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One World with Zain Asher
Qatari Official: Iran War Could "Spiral Out of Control"; Trump Demands Iran to Reopen Strait of Hormuz by 08:00 P.M. ET; Vance Meets with Hungarian PM Orban in Budapest; Trump Threatens Iran's Power Plants, Bridges if No Deal; Vance in Budapest to Support Orban; Crew Experienced a 40-Minute Communications Blackout as Moon Blocked Line of Sight Between Spacecraft and Earth. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired April 07, 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, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We are nine hours out
from U.S. President Donald Trump's Strait of Hormuz deadline for Iran. Earlier, the president sent out one of his most ominous posts on "Truth
Social" he says, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.
I don't want that to happen, but it probably will, if a deal is not struck, and the Strait remains closed past 08:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Trump is
threatening to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants. Experts say attacks targeting civilian infrastructure could be considered a war crime.
Meantime, strikes have been reported on multiple railway lines across Iran this after Israel's military sent out a warning early on X though, that
platform is blocked for most Iranians. And a White House official confirms the U.S. has now struck military targets on Kharg Island this as sending
U.S. oil prices to above $116 a barrel.
Let's go straight now to our Matthew Chance is tracking all of these developments from Doha, Qatar. So, Matthew, when this war first broke out,
President Trump talked about his main mission being to liberate the Iranian people. He said to the Iranian people, listen now that the Ayatollah has
been killed, this is your chance for freedom.
We are rushing in to rescue you, essentially, is what the president intimated. And now he's threatening, of course, to bomb civilian
infrastructure, including power plants, including infrastructure like bridges, for example, also threatening, on "Truth Social" that a whole
civilization could die tonight. What gives Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, you're right. He also suggested yesterday that the Iranian people want the
United States to continue its war in Iran, but it's hard to imagine that many people inside Iran, many Iranians, would want the destruction of their
entire civilization.
But, you know, look, I mean, this is where President Trump and his rhetoric shouldn't necessarily be taken absolutely seriously. We do know that there
is a serious threat pending, hanging over the Islamic Republic with President Trump in what is it nine hours from now, you say that he will
start his attacks on civilian infrastructure in the country, that would be, you know, potentially a war crime, as you mentioned.
Also, we've seen images coming out on Iranian state television of civilians being asked to or being told to go to bridges and power stations and form
human chains around them as a potential human shield against those kinds of attacks.
And so, if it does go ahead, we're looking at an absolute potential, you know, bloodbath, as well as, you know, an attack or a series of attacks,
that's going to have massive damage on Iran. And not just Iran because, you know, the problem with this whole strategy Zain is that Iran has vowed that
if it is struck in this way, it will retaliate in kind against the countries of the surrounding energy rich region.
So, Qatar, from where I'm talking to you now, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, to some extent as well, will have
their energy infrastructure targeted and attacked, according to the Iranians, who said they will retaliate if their infrastructure is struck.
Now that's not just going to cause economic damage to the region, it is in the billions of dollars, but it's also going to have a knock-on effect for
the global economy, and it's going to be absolutely devastating if that takes place. And so, these are the -- this is the problem that President
Trump has to grapple with in the in the hours ahead, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, it's interesting, and you bring up such an important point, because as Trump sort of ratchets up the rhetoric and the pressure and
threatens to bomb all of this sort of infrastructure, Iran it is the Gulf States, the surrounding countries, that end up bearing the brunt, because
they're the ones that Iran is going to retaliate against. I understand that you've been speaking to a Qatari official. What are they saying about this
latest escalation?
CHANCE: Yeah. I mean, the Qatar is, along with the other Gulf States, have already sustained billions of dollars of damage to their economies in the
Iran war so far.
[11:05:00]
But you know, as we stand on the brink of yet further escalation with that, with that Trump deadline, I mean, there's real alarm, real concern in the
region about what that means for them. Take a listen to what Dr. Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson here in Qatar told me
earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Given that we're now approaching President Trump's latest deadline, I think it's his fifth deadline. Do you have any reason to be confident
that this crisis can be diffused before it's too late?
MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: We have been warning since 2023 that escalation left unchecked will get us into a situation
where it cannot be controlled. And we are very close to that point. And this is why we have been urging all parties to find the resolution out of
this, to find a way of ending this war before it spirals out of after control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: So, pretty strong words there from the Qatari Foreign Ministry. But despite that, you know, no one's given up hope entirely of a diplomatic
solution to this particular crisis. I mean, there are initiatives underway, diplomatic initiatives that could bring some kind of way to diffuse this
crisis is a Pakistan led initiative.
The Iranians have put their own plan out there, a 10-point plan to bring the war to an end. And there is at least a possibility that in the hours
ahead, diplomacy will prevail, and this potential catastrophe could be averted, Zain.
ASHER: All right Matthew Chance live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, back to the Strait of Hormuz, if Tehran fails to reopen it before
President Trump's deadline, then he warns the U.S. will dramatically intensify its strikes. For weeks Iran -- for weeks, rather, Iran has
effectively been blocking traffic in the Strait through which some 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes every single day.
Let's bring in CNN's Natasha Bertrand, joining us live now, from Washington. So, Natasha, here's the thing, Iran does not seem to bow to
this kind of pressure to this kind of rhetoric. So, when the clock strikes 08:00 p.m. tonight, Eastern Time, what cards does Donald Trump actually
have to play that does not hurt civilians inside Iran?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Very few, and that's, I think, why we're hearing administration officials try to
socialize this idea more that the United States is prepared to attack civilian infrastructure, including bridges and railways and energy plants
inside Iran, because they understand that the one card that Iran really has to play right now is that, Strait.
It's interesting, though, because President Trump has had very shifting explanations over the last couple weeks for whether or not the U.S. is
going to make the reopening of the Strait an actual objective of this conflict. He first, of course, demanded that they reopen it. Then he said
that it was up to the U.S.'s allies in the region to do so, because they use the Strait more than the U.S. does.
Now it seems like we're getting back to his demands for them to go ahead and reopen the Straits, or else. And so, it just really has made it very
unclear what the U.S. is actually prepared to do to try to force that Strait open, if that is, in fact, one of the objectives here.
But I think that you know, the Iranians, based on what we have seen from Iranian state media in recent hours, they are now reacting to this post
that President Trump made, Zain he's going to essentially wipe out an entire civilization if they do not come to the table by saying that they
are cutting off direct negotiations with the United States.
The ones that J.D. Vance, the Vice President, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have been touting, as you know, potentially making progress
over the course of today. And so that all has put a lot of uncertainty into this situation even more so than already existed, and they think we're
seeing potentially a good cop bad cop situation play out here.
But the Iranians, historically, they have not responded well to this kind of pressure, and it seems as though they are already beginning to pull
back. The question is, what is President Trump going to do about that come 08:00 p.m. tonight, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Natasha Bertrand live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, let's bring in Retired Colonel Job Buccino. He is a Former
CENTCOM Spokesperson, and joins us live now from Washington, DC. So, what do you think is going to happen at 08:00 o'clock tonight?
I mean, as I was saying to our reporter on the ground there, it is unlikely that Iran is going to cave to Donald Trump's rhetoric. And so, Donald Trump
obviously is the type of president that wants to put his money where his mouth is.
And so, when it comes to 08:00 p.m. tonight, the only cards he has to play really is following through on destroying civilian infrastructure, which
would be a massive problem, especially given that the Iranian people are the sort of biggest victims of this regime in the first place. So, what do
you think President Trump is going to do come 08:00 o'clock tonight?
[11:10:00]
COL. JOE BUCCINO (RET.), FORMER CENTCOM SPOKESPERSON: Zain, I think there's probably one of two things that's going to happen. The first thing is,
President Trump will say, well, we've had some breakthrough in discussions. We need to continue the diplomacy.
We're going to extend this out another 48 hours or some other timeline, whether that diplomacy is advancing or not you know, that's something that
we've seen from him before, and that's one possible future for 08:00 p.m. Eastern. Another would be, in my mind, an aerial assault by the ready
Brigade of the 82nd Airborne onto Kharg Island to seize the oil.
I think what you're seeing right now are preparatory strikes, the potential for preparatory strikes on the defensive systems inside of Kharg. We've not
hit the oil. We've not hit the energy, and that could lead to softening Kharg Island, softening the military targets to allow the 82nd Airborne to
go in by air, either an air field landing, or aerial assault by parachute. And I think one of those two things is likely to happen.
ASHER: So, these sorts of mediated ceasefire negotiations continue to take place, but the problem is, both sides remain so far apart, and it's unclear
how or when they're going to sort of reach this kind of middle ground that we need to end this war. So, in the meantime, what is the most mature and
sensible way at this point to get Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
BUCCINO: There's no easy way to get Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. If you think about it, there's two wars happening in parallel. There's the
military war which we are winning, there's the information war, which we are decidedly losing.
And every day that Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed, every day that the sun sets and those ships are not going through the Strait of Hormuz,
Iran wins that information war, and they understand that they've got the key to this thing.
Opening up the Strait of Hormuz militarily would take months, if not years. You're talking about taking out all of the ballistic missile sites, all the
drone sites along the coast, clearing any mines that have put in there, you think about what it took to close the Strait of Hormuz. All it took was the
threat of mines.
So, reopening that militarily, without a diplomatic opening, I think that would take a very long time, much longer than I think we're thinking, or
much longer than the president, maybe even the president understands. I don't know that you get there diplomatically right now, because Iran has
the upper hand informationally.
ASHER: What does this mean for the Gulf States in the meantime? Because when Trump makes threats, and possibly, we'll see after 08:00 o'clock
tonight, possibly follows through on his threats to really decimate and obliterate civilian infrastructure within Iran. It is the Gulf States that
bear the brunt of Iran's retaliation.
So, what does this moment mean for them? And what can they do at this point in time to really ensure that cooler heads prevails on both, yes, the
American side and also possibly the Iranian side as well?
BUCCINO: There's not much that the Gulf States can do here in terms of advancing the diplomacy. They're not critically tied to the diplomacy in
terms of a negotiated agreement to open the Strait. I think I'd be concerned from the Gulf States I'd be concerned about data centers.
So, last month, not terribly reported, a little bit under reported, Iran hit AWS data centers in UAE and Bahrain and that could take, if they hit
data centers in the Gulf States that could take banking systems, offline payments, offline services, power. So, to me, that would be, I think,
perhaps the next Iranian response if we see strikes on Iranian infrastructure, highways, population centers tonight, to me, that would be
the next move by Iran.
ASHER: And just in terms of the possibility of Donald Trump actually targeting the energy infrastructure on Kharg Island. I mean, this is where
Iran exports 90 percent of its oil from. This is that essentially their economic lifeline, and it matters, not just for Iran, of course, but for
the entire global oil economy.
What would be the consequences of that? And can you actually see the U.S. actually trying to go through with something like that?
BUCCINO: I could, I could Zain. This is something President Trump has been talking about before he ever thought about running for president. I think
the impact of that, as you identified, would be oil prices would go up significantly. This is a significant funding piece, not just for the
Iranian war effort. But for the region and beyond that, for the world, I think you'd see oil prices would go up.
[11:15:00]
That would be very unpopular in the United States. Iran understands that would be very unpopular in the United States. Iran is following the
politics here and the polls and the gas prices. So, I think there's a double-edged sword in terms of taking out the oil in Kharg Island, or
securing the oil in the Kharg Island with the 82nd airborne.
ASHER: All right. Joe Buccino live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, Israel carried out more strikes across Southern
Lebanon early today. Lebanon says the eight people were killed on Monday. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of villages,
villages in the South as it considers a plan to create a buffer zone to prevent Hezbollah attacks.
The Lebanese health ministry reports nearly 1500 people have been killed in the past five weeks, including at least 130 children. As Christians in
Lebanon marked Easter Sunday, there was no break in the fighting. CNN's Nada Bashir reports that services went on despite attacks nearby.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BSHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Easter Mass in time for a moment as the church bells ring, the roar of Israeli fighter jets overhead
is drowned out. Awoken on Sunday by the news of yet more air strikes on the Southern Lebanese city, these Christian families have not been deterred,
gathering, not only in worship, but in defiance.
BASHIR: You can see the church here is still despite the evacuation orders, despite the nearby bombings that are taking place, the Christian community
here.
BASHIR (voice-over): Located south of the Litani River, Tyre, has been engulfed by an Israeli military assault with the purported aim of ridding
the region of Iran backed Hezbollah forces. The U.N. says more than a million people. Around 20 percent of Lebanon's entire population have now
been displaced across the country.
Homes in the south either destroyed or left empty. Karen Farhat fled her home in Karna with her family, neighboring buildings said to have been
destroyed by Israeli strikes. The threats of an Israeli advance into Tyre and even a potential military occupation of the South has left their future
here uncertain.
KAREN FARHAT, DISPLACED FROM QANNA, SOUTHERN LEBANON: If that were to happen, then that's it. We would have to escape and flee our land. We as
adults, could manage. But these are children.
BASHIR (voice-over): Others refuse to entertain the fort.
MARWAN AL-JOUNI, RESIDENT OF TYRE, LEBANON: I'm a son of Tyre. It's impossible for me to leave Tyre no matter what happens. I am tired, and I
will stay holding on to this place forever, until my last breath.
BASHIR (voice-over): But as this community, like so many in the south, puts its trust in faith. There is also a growing call for the world to stand
with the people of Lebanon. Archbishop Georges Iskander says this is about protecting innocent lives and the history of this ancient city.
GEORGES ISKANDER, ARCHBISHOP, MELKITE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH: I don't think the world should just stand by watching this tragedy unfold, the
international community is one family. They should intervene to protect the innocent who are unable to defend themselves. We are peaceful people, as
you can see, we do not have weapons. We don't have fighters.
BASHIR (voice-over): Across the south, many Christian villages have so far been spared the worst of Israel's aerial assault, but here in Tyre
communities' live side by side. You don't have to go far to feel the full impact of this war. CNN obtained permission from Hezbollah to report in
these areas.
BASHIR: This building was completely destroyed in an Israeli air strike just 24 hours ago. This was a nine-storey building now completely turned to
rubble. Of course, the Israeli military says it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but we can see around us the residential buildings, the
homes, the shops, the hospital just meters away.
A reminder that there are simply no safe spaces for many of these families who are coming under almost daily bombardment now.
BASHIR (voice-over): Remnants of people's lives lay scattered on the ground, children's toys, clothing, this area is largely empty now those who
stay say they have no choice.
JAWAD AL-SALEEM, TYRE, LEBANON RESIDENT: Where can we go? If you want to leave, you need money, you need lots of things. My family is here, but we
can't leave. This is our land. We can't leave it behind.
BASHIR (voice-over): The connection people here feel to this city, to their land, is hard to overstate. These church bells have been ringing entire for
centuries, withstanding walls and even a three-year Israeli occupation in the 1980s.
[11:20:00]
But with no end in sight to this latest conflict, the future of this historic city and its people lies uncertain. Nada Bashir CNN, in Tyre,
Southern Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: In Istanbul, a gun fight outside the Israeli consulate has left at least one assailant dead, two others were wounded and are under arrest.
Authorities say that three attackers opened fire, two police officers are said to have received minor injuries. Israeli authorities have reported a
surge in attacks against Jews abroad since the beginning of the conflict with Iran.
All right, still ahead, the U.S. has struck military targets on Kharg Island, a key oil transit point for Iran. These images are from before
those strikes. We'll take a closer look at what's at stake ahead. Plus, as the war in Iran escalates, America's second in command is in Europe trying
to drum up support for a key ally facing an election battle. The details of that as well after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: At a critical point in the war with Iran, and days ahead of Hungary's national election, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is in Budapest
today in an effort to boost Hungary's far right leader. Vance held talks with Viktor Orban earlier, telling the Prime Minister he wanted to wish him
good luck ahead of Sunday's vote.
Orban a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump is facing a major test of his 16-year grip on power as he trails in the polls. Let's bring in CNN's
Melissa Bell, who has been following the latest for us from Budapest.
So, Melissa, both the U.S. and Russia actually view Viktor Orban as a steward of the far-right agenda in Europe, very sort of anti-Europe views.
But the question is, will Vance's presence in Budapest actually make a difference, given that they're only five days at this point until the
election?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly Zain, has been described as a form of political interference by Viktor Orban's
opponent, Peter Magyar, and argue with the man who is giving his biggest electoral challenge in 16 years, that Hungarians go to the polls over the
course of the weekend, but the timing of J.D. Vance's visit as of course, raised eyebrows.
The question both in terms of the Hungarian election, I think America's war with Iran, raising the question of what he's doing in Budapest at all?
[11:25:00]
On the question of political interference, he's been defending himself, explaining that, of course, it is to support this long time, term friend of
Washington that he is here in the face of what he described as political interference that's coming from Brussels.
Because, of course, remember, as you pointed out a moment ago, Moscow and Washington are aligned on who they'd like to see win this particular poll.
The European Union very much hoping that Viktor Orban's days have come to an end, given that he's positioned himself as a sort of arch blocker of so
much European legislation, sanctions against Russia helped Ukraine over the course of the last few years.
Still, as he arrived this morning, the real question on journalist's minds was, what was happening in Iran? We just had the news about the latest
strikes on Kharg Island, and this is what the vice president had to say about where he believed things were just hours ahead of that deadline fixed
by President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I think pathway one is where the Iranians decide they're going to be a normal country. They're not going to fund
terrorism anymore. They're going to be part of the of the world system of commerce and exchange, and that's going to mean much better things for them
economically.
It's going to mean better things for the peace and safety of the world. It's going to mean a lot of good things for a lot of people all over the
planet. That's option A, OK? Option B, is if the Iranians don't come to table and they stay committed to terrorism, to terrorizing their neighbors,
not just Israel, but, of course, their Arab neighbors too, then the economic situation in Iran is going to continue to be very, very bad, and
frankly, it will probably get worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: So those strikes on Kharg Island he went to say, did not represent a fundamental break of the American administration's policy towards Iran. And
he believes that negotiations could still be fruitful over the coming hours. J.D. Vance, whose of course, emerged as this potential person who
might be involved in negotiations, should they get going on the right track, he might himself be included within them.
So that's why journalists were so keen to hear from him what he had to say as he landed in Budapest on that Zain.
ASHER: All right, Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right still to come, the U.S. has once again struck Kharg Island a critical
oil hub for Iran. We'll have more on its strategic importance and a live report from the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
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. The U.S. President is
doubling down on threats to Iran to reopen the key waterway, the Strait of Hormuz that deadline is less than nine hours away.
In a social media post, he says, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but
it probably will. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that his country hit railways and bridges in Iran today, which he says are used by
the Revolutionary Guard to transport weapons and operatives, this follows a warning from Israel's military telling Iranians not to use trains and to
stay away from the country's railway line for the next 12 hours.
Israel and the U.S. are condemning an attack earlier Tuesday on the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. Authorities say one assailant is dead and two others
were wounded when a gun fight broke out. Two officers were also reported injured as well.
The four astronauts on board NASA's Orion Spacecraft are due to wake up about now as they begin their journey home following a historic flight
around the moon. The Artemis II Mission has taken them further from Earth than any other humans ever been before, while giving them previously unseen
views of the Moon's far side during Monday's lunar fly by.
All right, as we mentioned, sources are confirming new attacks on Kharg Island, Iran's key oil hub, a U.S. and White House officials say these
strikes were on military targets and not oil facilities. Kharg Island has been an economic lifeline for Tehran and handles roughly 90 percent of the
country's crude oil exports.
The attacks come just hours ahead of President Donald Trump's deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. CNN's Betsy Klein is at White House.
I mean, obviously it is important to note Betsy that these attacks were not on the energy infrastructure would be -- which would be, of course,
terrible for not just Iran as it's their economic lifeline, but really the global oil economy.
But the fact that they were on military targets, it still does send a strong message to the Iranian regime.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. I think this is intended to send a very strong signal that they are very serious about this
rapidly approaching deadline just about eight and a half hours away now, Zain.
And President Trump, we have seen him steadily escalate his threats against Iran, including with extensive rhetoric, including that F bomb over the
weekend. Today, posing an existential threat in a post to social media, he wrote, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought
back again.
I don't want that to happen, but it probably will, however, now that we have complete and total regime change where different, smarter and less
radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionary, wonderful can happen. Who knows, we will find out tonight, one of the most important
moments in the long and complex history of the world.
Now at this hour, we know that diplomatic negotiations are ongoing, but Vice President J.D. Vance is among those leading these negotiations. He's
currently on a trip in Hungary, as we saw with our colleague Melissa Bell, along with Steve Witkoff, the President's Special Envoy, and Trump's son-
in-law, Jared Kushner.
All of these talks mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey. But the president today laying out two paths. One, he is warning very starkly that
a whole civilization will die tonight. He's not referring to a regime. He is not referring to nuclear weapons, a whole civilization he says.
We've asked the White House for clarity on what exactly he means by that, separately, the possibility of a diplomatic path forward. And we heard from
Vance a little earlier today say there will be a lot of negotiation in these hours ahead but all of this adding up to a very volatile moment in
this five-week long conflict.
The Trump Administration issuing a key warning with those strikes on Kharg Island, that very critical oil hub that in the Persian Gulf. And perhaps
that is a preview of what is to come after that eight o'clock deadline passes. President Trump has repeatedly warned about strikes on critical
infrastructure, things like bridges as well as power plants.
And I asked the president if he felt like these diplomatic talks are progressing, whether he might consider extending that deadline. He did not
rule it out now. Now he also told our colleague Kristen Holmes that reopening the Strait of Hormuz that is that critical oil thoroughfare is a
key priority for these talks.
He did concede, however, that it is different from some of the other stated objectives in these negotiations.
[11:35:00]
But we are already seeing oil prices rise today, and specifically after that attack on Kharg Island, all of that factoring in to the president's
calculations. Here, the question right now is what kind of a deal the president is willing to accept, as well as what kind of ideal the Iranians
are willing to accept, we'll be watching all of that extremely closely.
ASHER: All right. Betsy Klein live for us. Thank you so much. All right; our next guest served in the U.S. Government as Deputy Director of National
Intelligence. Beth Sanner joins us live now from Brussels, Belgium. Beth, thank you so much for being with us. So, in terms of how we end up getting
out of this war?
I mean, both sides, just in terms of negotiations, have very kind of maximalist demands that are obviously very, very incompatible. And one of
the things that the Iranians have said is they want to ensure that they are not attacked again.
So, when you have the U.S. President threatening to obliterate infrastructure that obviously is going to push Iran further away from the
negotiation table and also make them really continue to block the Strait of Hormuz, because that is the only card that they have to play.
So, wouldn't a better idea be to perhaps, I mean, you can tell me, but perhaps temporarily halt fighting while negotiations play out, in that way
the Iranians know that the U.S. is serious about bringing this war to an end. What would be -- give us your take on the best way, the best strategy
here to actually bring this war to an end?
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Zain, I think you should be in charge of negotiations. Because, you know, I think you're getting much
better than I think, that some of the people in the administration. You're understanding where the Iranians are coming from?
Like a key part of negotiations is to not agree with your enemy, but to be able to understand their motivations and what drives them. So, you can
understand their red lines and you can figure out a way ahead, right?
But instead, what we're doing is, as you say, we're doubling down on the strategy of escalate to de-escalate. But that is literally, as you rightly
said, Zain, that is opposite world for the Iranians. And, you know, I mean, I don't want to say that this Iranian regime doesn't deserve to be ousted.
It does deserve to be ousted by the Iranian people. But look, if you had a tweet that said that the president intended to wipe your civilization off
the map. Wouldn't you double down? And wouldn't a lot of Iranian people actually be really angry at President Trump for saying that?
Yes. And so, I think that this is the conundrum we have, is that the president is emboldened right now. He's emboldened by the rescue of the
service man, and I think that he intends, whether this is purposeful or not, to bomb Iran. I mean, I just feel like that's what Kharg Island was
about today.
And the real question for all of us is, what is the purpose of this? All military actions are supposed to have a mean, I mean, you have this means a
proportional means to a specific end. And I still don't know what he thinks we're going to get at the end of all this.
ASHER: You know, I actually spoke to a guest at the beginning of the show, Joe Buccino, who is a Retired Air Force Colonel. And one of the things that
he said to me, asked him, what's going to happen at a going to happen at eight o'clock tonight? Do you see Trump doing something outrageous,
essentially.
And he said, the possibility, there is a possibility, obviously, that, you know, civilian infrastructure continues to be bombed, that maybe energy
infrastructure on Kharg Island gets well. I mean, obviously that would be very extreme, because that would backfire in the U.S., just in terms of oil
prices.
But one of the options he did mention was this idea that Trump could actually just say, at eight o'clock tonight, oh, look, we're negotiating in
earnest, and the Iranians have really come to the table with an offer that we're looking at. Let's extend the deadline for another 48 hours. Whether
it's true or not true, who knows. But that would be one way for Donald Trump to extend the deadline. I mean, is that something that you can see
the president doing?
SANNER: Look, this is a president who said, in 19 like 88 I think the United States as a country needs to be more unpredictable. And so, I think
it's a little bit of a fool's errand to try to predict what he's going to do, because his whole purpose is to make sure that we can't predict what
he's going to do.
And certainly, he wants an off ramp in some ways, but I think I also believe the reporting that says that, you know, he's kind of gunning for a
fight here, and I don't know which way it's going to happen. I mean, I briefed President Trump for two years, I spent some time with him, and I
don't know. I'm not going to pretend that I do.
[11:40:00]
He has -- either he's decided or he hasn't decided, or he could change his mind. I mean, all these things are possible. But on the Strait, I think
that this is really, you know, kind of an important thing, because it's our entire world economy.
And I think this idea of Iran seeing the Strait and their ability to control it and to hold the world hostage is actually their card and their
way of guaranteeing that they cannot be attacked again. The United States and the Gulf allies also feel completely the opposite.
They think that Iran should give this up in exchange for some kind of economic trade off. But that's not where the Iranians are coming from. They
do not want to do that, because once they let go of that card, they think we could go at it again. And so, this, I think, is the fundamental problem
that we have in this disagreement, and why we are so far apart and why it's so difficult to find a negotiated outcome.
ASHER: I mean, of course, because if you're the Iranians, why on earth would you give up control of the Strait of Hormuz? I mean, you're able to
essentially win or you have a winning strategy rather economically, you have a winning strategy when it comes to this particular war.
Why would you give up nuclear weapons when you know that there is a chance the U.S. could attack you again? And of course, regime change for them is
obviously going to be off the table at this point in time.
And so, my question to you is, really, when it comes to Kharg Island, the U.S. has been bombing military targets on Kharg Island. They haven't gone
off to energy infrastructure just yet, but that would be catastrophic for the Iranian regime, because it's economic lifeline.
But more importantly, I think, for the Americans, is that it would also backfire on the global economy as well. It would raise gas prices even
further for the United States, which is exactly what the president does not want.
Can you see any kind of scenario where the American President does end up going after Kharg Island in that way, after energy infrastructure on Kharg
Island?
SANNER: So, you've laid out the reasons why you wouldn't and why -- what we're seeing today could be one of two things. It could just be, you know,
a way of threatening and showing the Iranians like this is part of the maximum pressure, and trying to pressure them, just like the statement
about civilization.
He intends this to scare them into capitulating again, not going to happen. So it could be that, or it could be softening up these targets in order to,
you know, the military targets there, and eliminating the threat on the islands in order to enable a ground invasion.
I don't actually think we would blow up the oil infrastructure, because, as you say, that would be counterproductive, but we might try to seize it.
That said the Iranians can turn off the spigot from the mainland, and that would kind of, I don't know it would, you know?
I don't think that -- I think that would be counterproductive as well. So that might not be the target. This might be kind of a diversion, or we may
just intend it as a threat.
ASHER: But as you mentioned, it is a fool's errand right to guess what Trump is going to do at eight o'clock tonight, we'll be watching. Beth
Sanner live for us.
SANNER: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you so much. When we come back, the U.S. has attacked the main export terminal for Iran's crude oil. What that could mean for the price
you pay at the pump? We'll talk about that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: All right, as we just mentioned, the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is in Hungary at a so-called friendship event with nationalist leader,
Victor Orban who wants to use his speech to call his boss, who gave a full three throated endorsement for Viktor Orban. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: How are you? Mr. President, you are on with about 5000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Victor Orban.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And I love that Victor, I'll tell you, he's a fantastic man. We've had a tremendous
relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. U.S. crude oil prices have surged again this Tuesday, after the U.S. struck military targets on Kharg Island, the hub which most
of Iran's crude oil exports flow through. West Texas crude oil has doubled in price since the start of 2026. The latest jump came after President
Trump issued a new deadline to Tehran demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz moves by eight o'clock Eastern time tonight.
For more on this, I want to bring in CNN's Matt Egan joining us live now from New York. You've actually written an analysis piece about where things
are headed, where things -- where we've come from, when it comes to oil prices, where things are headed?
I mean, the fact is, as you point out in your piece, we are undergoing this sort of largest disruption to supply in the oil markets pretty much ever.
And no matter how many sorts of emergency releases of oil, no matter what OPEC does sort of boost production temporarily, it really cannot fill that
gap. That's what you mentioned in your article. Walk us through its Matt?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes Zain. Look, that's exactly right. This is a record setting oil disruption, and now there's really nothing that
OPEC or the United States can do in terms of releasing emergency oil that's going to fill the gap that's been lost by all of the barrels that are not
going through the Strait of Hormuz.
So, this is just a pivotal day in this war, in this energy crisis. And look prices today the oil market started kind of eerily quiet earlier, but look
at this. As you noted, we're looking at WTI. U.S. oil prices now above $115 a barrel earlier, they were above $116 a barrel. Just another major move.
And this reaction was triggered by the news of explosions on Kharg Island, as you mentioned, this that critical island off the coast of Iran in the
Persian Gulf. It's where most of Iran's energy exports go out of. And the fact is that U.S. official has told CNN that the U.S. military struck
military sites on Kharg Island. That's these sites in red that are located on Kharg Island.
I think the oil market reaction would have been much, much, much bigger if instead of military sites, it was the energy sites, including the oil
storage facility, the power plants, the natural gas facility, all located on Kharg Island.
Now, the oil market coming into this year was oversupplied, right? Prices were low, supplies were high. The market was basically swimming with excess
oil. But everything has completely changed. And now there's all these red lights flashing about the scarcity of oil, starting with the futures
market, right?
As you mentioned U.S. oil futures have more than doubled so far this year, right, starting at $57 a barrel, now above $115 a barrel. It's just a
stunning move. It's only early April, and it really speaks to the concerns out there. But it's not just the fact that oil futures are up. It's that
they're kind of acting weird, right?
[11:50:00]
It's more expensive to get oil delivered in the near term than in the further out months. That's unusual. It's known as extreme backwardation,
and it points to this concern about supply. And one of the points I was going to make for you is just real-world oil barrels Zain, they're even
more expensive, right?
Brent, Crude, dated Brent topped $141 a barrel last week for the first time since 2008 and analysts say if this war doesn't end soon, then prices could
go even higher. Back to you.
ASHER: All right. Matt Egan, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it. All right the Artemis II crew are beginning their trip home after
boldly going where no one has gone before in a historic Luna fly by. We'll have the latest update for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. The Artemis II astronauts have just woken up for day seven of the historic trip orbiting the moon. The crew of the Spaceship
Orion are now on the homeward leg of their journey. On Monday, they traveled farther from the Earth and any other human before, and got
unprecedented views of the lunar far side.
Let's go to CNN's Randi Kay at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. So, Randi, as I understand it, yes, they are on their way back to Earth, as
I understand it, they are going to be landing back on Earth Friday. Walk us through their day to day as they head back towards the Earth. Obviously,
they've completed this monumental mission with the lunar fly by and the lunar observation walk us through their day today.
RANDI KAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They still have a pretty busy day ahead. They just got up after some well-deserved sleep. They had a really busy day
yesterday, but today they will have a conversation of sorts. We're not sure exactly how it's going to work, but a conversation between the astronauts
on Artemis II and the International Space Station that's supposed to happen this afternoon.
And then, of course, they're going to de brief with the lunar scientists and mission control here after that sometime in the three o'clock hour
Eastern Time this afternoon. But we are just getting in these photos and images that they took during their lunar fly by. And they apparently took
about 10,000 images.
And we can walk you through some of them here. They're really just stunning. You can see in some of them that the earth is dipping behind the
lunar -- the lunar horizon. And it's just incredible. You see it there, and you can see even some of the texture on the moon. And the Earth looks so
small.
And that one is, is one of the they caught an eclipse of a total solar eclipse while they were there. There's another one of the Earth setting
behind the horizon. And the Moon is just, you know, they say that the far side of the Moon is more rugged and more mountainous, and you can really
see that in the texture of these photos.
[11:55:00]
And as far as the Eclipse goes, they didn't think that they got a great picture of the eclipse, but if you look at it, you can see that there's
even some of these small specks are actually planets. And they did really get an incredible picture in that one right there. You can see the small
specks of light are planets.
But they did lose contact during this lunar fly by for about 40 minutes with mission control, which was expected, and when they got contact back,
Mission Specialist Christina Cook had a few words for Mission Control. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christian, we have you the same. And it is so great to hear from Earth again. We will construct science outposts. We will drive
rovers. We will do radio astronomy. We will found companies. We will bolt their industry. We will inspire, but ultimately, we will always choose
Earth. We will always choose each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Integrity from Earth, our single system, fragile and interconnected, we copy those of us that can are looking back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAY: And just one more fun little note, they actually during the blackout period where they had no contact with mission control, they said that they
were snacking on Maple cookies. I guess that is to honor their Canadian astronaut that's on board, Jeremy Hansen, the Mission Specialist.
So, that was a nice little treat for them. And then, as I said, they'll have that de brief today, and then they're planning to leave the lunar
sphere of influence in just a couple of hours. That's where the Moon's gravity is stronger than the Earth as they make their way home, Zain.
ASHER: I mean, of course, it's impossible to put into words just how much of a life changing experience this would have been for these four
astronauts. All right, Randi Kay, live for us. Thank you for that. And there's more CNN, stay with "One World". My colleague Bianna Golodryga will
join me after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
