.

If they keep their stockpile of 970 pounds of near bomb grade uranium, it's down so deep, we'd see them move it with the satellite. He could have said

that before the war, right? We were watching it with satellites before the war. The question of whether or not to order this enormously risky

operation is a more complex one for the president.

The site where we believe most of the highly enriched uranium is located is about 300 miles or thereabouts from the coast. So, you'd have to fly in

refuel, you may have to bring in heavy equipment to dig your way down. They're stored in 30 to 50 casts that sort of look like big scuba tanks.

And if you pierce any one of them, it's not only somewhat radioactive, but it's highly toxic once it comes into contact with any moisture. And if you

put the cast too close together, you can begin to trigger a radiological event. So, this is not easy stuff to move, particularly if you're under

fire at the time.

It would be a huge decision by the president, because the chances of taking casualties would, unfortunately, be pretty high.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and while, as you noted, the president may be OK with leaving that uranium there, I'm not sure the Israelis would be, though, I

would imagine if the president says we're done, then Benjamin Netanyahu would have to take that as an answer, at least for the interim.

[11:40:00]

Do you disagree?

SANGER: Yeah. I think that's right. But Bianna, there's also a political problem with this. You and I covered the Iran nuclear talks years ago, and

during that time, the Obama Administration got the Iranians to agree to remove 97 percent of their then existing stockpile, and it moved out of the

country, the Russians took it.

If the President Trump leaves Iran without a similar result by force, Obama got it with a highly imperfect agreement. I think we would all agree it had

lots of loopholes. It would add, would raise the question, did he just get less than President Obama got in the 2015 accord?

GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And notable that I believe President Putin offered to also take this enriched uranium now as a way out. And President Trump said, no,

thank you. David, I want to go back to the Strait of Hormuz here, because on the one hand, the president said last night, once this war ends, that it

will sort of open on its own, free to traffic and navigation.

And at the same time saying that this is not really the United States problem. It is Europe's problem. The Europeans have said that there is

nothing militarily they can do. They're having a conversation today. I believe there's a meeting happening right now, virtually -- leaders --

SANGER: Without the United States, I think, right?

GOLODRYGA: Without the United States to see if they can work out a diplomatic off ramp here. But militarily, it does appear that the United

States, and it would be a heavy lift, is the only real country that's capable of some sort of military intervention here. Between these two

options, whether it's reopening the Strait of Hormuz now, or the extraction of that uranium, what is the top priority for the United States, David?

SANGER: Well, my guess is that for the president, reopening the strait is probably the more immediate, urgent priority, because it would take the

Iranians a long time to produce, probably months, maybe a year, to produce a weapon, whereas he doesn't have a year to have the flow out of the strait

this restricted.

But it does run contrary to this concept that he would get everybody out of or get the American troops out of the region in the next few weeks or

months, because patrolling the strait, even with our allies, even if everybody could get along and put together an international force, that's

the work of months or years of presence there.

And of course, the Europeans are fuming that they were not consulted before the war, and that the administration didn't act quickly enough to

anticipate the possibility that the Iranians would shut this down, although everybody, including the military, had considered the possibility.

So how do you square we're done with this in two to three weeks with we need an enduring force to keep the strait patrolled.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and two things can be true, David, the United States really blindsiding Europe by not giving them a heads up. But also, it was

pretty obvious we were all monitoring the buildup of the U.S. presence there for months now.

SANGER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: I remember, while the focus over Davos was the United States demand for Greenland, there were a lot of people watching what was

happening and anticipating just this reality in Iran. So, the fact that the Europeans weren't prepared also raises questions --

SANGER: And weren't prepared and don't -- if they don't have the military power to open up a key spigot, then it does raise the question that the

president himself has rightly raised about how well they have built up their own forces during this period of trying to regenerate a NATO force

that's not entirely dependent on the U.S.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and build up their stockpiles, which we can ask ourselves that same question here in the United States, we weren't at capacity

either, on multiple fronts.

SANGER: Yeah, it's right.

GOLODRYGA: David, great to see you. Thanks so much for coming in. Really appreciate it.

SANGER: Great to see you, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And still ahead for us. NASA successfully launches its first crude moon mission since 1972. What the Artemis II astronauts are up to

today as they head to the moon's far side. Look at that. I love watching this last night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

GOLODRYGA: That was just awesome. Four astronauts are midway to the far side of the moon in a historic undertaking. The Artemis II crew is on a 10-

day mission. After blasting off from Florida Wednesday evening, today, they adjusted the spacecraft's orbital path and commented on their phenomenal

views of Earth.

I'll say those are phenomenal views. Tom Foreman takes a closer look at the spacecraft.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Once Artemis has launched and passed through low Earth orbit about 100 miles up, all eyes will turn to this, the

Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or the ICPS. This is a booster, and its job is to push the Orion stack up into a huge elliptical orbit, the highest

point of which will be some 40,000 miles plus away from Earth.

Once that job is done, the ICPS will be done too. It will break away for Orion to practice some maneuvers with, and then it will head back to Earth,

where it is expected to burn up upon reentry. That's when our attention will turn back to the Orion stack here.

And let me start with the bottom part, the service module. It is an absolute powerhouse. It will supply oxygen and nitrogen and water and so

much more to the crew in the crew capsule up top there, including electricity from these great big solar arrays, which can be adjusted so

they're always facing the sun at an optimum angle.

Another maneuver you might see at this time would be the rotation of the craft. One of the goals there is to balance out the extreme heat on the

sunny side of Orion with the extreme cold on the shady side. The service module will stay with the crew capsule throughout this mission right up

until reentry.

But I'm going to take it away right now, so we can talk a little bit about this extraordinary crew capsule, which has been built for deep space

exploration, quite unlike anything we've ever seen before. It weighs about 23,000 pounds at liftoff. And look at the size of this.

I'm going to make it life size next to me, I'm six feet tall. This thing is 11 feet tall, more than 16 feet across, and it has the roomiest interior

for a NASA craft since the space shuttle. That means the astronauts will have room in there for sleeping and for eating. They have waste facilities,

even have some exercise options.

And they may appreciate all of that, because even though they will be traveling many times the speed of sound. This is a very long journey,

685,000 miles from the Earth to the moon and back.

GOLODRYGA: We are cheering those four astronauts on.

[11:50:00]

Well for Christians worldwide, today is Holy Thursday. How Pope Leo is carrying on tradition by washing the feet of priests, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, Holy Thursday events are under way at the Vatican as Christians worldwide Mark Holy Week. That's the final week of Lent leading

up to Easter. As part of the tradition, Pope Leo is set to perform his first foot washing ritual. He'll wash the feet of 12 priests, most of whom

he ordained last year.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is live in Rome outside of St. John Lateran Basilica. So, Christopher, just tell us what we saw the first time Pope Leo

actually took part in these Holy Week traditions.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, that's right behind me is John Lateran. Pope Leo is presiding at the Holy Thursday

service, a foot washing ritual that recalls when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. So, it's a service that emphasizes humility and really gets

to the heart of a whole understanding of priesthood in Catholic tradition.

Now Leo is going to wash the feet of 12 priests, 11 of whom he ordained last year. And now this is, of course, Leo's first Holy Week and Easter,

and he is putting his own mark on his -- for these first celebrations, different in some ways, to Pope Francis, who you may remember, used to go

to a prison or a refugee center to wash feet there.

Leo has a different style to his predecessor, and he is deciding to, in many ways, return to tradition by coming to this Basilica, which is the

mother church of Rome. It's the official Cathedral of the Pope. And Leo in the first year of his papers, he has shown a slightly more formal style.

A Vatican official said to me, he has his own sensibility when it comes to the liturgy, which is different to Francis. Now we're also expecting Leo in

the coming days to speak out about the war in the Middle East. On Tuesday, he told me that he hopes President Trump can find an off ramp to the war in

Iran.

[11:55:00]

So aside from these very powerful liturgies, we are expecting to hear some strong messages to the world from the pope, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And Christopher, tell us what we're expecting to see from him tomorrow.

LAMB: Well, tomorrow, there's going to be a service at the Coliseum called The Way of the Cross, which recalls Christ's suffering. And Pope Leo is

going to be carrying the cross throughout the entirety of the service. Now this is the first time that a pope has done this. It emphasizes that Leo is

relatively a young pope.

He's 70 years old, and he's also someone in good physical shape. We know he likes to take exercise and he's going to be able to or he's going to have

to carry this quite heavy cross for around 500 to 800 meters over a service lasting almost two hours. So, it's going to be quite a test of endurance

for him as well.

GOLODRYGA: I am looking forward to your report on his exercise routine. Hopefully that will be coming up soon, Christopher as well, because that

does take a lot of stamina and endurance. Thank you so much. We'll be checking in with you later this week, Christopher. And do stay with CNN.

I'll have more "One World" after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END