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Israel Says, Targeting Iran's Missiles, Air Defenses, Infrastructures; Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Countries to Help Secure Strait of Hormuz; Gas Prices Surge 74 Cents Per Gallon Since Start of Iran War. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired March 16, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, asking for help. President Trump says the U.S. is talking to other countries about securing the Strait of Hormuz, but some key allies are not on board with the plant.

Historic surge, gas prices are now the highest they've been in three years. Why the price at the pump could affect your grocery bill.

And sprawling storm right now, more than 250 million Americans are expected to see some type of severe weather as a massive system is bringing snow in the possibility of tornadoes from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And happening now, new reporting about the Michigan synagogue attack suspect as the tight-knit Jewish community outside Detroit is coming together to support one another.

Plus, hours-long wait times, TSA lines stretching outside at some airports. We're live at the world's busiest airport with an update.

And historic night in Hollywood, the many firsts for some of the biggest winners at the Oscars.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

Happening now, airstrikes rock Beirut. Just hours ago, Israel said its troops have expanded their, quote, limited and targeted ground operation in Southern Lebanon. Officials say the IDF is targeting key Hezbollah strongholds there.

Also this morning, fresh attacks in Tehran, Iranian state media reporting loud booms in the capital city, this as Israel says it has begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran.

Let's go live right now to CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond. He's joining us from Tel Aviv this morning. Jeremy Israel tells CNN it plans for its military campaign to continue for at least three more weeks. What more are you learning this morning? JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. And as the Israeli military is indicating its capacity to continue this war for at least several more weeks, we're learning new details about the number of strikes the Israeli military has conducted in Iran, and the extent to which they say they've degraded Iran's capabilities.

More than 7,000 strikes over the course of the last two weeks, according to the Israeli military, that have resulted in disabling or disarming some 70 percent of Iran's ballistic missile launchers and 85 percent of Iran's air defenses. That last part has allowed Israel and the United States to intensify their strikes over Iran as they've gained more kind of air dominance in the skies of Iran, allowing them to stand over targets with bombers and fighter jets, and be able to continuously drop munitions on targets there.

But despite that, we're still seeing that Iran has retained the capacity to continue to disrupt daily life here in Israel, as well as in the Gulf countries with Iran continuing to fire not only at an oil facility in the Gulf over the weekend, but also here in Israel, and in the Tel Aviv area in particular, we've seen multiple waves of ballistic missile launches aimed here. Many of those ballistic missiles outfitted with those cluster munitions that are raining down indiscriminately on parts of Israel resulting in damage to multiple buildings over in the area. Some people who have been moderately wounded, but no serious casualties or fatalities to be reported over the weekend.

And in addition to that, Wolf, as you mentioned, we are learning that the Israeli military is expanding now its ground operations in Southern Lebanon. We already know that prior to this war beginning, Israel had retained control of five positions in Southern Lebanon along its border with -- between Israel and Lebanon. But now the Israeli military is going somewhat deeper into Lebanese territory, carrying out operations that the Israeli defense minister says are intended to protect Israel's northern communities and go after Hezbollah infrastructure there.

We will see though whether Israel will go even further than that, as we know that that has been under consideration as Israel is sending tens of thousands of troops to that northern border to prepare for a potential much broader ground defensive in Southern Lebanon. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Very quickly, Jeremy, are Hezbollah and Iranian strikes still coming in towards Central Israel, Tel Aviv, where you are right now?

DIAMOND: Yes, absolutely, Wolf. And we've seen Iran and Hezbollah coordinating their attacks on Israel.

[10:05:00]

Hezbollah has fired some one hundred rockets a day. Some days, that number has been even more significant, and oftentimes we're seeing those Hezbollah rockets and Iranian missiles being fired at the same time to try and overwhelm Israel's air defenses. But, again, there have been no serious casualties in Israel in recent days as a result of those attacks.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy Diamond, stay safe over there. Jeremy's in Tel Aviv. Thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: Wolf, happening now, President Trump is urging U.S. allies to help with disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Warning that NATO faces a, quote, very bad future if allies fail to assist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're talking to other countries about working with us on the policing of the strait. And I think we're getting good response.

We're always there for NATO. We're helping them with Ukraine. There's many -- it's got an ocean in between us. It doesn't affect us but we've helped them. It'd be interesting to see what country wouldn't help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the strait open.

Whether it's -- whether we get support not, but I can say this and I said this to them, we will remember.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, this morning, Iran's foreign minister said in part, quote, from our perspective, the strait is open. It is only closed to our enemies and to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country.

For more on this, I want to bring in CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood. Kylie, what has the reaction been to the president's call for help so far?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So far, no firm commitments. We've seen the president over the weekend cast a pretty wide net in terms of asking U.S. allies for support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Specifically, those countries include France, the U.K., Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea and also China.

And we heard from President Trump saying that there have been some positive conversations yesterday, but he also said that some countries don't want to get involved. And behind the scenes that's what we are hearing from diplomats who are involved. They're not necessarily sure they want to put their assets, their personnel in harm's way in the Strait of Hormuz right now.

What could this support look like? Well, President Trump has specifically asked for military escorts from these countries. For these oil tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz, but there's also other options they could consider. President Trump yesterday said that some of these countries have mines sweepers. And we know that Iran has been dropping some minds in the Strait of Hormuz. So, maybe they, you know, put forth other sorts of resources that don't put their personnel in harm's way. But after a weekend where President Trump was clearly very focused on this, we still don't have firm commitments. The prime minister of the U.K., Keir Starmer, said this morning that there is an active effort by allies to try and reopen the strait, but he also said very specifically that the U.K. doesn't want to be dragged into what he called a wider war.

BROWN: And there's no obligation from the NATO countries to help, right?

ATWOOD: Absolutely not. This was a war of choice on behalf of the United States. Many of them believe they're already frustrated by how President Trump has treated Europe throughout the course of his second presidency here. And so there is some tension there with President Trump saying that the U.S. has supported NATO in the past, and they're saying in this situation, they're not required to provide support to this.

But, economically, they want to see the strait reopened, of course. So, they're trying to figure out a way to provide support. We'll watch and see if they're able to do that and President Trump is able to pull their arms hard enough.

BROWN: All right, we'll see. Kylie Atwood, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: Thanks for me as well.

Meanwhile, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are sending oil prices to their highest levels since 2023 as the war with Iran enters its 17th day. The latest data from AAA shows the average cost of gas here in the United States reached $3.72 per gallon. This adding heavy pressure on the already strained wallets of Americans. But President Trump's top economic adviser says he expects a turnaround soon.

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KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We expect that the global economy is going to have a big positive shock as soon as this is over, and we're still being briefed that it would be four to six weeks from the beginning and that we're ahead of schedule.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Let's go live right now to CNN Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich for the latest. Vanessa, what's at stake here if this war doesn't end quickly?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly means continued higher prices for everyday Americans. If you look at where oil prices are trading right now, they're still stuck between that $90 a barrel to $100 a barrel range. You can see Brent Crude, that's the national -- excuse me, international benchmark for oil trading, at $96 a gallon, down a little bit this morning, as well as, crude oil, U.S. crude down about 5 percent, but still at that $93 a barrel range. And this means higher gas prices for Americans. As you mentioned, the national average today, $3.72, Wolf.

[10:10:01]

I remember speaking to you from a gas station in New Jersey just on Friday when the national average was $3.63. And just look at where it's come from a month ago, up over 72 cents.

If you look at diesel though, diesel fuel, that's seeing an even higher spike and a faster spike in prices, up a $1.24 from when the war started just a few weeks ago, diesel prices reaching almost $5 a gallon. And that is critical for actually a lot of drivers that I spoke to in New Jersey who say they use their trucks for their personal work vehicles.

And think about all the major trucking lines that use diesel fuel. That is going to have a trickledown effect to everyday items for Americans. Think about all the food, the perishable food that comes in on truck. You're talking about dairy, meat, produce, things that have to come in regularly, shipping for everyday products, from Amazon, from Ace, from Macy's, Barnes and Noble, wherever you may be ordering something, that's coming in on a truck.

So, those costs going up, of course, fuel at the pump and jet fuel, which is why some economists are suggesting that airfares could rise in the next couple weeks to months.

Also worth noting, where are things going right now? How high could this go? Well, according to Patrick De Haan at GasBuddy this morning, telling me that gas prices this week alone could rise up to another 10 cents. And there's that diesel, critical for shipping companies, rising maybe 5 to 10 cents this week alone.

Of course, why is all this happening Wolf? Well, because that critical passageway, the Strait of Hormuz that you were just talking about, continues to remain essentially closed, and that is impacting oil prices around the world. And that trickles right on down to gas prices and those everyday goods that you and I and so many Americans rely on. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Vanessa Yurkevich reporting for us, Vanessa, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: A lot going on today. Still ahead here in The Situation Room, NATO countries don't seem enthused, as we were just discussing, about helping to protect the Strait of Hormuz despite President Trump's warning that he'll remember it if they don't.

Up next, we'll ask former Ambassador Rahm Emanuel about the impact of getting China involved.

BLITZER: Plus, from storms to snow, to wind and fire. 250 million Americans are set to experience some kind of very dangerous weather today as a massive system sweeps across the country.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, President Trump is warning NATO countries that they face a very bad future, his word, very bad future, to put it, if they don't help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He's urging China to help as well. All this comes on the 17th day of the war as new attacks were reported today in Tehran.

Joining us now, CNN Senior Political and Global Affairs Commentator Rahm Emanuel. Rahm, thanks very much for joining us.

I want to get your take, first of all, on President Trump's new pressure on the NATO allies and China, for that matter, to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Both are pushing back. What's your thought?

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, they're pushing back for a series of reasons you got to appreciate. One is for our NATO allies, the president has spent not only his first term, but the first 15 months of his term degrading them and publicly punching down on them. You look at what he did on Greenland. And now all of a sudden, without any preparatory work, like we did in Operation Desert Storm, all of a sudden they're being asked to put resources here rather than resources in a recent NATO exercise, naval exercise, where those ships are needed for the level of deterrence against Russia, and the president's showing the desperation having not thought through this recent military operation.

The other piece, as he talks to China, you got to think of the counterweight. We took THAAD missiles out of South Korea. We've taken 5,000 Marines out of Japan. India, we've degraded over the last year and a half and have been dismissive of them, and now India's cutting their own deal on the Strait of Hormuz with Iran and we nailed or rather sunk an Iranian ship that was in the Indian waters. So, the idea that you're asking China to help us shows how desperate the president is and weakened he is. I think this does not bode well for America just on the simple political structure of it, let alone the economic piece of it and where we are right now.

BLITZER: Gas prices, as you know, Rahm are now almost 80 cents higher than they were just a month or so ago. At this point, how much is this weighing in on the Trump administration as it continues this war?

EMANUEL: Well, I've described it, and I think you should think of it as a 24-second shot clock. You have both energy prices way up, but also what people have not noticed or reported on, people's 401(k)s are down. And remember, for the American people that 401(k) is not only a saving plan, it has lately have become a backstop because the paycheck doesn't get you through the month. So, energy prices that should be down are up and 401(k) plans and savings that should be up are actually down. So, the American families are being squeezed at both ends day to day and annual planning for retirement, and also for their kids' education. So, it's all headed in the wrong direction.

And, again, this should have been thought through rather than an impulsive decision. What are the ramifications? Nothing ever is a linear line. You got to think through all the alternatives of what could have happened and this White House under President Trump did not.

BLITZER: I also want ask you, Rahm, about that horrible attack on a synagogue outside Detroit, Michigan, where a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon rammed a car packed with explosives into Temple Israel, the synagogue there just outside Detroit.

[10:20:07]

Israel says the attacker's brother was a Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. You're the former mayor of Chicago. How concerned are you about the threat of these sort of attacks?

EMANUEL: Well, you have to be concerned, one, while the Jewish community around America is 2 to 3 percent of the population, they represent 75 percent of all hate crimes. You have to look at this on two levels, one, a religious attack on the Jewish people, but also an attack of a terrorist organization, and the brethren, his family, and it's also related to Israel, so coming from both ends.

But I want to point one thing out, Wolf. When I was ambassador in Japan, somebody paint Nazi insignia on the fence of our house. A neighbor, unbeknownst to us, the next day cleaned it up. The first community that responded to the Tree of Life in the Pittsburgh area of the synagogue shooting was the Muslim community.

So, while you can see all the hatred in horrible violence associated with people because of either Israel or people's faith, many people of different faiths come to rally. And as I said last week when I was honored by the Holocaust Museum, you can see the fragility in the Jewish people, and you can also see the resilience of the Jewish people. And we are stronger because people of different faiths come to support us in the most poignant moments of vulnerability.

So, you would be concerned as a Jewish mayor or a mayor who was Jewish, I used to have a Ramadan dinner every year as a mayor. I did it as ambassador. So, don't lose sight of the good nature of humanity but also keep your guard up as it relates to targeted anti-Semitism and what happens in situations like this.

BLITZER: Rahm Emanuel, thanks as usual for joining us. We appreciate it.

EMANUEL: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Coming up here in The Situation Room, sprawling storm, a multi-day system is ripping its way through the Eastern U.S. slamming millions with everything, from tornadoes to blinding dust and thunderstorms, to blizzards and deep snow. The latest from The Situation Room when we come back.

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[10:25:00]

BROWN: Happening now, more than 250 million people are feeling the powerful effects of a dangerous storm system or will soon. And this system is bringing everything, from blizzard-like conditions to potential tornadoes. Parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes are seeing over two feet of snow causing a travel nightmare.

Right here is a live look at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where folks there are under a blizzard warning. And right here, wow, you can hear those fierce winds as they swept away part of a barn in southern Missouri. The donkeys there scrambling for shelter. I hope they found it.

BLITZER: I hope so too. They're awful. Woo, look at them run.

Let's go live right now to our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, who's tracking the latest for us. Derek, tell us what you're seeing and how long could this system last?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Pam, Wolf, we are facing what could be the most severe damaging wind threat in -- since 2018 across parts of the Mid-Atlantic today. So, we're going to watch out for that. This is an expansive storm that's encompassing more than 20 states. It's knocked out power at its peak, over 500,000 customers, blizzard conditions across the northern tier and severe weather throughout the southern section. Right now, the latest power outage map shows about 400,000 customers without power, but the greatest really across the state of Michigan and Ohio.

Let's talk about the ongoing severe weather that's happening now. We have active tornado warnings that our radar indicated. This is inclusive of the Winston-Salem region as it continues to advance eastward. The storm has move through Charlotte just a few minutes ago, a little further south, just exiting the Columbia region into South Carolina, but some hefty rain behind it.

Here's a look at active tornado warnings. Again, radar indicated just crossing the border of Florida and into Southern Georgia, near Valdosta. So, this is the moment where you need to take shelter immediately because the potential here for tornadoes exists.

Here's a look at the current watches. They're valid through about 2:00 P.M. We expect those to get re-upped and expanded, a little further to the north as well, as we start to gain a lot of the moisture, the daytime heating from the sun. It is this area in particular inclusive of the nation's capital that has the potential for damaging winds. And according to the storm prediction center, long track, strong tornadoes, potentially this afternoon, right around rush hour time.

Unfortunately, this hatched area that you see from Baltimore southward into Raleigh, that's the area where we have the greatest chance of hurricane-force gusts. So, let's time it out. Again, the timeframe between 2:00 and 5:00 P.M., this is what we're honing in on, right across the Mid-Atlantic, the I-95 corridor, a busy stretch, some of the most populated parts of our country, and then it starts to exit. But what happens behind it is significant as well, a big drop in our temperature. We're talking 40 to 50 degrees-plus difference between a 24-hour time span. Look at Kansas City right now. That is remarkable to see, that in cold freezes all the way down to the Gulf Coast. Pam, Wolf?

BROWN: All right. Wow. Brace ourselves, right?

BLITZER: And we're bracing for here in the Washington, D.C., area for really, really severe weather.

BROWN: Yes. And the schools are closing early, all the things.

[10:30:00]

Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

BLITZER: And just ahead, Israel expanding ground operations right now into Lebanon.