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Iran: War Entering "New Phase," Threatens Retaliation; U.S. Identifies 7th Service Member Killed as Sgt. Benjamin Pennington; Israel Steps Up Military Campaign Against Hezbollah; Iran Names Mojtaba Khamenei as New Supreme Leader. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 09, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: -- new Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei. President Trump had previously said that he would be an unacceptable choice and that a new supreme leader is not going to last long without his approval. Israel has vowed to target any successor. What message do you think Iran is sending with this latest move?

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Yes. Look, if the president assumed that they were going to wait for him to fill that role, it's, again, naive and dangerous and shows how ill-prepared he is for an extraordinary conflict like this. The regime is doubling down. The fact of the matter is, if you're going to absolutely end the possibility of Iran moving forward with the nuclear program, you should have stayed in the JCPOA. And if you're going to change that, it's going to take more than this. It will take all-out war.

And if you think you're going to change or put in charge who you want in Iraq -- I mean, in Iran, you're going to have to learn the lessons from Iraq and Libya that, you know, you simply can't create a power void and assume that you're going to be able to fill that. A wise man said, you break it, you own it. And, you know, we're going to get in a position where we have neither. We have a very dangerous, chaotic situation, and all will be involved.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: On another sensitive issue, Congressman Quigley, according to CNN and to expert analysis of the evidence, the United States military appears to be responsible for that strike on an elementary school in southern Iran that killed a number of children. What questions do you have for the U.S. defense secretary and for the U.S. military leadership about this?

QUIGLEY: Yes, the only briefing we got on this strike was that it was being investigated. We have to put into the fact that our concern is always for our troops that are endangered, and we've already seen the results of this. But you also have to take into consideration, in a conflict like this, there will be thousands of those endangered, innocent civilians. The regime is an evil, but the fact of the matter of going in and attempting to change it in a manner like this, sans diplomacy, thousands of innocents are going to be at risk. And I think if it's going to be widened, as they're talking about, this is only the beginning of that loss. BROWN: All right. Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley, thank you. Wolf.

BLITZER: And just ahead, Iran's defiant message. We'll speak with Israel's ambassador to the United Nations about the new pick for the Iranian supreme leader, and if Israel will make good on threats of retaliation.

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[10:35:00]

BROWN: Breaking news, the U.S. Defense Department has just identified the seventh U.S. service member that has been killed in the war with Iran. Army Sergeant Benjamin Pennington was just 26 years old. He was from Glendale, Kentucky. He was wounded a week ago at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and died from those injuries.

BLITZER: Deepest condolences to his family. May he rest in peace. And may his memory be a blessing. On this 10th day of the war with Iran. Israel says it carried out new airstrikes today on Iranian missile launch sites, a rocket engine production facility and other military targets. While Israel says at least one person died from an Iranian missile strike, the 11th person killed in Israel so far, as Iranians were asked to pledge allegiance to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Joining us now is Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, Ambassador, thanks so much for joining us. I know you're there at the United Nations right now. Thanks so much for doing this. What is your reaction, first of all, to the choice of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son as Iran's new supreme leader, because someone President Trump had earlier called as unacceptable?

DANNY DANON, FORMER ISRAEL DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER AND ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Thank you for having me, Wolf. So, it's more of the same. You know, when you look at the actions of the regime, they will continue with their nuclear ambitions with the ballistic missiles, feeding the proxies. So, you know, like father, like son. So, we know that we will have to continue with this operation, and we will degrade the capabilities of Iran. And then we don't have the ability to sow chaos in the Middle East.

You know, they are desperate, they are panicked, they are attacking Turkey, Cyprus, all the Gulf countries. You know, in the last 10 days, Iran has attacked more Arab countries than Israel did since 1948. So, they are losing control. It only showed us that we have to continue, hammer them very strong, make sure that we take care of all the capabilities they have.

BLITZER: The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, warned last week that any new leader appointed in Iran would be, in his words, "an unequivocal target for elimination," end quote. The Israeli Defense Forces renewed that warning yesterday, making clear Israel will pursue every successor and every person who aims to take part in picking a new leader. Does the new supreme leader of Iran right now face a similar fate as far as you're concerned?

DANON: Whoever is promoting those radical ideas, which calls for our elimination, who's calling for death to the US, they should know that we will find them. You should look in or around him to see what happened there with family members, with the leaders in Lebanon, Nasrallah, and others, and to understand, you know, we have control over the skies of Iran, we can find everyone, and we will find all of them.

[10:40:00]

BLITZER: So, I just want to be precise, Ambassador, are you saying Israel will target this new supreme leader of Iran for assassination?

DANON: We will target anyone who's promoting those radical ideas, who's sending terrorists to attack our communities. So, he's on the top of the list.

BLITZER: All right. on top of the list. So, 10 days into this war, where does Israel stand in this conflict, Ambassador? Do you see any end in sight right now?

DANON: Well, we're moving forward. You know, today, we see that we actually degraded the capabilities to launch missiles into Israel and neighboring countries. They still do. But it's not the same like at the beginning. It will take some more time. You know, it's not going to be years, it's not going to be months, it's going to take a few more weeks. But we're heading in the right direction. And I think the moment that the people of Iran will rise up and take their future in their own hands is coming really soon. They should be ready for that moment.

BLITZER: Over the weekend, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, and I'm quoting him now, "The moment of truth is drawing near for Iranians to topple the Iranian regime." In your mind, Ambassador, how is that supposed to happen?

DANON: Well, I think eventually the brave people of Iran will have to go to the streets and make sure they gain control of the future. We are unchaining and training the conditions for them to make it happen. We know it's not easy. We saw what happened a few weeks ago, when tens of thousands were massacred by the militias of the regime. So, this time is different. We are targeting those militias. We do not have the same capabilities. I think we're getting there.

BLITZER: Israel, at the same time as all of this is going on, is dramatically escalating its military campaign against Iran backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, especially in southern Lebanon. Where does that operation stand?

DANON: Well, first of all, we have no beef with the Lebanese people or the Lebanese government. But unfortunately, it's a very weak government. You know, they say all the right things about pushing Hezbollah out of Lebanon, but they don't take the right action. So, once Hezbollah, they decided to attack Israel, in order to show support for Iran, we retaliated and we have the power. We are now striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. And we will do whatever is necessary to allow the people in Israel to feel safe.

You know, the secretary general left the U.N., flew to Beirut. I'm sure he will condemn Israel. But this should look at the fact that it was actually Hezbollah who chose to attack Israel first. And what we are doing now is retaliation.

BLITZER: So, what more can the Lebanese government right now do to try to eliminate this threat to Israel from Hezbollah?

DANON: Well, it's very simple. There is a resolution that passed in Security Council that states that Hezbollah should not be south of the Litani River. They should mobilize the Lebanese army and make sure that Hezbollah is not firing rockets into Israel. They don't do that. We don't see the Lebanese military. That is why we are the one who are actually taking action in Lebanon.

BLITZER: Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the U.N., thanks very much for joining us.

DANON: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Pamela?

BROWN: And coming up, Wolf, here in the Situation Room, long lines and massive wait times at TSA checkpoints across the U.S. But the delays, well, they're not going to get any better as the partial government shutdown drags on. How spring break travel is adding to the stress up next.

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[10:45:00]

BROWN: And welcome back to the breaking news coverage of the war with Iran. Iran has named its new supreme leader and he's the son of the former supreme leader killed in the early hours of the war. President Trump called the choice, quote, unacceptable and warned that without U.S. support, he won't last long.

With us here is Cedric Leighton. He's a CNN military analyst and retired Air Force colonel. And Michael Allen is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush for national security.

Michael, to you first, what does this particular choice of supreme leader mean for the war and what Iran's thinking is right now in the message it's signaling?

MICHAEL ALLEN, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR COUNTERPROLIFERATION, NSC, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BEACON GLOBAL STRATEGIES AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: Well, we have to be humble. I mean, so many people don't know many, many details about him, but it certainly screams continuity. It says to me the new boss is the same as the old boss.

A couple of other things, though, about the legitimacy here, he's not known as a religious scholar and that in theory is what the supreme leader is actually doing is enunciating how Islam applies to laws. And it's a nepotism situation here. We didn't think that -- or at least under their own credo, it's not supposed to be some hereditary gift to give to your children. So, I think that's a little tension in the system and he might lack some legitimacy and clout because of it. Last thing is IRGC is apparently really tight with them. I think all this adds up to an even more powerful IRGC.

BROWN: Do you see it that way, too, Colonel?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST AND U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Actually, I do, Pamela. I think one of the key things about this is that, you know, he started his religious studies a little bit late in life of 30 at the age of 30 or so. And that would indicate that perhaps he's not as well versed in the Quranic things as he as he would otherwise be in a position if he were to assume a position like this.

[10:50:00]

But now that he is there, it's pretty clear that that connection with the IRGC is going to be paramount. So, this is a thumb in the nose, you know, basically to -- you know, to the U.S. and saying very specifically, we're going to pick our own leaders and you're not going to interfere in that.

BROWN: Realistically, though, how long do you think he'll last? We just heard Danny Danon did on the Israeli ambassador say he's top of the list right now as a target.

LEIGHTON: Yes. Well, he's definitely at the top of the list. I mean, that's HVT is a high value targets are basically what Israel is going after here. They've decimated the entire leadership of the Iranian state as well as the proxies. So, it's pretty clear that I think he's very much at risk.

ALLEN: Well, also, the targets that popped up over the weekend that Israel hit are also suggesting doubling down on regime change. Of course, they were hitting refineries. It was IRGC refineries. But that is going at the revenue, the heart of it all for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the power behind the throne, if you will. And now, not only are they hitting the besiege and the IRGC, they're actually hitting local police stations.

So, they're trying to set up the conditions by which at the end of some of this bombing in a week or two, the people would feel more comfortable coming out on the streets. So, I'm seeing that a lot.

BROWN: Do you think it's a strategic move by Iran to continue to strike oil depots and prolong this war, attacking other Gulf countries, even though the Iranian president had apologized? But the strikes continue because Iran knows that the U.S. president doesn't want a prolonged war and doesn't want oil prices going up.

LEIGHTON: Absolutely. And that's the key thing. The the Iranians sense that vulnerability. They understand that a President Trump wants a short war. And so, they're going to do everything in their power to make it as long a war as possible. Then, number two, they know that there are political vulnerabilities when it comes to this, because gas prices going up here in the United States, that probably means less support for the war politically, and that is also going to impact the military operations. And it will also impact in a tactical sense those operations because we'll be forced to do things like protect the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and make sure that the tankers can flow in and out of the Persian Gulf.

BLITZER: Just one quick question. Follow up question for you. Our David Goldman is reporting this is the biggest disruption in oil in history. What about Venezuelan oil that the U.S. apparently had seized? What's going on there?

LEIGHTON: Well, it may be seized, but it hasn't reached the market yet. And that's one of the problems. That's why you're seeing, in part, why you're seeing the price being so high. It's also a different type of oil. So, that's another thing, a different -- basically there's a different consistency to the oil. And that means it can't be -- the Venezuelan oil has to be especially refined compared to the way the oil from Iran is refined. So, there are a lot of differences, technical differences that make it really hard for the Venezuelan oil to be used immediately as a replacement for Iranian or other Persian Gulf oil.

BROWN: Michael, in your view, what is a definitive victory look like for the United States?

ALLEN: Well, I think that's why the United States is backed away from explicitly saying regime change is one of the goals. And they are saying now, well, you know, it would be a welcome outcome. I think the United States will be able to point to we've destroyed more of the vestiges of their nuclear program and we were able to prosecute so many different military targets that they're unable to project force.

However, I still think because of the way President Trump has put regime change at the top of the list, at least since his beginning speech, when these operations were announced, that is going to be a metric by which this is judged. And if there's not sort of a path toward it, I think people are going to begin to say over time, well, sure, you mowed the grass and got rid of the missiles and the rest but you didn't actually achieve your biggest goal of all, which is some sort of massive tumult in the regime, which would cause a more benevolent leadership to emerge.

LEIGHTON: But you also have to be careful with what you wish for, because in this particular case, if Iran, let's say, collapses into separate constituent ethnic enclaves, that is going to be a huge problem for the stability of the region. So, it's a very difficult situation. On the one hand, the Iranian government, as it currently is constituted, is very much a destabilizing force. On the other hand, if you have a whole bunch of other countries all of a sudden coming up, let's say a Kurdish Iran or an Azeri Iran or an Arab Iran, that would be a real problem for the rest of the region.

BROWN: Yes. And you -- it raises the question whether the defense secretary came out and more definitively said this isn't about regime change because they know historically what has happened when that has been the objective and it has not gone well.

And in terms of what a definitive victory would look like, do you think the U.S. can achieve that, Colonel, without boots on the ground? You heard Pete Hegseht, the defense secretary, tell 60 Minutes he's not ruling it out, that the president keeps all the options on the table. What do you think?

[10:55:00]

LEIGHTON: Well, I think it's wise to keep your options open from a strategic and a tactical standpoint. But, you know, the flavor of discourse has always been that we don't want boots on the ground for political as well as military reasons. But it's going to be really difficult to achieve objectives such as regime change, such as even controlling a part of Iran. Let's say we need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. And the only way to do it is to make sure that that area is not subject to Iranian boats or Iranian missiles or any other Iranian interference.

In order to do that, there may very well have to be a presence of U.S. forces on the ground in at least that part of Iran. So, I have to be very, very careful with this. It's basically a tinderbox situation that is going to really, really make it difficult to go forward without some kind of presence on the ground, I think, in order to achieve those goals.

BROWN: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, Michael Allen, thank you both. Appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Pamela.

BROWN: Wolf.

BLITZER: And still ahead, CNN is live on the ground in Beirut as Israel launches a wave of strikes aimed at Hezbollah.

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