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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Hegseth: The Timeline in Iran is "Our to Control"; Iran Launched Hybrid Drone Missile Attack on Israel; Israel: Starting "Next Phase" of War with Iran; Trump Fires Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary; House Fails to Pass Measure Reining in Trump's War in Iran; The Prospect of Kurds Forces Entering the War; U.S. Planning "Deeper" Strikes Inside Iran. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired March 05, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the timeline for the war in Iran is, quote, "Ours to control." Israel says it is moving to
the next phase of its war deeper into Lebanon. And Donald Trump has fired Kristi Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security.
We begin, though, with the war in Iran. Iran says it has now launched a hybrid drone and missile strike on Israel. In just the past few hours,
footage from our team in Tel Aviv appears to show a cluster warhead in the skies above the city, that's all those lights you see falling to the
ground. The war is widening across the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Hegseth says the U.S. is controlling the timeline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation for the IRGC and Iran.
You see, there's no shortage of American will here. We've got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to
sustain this campaign as long as we need to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: For its part, Israel is striking northern Lebanon for the first time since this war began. Earlier, the Israeli military ordered widespread
evacuations of Lebanese civilians. Human Rights Watch says that could be a breach of international law. The Israeli military chief of staff says they
are now moving to the next phase of the war, promising additional, quote, "surprises."
European nations are being drawn into the war, perhaps reluctantly. The U.K., France, Spain and other nations have all agreed to provide military
support to the U.S. and other allies. Iran's foreign ministry says it is prepared for the possibility now of a U.S. ground invasion. The country is
still grappling with the power vacuum left by the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. President Trump said that he must be "involved" in the
appointment of Iran's next leader. That's a quote.
Earlier, Trump said the U.S. had, once again, been approached by Iran for negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: They're calling, they're saying, how do we make a deal? I said, you're being a little bit late. And we want to fight
now more than they do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Nick Paton Walsh is in Israel now. Nick, you know, seeing those cluster munitions fall over Tel Aviv, not for the first time we've seen
them over Israel, is there any sense there that Iran has the ability to break through Israel's air defenses, perhaps not in great numbers, but at
least to some degree?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's a complex picture, Jim, because while some of those scenes might, by
some experts, look like cluster munitions, certainly here where some of the debris from what we think was one of those interceptions at a lithium solar
panels factory, no injuries here but pretty toxic smell, no sign of cluster munitions at all, say officials and rescuers, despite Iranian state media
saying, look, you know, we are loading our missiles with that. And there have been previous scenes where there appears to have been instances where
cluster munitions hit the ground.
But, look, putting aside that particular type of munition, and I should say what we heard over the skies didn't really match what I've heard when
cluster munitions were used elsewhere, the kind of rumble, it is clear that Iran is able to get some things, certainly to harass Tel Aviv. We've not --
if I'm not mistaken, we've not seen specific direct impacts reported from the recent salvos that we've heard. It seems to mostly be debris that's
causing the destruction behind me here. But it's clearly a situation where the Iranians are consistently using a variety of tactics to see what they
can potentially get through.
And I have to say, I've been surprised at the amount of intercepts we've seen over Tel Aviv today, in a day in which we just heard CENTCOM talk
about how they think there's about an 80 percent, 90 percent drop in the number of missiles being fired by Iran.
[18:05:00]
Clearly some things are trying to get through, and even the debris can at times be deadly, Jim, as you know.
SCIUTTO: No question. And in terms of Israel's long game here, there's been some, let's be frank, lack of clarity about America's ultimate
intention. Do we have a clearer sense of what Israel would call victory?
WALSH: Yes. I mean, the one thing that I would say is that the wider political objectives for Israel are much more expansive, but it's very hard
to tell, ultimately, if this is them essentially just placing a flag in the distance and seeing how far they can get towards it.
That flag, ultimately, from president -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been about regime change, creating a democracy in Iran. That is a
massive, long-term, multi-year objective, potentially, and it's one they're ultimately going to probably need U.S. assistance for, I think.
But they have made it clear, too, they want to continue killing successors to the supreme leader. We don't have a change or a new leader announced
yet, and we do have U.S. President Donald Trump saying he doesn't want Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the now-dead Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and he
wants to be involved in choosing somebody so they're not back five years later to have to do this all over again.
I have to say, when I heard President Trump's comments about that, or read them, obviously it's to some degree unrealistic to think that he's going to
have some kind of influence over the 88 senior cleric council of assembly of experts who ultimately choose the new ayatollah. But it potentially
suggests that the White House are thinking of where the political compromise is for this that they could potentially live with, and that may
be another reason why we haven't heard a publicly announced new supreme leader yet.
Really hard to see, though, frankly, how in wartime the Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran suddenly decide that they're happy with a moderate candidate
that the White House particularly likes. But when we hear the Israeli take on their military operation, they are talking now about a new phase, about
targeting leadership. They are also clear, too, that they've gone hard on the underground missile bunkers over what were the 12th and the 13th wave
of strikes that they announced particularly today.
But this new phase, we're told, will contain some surprises. Obviously unclear what they are. But it's interesting today to hear the discussions
amongst American officials ultimately about the success they say they're having with over 20 naval vessels destroyed and such a degradation to the
80-90 percent drop now in both missiles and drones that the Iranians are capable of firing. And indeed, too, if you heard President Trump's quite
bellicose rhetoric about how ultimately the U.S. wants to fight more now than the Iranians do and it's too late to talk, this feels like the
Americans getting themselves to a military position where they feel they can impose a political solution on Iran.
Ultimately, there may be a miscalculation there as to how willing the hardliners there are to compromise at this point. Jim.
SCIUTTO: Nick Paton Walsh in Tel Aviv, thanks so much. Well, by one estimate, the U.S. military has already spent some $3.5 billion in this war
against Iran. That figure only covers the first 100 hours of the war. The White House has yet to explain its endgame.
Oil prices have been surging in response. One surprise ally for the US, Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He says the U.S. has
asked Kyiv for its help with defending against Iranian drones. And they've become, of course, an extremely common and deadly sight in his own country.
They've got a lot of experience.
Joining me now, retired US Air Force General Dave Deptula. General, thanks so much for taking the time.
LT. GEN. DAVE DEPTULA (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: You bet, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, let me begin with big picture here. You were one of the key planners of the 1991 Gulf War. Given the military objectives as we know
them, how would you rate U.S. success so far?
DEPTULA: Well, first, I think US and Israeli airmen, operators, and planners, and participants from the other services are performing
exceptionally well. And the operational results show that. What I'd tell you is the level of integration, precision, and timing is something no
other air forces on the planet could even attempt, let alone execute successfully.
So, I believe this operation is off to a very good start. You've already discussed the issue, or raised the issue of what is the ultimate endgame.
And that clearly is driven by the political objectives of both the U.S. and Israeli leadership. But in the context of military operations and the
evolution in terms of accomplishing the objectives that have been stated by the secretary of war, that being to reduce and ultimately eliminate Iran's
power projection capability, their navy, and then ultimately denude their ability to construct a nuclear weapon, those were all proceeding on track.
[18:10:00]
SCIUTTO: The Washington Post reported today that the U.S. has been utilizing artificial intelligence to the greatest degree ever in warfare.
Do you see any risks in that with allowing artificial intelligence to have such a role in picking targets?
DEPTULA: No, not at all. Matter of fact, it is an extraordinary tool that, quite frankly, I wish I had back in 1991. Because what artificial
intelligence properly applied, and I assure you the United States military is properly applying it, allows that capability to conduct what otherwise
are mundane tasks and also tasks to test and to review potential plans very rapidly, where it would take an extraordinary, lengthy period of time to go
through wargaming to check out alternatives. So, it's an extraordinary tool and it's good to hear that they're applying it in this campaign.
SCIUTTO: The U.S. and Israel have devastated the Iranian leadership and from the very first day of this campaign, you argued that targeting
leadership early on is a key element in any successful air campaign. That's on the military side, but given there's still a political question as to
what victory is here, what the ultimate political objective, does that make it, given that they keep eliminating leaders, right, anybody who sticks
their head above the ramparts here, how can you have a path to negotiation if that's the price you pay, right, for taking up one of those positions?
DEPTULA: Well, it's an interesting question, but it ultimately gets to what is the strategic objective of the operation. What I'd tell you is that
the systemic destruction of Iran's internal security architectures combined with leadership decapitation signals an explicit attempt to collapse the
regime's coercive capacity rather than just merely deter retaliation.
So, this approach has imposed costs that, quite frankly, we're yet to see what they will result in, but ultimately, it provides the people of Iran
the opportunity to get rid of this repressive regime that's been under control over them for decades now. And that's not just a good thing for the
Iranian people, it's a good thing for the Gulf states and for the peace- loving nations around the world.
SCIUTTO: I want to ask you before we go about Ukraine, because it's been notable that Ukraine, which has revolutionized drone warfare, is now in the
position where the U.S. is asking for its help. President Zelenskyy made that quite clear today, notably almost a year to the day since that
infamous Oval Office encounter where President Trump said he had no cards.
I imagine the U.S. might benefit from Ukraine's help, given all the measures that they've taken out and developed out of necessity of the
barrage of quite similar drones, right? Because they've been hit by these Shaheds as well. Can they make a difference?
DEPTULA: Well, first, the United States absolutely has capabilities to defeat what many call drones and one-way attack systems, but in reality,
are low-cost cruise missiles. But what Ukraine has demonstrated over the past two years is something very valuable, and that's how to defeat them at
scale and at relatively low cost.
So, Ukraine's developed layered defenses using electronic warfare, mobile guns, low-cost interceptors, and even F-16s with precision rockets rather
than relying solely on expensive surface-to-air missiles. So, cooperation with Ukraine really isn't about the U.S. lacking capability. It's about
learning from a battlefield laboratory that's been confronting this threat continuously and developing more sustainable ways to defeat it.
The only other thing I'd like to squeeze in here and add is that we and our Gulf friends have failed to heed the lessons of Ukraine having to deal with
500 of these things a night, especially when you consider that Iran has thus far launched only what Ukraine deals with over the course of four
nights in a war that they've been fighting for four years. So, there's a lot that we can learn from them, and I hope that we do.
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes, yes, it's a good point, too. It's at scale and at cost, right, their defense. Lieutenant General Dave Deptula, thanks for joining.
DEPTULA: You bet, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, as President Trump weighs his next moves in Iran, he is also making a big change to his Cabinet. Trump fired Secretary of Homeland
Security Kristi Noem today, replaced her immediately with Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin from the state of Oklahoma. It's the first time
Trump has replaced a Cabinet member in his second term. Noem testified this week in two contentious hearings on Capitol Hill. At the Senate hearing,
even Republican Senator Thom Tillis blasted Noem's response to the fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): What we've seen is a disaster. Under your leadership, Ms. Noem, a disaster. The fact that you can't admit to a
mistake, which looks like under investigation, it's going to prove that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretty probably should not have been shot in the face and in
the back. Law enforcement needs to learn from that. You don't protect them by not looking after the facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, Noem also angered Trump, it seems, by claiming he knew about a splashy $220 million ad campaign, which features her in commercials
like this one. Trump says he never knew anything about it. Sources tell CNN that Trump broke the news to Noem right before she appeared at an event in
Nashville, Tennessee. He says she will soon be heading up a new security initiative called the Shield of the Americas. Not quite sure what that is
at this point.
Kristen Holmes joins me now at the White House. So, in a series of, whether you want to call them gaffes or even worse than that, what was the straw
that broke the camel's back here for Trump?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there were a number of things. And now when you talk to these administration officials,
they're all kind of saying the same talking points, which is this, it was time. They point to the accusations that she was having an affair with her
top adviser. They point to what happened in Minneapolis, the shooting of two American citizens and her reaction afterwards. Though I do want to note
it was the White House who had briefed her before she came out and gave her reaction, although they did throw her under the bus during that.
And then they point to a very specific moment during those Senate judiciary hearings in which she was questioned by Republican Senator John Kennedy.
And she was asked if President Trump knew about and signed off on that $200 million ad campaign that you just showed. And Kristi Noem said yes. And
that enraged the president. He didn't like, one, her performance throughout the hearing. He realized from watching it and seeing the Republican
lawmakers who were incredibly hard on her as well that she did not have a lot of support on the Hill, something that was confirmed to him when he
started calling lawmakers after that contentious hearing and started floating names, including Markwayne Mullin's name.
And a lot of these lawmakers got on board immediately. They had their own issues with Kristi Noem. There have been private conversations about how
they didn't think she was fit for the job. But some of them hadn't quite expressed that to President Trump yet. But once he was calling angry, it
was an easier time for them to get out.
So, we saw him firing her today. This is a huge deal for President Trump because it is intentional that we haven't seen any kind of cabinet shakeup
in this term. He and the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, did not want to give the impression that this was anything like the first term when Trump's
White House was considered a revolving door.
SCIUTTO: Kristen Holmes at the White House, thanks so much. Well, joining us now is Congressman Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed
Services Committee. Congressman, appreciate you taking the time.
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA), RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: It's good to see you. Thanks for the chance.
SCIUTTO: I want to get to Iran. Before I do, I do want your reaction to Kristi Noem's firing, given Democrats have been pushing to impeach her for
some time. Is that story over or do you expect? Do you expect -- do you want further investigations, for instance, to find out how this money was
spent?
SMITH: Yes. Well, the story's not over. And the biggest reason it's not over is because the policies are Donald Trump's. Yes, Kristi Noem had a
uniquely brutal and incoherent way of implementing those policies, but Donald Trump is the one who hired all of the ICE agents and all the other
sort of paramilitary forces that he sent to Minneapolis and Chicago and Los Angeles and elsewhere to violate the rights of Americans all across the
country. That's still happening, regardless of who's in charge of DHS, which is why it's so important that Congress passes restrictions on what
ICE can do, which is what we're fighting about up here on the Hill.
Yes. I mean, Kristi Noem had a bizarre way of doing her job. But the real problem is Donald Trump's policies. And yes, second piece, if in fact she
was, you know, using funds inappropriately, taxpayer money to run those ads, then yes, we should look into that.
[18:20:00]
I don't have much confidence that the Republican majority will do that. Fraud and corruption are simply the way this administration governs. But we
should push it, and we should look into it and hold her accountable for how she spends taxpayer dollars.
SCIUTTO: Given your view of continuing ICE tactics, I imagine when some of your Republican colleagues say that her departure might give a pathway to
ending the shutdown, doesn't seem like that from your perspective. Do you think Democrats will stick to their demands?
SMITH: Absolutely, and I think the Republican approach on this, and I happen to hear it from some guy standing next to me here in Capitol Hill,
that, oh, this is politics, politics, that Democrats are playing politics. Two people were effectively murdered by ICE because of those policies.
Those policies are important. We're not playing politics.
And if you want to fund the Coast Guard and TSA, we are all for funding that. Fund it. It's ICE that we want reformed, and we should.
SCIUTTO: OK. Let's talk about Iran, given your position on the Armed Services Committee, just from a big-picture perspective. But before we get
to end states, end goals here, which I know the administration hasn't quite articulated, but from a military perspective so far, several days into this
war, would you say that in terms of degrading Iran as a military power, military threat, it's been successful so far?
SMITH: We are, without question, degrading Iran's military capability, but we've done that before. The question is that the full-scale war that we've
now launched throughout the Middle East that is involving, I think it's now up to 14 different countries that are engaged in this, the sheer cost and
the sheer expense to reduce Iranian military capability, not eliminate, mind you, but reduce, and that's why the end state matters so much.
It seems like the Iranian regime is firmly in place. The administration has no plan whatsoever for replacing it. Weeks, months, whatever it is, when
this is done, a regime will still be in place that is inclined to build back up its forces, and by the way, build back up its nuclear weapons
program. And how does that change anything after however much this is going to cost and the damage that it's going to do? So, that lack of an end game
is a problem.
Yes, sure, we're degrading their military capability. We're not eliminating it, and we are destabilizing the entire Middle East.
SCIUTTO: So, what's your reaction to hearing President Trump, seemingly happy with his success in Venezuela, looking to replicate it in Iran,
saying, yes, I should have a say in who's the next leader of Iran? Is that at all a practical statement or hope?
SMITH: No. And look, it's important to understand what he's talking about, and I understand what he's talking about. What they tried to do in
Venezuela is, because they removed Maduro and because they threatened force against Venezuela, they were able to basically, well, we don't know yet.
The plan is to have bent the new Venezuelan government to Donald Trump's will so that they would not oppose us. We don't know if that's going to
play out yet in Venezuela.
We do know that Iran is really different. They have a dug-in leadership that's not simply going to bow down to the U.S. because we bombed them for
five weeks. So, there's no real comparison between Venezuela and Iran, and if the president thinks there is, that's dangerous. We've already lost six
U.S. service members in this war. Is it really going to accomplish something? And that is far from clear at this point.
SCIUTTO: Final question, if I can, because I've spoken to a number of officials who bring up the terror threat on the homeland because Iran does
retain terror capabilities around the world. Should Americans be taking that threat seriously? And do you believe this administration is taking the
threat of a terror retaliation by Iran seriously?
SMITH: Yes, absolutely we should be taking it seriously. This is something we've talked about going all the way back to the first Gulf War. I wasn't
in Congress then, but I talked to people who were. You know, when we went after Saddam Hussein in Kuwait, there were warnings given to the American
people that Iraq would do that, and certainly Iran has shown a propensity to do that. They have carried out terrorist attacks on foreign soil. So,
yes, I think that's a risk.
I don't frankly know how seriously the Trump administration is taking it. I'm concerned about how the Justice Department seems to be distracted by
other issues, like, I don't know, prosecuting six members of Congress for something they said. So, I'm worried about that. But yes, that should be a
concern, and I do hope that the administration is taking it seriously.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Adam Smith, thanks so much for joining.
SMITH: Well, thanks for the chance.
SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief," the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government responds to reports claiming it might be part of a plan to
invade Iran, start an uprising. We're going to take you live to the region's capital of Erbil.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
SCIUTTO: The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq says that any talk about it being involved in plans to send Kurdish forces into Iran are,
quote, "completely unfounded." A spokesperson says they are, quote, "not a part of any campaign to expand the war and are instead calling for peace."
Multiple sources told CNN earlier this week that the CIA is working to arm Kurds along the Iran-Iraq border with the goal of fomenting a popular
revolt inside Iran. President Trump says he would be, quote, "all for" the Kurds launching such an uprising.
Joining us now from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan is Clarissa Ward. Clarissa, I wonder, as you speak to Kurdish leaders there and the Kurdish people, do
they have an appetite for being part of this plan, going into Iran and trying to take down the government?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, it really depends who you speak to. And as you know probably better than most, having
covered this region extensively yourself, the Kurds are not a monolith. And at the moment what you're seeing is a clear split of opinion between a lot
of Iranian Kurds who would very much like to see their fighters going into the Kurdish parts of Iran, into Western Iran, as part of some kind of
ground offensive, which has now been the subject of many, many reports and is sort of highly anticipated.
And then you have the Iraqi Kurds who actually have to lead this region, who are part of a power-sharing agreement with the Iraqi government in
Baghdad. And they have a very different perspective on this, because for them to adapt any kind of a posture that is not neutral, that could incur
the wrath of the Iranians.
And let's be very clear, there will be wrath from the Iranians. We have already seen, pretty much since this reporting first came out, they have
been striking constantly with drones and missiles the camps and residences of all six of the Iranian Kurdish groups who are part of this kind of
coalition.
And what the leadership here fears is that if their territory is used as a launchpad for some kind of a ground offensive, that Iran will basically
retaliate by pretty much flattening the place, or that's the sort of worst- case scenario fear.
[18:30:00]
And we actually heard some pretty choice words from Iraq's first lady, the Iraqi president is always a Kurd, and she basically put out a long
statement talking about many concerns, but the headline was, leave us alone, leave the Kurds alone, we are not guns for hire.
And again, depending on who you talk to, if you talk to Syrian Kurds, a lot of people have some resentment about the way the U.S. works so closely with
them, they helped the U.S. to defeat ISIS, and then at the end of the day, they had to give back a lot of the territory that they fought so hard for
to the Damascus government.
So, it's a very complex picture, but the overriding piece I would say is that it's really created a lot of tension here. You've already seen the
Iraqi Kurdish leadership send their forces to the border to ensure that Iranian Kurdish forces don't get through the border, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I imagine given where you are, too, the Iraqi Kurds, they have there, they have what so many of the Kurdish people in Turkey and
Syria and in Iran have been looking for, they have effectively a homeland, right? I imagine that there is an incentive there not to disturb that peace
and I think a fair amount of prosperity.
WARD: They don't want to do anything to jeopardize what they have fought so hard to build here. And they're very concerned that the U.S. leadership
is capricious and fickle. And President Trump, I spoke to one senior leader, he says, one day President Trump says it's regime change in Iran,
the next day it's something different. Then today we heard again, the people need to rise up and take their country back. And they're worried
that they'll be the ones left to pay the price. If some kind of a deal is cut between the U.S. and Israel and the current Iranian regime, a sort of
Venezuela type model, if you will, they will be the ones who will still face punishment potentially from the Iranians if they work together with
the U.S. on this.
So, I do think there are backchanneling efforts to try to extract some really concrete promises of political but also military cover if something
like this is going to happen. But certainly, it has given rise to a great deal of consternation here, Jim.
SCIUTTO: And a lot of history, recent history of broken promises. Clarissa Ward in Erbil, thanks so much.
Coming up just after the break, a check of the international headlines, plus a look at life inside Iran six days into this war. A special report
coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
President Trump fired his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, today and says he will replace her with Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin. Noem
was in charge of the administration's controversial and increasingly aggressive immigration crackdown. She came under intense scrutiny after
federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
We're seeing more signs today that the conflict in Iran is expanding across the region. Bahrain says an Iranian missile struck one of its oil
refineries. Officials say there were no injuries and that that refinery, despite that damage you see there, is still operating. Azerbaijan's foreign
ministry said Iranian drones damaged an airport terminal building. Tehran has denied launching those drones.
Donald Trump says he must now be involved in choosing Iran's next leader. In a series of interviews, he called Mojtaba Khamenei, the frontrunner and
son of the late supreme leader, a lightweight and unacceptable. Trump also said he would not accept a successor who continues the policy of Iran's
late supreme leader.
You're looking now at parts of Iran's Azadi Sports Center, which has hosted many international football matches, now left a smoking ruin. The complex
was built to host the 1974 Asian Games. This is what it used to look like. No longer. Israel's military chief says his country is moving to the next
phase of the war after carrying out some 2,500 strikes with more than 6,000 weapons and munitions.
In the six days since the conflict began, a U.S.-based human rights group estimates the civilian death toll in Iran now exceeds 1,000 people. Iran's
foreign ministry says his country is not accepting, not asking for a ceasefire and could not see any reason to negotiate with the U.S.
Right now, CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his photojournalist and producer Claudia Otto are making the long drive to Tehran. CNN is the first
U.S. network in the country inside there since the start of the war. It's important to note that CNN is operating in Iran only with permission from
the government. Here is Fred's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're making fairly good progress towards Tehran. It is a very, very long drive, though.
Some things that we are seeing, we already went past one place where apparently there had just been an airstrike. There was thick black smoke
billowing over one place. So, it seemed like a fairly fresh airstrike. Also, some destroyed buildings that we saw from our vantage point as we
were driving past.
The other thing that I would also say is that there are definitely more checkpoints than usual. We did see checkpoints with fairly heavily armed
security personnel. Other than that, though, it seems as though things are going on and we certainly don't see any sign of order collapsing here.
Taking a quick break for a coffee along the way, we've been driving for several hours. There's a couple of things that we've noticed. Number one is
that, first of all, all the shops are open. All the shops are really well stocked, even with fresh things like, for instance, fruits and vegetables.
Coffee obviously also available as well. And then also the gas stations. There's no long lines as gas stations. Fuel seems readily available and you
just don't see any sort of degree of panic anywhere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Remarkable report from inside the country. Coming up after the break, developments in Lebanon with Israel warning of airstrikes on
Hezbollah targets now in Beirut's southern suburbs. We'll have a report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Well, we are now hearing accounts of smoke rising over southern Beirut. There's a live picture there. This just hours after Israel's
military told residents, quote, "save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately." The IDF chief of staff says as Israel moves into the next
phase of the war, they will push even deeper into Lebanon. The south of the country is already under evacuation orders, Israel striking multiple
Hezbollah targets. Aid workers say some families are sleeping on the streets, living in constant terror.
Joining me now, Jasmine El-Gamal, former Pentagon Middle East adviser, now the host of The View From Here podcast. Jasmine, thanks so much for
joining.
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER AND HOST, "THE VIEW FROM HERE" PODCAST: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, I wonder, as you look at Israeli strikes in Lebanon, of course, not the first time they've carried out strikes there, do you see
this as now effectively another front in this war? And then it raises the question, what is Israel's goal? Is it to not just eliminate the Iranian
regime, bring it down, but also eliminate Hezbollah?
EL-GAMAL: That's right. I mean, look, this is one of the scenarios that we were so worried about in the case of a war between Iran and Israel and Iran
and the U.S. is escalation, activation of Iranian proxies around the region and then further retaliation and further operations from Israel and the
U.S. and so on and so on until it becomes potentially uncontrolled, right? That was always the risk.
And so, we're seeing some of that play out right now in the region. Indeed, Iran did activate Hezbollah and the Israeli military is now responding.
Now, Jim, of course, the question is always, are they responding proportionally? Are they taking it out on the entire Lebanese population?
Are they threatening to do what they did in Gaza? You've already heard Israeli leadership say they're going to turn the Dahiya into Khan Younis,
referring, of course, to Gaza.
I was just looking at the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, talking about basically depopulating villages in southern Lebanon and creating a
yellow line sort of situation, again, referring to Gaza. So, that's what people are worried about when they're looking at the potential escalation
here is where is Israel going to stop exactly in Lebanon and what kind of ripple effects is that kind of security void, immense numbers of people
displaced?
I mean, really just fatigue and terror and trauma. And as you know, the Lebanese population has been going through this for not just months,
really, but years, both from internal factors and external factors as well.
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: So, let's talk about U.S. objectives then here. You've already said that the lack of clear objectives, clear definition of victory is
reckless. Now the White House seems to be owning the idea that regime change is one of their goals. And you, of course, have the president say he
should be involved in choosing a new president. It strikes me that the administration thinks this war is going well, right? And as it goes well in
their view, they're getting more ambitious. Is that what we're seeing here? They kind of think, hey, I could do what I want now.
EL-GAMAL: Yes. Exactly right, Jim. And I'm so glad you brought that up because that's exactly what I was thinking when I was watching the remarks
from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth earlier. I mean, they are painting such a rosy scenario of the war.
And, of course, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who doubted that the U.S. would have absolute supremacy when it came to air power, when
it came to fire power, when it came to the ability to overwhelm Iranian air defenses. All of that was expected. But that's just phase one, right? What
I don't hear from U.S. officials, and even one of your guests earlier, that I'm not getting this deep understanding and really somber assessment of how
long this could drag on because of who the enemy is, right?
I mean, this is not a regime that's going to give up and suddenly stop fighting for its existence. This is a regime in an existential fight for
its very survival, it's a regime that has fought wars that lasted years before, the Iran-Iraq War and so on. And so, I think it's really naive and
misleading to the American public not to prepare them for the risks that lie ahead the longer we continue dragging out this war and making Iran feel
like it is fighting that existential battle.
SCIUTTO: Yes, equating Venezuela to Iran, and there seems to be a degree of that, right? We could pull a Delcy Rodriguez here, given the messianic
nature of the regime. Not quite sure that's a good assumption. Jasmin El- Gamal, thanks so much for joining. Look forward to having you back.
EL-GAMAL: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, falling stocks, rising oil prices, new fears of the economic costs of the Iran War, how the White House hopes to ease those
concerns. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, new weakness on Wall Street as oil prices surge. The Dow was the hardest hit following more than
1.5 percent. Bond yields also rose on fears the war in Iran will worsen inflation and drive-up interest rates.
[18:50:00]
U.S. crude prices hit their highest levels in almost a year, closing up more than 8 percent. Brent crude also rallied. Both are now trading near
$80 a barrel. All this as Iran quite deliberately takes aim at energy production in the Gulf. Two oil tankers struck in the northern part of the
Gulf. Bahrain says an Iranian missile hit an oil refinery there.
Rising oil prices mean rising prices for Americans. AAA says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline rose today to $3.25 a gallon. That's
an increase of 27 cents from just last week, just about nine percent. The last time prices rose that fast was in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
All this is clearly a political problem for President Trump. He has consistently touted falling gas prices as one of his most important
economic achievements.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor, it was quite honestly a disaster.
Today right here in Corpus Christi the price of gasoline is down to just less than actually now $2.30.
They were pricing you out when gasoline's at $4.50 and now it's at $1
$1.99, numbers that nobody has heard for years.
Gasoline is now under $2.50 a gallon in 17 states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Senior White House official says the Treasury Department is set to announce new measures to help to bring down oil prices, they say,
including potential action involving the oil futures market.
Ben Lefebvre joins me now. He's deputy editor, energy editor from Politico, wrote a piece about this today. It appears the White House is aware of this
danger here and Susie Wiles is telling folks to look for ways to bring down gas prices. But listen, the oil market moves, right? I mean, do they have
any real substantial ways to try to control gas prices specifically?
BEN LEFEBVRE, DEPUTY ENERGY EDITOR, POLITICO: Not much. In fact, it's kind of interesting in that the one tried and trued way of bringing down
gasoline prices to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the one option they have said so far they're not going to do. They told a
colleague of mine two days ago SPR is off the table. They told me yesterday SPR is off the table. Other than that, there's not too much they can do to
bring prices down right away.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, what do they do then, right? I mean, I guess the question is then politically how concerned they are about it, because the way to do
it is, I suppose, end the war, right? Given that they're not -- they (INAUDIBLE) going to do that.
LEFEBVRE: No. I mean, the easiest way to do it is to, you know, say mission accomplished, we're done. But even then, you know, as other
presidents have found, when you, you know, release the dogs of war, they don't always come back when you call them.
So, right now, from what we were hearing and what we wrote today, they basically put the call out, you know, pencils down. If you're not working
on anything to do with fighting, you should be working on something to bring down gasoline prices. What those ideas might be, they announced a few
a couple of days ago, and President Trump said, you know, there will be more on the way. He said that Tuesday. They said it yesterday.
And I think last we heard, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told some outlets today that they should expect some ideas. But so far, the two they have
come out with the idea of offering backups for insurance for oil tanker tankers trying to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, or to offer, you know,
naval ships to escort those ships haven't done too much to calm the markets.
SCIUTTO: How about other potential measures? I mean, a tax holiday, like a gas tax holiday, anything like that on the table?
LEFEBVRE: Yes. We've heard, you know, to a certain extent, it's they're throwing a lot of spaghetti at the walls, I keep hearing ideas. And then,
usually, right after why that idea might not work. So, there was the idea of a gas tax holiday that was floated. The issue with that is Congress
would have to approve it. And then you have to count on oil companies and gas stations to pass the savings along to concern consumers, which they may
not do. There is the idea of, you know, having U.S. military defend energy site and energy infrastructure sites in the Middle East. You know, I don't
-- you know, I understand Saudi Arabia wasn't too happy with that idea.
Other idea that has come up today from a few sources was doing a partial waiver of sanctions that were placed on Russian crude exports that came
down after Russia invaded Ukraine. There will be a lot of people who are not happy with that. So, what they come up with, you know, ultimately,
we're still waiting to see I think there was some talk of trying to do something in the oil futures markets, which we haven't heard too many
details on.
SCIUTTO: What does that mean?
LEFEBVRE: The point being is -- yes, you know, they could -- you know, there was some talk of maybe trying to short the market, you know, it's
kind of still at this stage, we haven't heard what it would be besides maybe something in the oil -- you know, quote/unquote, "maybe something in
the oil futures market."
[18:55:00]
So, you know, the spaghetti keeps flying, but we have to wait to hear what they're actually going to do.
SCIUTTO: Let the markets decide. I thought that that was a conservative principle at some point, but I suppose there are a lot of exceptions to
that these days. Ben Lefebvre, Politico, thanks so much for joining.
LEFEBVRE: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: And thanks so much, all of you for joining us. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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