Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Trump Warns Iran to Reopen Hormuz or Face Dire Consequences; Artemis II Astronauts to Get Unprecedented View of Moon; OPEC + Agrees to Boost Oil Production, Warns of Slow Recovery; U.S. Gas Prices Rise to Highest Level Since August 2022; Oil Prices Stay Elevated After Trump's New Iran Threats; Alleged Explosives Found Near Pipeline Carrying Gas to Hungary. Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired April 06, 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)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, a new proposal calls for a 45- day ceasefire in Iran. But will it get support from Iran or United States. "One World" starts right now. This all comes as Donald Trump threatens to
escalate the conflict, demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow.
Plus, it's a historic day in space as the Artemis II astronauts travel farther from the Earth than any other human before them. And Hungarians
prepare to go to the polls in an election that could have big consequences, not just for Hungary, but for the whole of Europe. Right, coming to you
live from New York.
I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". Two hours from now U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with reporters at the White House
this after sources say he has not signed off on a newly drafted proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire. The Iran war now on the verge of what could
be a dramatic escalation.
Trump says that Iran has until Tuesday night to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that deadline delivered after posting pro fantasy laced threats on Easter
Sunday. In response Iranian officials say the strait will not only will only reopen rather when war damages are fully compensated.
Israel says it has killed a prominent Iranian special forces commander in Tehran. This marks the latest of many senior IRGC officials to die or to be
killed, rather, in recent months. And in Lebanon, state media reports at least 10 people have been killed in overnight attacks.
We're also tracking the rescue of an American air man whose F-15 was shot down over Iran, the injured weapon system officer evaded capture in the
mountains before being rescued on Sunday. Loads to get through today. I want to bring in Jeremy Diamond, who's kicking off today's coverage live
for us from Tel Aviv.
So just in terms of this 45-day ceasefire proposal that the hopes will, of course, potentially lead to a permanent end to this war. Both sides, of
course, do remain far apart because their goals are very different. Iran, obviously, Jeremy, wants to ensure that the U.S. is never incentivized
again to pull something like this off.
They want to protect themselves. The U.S. does want to also ensure that some of its goals in terms of entering this war in the first place are met.
They want to make sure that this entire exercise has not been a waste of time. Jeremy, just walk us through how far apart both sides are.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. I mean, this latest proposal, you know, is being presented to both Iran and the
United States, it would seem by the mediators, we know that Pakistan, Egypt have been closely involved in these mediation efforts.
And it would seek to effectively be a last-ditch effort to stave off those U.S. strikes that President Trump has threatened on critical Iranian
infrastructure. But so far, there is no indication that this is something that either side will go for, in particular the Iranians, because, as you
noted, the Iranians have a particular desire to ensure that this doesn't result in a temporary ceasefire that then sees the United States and Israel
going back to carry out more strikes in Iran in a few months' time.
Iranian have been very clear so far that what they are looking for is a permanent end to this conflict, and one that averts that very scenario that
I was just talking about. The United States, you know, would likely be much more amenable agreement temporary ceasefire agreements than Iran would be.
But the White House has indicated that this is just one of several plans that are indeed on the table so far, and there has been no decision by the
White House on that front. And these discussions are happening amid President Trump's threat to carry out these large-scale infrastructure
strikes.
But also, in light of what we've been seeing Israel carry out Iran, which is already going after some of that infrastructure, today, the Israelis
announced that they struck a petrochemical facility that produces about half of Iran's petrochemicals all together.
[11:05:00]
And the Israeli Defense Minister warned that more of those strikes would follow should Iran continue to target residential areas here in Israel,
which is exactly what we've been seeing the Iranians do, particularly over the course of the last 24 hours, we've seen an uptick in Iranian ballistic
missile attacks, with one of those targeting a residential building in the Northern Israeli City of Haifa, where four people were killed.
Four civilians were killed in that building. The scene could have been a lot worse, actually, because that warhead on that ballistic missile did not
actually explode, according to Israeli officials, it led to the partial collapse of this building. But had that warhead exploded, that building
would likely have been demolished altogether, and perhaps many more fatalities, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. And we are learning from Iran state media that Iran has actually rejected this particular
ceasefire proposal, this 45-day ceasefire proposal. They've actually submitted their own counter proposal. All right, turning right back now to
the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is responding with its own threats after Donald Trump issued his latest ultimatum to reopen the vital waterway.
In a profanity laced social media post, Trump renewed his threats to target key infrastructure sites if Tehran does not comply by tomorrow, Tuesday.
Iran fired back, saying it will only reopen the strait when financial damages from this war are fully compensated.
Let's discuss all of this with my next guest, Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities. She's also the author of
"Black Gold and Black Mail: Oil and Great Power Politics". Rosemary, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, I think I want to start with this
ceasefire proposal that Iran has actually, we're learning rejected.
They've submitted their own counter proposal. Just walk us through who you think has the upper hand in these negotiations. Because my assessment would
be that even though the U.S. might be the greatest sort of military power, they might have more military might, their hands are tied, especially when
you have Donald Trump threatening to blow up power plants and bridges.
You have to remember that the U.S. is supposedly trying to help Iranian civilians, and so their hands are really tied in how much they can do on
that front. Iran, however, does have the economic upper hand, and given just sort of the politics in this country when it comes to gas prices, just
by closing the Strait of Hormuz, they, in many ways do actually have the upper hand here. Give us your take Rosemary.
ROSEMARY KELANIC, DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM AT DEFENSE PRIORITIES: I agree fully, Iran has the upper hand here, and Trump's war on
Iran has actually increased Iran's bargaining power compared to where it was before the war started.
So, Trump expected Iran to fold immediately. They have not. Now Trump doesn't have an exit strategy, so that's one way that Iran has been
battered by this conflict, right? Iran has also asserted this new leverage over Hormuz, which has caused prices, oil prices, to go up with no end in
sight, frankly, and this can persist for a long period of time, because Iran can very cheaply threaten the strait.
So, Iran is asking essentially, for reparations for war damage in addition to a permanent end of the conflict. They don't want a 45-day ceasefire
because they don't trust the United States. The United States has twice now used negotiations as a ploy to position military forces in the region and
attack Iran in the middle of them.
So, our diplomatic credibility has been shredded, just self-shredded, and Iran thinks it has the upper hand, and it probably does.
ASHER: When this war eventually does come to an end, what do you think is going to be the absolute most important lesson the U.S. will have learned?
KELANIC: Well, I hope the lesson that we will have learned is that there are just severe limitations to military power. I mean, I think that's
something that Trump just does not understand. He had a couple of conflicts that went really well, that seemed to end quickly and easily in Venezuela,
and then in the 12-day war last year.
And so, I think Trump has drastically overestimated what military power buys you politically. This is a political conflict, and no matter how much
the United States blows up in Iran, for Iran, you know, the stakes are existential. It's a total war for them. They are going to keep resisting
the United States indefinitely.
So, I seriously hope that Trump realizes and the U.S. as a whole realizes that even if you have superior firepower, it doesn't mean you can force
other countries to abandon, you know, things that are extremely important to them.
ASHER: But what about sort of strategic military planning? I mean, obviously, I'm sure some degree of planning in terms of the day after would
have gone into this. But on the other hand, I'm not so sure either, because I think that this idea that Iran would have closed the Strait of Hormuz is
something they've threatened in the past.
But do you think that Trump really sort of thought through that particular scenario, based on what we're seeing here?
[11:10:00]
KELANIC: It's clear he didn't think through the scenario U.S. military planners have, U.S. intelligence has, I mean, they've been modeling this
for decades. We know from reporting that they made the case to Trump that Iran could close the strait and it could go very badly for the United
States if it did.
But Trump just has this hubris that led him to discount that threat, to think that the U.S. was just so powerful and mighty that Iran would
capitulate immediately and not be able to resist. And that was also based on a faulty idea about leadership targeting, that if you take out the
leadership of a state like Iran, you're going to collapse that country's ability to fight a war to defend itself, and Trump was just wrong there.
So, I think he heavily discounted the threat. And we just, we know from everything that's happened before and since, that the president just didn't
think this war was going to last anywhere near this long. And there's no end in sight, unless Trump decides to accept that this war is a failure.
He can dress it up however he wants, but he just needs to end it rather than make it worse.
ASHER: And what about the lessons about you, and I've talked about this quite a few times, oil dependency. I mean, yes, you have the fact that
technically, America does, obviously produce its own oil, but the global energy markets are still so connected that it doesn't even matter.
I mean, even if you have energy independence, just in terms of the U.S. producing light sweet crude, obviously imports heavy sour crude, but the
fact that it does produce light sweet crude is a big, sort of important factor. However, the fact that the markets are so interconnected means that
when you close this Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. is clearly in trouble. So just give us your take on the lessons learned on that front as well.
KELANIC: Yeah. I mean, the lesson that we should learn is a, you know, we are not immune to shocks in global commodities, right? So, a global oil
shock, even if we produce more oil than we need domestically, we are not immune to the price consequences of that, and consumers are going to pay
higher prices because of this, and probably for a long period of time, over the medium to longer term.
The obvious solution for the U.S. should be to try to decrease how much the U.S. economy relies on oil, not just oil from the Middle East, just oil
period, because then shocks to the global oil market will hurt the U.S. less. And clearly the best way to do that is to really push adoption of
EVs, of electric vehicles, because they can run on electric grids that are 99 percent --
ASHER: Rosemary, I'm so sorry. I have to actually cut you off because President Trump is speaking at the White House. So, let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- in phase one and phase two, they were lunatics. The people that we're negotiating with
now, in on behalf of Iran, are much more reasonable. You can call it what you want, but I call it regime change, and I think most people are giving
us credit for that.
The first regime was taken out. The second regime was taken out. Now, the third group of people that we're dealing with is not as radicalized and we
think they're actually much smarter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- in your Truth Social post.
TRUMP: Only to make my point, I think you've heard it before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you --
TRUMP: I'm going to be doing it right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: They're foolish, because the war is about one thing. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, had we not broken the Barack Hussein Obama
agreement. You know that? You know what I'm talking about, the Iran nuclear deal. This is years ago. My first -- you would have had a total -- Israel
would have been gone, extinguished.
Israel would be would have been wiped off the face of the earth. And the entire Middle East would have been, at a minimum, in big trouble. But I did
it. That was phase one. We killed Soleimani without Soleimani, if they had Soleimani, would be a whole different thing.
Maybe, we'd still be winning, but it would have been harder, because we are obliterating that country, and I hate to do it, but we're obliterating and
they just don't want to say uncle. They don't want to cry as the expression goes, uncle, but they will, and if they don't, they'll have no bridges,
they'll have no power plants, they'll have no anything I want to -- I won't go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two.
And we might have, well the thing, if I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil, because it's there for the taking. There's not a thing
they can do about it. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. It was up to me. I'd take the oil, I'd keep the oil, and
would make plenty of money.
And I'd also take care of the people of Iran much better than they've been taken care of. It's been horrible. They've killed 45,000 people as of a
month and a half ago, 45,000 protesters.
[11:15:00]
We don't do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: So, I had my choice. I'd keep the oil, but I also want to make the people of our country happy. I think most people wouldn't understand that -
- I'll give you an example. Venezuela has worked out so incredibly. We have 100 million barrels of oil right now in Houston being refined.
It's been great. The relationship with Venezuela the leaders, has been fantastic. And I think we can have a long term, very good relationship. And
it might be beyond long term, you understand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- that --
TRUMP: Well, I tell you what, I'm pretty good at this stuff. And I go around and I check they'd like to see us win, and come home, and I
appreciate CNN, for the first time, maybe in my life, they did a poll, and everyone's saying, oh, is Trump losing MAGA? And no, I'm not losing MAGA
and MAGA loves what I'm doing.
And CNN did a poll of MAGA voters, a big poll, very important poll, Harry and he went on, he said, this is amazing, 100 percent support. He said,
I've never had a 100 percent poll at anything before. And is, do you support Trump MAGA people? Which is, by the way, mostly Republican.
If you look, I would say MAGA makes up a majority, like about 95 percent of the Republican Party, all right. So, they went out, they did a poll and see
it came back 100 percent support. So, they support what we're doing, but they would like to see it end and come back. But remember wars last years,
we're in there for 34 days, and we've obliterated a very powerful country in 34 days.
Yeah, if we're up to me, I'd like to keep the oil. I just don't think the people of the United States would really understand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Iranian --
TRUMP: Yeah, who you -- Radical left group of lunatics. Let me just tell you. Let me just tell you. Very fair question. The Iranian people, when
they don't hear bombs go up, they're upset. They want to hear bombs because they want to be free. And the only reason they're not out protesting, you
know, that is because they were informed that if they protest, like the wrestler and his friends, if they protest, they will be shot immediately.
And that's an edict that's in writing. If they protest, if they go out in the streets, they will be immediately shot. They don't have guns. You know,
we sent some guns, but the group that was supposed to give, which I said, what happened to my people? I said it. I called it exactly.
We sent guns, a lot of guns they were supposed to go to the people said they could fight back against these thugs. You know what happened? The
people that they sent him to kept him because they said, what a beautiful gun. I think I'll keep it. So, I'm very upset with a certain group of
people, and they're going to pay a big price for that.
But the Iranian people will fight back as soon as they know they're not going to be shot and as soon as they can get weapons. If they had weapons,
not many of them, if they had weapons, that would go in the other way. And you know what happened? Iran would give up in two seconds because they
wouldn't be able to take it.
But in Iran, they have absolutely no weaponry. And they've been told point blank, if you come out, if you come out to the street, you will be killed
as of this morning. And we have this are pretty good information. 45,000 protesters have been killed, pretty bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- You said Iran --
TRUMP: It's a good country. They can't fight back. They have no capability. I mean, they'll have some missiles left, they have some drones left, but
essentially, they have no capability. They had a lucky shot with an airplane, but we got them back out. The rescue was incredible.
And it wasn't of one person. Who was a two person. There are those that say that's never happened before, because usually when you're shot down in
strong enemy and deep enemy territory, you can't go after them, because you'll end up losing 250 people to get one.
So, it's a terrible thing, but we had to make a decision, do we do it or do we not? And we did. And you know, we have some helicopters with a lot of
bullet holes in them right now. Probably you know that. Now I'm very honored by I'm very honored to have rebuilt our military.
We rebuilt our military in my first term. I'm using it in our second term, and we are the most respected country anywhere in the world with the
greatest military anywhere in the world. Thank you. So, we have a news conference. You'll all be there. So, you could ask the question, we have a
news conference in a little while. What would you like to ask?
[11:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, all of this is happening for their future. So, they will be safe in years to come.
TRUMP: Children that are now in a war zone, we're keeping them as safe as we can possibly keep them, but we're fighting for their parents, their
grandparents. We're fighting for them. We're fighting for their future. And I will tell you it was given to be loud and clear the time the Iranian
people are the most unhappy when you hear bombs all over is when those bombs stop.
That's the problem -- when they stop, because that means that are they coming back, we want to have them back. And you know, everybody knows it,
everybody sees it. So hopefully it could be over with quickly. Again, there are lots of different alternatives. We have many alternatives.
We could leave right now, and it would take them 15 years to rebuild what they have. We could leave right now, but I want to finish it up. Iran
ready. Cannot have a nuclear weapon. They are lunatics, and you can't put nuclear weapons in the hands of a lunatic. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Right. You were just listening to the American President speaking outside the White House. He reiterated his threat that if Iran does not
open the Strait of Hormuz, that country will have no bridges, no power plants. And one of his main goals, if it was left to him in terms of what
he said, is to take the oil and make plenty of money.
I want to go now to CNN's Alayna Treene, who has been listening to all of this from the White House as well. So, Alayna, the president, is in a bit
of a tight corner, because one of the questions that a reporter asked him was this idea that, look, the Iranian people are the ones who have been
essentially the greatest victims of this regime.
So, by going after the power plants, by going off to the bridges. How on earth are you helping them? His answer was that, look, the Iranian people,
in his words, want to hear bombs go off because that's a sign that they're going to be free. I mean, obviously that response would raise a lot of
eyebrows, but if he does attack energy infrastructure, civilian infrastructure in that country, that is a massive problem, because that
really is not aligned with his goals of entering this war in the first place, Alayna.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Know, you're exactly right, and I'd remind people, you know, one of the biggest reasons the president
felt motivated to go to war, of course, separate from the objectives that they've laid out about trying to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear
weapon, was those protests we saw break out in the right at the start of the new year, really, in New Year's eve and entered early January.
The president, you know, telling the Iranian people that help was on the way when different people within the Iranian government were cracking down
lethally on many of those anti regime protesters. Now, of course, we have heard a lot of criticism in the week since this war has been ongoing, of
people saying, you know, where is this help the Iranian people?
We were expecting direct help from the president this war, you know, some arguing is only hurting them here. Others saying that they're in support of
the president's efforts here, and hoping that this could mean, you know, a turning of the page for Iran. All to say it would definitely, I think, go
against some of what we've heard the president say before.
I mean, going after civilian infrastructure in particular. I think the thing that was been most concerning to many, you know, experts, but also
allies of the United States, is this idea of him saying that he would go after desalination plant. You know, essentially the way that Iranians are
able to get potable water that could potentially amount to a war crime.
And so, there are a lot of questions about what this could actually look like. I do think, Zain, one of the most interesting things that we just
heard from President Trump in that brief back and forth with reporters was that he said that this 45-day proposal from different U.S. intermediaries
in this war, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey among them.
He said it was a significant step. Now unclear very much whether or not this is something the U.S. would ultimately sign off on. A White House
official said that he hadn't done so yet, the Iranians are rejecting this idea of a 45-day ceasefire proposal, but the president calling it a
significant step, does, I think, show where his mind is on this and perhaps a little more optimism for those hoping for diplomacy here.
ASHER: Right. Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, still to come in just a few hours, you'll see history unfold as four
astronauts, flyby the Moon, going farther from the Earth than any other human has traveled ever before. Stay with us for the latest on Artemis II.
[11:25:00]
ASHER: All right, a historic day for the crew of Artemis II as they approach pretty much the highlight of their 10-day trip. Just hours from
now, the four astronauts on the Orion spacecraft will begin a flyby of the Moon, getting unprecedented views of the lunar far side.
And they will mark a milestone traveling farther from Earth than any other human has gone before. Let's go straight now to our Randi Kaye, who is at
the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. So, Randi, is Artemis II swings around the Moon. Just walk us through what the astronauts are going to be
tracking here.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have a lot of work ahead of them, even though this is something that they've been looking forward to, this is
really the highlight of this mission. When they get to the Moon, from what we understand, Zain, from the lunar scientists here, it will appear to them
as if they were holding a basketball at arm's length.
That's how cool it's going to look. Here's the schedule for their flyby at 01:56 p.m. today, Eastern Time, they're going to pass Apollo 13's distance
record. But then at 02:45, that's when the lunar flyby window opens. And at 06:44 tonight, that is when they are expected to lose contact with mission
control here in Houston, Texas.
That is when the Earth sets behind the Moon, so they'll lose contact, and when the earth rises again, they will be able to reconnect with mission
control at 07:02 p.m. that will be their closest approach to the moon, about 4070 miles. And then at 07:07 p.m. this is the exciting part.
That will be their maximum distance from Earth, more than 252,000 miles away from Earth. And then at 09:20 p.m. the lunar flyby will be concluded.
Now they have about 35 different lunar targets that they're trying to see and study while they're there. And this is what one of the lunar scientists
here in Houston told me about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIANE GROSS, ARTEMIS CAMPAIGN SAMPLE CURATION LEAD: It's a timeline that goes with them, so they know where, within that time frame, where they are,
which is the next target to go in so they can look at those. They can orient themselves. We have little maps in there, so we are highlighting
directly where these the next features are that they're going to observe so that they know where to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And Zain, one of the key targets that this crew has really been excited to see is something called oriental basin. It's this multi ringed
basin that sort of looks like a bull's eye. They're going to be looking at the different textures and colors there and all really across the surface
of the Moon.
They're also going to be looking for any new craters. They want to try and see some of the South Pole. And they also are going to look for places
where they can land for future missions. They expect to take about 1000 pictures. Hopefully we'll get to see those real soon, Zain.
ASHER: What a great day for mankind.
KAYE: Yeah.
ASHER: All right, Randi Kaye live for us, thank you so much. All right, still ahead, it's become the most violent spillover of the war in Iran.
Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon bring more death and destruction.
[11:30:00]
We'll speak to an analyst in Beirut. Plus, he's been the face of Hungarian politics for the past 16 years, but his rule could soon come to an end.
We'll have the latest on Hungary's elections, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today, in less than two
hours, President Trump is set to speak to reporters at the White House on the successful rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran over the weekend.
A short time ago, he spoke outside the White House saying the U.S. had obliterated Iran in just 34 days. Meantime, the U.S. and Iran have received
a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire in Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. White House official says that Trump has not signed off
on that proposal.
And that Iranian state media says that Iran has rejected any temporary ceasefire and presented a counter proposal to end the war. Gas prices in
the U.S. continue a steady climb now up 38 percent since of the war with Iran. Consumers are now paying an average of $4.12 a gallon.
More price hikes, of course, are expected as oil prices remain high, trading remains relatively flat following President Trump's latest threats
to strike Iran's power plants. This is OPEC + agreed over the weekend to boost oil production by just over 200,000 barrels per day, starting next
month, that extra output, however, would depend on the Strait of Hormuz reopening.
For more on this, I want to bring in CNN's Matt Egan, so just to that point, this idea that, I mean, obviously the entire world is desperate for
oil prices to come down, OPEC + now negotiating a strategy to increase oil output in order to bring prices down. They want to do that starting May.
But that, of course, depends on the Strait of Hormuz reopening. Just walk us through what sort of impact this could have, and what does it mean for
gas prices in the interim?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, Zain, well look I mean, the clock is certainly ticking to try to get this energy crisis solve, but the reality
is, OPEC really can't come to the rescue here, right?
[11:35:00]
I mean, yes, they are promising to increase production by about 206,000 barrels per day. And I know that sounds like a lot, but it's really just a
drop in the bucket when you compare it with the estimated 12 to 15 million barrels per day that have been knocked off line by the war in the Middle
East.
And really at this point, this promise is just a theoretical promise to increase production, because, as you noted, a lot of these Gulf oil
producers, including Saudi Arabia, rely on the Strait of Hormuz to get most, or even all of their oil out to the rest of the world, and it remains
closed right now.
So, it's not really clear when that help will be on the way. I mean, this would be like trying to put out a fire with a water gun, right? And a water
gun that's not even there at the time, that might be there at some point in the future when you may not even need it as badly.
And in the meantime, we've seen oil prices continue to go up. U.S. oil prices up by 95 percent so far this year, and it's only April at this
point. I mean, the consequences of that are pretty massive. When you think about not just gas prices, but jet fuel. Cost of diesel has gone up just
dramatically, and that's going to potentially make it more expensive at the grocery store.
The national average for gasoline here in the U.S. is now for 12 a gallon. That's the highest level since August of 2022 it's up by more than $1 since
before the war started. And Zain, there are some estimates out there from analysts that if this does not get resolved in the coming weeks.
Then here in the U.S., you could be starting summer driving season with the national average at 450, or even $5 a gallon, and you got to imagine
there'd be some economic and likely political consequences to that as well. Back to you.
ASHER: Right, Matt Egan, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, at least 10 people have been killed and dozens wounded in overnight Israeli
strikes on Lebanon on including a 15-year-old that's according to state media. As of Sunday, more than 1400 people have been killed since the war
began, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Some Israeli far right lawmakers say the military's plan to destroy Lebanese border villages don't go far enough, demanding that Israel draw a
new security border and expel hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians who live south of the proposed line as Hezbollah continues to fire rockets
at Israel.
The IDF says its latest strike targeted launchers and weapon storage facilities concealed within civilian infrastructure. For more on this, I'm
joined now by Maha Yahya, Director of Carnegie Middle East Center, live from Beirut. Maha, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate your
perspective on the show.
One of the things that we continue to talk about is just how much this war between Hezbollah and Israel has certainly deepened divisions within
Lebanon over those who support Hezbollah and, of course, those who don't, and even those who are Shia Lebanese who are basically turning their backs
on Hezbollah because they are tired of being continually dragged into conflict.
My question to you is, just in terms of domestically, how is Hezbollah trying to win back support, knowing that they have lost so much support
over the past sort of year and a half or so? How are they trying to win back support domestically as this war rages on?
MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR OF CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning or good afternoon. Thank you for having me, Zain. Look basically, they've turned
this into an existential question for the entire Shia community. And it's not just about Hezbollah's actions, but it's also about what Israel has
been doing in Lebanon.
The kind of bombardment, the widespread evacuation orders that frankly amounts to ethnic cleansing. Yesterday, they dynamited several villages in
South Lebanon, including Taybeh, which is a village that has been there since the Phoenician-Roman times and it was pretty much dynamited homes,
civilian areas didn't matter.
So, there's -- it's not just the military activity, but literally, it just feels and comes across as a war against the Shia of Lebanon, irrespective
of whether they support Hezbollah or not. So, for many in the community, this has become one of an existential, a question of existential crisis,
and Hezbollah, obviously is also amplifying the sentiment.
This comes on the years of a year and a half of continuous bombardments in Lebanon, despite a ceasefire. And a sense within the country that
Hezbollah, that is the political representative, or the one of the two preeminent political representatives of the country was very much on the
back foot, that they politically have been weakened and were very much being looked down upon, if you want, by the rest of the country.
[11:40:00]
So, I'm not sure anymore. I think the more aggressive Israel is becoming, the more you are seeing, not only within the Shia community, even those
critical of Hezbollah, rallying once more around it, because they again feel that there's no one there to defend them, and it's only by quote,
unquote, armed resistance that land that is today being occupied by Israel will be liberated.
There's the belief that it wasn't for Hezbollah on the ground, Israel would have advanced a lot more into Lebanon. So, these dynamics are playing off
each other, at the same time, as you mentioned in the beginning, there is deepening polarization around the role of Hezbollah in Lebanon, again,
because of the nature of the strikes.
Yesterday, they struck a predominantly Christian area, and the representative of the Lebanese forces was killed with his wife and a guest
who was visiting them. So, this is also aggravating sectarian tensions within the country.
ASHER: I'm so glad you put it like that, because the divisions within Lebanon are so layered. I mean, yes, you have those, as I mentioned, that
are anti and becoming more and more anti Hezbollah because they keep dragging the country into war. But you also have those who sort of see
what's happening and what's unfolding, and the number of people who have been displaced, and the violence portrayed by Israel sort of making people
support Hezbollah more on the other hand.
So, it is complicated, and it is sort of very layered. My question to you is about the humanitarian situation within Lebanon right now. You've got a
million people displaced. You've got about 600,000 people displaced, particularly in the south of the country.
You've got hospitals that have been attacked. You've got civilian infrastructure that's been bombed. You've got apartment buildings, as we
just talked about with the Christian political party, a local official being killed in an apartment east of Beirut over the weekend.
Just give us your take on what happens to those civilians who have been displaced at this point in time. Where do they go? What recourse do they
have?
YAHYA: Quite honestly, the humanitarian situation is quite catastrophic. In one -- no country can deal with more than 20 percent of its population
being displaced in the matter of weeks. So, 1.2 million people displaced, and many of them realize they may never be able to go home, or they may not
be able to go home for a very long time, for two reasons.
One, many of them come from areas that Israel is saying that even if the war stops, it will not allow Lebanese civilians to go back to their homes,
or because their homes have literally been either dynamited or bombed. So, it's creating a very tenuous and stressful environment in the country.
This is a country that was already dealing with a catastrophic economic collapse. So, the fiscal space, the tools, the financial tools for it to
address the humanitarian outcome, and they've absorbed people in schools. They've created makeshift shelters for people. But these are all very
short-term solutions.
If this conflict continues, the longer it continues, the worse the humanitarian situation is becoming. Many people today are using whatever
savings they have to rent apartments. They're crashing with friends across the country, but particularly in Beirut. Beirut's population has risen by
60 percent in the space of a few weeks.
And anyone who knows the city knows how small it is. It's a tiny city. Administrative Beirut is 24 square kilometers, so -- and this is at the
time when aid is not coming in, the kind of humanitarian support that Lebanon on needs is simply not coming in. I was speaking to someone
yesterday, a minister who was in -- the Minister of Social Affairs, was in charge of these things.
And she was saying that contrary, for example, to 2024 where they had at least 100 and something humanitarian airplanes coming in to the country.
This year, it's scores, maybe a couple of 20 or 30 that have come in. So, the aid coming in is simply not at the same level that the country needs.
And we understand why. I mean, there's a global war going on. There's a war in Europe. The normal supporters are simply not there to give the kind of
support or they're busy with something else.
[11:45:00]
All of this, frankly, is disastrous for Lebanon on it so fragile country on many levels.
ASHER: Yeah, and what breaks my heart the most, in addition to the humanitarian crisis, is just how little agency the Lebanese people have
over their own future. Israel is not willing, necessarily, to negotiate with the Lebanese politicians at this point in time, and so the Lebanese
people remain sort of caught between a rock and a hard place.
They are completely powerless to do anything to stop what is unfolding in front of them. Maha Yahya, thank you so much for joining us on this
program, on this topic. All right. Well, for more information about how you can help civilians impacted by the Middle East conflict. Go to
cnn.com/impact, will be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, tension is growing between Ukraine and Hungary. Following reports that two backpacks with explosives were found near a key pipeline
in Serbia carrying Russian natural gas to Hungary. Hungarian officials blame Ukraine for the incident, saying that Kyiv is attempting to force
Budapest to abandon what the government calls its pro peace position and support the war.
Ukraine categorically denies this. Meantime, Budapest is preparing to host U.S. Vice President JD Vance this week for bilateral meetings. Vance's
visit comes just days ahead of a pivotal election that could unseat one of Trump's closest European allies. CNN's Clare Sebastian looks at how
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing the toughest challenge yet to his 16-year rule.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pub owner Sandor Toth has been serving up -- for 43 years in this small village in Hungary. And it's
from behind the bar, he says he's witnessed a lot of history in the country, including the fall of communism and later, four victories in a row
by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party.
SANDOR TOTH, PUB OWNER: People who come here chat about which party says what. And I believe that generally here people vote for Fidesz as they help
pensioners, but also young people.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Toth says he voted for Fidesz each time. And Orban and his nationalistic and socially conservative politics have a lot of
support in this town of about 450 people. Rural areas are traditional Orban strongholds, but that could be changing.
In the upcoming election, Orban faces one of his toughest challenges yet Peter Magyar, a Former Fidesz Insider and current leader of the center
right Tisza party, which is surging. in popularity, especially with voters under 40 and people in urban areas.
[11:50:00]
MARIA JUHASZ, HUNGARIAN VOTER: I would like to see change very much indeed. I will obviously vote for Tisza. We must change this regime. So yes, to
them.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Magyar is trying to tap into voter concerns about domestic issues like health care and food prices, knocking on doors in
Orban's Heartland to try to win new voters, and he's promised to realign Hungary with the European Union.
PETER MAGYAR, TISZA PARTY LEADER: Those who choose Tisza will choose a working, humane European, proud, peaceful and a serene Hungary.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Orban has close ties with Russia and has frequently clashed with the EU, especially over its support of Ukraine. Most recently,
he blocked a $103 billion loan package for Ukraine, and he says the opposition would drag Hungary into the conflict.
VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER: You Tisza, are pushing the courage of the Ukrainians, and you are not standing with the Hungarians. You want a
Ukraine friendly government, and you want to take the money of the Hungarians to Ukraine. This is the truth.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The vote is being closely watched around the world, not only for the impact it will have on the EU, but what it could mean for
right wing populist politics. Orban is a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. And on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance will visit Hungary to
try to drum up support for Orban.
Both the U.S. and Hungary have aggressive policies on immigration, with Orban famously building a border fence in 2015 to keep migrants from
illegally entering. Magyar says he'll maintain the fence if he's elected, but will restore an independent media and judiciary, which have been eroded
under Orban's rule.
He'll also limit prime ministers to two terms. Polls say for now, Magyar's Tisza party is in the lead, but analysts say it could still be an uphill
battle to unseat Orban.
ROBERT LASZIO, "POLITICAL CAPITAL": The gerrymandered constituency map, the high proportion of the out of country voters, and the minority
representation in Hungary, these are the three factors that helps Fidesz to counterbalance a potential Tisza lead.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Voters in Hungary will decide on April 12th if they want another round of Orban's brand of populist politics or something new.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know yet. We will see. We will decide inside the polling booth.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:00]
ASHER: All right, Pope Leo is urging world leaders -- division and war and choose peace instead, in his first Easter dress as the head of the Catholic
Church, speaking from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, he called for those who unleash wars to lower their weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent, indifferent
to the deaths of thousands of people, indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflict so indifferent to the economic and social
consequences they produce, which we all feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And finally, this hour, President Trump and the First Lady are hosting the 148th annual Easter egg roll at the White House. The long-
standing American tradition dates back to 1878 and since then, children and families have rolled decorated eggs and enjoyed games and facilities on the
White House grounds.
This year, the event honors America's 250th birthday in July, incorporating patriotic themes throughout the day. Right, stay with CNN. There is more
"One World" with my colleague Bianna Golodryga after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
