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What We Know with Max Foster

"Complete & Total Dominance"; U.S. Sinks Iranian Ship; Iranian Intelligence Signals It Is Ready To Talk With The U.S.;: First U.S. Congressional Vote On War With Iran. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 04, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:27]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The United States says it is prepared for an extended war with Iran.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The war in the Middle East intensifying again tonight. The Israeli defense forces have just announced a fresh wave of airstrikes on Tehran. More than

a thousand people have been killed in Iran, according to a human rights group based in the United States. And there are signs two of the conflict

spreading with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean.

And we're expecting a key vote from the U.S. Senate on president Trump's war powers in just minutes from now.

Meanwhile, we're also getting new information on airports reopening and evacuation flights from the Middle East. All of this coming up in the next

hour for you.

But we're going to start with those signs that this conflict is spreading beyond Iran and the Middle East. NATO shot down an Iranian missile that was

headed towards Turkey today. Turkey is a NATO state, and such attacks could lead to other NATO members taking a more active role in the fight. And the

U.S. sunk an Iranian warship that was more than 4,000 kilometers away from Iran today.

The Iranian vessel was off the shore of Sri Lanka and the first warship sunk by submarine torpedoed by the Americans since World War Two. That's

the sight through the periscope.

The U.S. defense secretary says Iran's military is getting weaker by the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are accelerating, not decelerating. Iran's capabilities are evaporating by the hour, while

American strength grows fiercer, smarter and utterly dominant. More bombers and more fighters are arriving just today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson. He's in the gulf in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

First of all, we've got another wave of attacks going into Iran. There's obviously nervousness throughout the gulf. And we see the war spreading as

well with the stories about Turkey and the Indian Ocean.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah and it's spreading not just because Iran is trying to spread it by sending a missile

to what appeared to be on track to a big air base in the south of Turkey, an air base that the United States uses but the United States spreading it

geographically by taking down that Iranian navy vessel just off the coast of Sri Lanka. So, it is expanding.

And there is, you know, when you talk diplomats in this city, they'll tell you that part of the assessment is that Iran would like to try to drag

Europe into or NATO into the fight here, because they want to make it look like absolute chaos, because they think that's the way to try to drive up

the price of oil, to try to scare the West, to try to make this war short, to make President Trump back down in this war.

So -- and United States taking down the navy because as we heard from Pete Hegseth, it's sort of combat ineffective. It's at the bottom of the ocean

part of clearly part of the U.S. military narrative here is to deplete Iran's military and the reach of its military and Israel in those strikes

that have been going forward to Iran. Tonight, one of the key missions for them not just combating the takeoff locations, the manufacturing for drones

and ballistic missiles, but also to try to target as they did earlier today the future leadership or the emerging replacement leadership in Iran.

So it -- these, you know, the narratives are interlocking in a certain way. But the skepticism remains. Do they interlock effectively? Are they working

to the same end goal? What is the end goal?

And today, we heard the end goal could be two months away, even perhaps even longer, Max.

FOSTER: There obviously been U.S. casualties but this figure of 1,000 people being killed in Iran and we're starting to hear some of those

stories, particularly about the school, for example. You know, how are people responding to that in that region? There must be a lot of sympathy

for general Iranians.

ROBERTSON: Look, look, I think a lot of people were watching very, very closely particularly in that press conference with Pete Hegseth. The BBC

reporter, I think it was, asked the question in that press conference about what happened in that strike. And Pete Hegseth said it was being

investigated.

But it's one of the key things that people here in this region watch because they see fellow Muslim civilians ending up as to use not

pejoratively, but collateral damage. And that's after this region has watched what has happened in Gaza, where there's been as many as 70,000

people killed, and Israel says perhaps a third of those were Hamas operatives. But a massive civilian toll. And that's one of the concerns in

this region is that what happens?

And we heard today from Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, the joint chiefs of staff there the Pentagon say United States is sort of going to

stop using its really highly sophisticated standoff precision munitions because it now dominates the airspace, it's shifting to using these JDAMs,

these GPS dumb bombs, they get they get dropped, they get guided. They're 500 pounds, they're 1,000 pounds, 2,000 pounds he said. And there's been a

lot of studies done in what the 2,000-pound bombs did in Gaza and the damage they wrought in Gaza and the number of deaths of civilians they

caused in Gaza.

So, in this region, of course, people listen when they hear that kind of statement and that the war could go on for ages. They can do the math. They

know what this sort of bombing looks like.

And so, of course, that's the concern. It hasn't happened yet. But the concern is that that leads not just to civilian casualties, but an Iranian

leadership that's so weak it can't constitute anything, a decentralization and fragmentation of power into ethnic groups. And what would in many

terms, become a potential failed state. And everything that means that that means in this region.

Remember, the leaders in this region here want a relationship with Iran because they want economic stability in the region, economic stability, and

it leads to economic pain the longer it goes on. It's -- that's the prism through which people watch it here, Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, okay. Nic in Riyadh, thank you so much.

Well, the White House says the attack on Iran is proof that, quote, Donald Trump does not bluff. Just a short while ago, Mr. Trump's press secretary

hailed the success of the attacks thus far, saying the U.S. is just hours from total dominance of Iran's airspace. She also said Trump's decision to

attack was an act of defense, not aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Trump does not make these decisions in a vacuum. This decision to launch this operation

was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America, and the president's feeling based on fact

that Iran does pose an imminent and direct threat to the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, sources tell CNN that Iranian intelligence has sent word to the U.S. that it could be ready for talks on how to end the war but U.S.

officials say there are no negotiations underway and potential off ramps are likely or aren't likely anytime soon.

Instead, U.S. officials are talking about entering a new more intensive phase of the joint military operation with Israel.

Let's go to CNN's Kristen Holmes at the White House to tell us more, Kristen, about these back channels.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And, Max, I mean, we're told right now that the U.S. is not engaging in any of these

conversations, that there are no direct talks with Iranians. But what we do know is that the Iranian leaders have sent messages through various

intermediaries that have been picked up and given to the United States but again, the White House and senior administration officials are stressing

that they are not having any of these conversations. There is a belief among the administration, once we actually -- the United States actually

launched this strike, they had to see it through at least part of the military intervention that we're seeing. They had to go through with these

various steps before there was any conversation.

And there is a lot of skepticism among Americans and senior officials that the Iranians are not operating in good faith. These reach outs are not in

good faith either, that these are just ways to get out of the current situation, not actually come to a conclusion. So what you're seeing now is

essentially the United States just continuing on. We heard the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, saying, we're just getting started.

And I can tell you there are a lot of Americans. That's not what they want to hear. Theres even a lot of Republicans on capitol hill who have stressed

the idea that this is only going to be four weeks, maximum four to five weeks, but also noted that it doesn't appear that there is an end game. So,

hearing Hegseth say, we're just getting started again, not something that a lot of Americans want to hear.

And I do want to point out one of the things that Karoline Leavitt said just now, and I know you played this clip, she said it multiple times. This

idea that President Trump acted on a feeling that was based on fact -- I mean, that in itself is a confusing statement to act on a feeling that is

based in fact.

President Trump has said that he had this intuition that Iran was going to strike and that they needed -- the United States needed to strike first

because intense retaliation or any kind of mass casualty situation. So -- but again, I mean, framing it as a feeling based in fact, when we know

American troops are dying and it sounds as though we are going to be tied up in this for a long time, it's not going to sit well with a lot of

Americans.

FOSTER: We're expecting to hear from the president himself, aren't we, very soon. Do you think he's going to focus on this? And if so, what part

of the messaging here?

HOLMES: It's unclear. Right now, that's not what the event is for. It's actually about data centers and trying to get these big tech companies to

sign off. I mean, what we've heard from President Trump isn't going to change. He himself said yesterday or indicated that they don't know who

they're looking at to be the potential leader of Iran he said anybody they had in mind was now dead or likely dead.

So, there are a lot of questions. It doesn't seem as though this is going to be an event that lends itself to a large question and answer period, but

of course, we could be wrong. President Trump often manages to turn events into a one-on-one question and answer session with the media, so they will

be there to ask questions.

There is a lot of questions right now to, I mean in addition to the end game, as to what the United States was doing before the strikes, during the

strikes, to ensure that Americans were aware in that region, were aware, and there was an evacuation plan that was also not clearly answered in that

briefing. So that could be something that comes up if reporters do get a chance to ask questions.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, we'll follow that as it happens thank you so much.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then says the war is just getting started, but has already achieved incredible results. At today's Pentagon

briefing, he described an attack on an Iranian warship thousands of kilometers away from Iran's coastline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet

death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are

fighting to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Pentagon released video of that attack showing a ship hit by a massive explosion on its stern. A U.S. commander says more than 17 Iranian

ships have been destroyed in this war so far.

CNN's Haley Britzky is in Washington.

Are they right to claim such a victory over the navy, do you think, Haley?

HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, that remains to be seen. And certainly, targeting the Iranian navy is one of the main

objectives that U.S. officials have laid out repeatedly as to what this campaign is seeking to do. It's something that obviously, Secretary Hegseth

spoke about today, as well as Central Command commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, yesterday, and the amount of ships that they have, they say sunk in

in from the Iranian navy.

But certainly, we're still waiting to see more of these objectives kind of come online. Secretary Hegseth as you pointed out had a very confident

stance today saying that the U.S. is winning. Speaking directly about the air superiority that they expect the U.S. and Israeli air force to have

over Iran in the coming days before the one-week mark of this operation starting, which will allow American bombers and fighters to sort of pick

off these Iranian targets, they explained. As those are directed by the president.

Secretary Hegseth also said today that more bombers and fighters are on the way into the region as soon as today, he says they'll start dropping 500

pounds, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound laser guided munition gravity bombs so certainly something that we are expecting to see ramp up as he and the rest

of the administration are signaling that we'll only begin to see more operations. Secretary Hegseth said, more and larger waves are coming in the

near term, but General Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff sort of laying out more metrics and percentages and numbers to describe

what they see as a large success here.

General Caine said that ballistic missile shots fired by Iran were down 86 percent from the first day of fighting over this past weekend. One way

attack, drone shots fired down by 73 percent, he said. So certainly, they are providing this information to try to clarify what the U.S. military is

doing on the ground there from the skies as well.

But the bottom line here is that we still don't have a clear timeline for what this looks like. Secretary Hegseth said during the briefing today. It

could be four weeks, six weeks eight weeks, even three weeks.

But we do know that the president is setting the timeline for this and all of this happening, of course, after six U.S. service members were killed in

Kuwait on Sunday.

[15:15:03]

And Secretary Hegseth and the president have only indicated that more casualties could come before the end of this operation -- Max.

FOSTER: Haley, appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us from D.C.

Now, Lebanese authorities say Israeli action in southern Lebanon has displaced more than 83,000 people, an 18-hour traffic jam reported after

Israel ordered people in the south to evacuate immediately. Israeli strikes this week have pummeled parts of the country, including the capital of

Beirut.

The Lebanese health authority says at least 74 people have been killed since the IDF launched attacks on Monday. The action comes as the Iranian-

backed militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing projectiles from Lebanon into Israel.

Matthew Chance is in Beirut.

Obviously, the reaction from Israel has been absolutely enormous this time round, and normally it would be the big headline. But with everything else

going on in the Middle East, it hasn't been.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONENT: Yeah, it's certainly become just another front in that sort of broader war between

Israel the United States and Iran. But you're right. The reaction of Israel to the various missile and drone attacks that have been sort of launched by

the Iranian backed militia here in Lebanon. Hezbollah across the border has been pretty extraordinary.

I mean, you know, within the past few hours as you just mentioned Israel has ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the south of

Lebanon, the south of the country, to make way for military operations, all that as Hezbollah controlled areas in south Lebanon and here in the

capital, Beirut, are coming under increasingly intensive Israeli air strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): This is the Iran war coming to Lebanon. Israel says it's targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia here in southern

Beirut. The group launched revenge attacks on Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader last weekend.

MAGUY CHEBLI, HOTEL OWNER: Any, any territory outside our Lebanese army, I'm against.

CHANCE: Yes.

CHEBLI: Either Hezbollah --

CHANCE (voice-over): But the owner of the small Beirut hotel wrecked in that overnight strike insists just ordinary families were staying as

guests. No Iranian citizens and definitely no Hezbollah, who she blames for the spiraling violence.

CHANCE: This is where it happened, isn't it?

CHEBLI: This is where it happened. It started from the roof, the fourth floor, and it came down to here. Here was the room of the receptionist.

CHANCE: Yes

CHEBLI: As you can see.

CHANCE: I mean, look at this. It's -- I mean, utter devastation. So, it was a pretty big explosion, wasn't it?

CHEBLI: It was. We had no one here. We had no -- any Iranians or any Hezbollah armies here.

And we are not that stupid to check them in. We are not that stupid. We live here. It's our home.

CHANCE: How angry are you?

CHEBLI: I am angry, of course --

CHANCE: -- with Hezbollah?

CHEBLI: I am angry with Hezbollah and Israel and Iran, but Hezbollah, more you know why?

CHANCE: Why?

CHEBLI: Because they are Lebanese. They should be Lebanese. They are not.

They are hurting us. They are hurting our homes, our children.

CHANCE: And they are dragging this country into the Iran war?

CHEBLI: They are dragging us to war that we don't want and we're not ready.

CHANCE (voice-over): Across the Lebanese capital, tension and thick smoke is hanging over the city with Israeli airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern

suburbs some dangerously close to the international airport, one of the few still operating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Okay, we're going to come out of that because President Trump is speaking to this war.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an amazing, amazing thing that's taking place before your eyes because for 47 years, we were

pushed around and we shouldn't have been. And I think I can say and you see it as well as I do, you see the tremendous progress that's being made.

Their missiles are being wiped out rapidly, their launchers are being wiped out.

They're attacking their neighbors. They're attacking their -- in some cases -- allies or not so long ago, allies. And you know, it's really a nation

that was out of control. And they would have used it on us if we let them, if we waited any longer.

A big -- a big factor was Soleimani -- the killing of Soleimani in my first term and maybe the biggest factor was the rebuilding of the military in my

first term, and then the B-2s hit the -- and I use the word obliterate because it really was. It was a complete obliteration of their nuclear

potential. And that set them back very, very seriously.

[15:20:01]

If we didn't hit within two weeks, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If we didn't do the B-2 attack a number of months ago, they would have a

nuclear weapon and when crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen.

So, we're in very good shape now, I want to let you know that, and we will continue forward. But it's a great display of military strength, and I'm

very proud to have with some of the people in the room, both senators and congressmen, we rebuilt -- and women. We rebuilt our military during the

first term. And we're using it a little bit more than I thought we would have to.

Venezuela worked out really great. We have a wonderful relationship with the president and the various representatives, and we're taking out

hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, and that goes to our benefit and to Venezuela's benefit. And they'll be doing better than they've ever done

before. And we will get a big piece of that. And we'll also make life wonderful for the people of Venezuela who have been very, very badly hit.

So that's a lot said in a short period of time. But you can witness it for yourself. And now we'll get on to something that I'm very proud of, because

it was sort of my idea, sort of my idea like -- build your own power plant.

And everybody thought I was kidding. They said, really? You can do that. How would you do that? I said, we'll get you fast permits and you'll build

your own plants.

FOSTER: President Trump there going into the substance of that meeting as it was organized, which is talking about tech. But he did speak to the war

in Iran, giving the U.S. and Israel a ten out of ten for their effort, so far. So he's feeling pretty triumphant at this point.

Coming up, evacuation flights are starting to leave the Middle East. Some Americans aren't happy, though, with the help they're getting from their

government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:04]

FOSTER: Commercial air travel is gradually opening up in the Middle East. Israel will begin reopening its main airport Ben-Gurion, only for incoming

flights, though, on Thursday. Authorities say one flight will be allowed per hour, with more flights added if things go smoothly there.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are managing to get out of the Middle East on repatriation flights. The United Kingdom, Germany and Austria are among

several countries planning special flights from Oman tonight. Some passengers are driving for hours from neighboring countries to reach the

airport in Muscat. Oman Air has advised passengers traveling there by land to arrive at the border crossing at least 12 hours prior to their departure

time, due to the high traffic volume.

Meanwhile, some Americans are frustrated with the U.S. response. Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday there was no evacuation plan in place because

things unfolded too quickly.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio encouraged Americans to call a State Department hotline. Initially, it only told people not to rely on the

government for evacuations.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OPERATOR: If you are calling about the crisis in the Middle East, please press one. If not press two. Please do not rely on the U.S. government for

assisted departure or evacuation at this time. There are currently no United States evacuation points please continue to check the embassy's

website for updated information, in the event of ongoing military action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: That message has been updated, urging people to stay on the line to get assistance. Now, what we want to know is how difficult is it for

governments to get people out of the Middle East?

Joining me now is Sir Simon Fraser, former head of the U.K. Foreign Office.

Thank you so much for joining us, Sir Simon.

I mean, the Americans seem to be finding it harder than the Europeans at the moment but they would have -- you know, known when this was happening.

So, you can see why many Americans are upset by their response.

SIMON FRASER, FORMER PERMANENT UNDER-SECRETARY, U.K. FOREIGN OFFICE: Well, I can understand that. I mean, I think the first thing to say and I have

personal experience of this because I was running the British foreign office during the Arab Spring crisis. You may remember 2011 and `12, when

we had to get a lot of people out of countries in the region.

It's very difficult to do it because these crises unfold in unpredictable ways. People are under a lot of pressure. They're in very difficult

situations. They're under stress, and they often obviously make big demands. So it's not easy for governments.

I think that's something I have to say. But having -- having said that, it is surprising if the United States of all countries has not got -- has not

had some sort of contingency planning in place because they, after all along with Israel, were perhaps the only two governments that knew what was

likely to happen. And you would have thought that they would have done some scenario planning about the possible consequences.

So, it does seem a bit difficult, a bit strange that they were apparently caught flat footed in the first stages.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, you've organized these sort of evacuations. What would your advice be to people in the Middle East, you know, from different

countries hoping to be evacuated? What's your advice for them?

FRASER: Well, my advice is that you do have to be realistic about what governments can do. So, if you take the example of this evening, we're

talking about these charter flights coming out of Oman. I mean a chartered flight might carry 200 maximum 300 people out of an out of 300,000 British

people in the region. So, you can see its sort of drop in the ocean. And therefore, people do need to be realistic about that.

Frankly, until we can get commercial aviation options available again. And that's also beginning to open up. It's going to be very difficult.

So, my advice is listen to the advice that you're getting from the local embassy, make sure that you are registered. Make sure that you are

minimizing your exposure to risk throughout the whole process and make your plans very carefully.

Make reasonable expectations and demands on government, but accept that, you know there are limits to what can be done.

FOSTER: A lot of people surprised that there are any flights leaving from the region at the moment. How -- how can they assess the risk of taking a

flight? Because obviously, it's going to be a very nerve-wracking experience, even if it's been government approved.

FRASER: Well, it's very nerve wracking for many reasons, not least actually getting to the airport where there'll be very many people

thronging to get on the aircraft, getting through the crowds, getting on the plane. That is very stressful.

But also, of course -- yes, people have to assess risk. And also of course, the airlines have to assess risk because they have to be insured to carry

people on their -- on their aircraft. So, there are a whole number of things that have to be done. And that is why people tend to be airlines,

and governments tend to be cautious about what they're doing.

[15:30:00]

It's a balance of risk at all times.

But I'm hoping that actually out of Dubai, out of Doha and other airports in the region, it should be possible to get an increasing number of flights

off the ground. And we are hearing that the number of strikes by Iranian missiles is reducing. So that would be a good thing if it's -- if it is

sustained.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Simon Fraser, really appreciate you joining us tonight with your unique perspective on this.

Still to come, the CIA's plan to spark a popular uprising against the Iranian regime. Next, we're live in Iraq, where they hope that plan will

begin to take shape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: More now on our breaking news and the latest developments on the war with Iran.

The White House says the United States will have complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace in the next few hours. Just moments ago,

President Trump said the U.S. military is making tremendous progress.

An American submarine sank an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two, according

to the defense secretary. And Sri Lanka's navy says several bodies were recovered and 35 people were rescued.

Well, Iranian intelligence has sent word to the CIA that it could be open to discussions on how to end this war. However, people familiar with those

indirect messages tell CNN U.S. officials have indicated negotiations over any potential off ramps are unlikely to happen any time soon.

And sources tell CNN the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces in the hope they will help fuel an uprising in Iran.

[15:35:01]

Trump administration officials have been in contact with Kurdish leaders along the Iran-Iraq border. One expert says the Kurds will likely need

guarantees in order to agree to work with the U.S.

Let's turn to Erbil, Iraq, and our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward.

Presumably that means a lot of kit.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. I mean, there are still so many questions here, Max, ever since we first got wind

of this story with our colleagues, Natasha Bertrand, Alayna Treene and Zachary Cohen in Washington, D.C., that the CIA is working to arm these

Iranian Kurdish militants who are based here in Iraqi Kurdistan. And one senior Iranian Kurdish official here telling me that they're prepared to go

inside or they're preparing to go into Iran, western Iran, in the coming days to launch some kind of a ground offensive with U.S. and Israeli

support.

He wouldn't say what kind of support that was, but we have had a lot of reaction here to this reporting, particularly from the leadership in Iraqi

Kurdistan, which has made very clear that they think this situation is very dangerous, that they do not want to see their territory being used as a

launch pad for any kind of a ground offensive into Iran.

I spoke with a senior official here this morning who told me, listen, the Iranians warned us a few days ago that if a single fighter crosses that

border, there will be severe repercussions and he said that the situation is very dangerous, but that effectively, the leadership here doesn't really

know how to stand up against the U.S.

Obviously, the leadership here has a good relationship, a warm relationship with the U.S. They have no love lost for the Iranian regime. But I think

they are so confused as to what the strategic objective of this war is.

Is it regime change? Is it not regime change? What happens at the end? And they will be the ones to bear the brunt if indeed the Iranian regime

remains in place.

So now we are seeing real efforts also from the Iraqi government in Baghdad to telegraph to the Iranians that this situation is under control, that

Peshmerga, you know, Iraqi Kurdish troops are being sent to the border to prevent Iranian Kurdish fighters from traveling or going into western Iran.

And President Barzani himself, speaking to the Iranian foreign minister and vowing that Iraqi Kurdistan wants to stay neutral in this fight.

But as I mentioned before, those Iranian Kurdish factions on the ground here who have been persecuted for many decades, who have been waiting to go

back home for many decades, seem very much fixated on getting back inside Iran, Max.

FOSTER: What would they do? Is this the issue with the lack of strategy? Because the question is, what would they do there? Would they want to

secure their own region, or would they head towards Tehran?

WARD: If you talk to the Iranian Kurdish officials and opposition fighters here, they have no interest in going towards Iran what they want to do is

go into their areas, into Iranian Kurdistan to secure them, to make sure that they are safe to push the regime out and then what they would

ultimately like to see, obviously is regime change in Iran, and they would like to see Iran become a federation, whereby they would have a semi-

autonomous region.

Now, what's not clear is how their thinking and their objectives line up with whatever objectives may be behind the CIA's support of this because

from everything that we've seen in the reporting coming from Natasha Bertrand and others, there are different sort of theories as to what this

strategy is really about. Is it about creating chaos? Is it about bogging down the Iranian military and fighting to allow space for Iranian

protesters, or is it about trying to, you know essentially factionalize Iran?

And the other thing I would just say to keep in mind, max is that this strategy, if it is indeed enacted and that is still an if I think at this

stage could really backfire, because for many Iranians who may have been delighted to see Khamenei killed, the supreme leader, they still do not

want to see external actors coming into their country and trying to factionalize and divide and create civil, you know, civil war effectively

in their country, Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Clarissa, in Erbil, really appreciate it. Thank you so much for bringing us that.

Still to come, the first U.S. congressional vote on the war with Iran could be just minutes away. We are live for you on Capitol Hill, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:56]

FOSTER: U.S. Democratic lawmakers say President Donald Trump must get congressional approval for the war with Iran, but they don't control either

Chamber of Commerce -- Congress rather. The Senate could vote next hour on a resolution that would restrict U.S. military action unless authorized by

Congress. The House is expected to hold a similar vote tomorrow, but both are expected to fail. Republican supporters of the war, like House Speaker

Mike Johnson, say limiting operations against Iran would harm national security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This course of action was necessary, lawful and effective, and reversing it now would weaken America.

Congress has a constitutional right to exercise its oversight authority, and we will. But we also have a duty and obligation not to undercut our own

national security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, at this moment, the big question who is actually running Iran? This three-person council holds power until the next supreme leader

is actually chosen. It includes the hardline head of the judiciary on the left there. I don't think we're seeing this at the moment, but the moderate

president is in the middle of the image. You'll see in a senior cleric on the right.

So, how long before we find out who will become that next supreme leader? That depends on the 88-member body of senior clerics called the assembly of

experts. They've moved discussions online because of the bombings. Like this one.

One senior member of the group says they are close to a conclusion. However, another member tells state media the duration of the process is

unclear. What we don't know is who will be Iran's next supreme leader?

Joining me now is Mohammad Al Shabani. He's a Middle East scholar and editor of Amwaj Media.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I mean, it's difficult to know without being in the room, I guess, but who are the likely candidates here?

MOHAMMAD ALI SHABANI, EDITOR, AMWAJ.MEDIA: So until yesterday, the most likely candidate being rumored is Ayatollah Arafi who is the member of the

interim leadership council, which you mentioned, together with the chief justice and the president.

[15:45:06]

However, in the past 24 hours, claims have emerged that the son of the former supreme leader, the supreme leader, who was killed by Israel on

February 28th. Mojtaba Khamenei, is supposed to be a front runner.

And there are many questions about that kind of report number one is, is he actually in good health? There are some rumors that he may actually be in a

coma. So, nobody really knows about the state of his health.

The second question is Iran's current government, Islamic Republic, was overthrowing a monarchy in 1979. It came into existence by putting an end

to hereditary rule in Iran. So, the notion of power being handed over to the son of the former supreme leader, that's a big no-no. I think even to

many supporters of the government.

So, the question arises if Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former supreme leader, is going to be elected as supreme leader, what kind of message does

that send? Some analysts are saying that it could entail political ascendance of the IRGC of the military, of hardline ideologues who want to

maintain continuity, who want a figure who is accustomed to dealing with them.

And most of all, I think sending the message to Trump that you killed one ayatollah Khamenei, now you're stuck with another Ayatollah Khamenei.

FOSTER: Yeah.

SHABANI: So there's a lot of names in the mix, and we don't quite know who's going to -- who's going to end up on top.

FOSTER: Presumably, the IRGC particularly at a time like this, has, you know a huge amount of sway on these decisions, am I right? I mean, do they

effectively have a casting vote here?

SHABANI: Of course. I mean, as a pillar of the state in Iran, they definitely have a say. And that's one of the reasons, again, why there's so

much rumor about Mojtaba Khamenei being the potential next supreme leader. But having said that, they are not the sole decision maker in Iran. There

are various networks of power, including the moderate president, the there's a large conservative camp in Iran, merchants religious leaders, the

people electing the supreme leader is actually a council of 88 clerics, right?

So, the IRGC definitely I would say have a -- has a -- as a veto rather than being the sole decision maker on that.

FOSTER: It shows how the system works, isn't it? You know, the Americans have taken out the supreme leader, but the system was set up to replace him

very quickly by a very, you know, you know, quite a cohesive group. So, you know, America then has another one to deal with. It's not -- it's not the

type of situation you had in Venezuela, for example. But he keeps comparing it to Venezuela.

SHABANI: Again, I think the one of the big kind of ironies, when you look at the situation is that there is no Delcy, there is no opposition, not

even in opposition, I would say a deputy of Khamenei, who Trump can just talk to, pick up the phone and talk to her or cut a deal. I think this is

one of the biggest frustrations, probably for the U.S. administration right now.

But apart from that, there's one other big difference between Iran and Venezuela. In Venezuela, there's no third party that's -- that attacked

Venezuela at the same time and really doesn't have any interest in having a Delcy, right? So, in Venezuela, you have just the U.S. administration.

In Iran, I think we know quite clearly what Israel wants. Israel, I think, wants state collapse. It's not so much interested in regime change. It just

wants kind of a dysfunctional state, whereas Trump I think he still wants some kind of arrangement with Iran to prevent regional chaos, essentially.

And here you have, I think differing objectives, so that even if a Delcy was to be found in Iran, is there any kind of guarantee that that person

wouldn't be targeted by Israel? So, there are many questions. Is much more toxic mix in Iran compared to Venezuela?

FOSTER: Okay. Mohammad Ali Shabani, really appreciate your insight there. That process currently unfolding. We should find out at some point if they

decide soon.

But we're going to get more now on that war powers vote coming up on Capitol Hill.

Our chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is live in Washington.

I guess, you know, the resolution has got a -- doesn't have a big chance of passing, but it is going to be an interesting litmus test, isn't it? On the

war in Iran basically.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it will test the support it does actually, just to clarify, it has no chance of passing

because the Republicans are lining up against it in the 53-47 Senate. You have a majority of the vote for this to be approved in the United States

and that is not expected to happen here.

We do expect a handful of Republicans to vote yes. We do expect one Democrat at least to vote no, but the math simply is not there. What it

would do would require President Trump to come to Congress in order to continue this military campaign against Iran.

The president furiously opposed Republicans, for the most part furiously opposed. And I've talked to a number of members on both sides of the aisle,

and there are a lot, a lot of anxiety on Capitol Hill about what's next, a lot of questions about the administration, about their plans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): I don't care how just the war is. I don't care how important it is. Of course, we're worried. You know, our servicemen's

lives are at risk. Others' lives are at risk. Of course, that's always a concern.

No matter -- no matter how we get into this or how justified it is, I'm always going to be concerned about that.

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): I think the ultimate goal here is to get a government that we don't have to worry about them nuking somebody, and

that's been the ultimate concern with this regime. You know, their leadership always spoke in this about, you know, end times, using nuclear

weapons to bring the end times here. That's scary.

RAJU: Yeah. But nation-building has not gone well.

BACON: It's not gone well. And I don't think that we should be doing it.

REP. GREG LANDSMAN (D-OH): To me, this is a no brainer. They had a window of opportunity to take out very specific military assets in order to defang

the Iranian regime. We will be safer as a result. However, if it goes beyond that, they need to come to Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And that last comment actually came from a Democrat who is actually on the side of most Republicans telling me that he plans to vote against

the bipartisan resolution that's coming to the House tomorrow to call for the president to come to Congress first to continue this campaign. He's one

of the rare defectors on the Democratic side at the moment. We'll see how he ultimately votes tomorrow.

But you're seeing this effort calls for the president and the administration to get congressional approval, largely fall along party

lines, which is why we expect this effort to fail in the Senate today and the House tomorrow -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay, should come soon anyway.

Manu, thank you so much for joining us.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Let's recap our breaking news this hour and the latest developments on the war with Iran.

The White House says the United States will have complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace in the next few hours. Just moments ago,

President Trump said the U.S. military is making tremendous progress.

An American submarine sank an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two, according

to the defense secretary. And Sri Lanka's navy says several bodies were recovered, 35 people were rescued.

Iranian intelligence has sent word to the CIA, CIA that it could be open to discussions on how to end the war. However, people familiar with those

indirect messages tell CNN, U.S. officials have indicated that negotiations over any potential off ramps are unlikely to happen any time soon.

And finally, this hour, tributes pouring in for the six U.S. service members killed in a deadly Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on Sunday. The

first Americans to die in the current conflict with Iran. Only four have been publicly identified.

They were Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, and Sergeant Declan Cody. All were soldiers with a

U.S. Army Reserve Unit out of Iowa. A source says the strike came quickly with no warning or sirens to alert the troops to take cover. The attack

happened on the second day of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

END

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