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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Massive Oil Tanker Burning In Dubai After Iran Strike; Interview With Rep. Adam Smith, (D-WA); Officials: U.S. Questions Whether It Is Dealing With Right Iranian Officials; Israeli Military Suspends Activities Of Unit That Assaulted CNN Team; FBI: MI Synagogue Attack Was Hezbollah-Inspired Act Of Terrorism; Massive Oil Tanker Burning In Dubai After Iran Strike; Trump Vows To Obliterate Iran's Oil, Power & Water Sites; Trump Allowed A Russian Oil Tanker To Reach Cuba Amid Fuel Blockade; CNN Interviews Fidel Castro's Grandson Amid Cuban Energy Crisis. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired March 30, 2026 - 20:00   ET

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

JEFFREY SONNENFELD, AUTHOR, "TRUMP'S TEN COMMANDMENTS": for asphalt and lubricants, but not for refining into gasoline. But he was trying to create that illusion that that somehow, he's going to be a winner by grabbing resources that he thinks looks valuable. It's the symbolism, the glistening symbolism, painting everything gold. Somehow it is, that's what he goes for. It is misleading and it's disturbing. But that is -- you're right, that's the yardstick.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right, well, thank you very much, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. As I said, "Trumps Ten Commandments" a new book to understand, why is it that he does some of these things that he does and these reversals that we're seeing in Iran. Thanks so much to Jeff and thanks so much to all of you for joining U.S. AC360 starts now.

[20:00:42]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: And breaking news, Iran strikes a giant oil tanker, more than three football fields long . Reports are it is still burning.

Markets are already responding, the price of oil futures already rising.

John Berman here in for Anderson and the ship in question was hit at a port in Dubai. It is what is known as a VLCC, Very Large Crude Carrier, the kind that can hold as many as two million barrels of crude.

This one was fully loaded and again we are told it is still burning. That is a file picture of the vessel, obviously, before it was hit.

We're working to get video from the scene, as well as a live report from the region. We will bring that to you shortly.

First, though, new reporting on a key question, is the President creating a credibility gap about talks to end the war? It reveals, among other optimism about negotiations with Iran is not even sure it is speaking with the right Iranians, ones with the clout to make a deal, something officials, most notably the President, are not sharing with the public, at least not explicitly, not clearly, though some of their statements, including the President's, do seem to hint that talks may not be quite as advertised.

Take his social media post today, which starts out sunny but finishes dark. I'm quoting him now. "The United States of America is in serious discussions with a new and more reasonable regime to end our military operations in Iran. Great progress has been made," but then he adds, "If for any reason a deal is not reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately open for business, we will conclude our lovely stay in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island, and possibly all desalinization plants which we have purposely not yet touched. This will be in retribution for our many soldiers and others that Iran has butchered and killed over the old regimes 47-year reign of terror."

Again, those are the Presidents words. So, is this his way of projecting hope while hinting that reality might not justify it, or something else, unclear.

But just taking it at face value, this new and reasonable regime he is speaking about, who are they?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's very opaque right now. It's not quite clear how decisions are being made inside of Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That is, Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in so many words, we do not know. But to the extent we do know, he also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: We are dealing with a 47-year-old regime that still has a lot of people involved in it who aren't necessarily big fans of diplomacy or peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So those words, by the way, came just minutes after the President's post about a "new and more reasonable regime," except that his assessment, as you heard, was not more like not so new and not so reasonable.

As for the President's threat against Iranian power plants and facilities for making ocean water drinkable, listen to this exchange with the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Under international law, striking civilian infrastructure like that is generally prohibited. Why is the President threatening what would amount to potentially a war crime with the U.S. Military? And how do you square that with the administration repeatedly saying that the U.S. does not target civilians?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, the President has made it quite clear to the Iranian regime at this moment in time, as evidenced by the statement that you just read, that their best move is to make a deal, or else the United States Armed Forces has capabilities beyond their wildest imagination, and the President is not afraid to use them.

REPORTER: Including potential war crimes?

LEAVITT: That's not what I said, Garrett, of course, this administration and the United States Armed Forces will always act within the confines of the law. But with respect to achieving the objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going to move forward unabated and he expects the Iranian regime to make a deal with the administration.

REPORTER: Which of those which of those objectives would -- destroying a desalination plant most help?

LEAVITT: Haley, go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, she did not rule out hitting such targets. She did, however, say that American Air Forces have now struck more than 11,000 targets in general since the war began. This is new footage you're looking at from Central Command when neither they nor Israeli forces have yet accomplished, though, is to entirely prevent further Iranian missile and drone strikes in the region. This is an attack today in Haifa.

Nor have they been able to break Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, which is sending the price of oil skyward even before this latest strike on that tanker in Dubai it settled today at $112.00 a barrel and is driving gas prices within a penny of the $4.00 a gallon mark here, more than a dollar a gallon higher than when the war began. The President has all that to deal with. Clearly, it's a lot, but it's not so much that he can't segue from such questions of dollars and cents and life and death to other things, just watch him.

[20:05:42]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It truly is regime change, and regime change is an imperative. But I think we have it automatically.

I did something today. I we just got these in from the architects. A lot of people are talking about how beautiful the ballroom is for 150 years; they've wanted to build a ballroom at the White House and other presidents have wanted it. When we have dignitaries coming like President Xi of China or anybody else, we have very small rooms. Here's another view. This is coming from right opposite the Treasury Building. Excuse me, wait, I thought I'd do this now because it's easier. I'm so busy that I don't have time to do this. But I'm fighting wars and other things. But this is very important because this is going to be with us for a long time, and it's going to be, I think it will be the greatest ballroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So busy and it will have Corinthian Columns, he added.

Joining us now for more on all that and CNN's new reporting on the negotiations is the anchor of the source, chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Let's not talk about the Corinthian columns, Kaitlan, let's talk about these negotiations. This new CNN reporting about what power the Iranians, with whom the United States is negotiating actually have. What are you hearing?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND THE ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Yes, it's a real genuine question inside the administration, John, one that they have been dealing with. And it's really unclear what the outcome of it will be. It depends on how these talks go.

When it comes to the people that they're speaking with inside of Iran that are having these back-channel talks, that they're passing messages through intermediaries like Pakistan and Turkey to these people.

And obviously, you've heard the President say that he believes these talks are going well, that they have been productive. He extended his deadline to bomb those nuclear -- to bomb those power plants in Iran over this, because the talks he believes are going so well.

But the question that still remains unanswered, even for this administration, is whether or not the people they are passing those messages on to do have the juice, the power to make an agreement here, to make any come to any kind of agreement with the United States, should they come to one.

And so, this is reporting from my colleagues tonight on how even the administration has been struggling with this. I think it's highlighted by the fact that you have not heard anyone except the President name, John, who it is that they are speaking with in Iran. It's something I've questioned the President about directly, that Secretary Rubio was questioned about Secretary Bessent other officials, and the President himself has confirmed that one of those people is the Speaker of the Iranian parliament, at least, that they are talking with.

And so, it just remains to be seen whether or not that is the person who is the figurehead, who can help make an agreement.

The President certainly seems to feel more bullish about it, at least publicly, than what we've heard from other officials or today. He was saying that it was a regime, a new regime in Iran, that he feels that he is able to negotiate with in a better position.

And so, I think it's still anyone's guess how this ends up and where this goes from here, and whether or not the people that he's speaking with actually have the ability to strike a deal, should they strike one.

I mean, I still think Secretary Rubio yesterday sounded very or this morning, sounded very skeptical that that could happen. He said they are also preparing not only for the possibility, but the probability that whoever is running Iran is not in a friendlier or more receptive position to the demands that the United States is making.

BERMAN: Yes, it simply is uncertain as we sit here tonight. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much for your reporting. We'll see you back at the top of the next hour for "The Source" and I know you're going to be talking to our friend Maggie Haberman from "The New York Times," among others, tonight. So, see you shortly.

I'm joined now by the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington. Congressman, great to have you here with us in studio. So, what's your take on this reporting? The idea that the United States is negotiating with people, but might not even be sure that they're the right people in Iran?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Yes, were stuck in a bad place. I mean, the goal of this war was to fundamentally change the Iranian regime, and this is something the administration has moved back and forth on.

When they're attempting to justify the war. They talk a lot about, you know, they can't have a nuclear weapon, they can't have ballistic missiles, they can't support terrorist groups.

But what's the path to really making that change? It's not clear that were any closer to that goal today than we were when the war started. Yes, we have degraded Iran's capability, but they've survived, and clearly, they can still threaten Israel, us and the region. What's the path to stopping that? That is very much not clear.

[20:10:12]

BERMAN: Yes, so the President said that he was speaking with or the administration was speaking with new and more reasonable Iranian leaders. But as I tried to say earlier, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, basically said, not so new and maybe not so reasonable.

SMITH: Well, first of all, it's important to point out it doesn't appear that we are directly speaking to anyone in Iran.

BERMAN: Pakistan flat out deny it, they say there are no direct talks.

SMITH: Right, Pakistan is acting as a go between. It seems like we're talking to the Pakistanis who are talking to the Iranians, who talk back to the Pakistanis, who talk back to us. So, whatever it is they're going to agree to. But keep in mind what the President wants in all this. Look, if we end this war and Iran hasn't terminated their nuclear program, hasn't terminated their ballistic missile program, still, you know, supports terrorist groups, is Iran going to agree to stopping any one of those things as, have we heard anything that leads us to believe that they're going to.

And then because we started this war, now Iran has figured out that they can hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage and how are we going to get back to that point?

All of which points out why we shouldn't have done this in the first place, and we should find an off ramp as soon as possible.

BERMAN: So, what do you think about the President's threat? How do you square that? His optimism this morning with his threat at the same time, to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure and their desalination plants?

SMITH: Yes, it's a very serious subject. So, I want to make sure I answer that question seriously. You may have noticed the President is not a linear thinker, as they say. He bounces all over the place, all right.

And also, he doesn't necessarily tell the truth. I think the President wants this to be true. I mean, we see what's happening to the global economy, to our economy. As long as this war goes on, it is really bad. So, he wants to protect the idea that were headed towards something, but he doesn't have any specific facts that show that we actually are.

You know, they really want to make a deal. They're close to making a deal. He's been saying that about Iran since he became President in 2017, and he still hasn't gotten a deal. So, I'm not sure how accurate what the President is saying actually is.

BERMAN: If he did hit, if the United States, did hit the desalination plants, do you think that would be a war crime?

SMITH: Yes, the whole war crime thing gets thrown around. It would be something we should not do. It would clearly be targeting the civilian population in a way that the United States of America should not be engaged in, and also, by the way, would undermine our primary goal, which is to show the Iranian people were not against them. We want an alternative to the Iranian regime. We would be attacking the Iranian people instead of the Iranian regime that we claim are the ones we have the beef with.

BERMAN: So, you have said the United States is making progress, taking out military targets, but not meaningful progress. Now, the White House has said they've hit 11,000 targets, and the Pentagon, says they've sunk over 150 naval vessels and obviously, so much of Iran's leadership, if that's not meaningful, what would be?

SMITH: Well, it depends on what you mean by meaningful. Not to go Bill Clinton on you there, but, you know, it's meaningful in terms of reducing, if Iran was planning on invading a country or really doing something proactive, they would be reduced in their ability. But remember, all Iran has to do is survive and be able to threaten us. So, meaningful progress would be something that would jeopardize their ability to survive or jeopardize their ability to threaten us.

And I think we've seen this doesn't do that because drones are not that hard to build. Even ballistic missiles are not that hard to build, and all you need is some of them.

So, that's what I mean by meaningful. Meaningful would be, it forces Iran to fundamentally change the threats that they have posed to Israel, to us and to the region. That would be meaningful. And that hasn't happened yet.

BERMAN: Congressman Adam Smith, great to see you in person tonight. Thanks so much for being here.

SMITH: Good to see you, John, thanks.

BERMAN: All right, next, a live report on that oil tanker now burning off of Dubai and later the war's blowback here at home.

The FBI revealing new details about the attack on a Michigan Synagogue earlier this month and confirming the would-be killer was inspired by Hezbollah when he rammed a pickup into the building with more than a hundred children inside.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:18:29]

BERMAN: Right now, you are looking at a picture of the oil supertanker, Al Salmi in better times right now, in a full load of its oil on fire in a port in Dubai after an Iranian strike.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more on this for us now. He joins us live from Doha in Qatar. Matthew, what are you hearing?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. I mean, look, this is exactly the sort of attack that the region and the global oil markets have been so worried about because this is a really huge supertanker. It's a Kuwaiti flagship. It's about 300 meters long, which is about three football fields long. So, it's an enormous vessel carrying a maximum capacity of 1.2 million barrels of oil. And we're told by the Kuwaiti news agency, which is reporting on this, that it was fully laden.

And so, this is an oil tanker that is filled to the brim with perhaps more than a million barrels of oil. It's been struck by a drone, according to the authorities in Dubai, it is currently on fire. There is damage to the hull with a potential for an oil spill in the surrounding waters. That's the statement that's been released by the Kuwaiti Petroleum Corporation via their state news agency.

Apparently, firefighters and emergency workers are on the scene trying to contain the situation as best as they can. There are no injuries that have been reported. And the Dubai authorities in fact say, excuse me, that the 24 crew members that were on board have now been brought to safety, so there's no injuries.

But, you know, look, again, it comes as Iran strikes at, lashes out at the surrounding Gulf Arab states in response in retaliation for the attacks that it is suffering from the United States and from Israeli strikes inside Iran. It's lashing out, firing missiles in the past few hours towards Kuwait, towards Saudi Arabia and drones, of course, which have hit this supertanker in the port of Dubai, John.

[20:20:47]

BERMAN: All right, Matthew Chance, reporting for us. Matthew, thank you so much for that update.

With us now, veteran war journalist, Scott Anderson, who has reported throughout the Middle East for more than 30 years. He's also the author of "King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Catastrophic Miscalculation".

Look, we just saw a picture of that that big tanker in better times on fire right now. How concerning is this?

SCOTT ANDERSON, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: I think it's very concerning. I think that the way this war is being negotiated is -- it feels very like archaic to me that it's not taking into account, even if, you know, this talk of putting Marines ashore and to take the Gulf.

Again, you know, sending a drone over their heads to hit a tanker in the Persian Gulf, you once again paralyzed the whole Gulf again.

So, I think the whole notion of, I mean, it's very clear there was no planning that went into this this war. And it doesn't seem to be any more thinking going on as we as we progress.

BERMAN: Yes, there are more Marines now who have arrived in the area. Some 50,000 troops in general in the area, up from 40,000.

You've described some of the potential use for the new forces that arrive. The ground troops is 19th century warfare. What do you mean by that?

ANDERSON: The drone has changed modern warfare. It's changed the modern battlefield and we saw that in Ukraine. We're seeing it today in Ukraine and Russia. And somehow the Trump administration has not taken that on board.

It is the -- the drone is the machine gun of World War I. It's the great equalizer. So, and so a small power can, can hold off a large power. And when you talk about all this bombing, the Americans and the Israelis are doing of, of military installations, it's the sophisticated stuff.

Remember that -- and there was a popular uprising in Iran in January in which in which 35,000 to 40,000 people were killed, almost all of them in a single weekend. They were killed with machine guns. So, no matter no matter of bombing is taking the machine guns out of the hands of the Revolutionary Guard. The Revolutionary Guard are not going to negotiate. They have nowhere to go. They're hated by the people. Their backs are to the wall.

BERMAN: Yes, let's talk more about negotiations because CNN's reporting tonight. Others have strands of this also that the administration isn't sure if the Iranians that they are negotiating with, albeit indirectly, ultimately have decision making authority.

ANDERSON: That's right. No, that's right and I feel there's a huge element of wishful thinking in this, that maybe if we talk about that, we're talking with these moderate people, that maybe that empowers them and somehow, I'm not even convinced there's really, they're talking about many people at all.

Five days ago, Trump was saying, we're very close to a deal and then the Iranian Foreign Minister comes out and says, we're not were not talking to the Americans at all.

So, I think there's -- the time is on the Iranian side. Who has to who has to cut a deal here quickly? I think it's Trump, he's seeing his popularity ratings go down almost by the day. That's going to increase the longer the oil crunch happens. And as the inflation spreads through the whole economy, they can wait this out. Trump is the guy who needs a settlement soon.

BERMAN: You say wait it out, then the President's threats to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure. How seriously do you think the Iranians are taking that?

ANDERSON: You know, I don't know. I mean, it's clear the Iranians have very little faith in whatever Trump says. But, you know, if you start talking about like blowing up desalinization plants and things, I mean, you are going to have people in -- Iran already has a massive water crisis. You are going to be killing civilian populations if you do that. Is that really something that this administration is ready to do?

BERMAN: Scott Anderson, great to see you in person, big fan of your reporting over the years. Thanks so much for coming on.

ANDERSON: Thanks so much, John.

BERMAN: Ahead tonight, Cuba, the President says it's next after Iran without fully saying, next for what? CNN has an exclusive interview with a Cuban named Castro.

Next, new developments in this story from Israel, some of which was terrifying to see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A soldier has just put photojournalist Cyril Theophilus in a chokehold, forcing him to the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:29:14]

BERMAN: Our CNN Global War coverage continues tonight. Right now, an update to a stunning report you first saw here on Friday, the Israeli Military's top general has suspended all operational activities of an ultra-orthodox reserve battalion, which was involved in the detention and assault of a CNN crew in the West Bank on Thursday. One soldier was dismissed from military service altogether. CNN's Jeremy Diamond was reporting on Israeli settler violence against Palestinians when they were approached by Israeli military troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Producer Abeer Salman identifies us as journalists before translating the soldier's commands.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down.

DIAMOND (on camera): So, the soldiers just immediately came up and started pointing their weapons directly at us, telling everyone to sit down immediately. Obviously, we're not posing any threat here.

DIAMOND (voice over): The commander comes straight for our camera and within seconds a soldier has just put photojournalist Cyril Theophilus in a chokehold, forcing him to the ground.

DIAMOND: Don't touch him like that! Don't touch him like that! Give me my phone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[20:30:28]

BERMAN: Wow. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv tonight. Jeremy, how rare is it for the Israeli military to take this kind of disciplinary action?

DIAMOND: Well, John, it's extraordinarily rare. In fact, it appears to be unprecedented in both speed and scope. Within about 48 hours of our report first airing, the Israeli military's chief of staff suspended the entire battalion. He also removed one soldier from duty, reprimanded a slew of commanders, and launched this inquiry by Israel's military police into the assault on my photojournalist Cyril Theophilos.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that all of this was caught on camera, the kind of massive reaction that we got out of Israeli media following this. But it also seems like the Israeli military's chief of staff was particularly unnerved by some of the words of these soldiers that they told us on camera, including one soldier's talk of revenge in particular.

And to that, the Israeli military's chief of staff said this in a statement, quote, "Weapons are to be used solely for the purposes of carrying out the mission and never for revenge. We will not accept such incidents within the ranks of the IDF."

I also think it's important to acknowledge that the accountability that we are seeing in this case, you know, isn't just due to the fact that this was caught on camera. It isn't just due to the extent to which this was publicized. It also had to do with who we are. The fact that we are American journalists in this case, because we have seen far too many incidents in the past of Palestinian journalists, of Palestinian civilians dealing with similar allegations with regards to the IDF. And in those cases, too often, there is simply no accountability.

BERMAN: So on the issue of accountability, a little bit separately here, do you have a sense that the government, the Israeli government's going to take action to prevent these illegal settler outposts going forward?

DIAMOND: Well, you know, interestingly, John, as it relates to the illegal outposts that was in this very same village of Tayasir in the West Bank, I'm told that the Israeli military dismantled it after we left that village, following our encounter with the Israeli military. But settlers came back and they have since established another outpost in that same village, according to residents who I spoke with today.

And so it seems that, you know, these settlers are continuing their actions. And the Israeli military doesn't really seem to have a broader plan for addressing this massive outbreak of settler violence in the West Bank. You know, since the war with Iran began, seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers. That's nearly as many as were killed in all of 2025.

And while the Israeli military is talking about accountability as it relates to the incident involving me and my team, we have heard very little from them about how they're going to tackle what is a massive outgrowth of settler violence in the West Bank and the role that we often see Israeli soldiers also playing in advancing the agenda of these settlers. John?

BERMAN: The issue is not going away. Jeremy, we are glad you and your team are safe. Thank you so much for being with us.

And up next, new details from the FBI on that attack on a Michigan synagogue, which it's now calling terrorism, inspired by Hezbollah. And more on our breaking news tonight about whether the administration is talking with Iranians who are actually worth talking to.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:38:24]

BERMAN: So it took a while to confirm what was suspected almost immediately. Today, the FBI said that an attack earlier this month on a Michigan synagogue filled with more than 100 children was in fact an act of terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Based on the evidence gathered to date, we assess this attack to be a Hezbollah inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The FBI went on to describe a video the assailant sent to his sister right before he acted, declaring, quote, "God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can." Ten minutes later, armed with an assault rifle and a truck packed with explosives, he rammed the synagogue.

Security guards engaged the man in gunfire when his vehicle became wedged in a hallway. Pinned down, the assailant took his own life. Thankfully, no one else was killed.

With us now with more on what the FBI has uncovered is CNN Chief Law Enforcement Intelligence Analyst John Miller. So John, what did the FBI reveal about the attacker and his connections to Hezbollah?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, what we got today was kind of the inventory of his actions leading up to that. Now, we know that his two brothers, one of whom is, according to the Israeli defense forces, a Hezbollah missile commander, were killed in an Israeli strike on or about March 6th.

And we know from the timeline provided today by the FBI that by March 9th, he was heavily on his computer listening to Hezbollah messages, watching Hezbollah videos, messages from the Hezbollah leader, Qassem, from the former leader, Nasrallah, that he was immersing himself in the tools of propaganda and that he had decided to then go down this path because what follows is the purchase of $2,000 worth of fireworks, an AR-15 rifle, 30 magazines, 300 rounds of ammunition.

[20:40:19]

By March 10th, he was entirely focused on trying to achieve maximum lethality somewhere, and this was the target he chose.

BERMAN: So, March 9th, he starts planning. March 10th, he's fully in. So that means how long total? And was there any direct connection with Hezbollah?

MILLER: Well, that is uncertain, in that the FBI can't say whether or not he was a member of Hezbollah or was not a member of Hezbollah. The Israelis have said his brother, if not both of them, one of them was a ranking member. But I think what we're seeing here is with the killing of his brother by the Israelis, both his brothers and his nephews, that he went into high gear, inspired, inspired is the key word by Hezbollah propaganda, radicalization material, to do this attack.

For Hezbollah, sure. But, I mean, at the core of this, there's revenge.

BERMAN: So, you know, the FBI says the attacker was sending pictures and videos to his sister in Lebanon. They also said his ex-wife called police before the attack and asked that they check on him?

MILLER: So, that's right. She called and said, you know, can you do a welfare check? I'm worried about him from, you know, some of the messages she's seen. And what you see here is the sister was in Lebanon where most communications were broken. The investigators have established she didn't see those messages from him until after the attack.

And as far as the ex-wife, it appears that police, you know, took that call to do the welfare check. But by the time that came in, he had already been in the parking lot of that target for two hours, making more videos and getting ready to attack. And he hadn't given an indication to her, at least, as where he would be.

BERMAN: All right. A new timeline here, obviously, all these new facts coming in. John Miller, thanks for sharing with us. Appreciate it.

MILLER: Thanks.

BERMAN: Right. Back to the breaking news on Iran, in this question of who the United States is negotiating with. Also, that Kuwaiti supertanker now burning off Dubai. We're joined by CNN Global Affairs Analyst Brett McGurk, who has served in senior national security posts under the last four presidents and Retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.

And Brett, let me just start with you -- actually, General, let me start with you because I want to ask about the Kuwaiti oil tanker as we're still getting new information that it is on fire off the coast of Dubai. General, how concerning is that?

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, it's very concerning. It indicates that the air defense systems that we have in the region are covering some of the most critical assets we have. Now, having said that, this is about the 13th tanker that's been hit since the beginning of the war of the 22 commercial ships that have been hit since February 28.

We should expect more of this. I don't think we can defend all of them. It will certainly make it harder for those ships to pass and get the insurance companies to support them if they're constantly getting hit.

BERMAN: So, Brett, the CNN reporting tonight is that inside the Trump administration, they're not even sure that the Iranians that they're negotiating with, albeit indirectly, have the power to make actual decisions if they're the right people. You've been involved in high- level negotiations basically your entire adult life. How unusual is this? Have you been in negotiations not being sure if you're talking to the right people?

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I wish I could say it's totally unusual. But look, in this circumstance, we don't really know who's in charge in Tehran. So this is like completely unprecedented. I'm sure analyst who know Iran so well are trying to figure out what's happening. You know, John, think about even when Supreme Leader Khamenei, who was

killed in the beginning of this, was in charge, they still have a somewhat of a collective decision-making apparatus. And on big decisions, very hard for one person to say this is how it's going to be. And I suspect in Tehran right now, you know, these messages going back and forth have caused a debate. There's probably fractures.

And what the Trump administration is asking Iran to do, and they have a set of reasonable asks, particularly on the nuclear program, give up your enrichment program, which has been in demand for some time, Iran has never agreed to do that. So if they were, John, to come in with a new position and say, actually, we're going to accept what the Americans are asking for, we want to have a ceasefire, sanctions relief, that's going to be a huge decision in their system.

And I don't think anyone right now in Tehran is powerful enough to really make that decision fast. I'd say one more thing, negotiating with the Iranians, nothing is ever fast. It takes time. They deliberate. You know, they have this process they go through. They always demand one change or another.

And that's when they had a system that you could somewhat predict. So even more confusing now. So, yes, it's going to be hard to get a quick outcome here.

BERMAN: So, General Kimmitt, when you see the President threatening, you know, he put out this statement this morning. On the one hand, he said that talks are making great progress. On the other hand, he threatened to hit Iran's energy infrastructure and also potentially desalination plants.

[20:45:05]

So in your opinion, would hitting these facilities that provide millions of civilians with power and fresh water, would hitting them constitute a war crime?

KIMMITT: Well, it certainly would be against international law that we don't necessarily adhere to. I think if we take a look at history, going against these kind of facilities is not unusual in American bombing campaigns in the past. That has changed since the Geneva Conventions have been updated.

But even as recently as the bombing of Haiphong Harbor in Hanoi during the Vietnam War, we didn't hold back at all. So it would not be unprecedented. It would not be unusual. I'll leave it to the lawyers to define whether it's a violation of international law or a war crime.

BERMAN: Do you think it'd be useful from a military standpoint?

KIMMITT: Not at this point. I think we've still got a lot of negotiating that can be done. I think there's a lot of fighting that can be done without having to go against those targets.

BERMAN: So Brett, this morning again in the President's social media post, he singled out the Strait of Hormuz, reopening it as a key objective. But at least in this post, he didn't call out removing Iran's enriched uranium. So has the Strait, which was not initially one of the objectives of the war, do you feel that the Hormuz Strait has become the top military objective for the administration?

MCGURK: John, it's hard to see how this ends if Iran is controlling the Strait of Hormuz and to say that that's been a strategic gain for the United States. I think it's good if we're taking out their missiles, their drones, their air force, their navy, their power projection. But the Strait of Hormuz is the artery of the global economy. And here Iran is demonstrating that it can basically control it.

And if you step back even further, John, and connect this to Russia and Ukraine and these Shahed drones, which, you know, we dealt with against our forces for years, they can travel about 1,000. Some of them can travel longer than 1,000 miles. They're very hard to find. Iran has proliferated the technology to Russia.

That's how Russia is sustaining its war in Ukraine. The Houthis in Yemen shot these things at tankers back in 2023, 2024, shut down the Red Sea. This is like a hybrid warfare terrorism, and it is the future, and it's upon us. And so that's what Iran is doing. And now, that means that it is a very good thing if we can actually, you know, take apart Iran's defense industrial base, its ability to produce these things, these drones, these missiles.

But they have a lot of them. They're using them. They're proliferating them. And the tactics are very similar to what Russia is doing in Ukraine, just firing these things off at civilian targets. And a tanker is a definition of a civilian asset. It's not a military asset.

BERMAN: So, General, President Trump told the Financial Times this morning that his, quote, "preference would be to take the oil from Iran," end quote, potentially with a seizure of Kharg Island. What kind of troop levels and material do you think would be required to take Iran's oil by force? And, you know, there are 50,000 troops in the region, about 10,000 more than normal. Is that the right amount?

KIMMITT: Yes, well, first of all, I think we've got to make sure we've got the terminology right. Is he talking about taking it in terms of keeping it and selling it, or is he talking about controlling it? Candidly, I think that Kharg Island is fairly easy to control. It doesn't require ground troops. It just requires us turning off the electricity on that island, so the tankers don't have the ability to have the oil pumped into them.

It's actually a fairly fragile infrastructure. It isn't something that needs to be destroyed to control it. It doesn't need to be anything more than cutting off the electricity so the oil can't get pumped into the tankers, so that it can be quickly reversed at some time in the future. Whether that's through a bomb or whether that's through a cyberattack, I think it's entirely plausible. It can certainly stop any expectation that they're going to put ground troops on there because that would be a tough fight. BERMAN: Brett, we have a complicated question with only about 30 seconds left, but how satisfied do you think the Gulf States are at this point with what the United States is doing?

MCGURK: I'll try to be brief, John. They did not want this war, but once it started and they came under attack, they do not want to be left with an Iran that is wounded and angry and still lethal. So they want to see it through.

BERMAN: Yes, which again makes all of what's happening right now complicated with these perhaps indirect negotiations that are taking place with Iranians who may or may not have the power to make decisions.

Brett McGurk, General Mark Kimmitt, great to see both of you. Thank you so much.

Just ahead, with Cuba next on the President's list, those are his words after Iran, CNN speaks with a new generation of Castro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But being a Castro must help you.

SANDRO CASTRO, FIDEL CASTRO'S GRANDSON (through translation): My name is my name, I am proud of my name logically. But I don't see this help you are talking about. I am one more citizen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:54:50]

BERMAN: Russian flagged oil tankers reached Cuban waters after President Trump allowed it to break the administration's fuel blockade. It arrives as the island is struggling with nationwide blackouts, all while the President continues to warn that Cuba is next without making clear for what.

[20:55:06]

Now, we're learning from an unlikely critic. We are hearing from an unlikely critic of the Cuban government, Fidel Castro's grandson. He gave a rare and exclusive interview to CNN's Patrick Oppmann.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPPMANN (voice-over): In this social media satire video, Donald Trump arrives in Cuba to buy the island. While this Trump is a fake, he's dealing with a real member of the Castro family. Fidel Castro's grandson, Sandro Castro, an influencer and nightclub impresario who says he has no interest in politics. The very public face of an otherwise still mysterious family that has held power in Cuba for nearly seven decades.

At an interview in his apartment in Havana, Sandro Castro says he is a sign of the changing times on the communist run island.

OPPMANN: And what would your grandfather Fidel Castro say that you're more capitalist than communist?

CASTRO (through translation): My grandfather was a person who had his principles like everyone else. But he also respected other's opinions. That my way of thinking.

OPPMANN: But all the capitalists had to leave Cuba.

CASTRO (through translation): There are many people in Cuba that think in a capitalistic way. There are many people here who want to have capitalism with sovereignty.

OPPMANN (voice-over): When we arrive for the interview, the neighborhood Castro lives in is in a blackout. A near constant condition these days with the U.S. oil blockade and power plants breaking down. Sandro Castro's apartment is lit by an electric generator. But from his balcony, the surrounding houses are in near total darkness.

He shows me his one bedroom bachelor pad, how he lacks paint for the wall, how his fridge is nearly empty, except for the Cuban beer he's always drinking. I point out that the appliance is a foreign brand that most Cubans could never hope to afford.

His famous last name, Sandro Castro wants people to know, doesn't come with any special treatment in a Cuba on the edge of economic collapse.

CASTRO (through translation): We have to fight as we say in Cuba. It's tough, so tough.

OPPMANN: Even for a Castro?

CASTRO (through translation): Because you suffer through thousands of problems. In a day, there might not be electricity, no water. Goods don't arrive. It's so hard, really hard.

OPPMANN: But being a Castro must help you.

CASTRO (through translation): My name is my name, I am proud of my name logically. But I don't see this help you are talking about. I am one more citizen.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuba faces unprecedented U.S. pressure to open politically and economically. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban American, has been reaching out to Cuban officials, including members of the Castro family. In one of his videos, Sandro Castro pretends to receive a call from Rubio, who he then hangs up on.

Rubio has said Cuba needs new leadership, and that could include Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stepping down. Despite Fidel and Raul Castro's support for Diaz-Canel over many years, Sandro Castro says he is no fan.

OPPMANN: Do you think President Diaz-Canel is doing a good job? CASTRO (through translation): I would not say he is doing a good job. For me he is not doing a good job. There are a lot of things he should have been doing for a while now. And today that is hurting our lives.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuba's leaders reject attempts to blame them for the crisis. And Sandro Castro says officials have questioned him about his often surreal and critical postings. As well, Cuban exiles regularly attack him online, he says.

OPPMANN: Why do you think there are people, though, that hate the Castro family so much?

CASTRO (through translation): It's complicated. Many Cubans would have liked to have been capitalist. I think the majority of Cubans want to be capitalist, not communist. That has created differences, a hatred which is not productive.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Sandro Castro says he supports Trump's calls to open the economy, if not his threats against the island. At the end of his video, he takes the U.S. leader on a tour of Havana. Hope from at least one member of the Castro family that a historic deal with the U.S. and opening on the island are possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Wow, what an unusual perspective. Patrick, separately from this, the fact that this Russian-flagged oil tanker is now being allowed to reach Cuban waters, how big of a help will that be? Will that fuel be for Cubans?

OPPMANN: When you're a country on fumes like Cuba is, any lifeline when you're drowning, of course, is a major help. But let's be clear, this is about 10 to 12 days worth of oil. If the electrical grid is on for that amount of time, you know, it's something. But most days now, the power's off for most of the time. There are almost no cars on the road at this point in Cuba.

So it is significant that the first ship in three months has gotten through Donald Trump's oil blockade. He's let in the ship. But, you know, you saw that piece there, Sandro Castro, the elites are doing well. It is the regular people that have suffered tremendously in the last three months. And it's not clear what the Trump administration has gotten in return.

BERMAN: Patrick Oppmann, terrific report. Thank you so much.

That is all for us tonight. I'm back at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. In the meantime, the news continues. The Source with Kaitlan Collins starts now.