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The Situation Room

Jimmy Gracey Missing in Spain; Ex-Trump Official Says Iran Posed No Imminent Threat; Israel Strikes World's Largest Gas Field in Iran. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 19, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the family of a University of Alabama college student missing in Spain is pleading for information about his disappearance.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. 20-year-old Jimmy Gracey was last seen outside a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He was reported missing that day after he failed to return to the Airbnb where he was staying. Friends in Spain and back home in the U.S. are worried.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAVIN MCLAY, JIMMY GRACEY'S FRATERNITY BROTHER: He's a great person. He's a great guy. Man of upstanding character. He's one of those people that's there for anyone when they ever need it. We're doing everything that we can to keep our heads up and remain hopeful that we find him safe. But it's a tough time and, you know, we're scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Jimmy's uncle David Gracey works for CNN as a senior producer. Of course, our hearts are with him and his family. And one of Jimmy's aunts, Beth Marren O'Reilly, joins us now. Beth, first off, how are you and your family doing right now?

BETH MARREN O'REILLY, AUNT OF MISSING STUDENT JIMMY GRACEY: Thanks for having us. You know, we're holding up as best we can. We're taking it minute by minute. It's a situation you never expect to be in, but we're here to support my sister and my brother-in-law as we continue to just look everywhere for Jimmy.

BROWN: It's any family's worst nightmare, right? Tell us more about why he was in Spain and what you know about his disappearance.

O'REILLY: So, Jimmy was not one of the students who was studying abroad for the semester, but he had a group of friends who were. And so, Jimmy and a handful of other friends were just in Barcelona for spring break to visit their friends who were studying abroad. He had been in Amsterdam over the weekend, and it's my understanding he arrived in Barcelona Monday morning. And this event happened Monday evening into the early hours of Tuesday. You know, he got separated from his friends. His phone was later found. And that's when we started to get concerned. I think the last time anybody had contact with him was about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, local time in Barcelona on Tuesday.

BROWN: What, if anything, are you hearing from the police in Barcelona? The police are being very helpful.

O'REILLY: My brother-in-law is there in Barcelona working closely with them. Obviously, they're trying to track down how the phone was identified and found, and really just trying to help us look everywhere for Jimmy.

BLITZER: Is there any indication of where his phone was recovered?

O'REILLY: We don't know. That's part of the ongoing investigation that the authorities are managing.

BROWN: How unusual is it that Jimmy would go several days without contacting your family?

O'REILLY: It's completely out of character for him, which is why we're so worried. Jimmy is a great kid, Midwest guy, loving life down at University of Alabama, chaplain of his fraternity, honors student in the accounting program there, beloved son of his mom and dad, great older brother, hockey player. I mean, he's a very well-connected, friendly kid. And so, for him to not be in touch with his parents or the friends he was traveling with now for over 48 hours is why we're so concerned.

BLITZER: And what else, Beth, do you want our viewers to know about Jimmy as this search continues? And of course, our heart goes out. We're hoping for the best, and we hope that he shows up very, very soon.

O'REILLY: Yes, we do, too. I appreciate that. I think I just want to remind everybody there's quite a bit of false information going on right now in various media outlets. And at this point, we're only talking about the facts that we know. So, I would just first caution anybody to believe anything they're reading online. If anybody is in Barcelona still, please keep looking for Jimmy. He's about 6'1", 175 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt, dark-colored joggers, a gold chain with a rhinestone cross on it, mop of curly hair. And we really just want all eyes on trying to find Jimmy in Barcelona.

And if anybody goes through their picture roll or their Snapchat or anything from that night and we're in that club, please bring it to the authorities. Don't be afraid. If you think you were doing something or into something you shouldn't, please just do what's best for Jimmy and help us bring him home.

BLITZER: We hope just as you do. Go ahead.

BROWN: Yes. I mean, you just think about that. I had that scenario in college, right, you know, studying overseas, having friends visit. It's a common scenario. As the search continues for him, tell us more about how the family is getting involved. I understand some of the family members have traveled over to Spain now to be there?

O'REILLY: Yes. My brother-in-law is there in Spain now working with the authorities and the FBI is helping us as well as the State Department.

[10:35:00]

Obviously, we have an army of people here in the Chicago area who are supporting my sister right now. She is the mom to four other children who are navigating this. And so, we are just -- we're a big family on both the Gracey side and the Marren side. And we are doing all that we can to support my sister and my brother-in-law right now.

BLITZER: And it's so personal for so many of us here at CNN who've worked with his uncle, David Gracey, for years. He was my producer and our hearts go out to the whole family. Good luck. We're wishing for the best.

BROWN: Yes, we are.

O'REILLY: We thank you so much for the time and helping keep his story alive.

BLITZER: Thank you. And anyone with information is being asked to call the number on your screen right now. Here it is. 1-224-505-3886. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now, we're learning more about a former top Trump intelligence official who resigned over the war in Iran last night. Joe Kent threw cold water on the administration's justification for attacking Iran, telling former Fox News host Tucker Carlson there was, quote, "no evidence" to suggest the U.S. faced an imminent threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE KENT, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: There was no intelligence that said, hey, on whatever day it was, March 1st, the Iranians are going to launch this big sneak attack. They're going to do some kind of a 9/11 Pearl Harbor, et cetera. They're going to attack one of our bases. There was none of that intelligence.

Again, back to what we know about the Iranians, they're very, very deliberate with the escalation ladder. And again, they're only deliberate under President Trump's leadership because they knew and they took President Trump very, very seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:40:00]

BROWN: Well, let's talk more now with Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana. He's on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman, thanks for being here. I just want to first get your reaction -- REP. RYAN ZINKE (R-MT), FORMER NAVY SEAL COMMANDER, APPROPRIATIONS

COMMITTEE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Great to be with you, Pamela.

BROWN: Good to have you. And I know that you're retiring. We should also note that as well. You recently announced that you're retiring. So, I'm curious, first of all, what you think about what Joe Kent just said. He was a former top national security official saying that there was no imminent threat from Iran. How do you respond to that?

ZINKE: Well, it's unfortunate. But number one, he was cut out of intelligence. But anyone who has fought overseas, especially in the Middle East, would recognize that a threat is Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, that Iran having a nuclear weapon, which we know they have material. They have as much material as perhaps 11 nuclear weapons.

When they say death to America, death to Israel, I think you got to take him on his word with this administration. So, to say there's not an imminent threat of Iran having that capability and continuing to sponsor, by the way, worldwide terrorists, I think is misguided. And clearly, he didn't read very much.

BROWN: Congressman, how do you define imminent?

ZINKE: Well, I would say this. Iran did not change their motus operandi. Their entire plan was to develop a missile arsenal, ballistic and numerous surface-to-air missiles, et cetera, et cetera, that would inundate any defense. And having one nuclear weapon, remember, it's not only Israel, it's not only our bases, but having a nuclear capability with that regime would mean that you could put it, let's say, in a shipping container. Where would that shipping container go? It would go to Houston. It would go to D.C. It would go to anywhere in the U.S. And this is the evil of the regime. The former regime.

BROWN: So, how do you define imminent then? How do you define imminent threat? I'm just curious because you heard the director of national intelligence yesterday say that Iran, for its part, should it choose to try to create an ICBM, a delivery system for nuclear warheads, it could happen before 2035. I'm just wondering how you define immediate threat to the United States.

ZINKE: Well, the president made a deal. He said, look, this is the conditions. No nuclear weapons, remove your aspirations for nuclear weapons, turn over the nuclear material that we know you have, and stop your manufacturer of your plan of inundating any defense with hundreds, perhaps thousands of missiles, both ballistic and conventional. That was the deal on the table. They chose not to take it. Why? Because they were continuing to build capability to the point where they would have a nuclear weapon. Remember, the nuclear material is not a guess. It's not a dispute.

BROWN: Yes. Let me just -- sorry. Congress, I just respectfully want to just ask again, last time, how do you define imminent? Because what we heard from DNI yesterday during the Senate hearing was there are other countries that do have the nuclear capabilities and do have the delivery systems that could reach the U.S. And Iran does not. So, I'm just wondering, how are you defining imminent threat when it comes to Iran?

ZINKE: I would define it as clear and imminent danger in that, should they have the capability, they would use it. And so, you either take action before they have an operational ballistic missile or an operational nuclear warhead that could go into a shipping container, either take action now, or when they do, your options become much, much more limited.

So, I agree that, look, the deal was there on the table. They didn't take it. Because they didn't take it, I think their action had to be taken. It's not been one or two years. It's been 47 years. And remember, they're still the number one sponsor of terrorism between Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and continuing their efforts. So, their modus operandi hasn't changed.

So, imminent, were they ready to launch an invasion of their neighbor? They didn't have the capability. With a nuclear weapon, it changes everything.

BROWN: So, just to be clear, is it fair to say that this was more of a window of opportunity to attack Iran to prevent a potential imminent threat in the future, rather than there being an imminent threat in this moment?

ZINKE: I would say it was a window of opportunity that was necessary, because continuing where they have the capability, again, your options would be so much limited. I mean, does a president wait until there is a nuclear weapon in Houston or D.C. or L.A., or we know that the intent of the regime is to have that nuclear weapon and to not only assemble it, but launch it probably first in the direction of Israel, destroy Israel.

[10:45:00]

But it could be simultaneous, because they had the systems and the material to produce as many as 11. Remember, this is a regime that hasn't changed their view of destroying America. They haven't changed their view on Israel. They've attacked their neighbors. But it was an evil regime, and getting rid of that evil regime, I think, for the Middle East and the world, is a much better place.

BROWN: We're now seeing some of the ripple effect of this, obviously. The war is escalating after Israel struck an Iranian gas field. Trump says the U.S., in his words, knew nothing about the attack. You have an Israeli official telling CNN that the strike was carried out in coordination with the U.S. A U.S. official says that the U.S. was aware. What questions does that raise for you, especially as gas and oil prices are rising right now?

ZINKE: Well, certainly targeting civilian or infrastructure, especially the energy sector, has a consequence. So, I'm hoping that if it wasn't coordinated, future operations will. But let's take Qatar, for instance. The U.S. has over $100 billion invested in the oil and gas industry in Qatar. And the destruction of that, we see it at the gas pump.

And remember, you're moving very volatile fuels with natural gas that are targets, you know, for missiles and drones and those variety. And you see the effect. What I'm hoping is this, you know, the U.S., you know, we produce northwards of maybe 13 million barrels a day. What comes out of the Gulf is about 20 million barrels a day. Most of that is going to Asia. Who does it really hurt? It hurts China, it hurts India, and it hurts our allies that are dependent on the oil and gas coming from that area.

So, what I'm hoping is we have a coalition that protects the straits. We can push a little pressure on China, because China is dependent on that fuel, but protect the Straits and limit Iran's capability to target not only their neighbors, but target energy infrastructure, whether it's at sea or whether it's in one of the facilities within their neighbors.

BROWN: Just one quick follow-up. I'm wondering, from your perspective, what the sense of urgency is to open up the Strait of Hormuz, because you have, as I said, oil prices going up, the price of gas is nearing $4 a gallon. The longer this war goes on, do you have concerns about the negative impact it could have on constituents? What is the sense of urgency like for you right now?

ZINKE: Well, I think it is urgent because fuel drives the economy in many ways. You know, high fuel prices results in higher fertilizer prices. Higher fertilizer prices results in higher food prices. So, at the core of inflation, when prices raise, either the gas pump or fuel, Americans see it. The world sees it.

Remember, oil and gas is a global commodity. It's just the United States. But this is a lesson learned. This is why the president's policy on energy, we need to make sure we have the energy producing at home so we're not held hostage by foreign entities such in the Middle East. And you look at our position as compared to some other nations, to include China, they're far more dependent on oil coming out of the Straits than we are.

We can probably, in a very short period of time, we consume about 20 million barrels a day or so, the United States. We have the capability to be awful close to that if we open up the valves. But other countries really don't have the assets we do. And they are dependent upon the oil and gas coming from the Middle East.

So, a couple of lessons learned. Let's make sure we produce energy at home. And two, let's ask our coalition partners to help protect those Straits so the worldwide cost of energy remains relatively low. But it is a concern at over $100 a barrel. I think it's a concern over $75 a barrel, quite frankly, in order to keep prices down and affordability and keep the economy moving. I think somewhere between $65 and $70 is probably a good spot for oil, maybe a little less. But as you point out, when it gets to be over $100, I think it affects everyone.

BROWN: All right. Congressman Ryan Zinke, thank you so much. Appreciate your time on the show as always.

ZINKE: Always a please, Pamela.

BROWN: Wolf.

[10:50:00]

BLITZER: And coming up, the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is expected to arrive at the White House momentarily to meet with President Trump. How the war with Iran could turn this meeting with a key ally into a stress test. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Happening now, the price of gas surging across the nation.

BROWN: Let's go live now to CNN Business Senior Reporter David Goldman. David, yesterday Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke about the global oil crisis. You just heard my conversation with Republican Congressman Zinke who's also concerned. Tell us more about what's going on right now.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Jerome Powell said that all of this is clouding the Fed's ability to really understand what's going on with the economy. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: The implications of events in the Middle East for the U.S. economy are uncertain.

[10:55:00]

In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation, but it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLDMAN: So, what's happening is that we don't really have a good, clear idea about what this is going to do for prices. And just following up on what the congressman told you, you know, it's great to say that we need to produce more to combat that, but we were already producing so much in the United States. That's why oil was at $60 a barrel. It could go back down there if this crisis ends, and that's why producers don't want to produce anymore because they don't know that they're going to be profitable when they do that.

BROWN: Right. And just -- OK. All right. David Goldman, many more questions, but we're going to have you back on the show because there's a lot more to dive into with this.

GOLDMAN: Any time.

BROWN: Thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:00:00]