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Sources Say Trump Administration Underestimated War's Impact On Strait Of Hormuz; Attacks In The U.S. Rattle Americans' Sense Of Safety; Strikes On Desalination Plants In Region Expose Major Vulnerability. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:40]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth downplaying the war's impact on the Strait of Hormuz today, and the near closure of that critical waterway for oil tankers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: And as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Strait of Hormuz, something we're dealing with, we have been dealing with it, don't need to worry about it.

The only thing prohibiting transit in the Straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit should Iran not do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Here's what President Trump said in a new Fox interview. "These ships should go through the Strait of Hormuz and show some guts. There's nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy and we sunk all their ships."

Those comments coming as sources tell CNN both the Pentagon and National Security Council may have significantly underestimated Iran's willingness to close the strait in response to U.S. military strikes. Sources further say President Trump's national security team failed to fully account for the potential consequences of a closure, which some officials have described as a worst-case scenario now facing the administration.

CNN's Phil Mattingly joins us. Phil, what are you hearing from sources?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: You know, Boris, I think it's important to note upfront the U.S. military has planned and exercised and trained for dealing with a major disruption in the Strait of Hormuz for decades. They've even participated in naval escorts in the past during the tanker war in the 1980s. What's different here is that the planning and longstanding plans certainly existed. The view inside the administration that Iran would take this step, this is really as high up the escalatory ladder as Iran could go, closing the strait, when in the wake of the killing of Qasem Soleimani back in 2020, in the wake of the U.S. strikes on the nuclear facilities in 2025, they did not go this route, in large part because it is a self-inflicted wound for Iran. They are entirely dependent on the Strait of Hormuz for their own economic well-being, for their ability to pay any of their bills.

And so, there has long been a view that to go this path would be only in the most existential of threats. They're in the most existential of threats right now. And the problem when you talk to both industry officials and the tanker community, but also foreign diplomats who are very surprised that they did not have a lot of outreach or planning from the administration in the lead-up to these strikes for this exact scenario, is there's no clear off-ramp.

The president and his team have been talking about naval escorts. If you listen to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, just this morning, making very clear, they're nowhere near that process yet. It is a very, very real conflict zone as it currently stands.

And U.S. naval assets, while they have -- they are second to none in terms of capability, going through a strait this narrow with Iran's capabilities as knocked out as they have been everywhere else, small ships, drones, mines, the types of low-cost, low-labor capability that they still have to utilize is severely problematic.

DEAN: And so, OK, what is the White House's plan and what are they running into in terms of why that isn't working maybe the way they want it to or thought it would?

MATTINGLY: I think, look, to be very clear, the White House disputes that they did not adequately account for this possibility. They made very clear there are military plans, there have long been military plans, which we made very clear to note in our story as well.

The issue comes from kind of two elements here. First off, when the White House looked at this from a broad market perspective, the oil supply in the world is actually quite robust now, almost at glut levels before this. So there was some insulation there.

The United States is producing more oil than it ever has in history, 13.8 million barrels, I believe. So the Western Hemisphere is insulated in that regard. It is not a supply problem. It is obviously the fact that none of the oil can actually get out.

So from the economic perspective, they're saying, look, if it takes a little bit of time and a little bit of a disruption, the outcome of taking Iran and the risk premium that just exists on a daily basis because of Iran's actions in and around or threatening the strait is worth it. What the world economy right now is saying is, fine, duration needs to be extremely short. We'd like a rationale for how long it's going to take and what you're going to do about it. They've worked on an insurance proposal that they're working on, $20 billion through a DFC facility. They also have the naval escort process, which they are in the process of working through.

I just -- I can't stress this enough. It's not coming soon. It is still one that's going to take a lot of assets, more capability and a lot more planning, potentially also allies joining some type of coalition. So there's a lot of steps here.

[13:35:00]

Still one that's going to take a lot of assets, more capability and a lot more planning, potentially also allies joining some type of coalition. So there's a lot of steps here still to come.

DEAN: Clearly.

SANCHEZ: All that adds up to more escalation, more U.S. involvement in the region. Phil Mattingly, thank you so much for that reporting.

Let's discuss these developments with Pennsylvania Congressman, Chris Deluzio. He's a Democrat, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a veteran of the war in Iraq. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

So you heard our reporting there indicating that officials underestimated the willingness of Tehran to close the strait, believing that Iran would bear more of the fallout than the U.S. What does that tell you about how the administration has viewed the leadership in Tehran? And how far do you think the regime is willing to go to stay in power?

REP. CHRIS DELUZIO, (D-PA): Well, I think this regime is desperate, and I think that shouldn't surprise anyone, certainly anyone at the Pentagon or the National Security Council.

It tells me the Trump administration did not adequately do their planning and forethought which, of course, doesn't surprise someone like me who sits on the Armed Services Committee. If you didn't expect this regime to shut down the flow of even their own oil as a self- preservation tool, I think you were failing to project what would happen when you started a war. And let's not forget, ultimately, what we're talking about.

This oil does not go to the United States. The biggest buyer of oil coming through the Strait of Hormuz, where I sailed as a naval officer, that's China. And so the idea that there will be Americans risking their lives so that Middle Eastern despots can sell their oil to China, I don't think it's going to sit too well with the American people, and yet that's exactly what this administration is contemplating to deal with the fallout of the war that they have put our country into, a war that now we are seeing daily reports of the suffering, more Americans dead today.

This is a war that has tremendous cost for those fighting and for folks at home filling up their gas. SANCHEZ: Now that we are in this position, in this war, and that traffic through the strait has effectively stopped, but for Iranian ships, what can the U.S. do to eliminate the threat? Should the Navy prioritize and begin escorting tankers through?

DELUZIO: Look, I think if the president were to make that case to the American people, and again say it as clearly as I just did, should Americans go risk their lives so that Middle Eastern oil can make their way to China and India, I don't think they'd want that. I think what they'd rather see, and I can see this in the polling and the folks I'm talking to at home, is they'd see this war end.

I think the region is destabilized, we're paying for it in American blood, billions of dollars a day, and we're paying for it with these higher oil and gas prices. And so, I think the quickest and easiest way to bring down those prices is to not be in a war with Iran that we didn't have to fight. Now, of course, the president has plunged us into this, and that's not a simple task, but he should be finding a way out. And that requires having some sense of what it is you are trying to accomplish.

I still don't know, and I don't think anyone at home knows, because the administration changes their goals and what their explanations were day by day. But, again, we are seeing the cost of this at the gas pump and global oil markets. Those costs are tremendous.

SANCHEZ: Can the U.S. now exit the war with the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in place? He's more of a hardliner than his father, and now that the regime has been tested this way, it seems that they're more likely than ever to want to pursue the exact kind of weapons the U.S. is trying to prevent them from getting.

DELUZIO: I think your question is the exact right one. It goes to what was the point in the first place. If the ultimate goal is to make sure the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapon, this operation was never designed to achieve that. In fact, the administration didn't say that at the outset, right?

What you would ultimately need is some enforceable agreement with inspections and more, a version of an agreement that once was in place with the Iranians that Donald Trump took our country out of. That's what you would need. And the fact that the new leader of this regime sounds a lot like the old leader of this regime, that the administration told us, wasn't a regime change war and then became one.

Again, it exposes to me they don't know what they're doing and that we are all paying for it at home, and Americans who have been sent to fight are paying for it in blood.

SANCHEZ: You could argue that Americans at home are also paying for it in a different way. We've seen four attacks or potential attacks since the beginning of the Iran war, yesterday in Virginia and Michigan, and New York and Texas as well, all while DHS goes without funding as Democrats have sought changes to immigration policy.

Are you concerned that the shutdown makes Americans less safe, less prepared for terror attacks?

DELUZIO: OK. Remember, while ICE and Customs and Border Patrol received tens of billions of dollars under the One Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed, it's the folks like the TSA agents in my airport who are missing out on paychecks, FEMA and others, it's DHS. The Republicans, as your viewers know, have full control of Washington. They should be working with us and I see two paths out of this.

[13:40:00]

One, accept the reforms we're trying to put around ICE and Customs and Border Patrol to better protect American liberties and lives, or let's fund the other parts of DHS that are shut down right now. ICE and CBP are way overfunded from that One Big Beautiful Bill. There's no reason to see the rest of Homeland shut down, and Democrats are willing to fund the other parts of the government like TSA where, again, folks in my district who work at the Pittsburgh Airport are working now without pay.

SANCHEZ: So, to be precise, Congressman, none of this would change the demands that Democrats are placing, what Democrats might be willing to accept in order to vote for funding DHS?

DELUZIO: No, and in fact, Trump administration officials have even said themselves that they don't have an impact on counterterrorism operations and the like with the environment we're in right now, and certainly the Justice Department is open and funded. Lots of the government is open and funded. The idea that somehow the Trump administration missed that there were potential terror cells when the rest of our government is funded is outrageous.

I'm sure they would push back on that. They have what they need to keep the country safe. They ought to just make sure that folks have the tools to do it.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Chris Deluzio, we have to leave the conversation there. Thanks for joining us and sharing your perspective.

DELUZIO: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: As we mentioned a moment ago, four attacks, potential attacks in two weeks, all since this war in Iran began. Next, we're going to go talk to the former deputy director of the FBI about concerns against Americans in towns and cities across the nation. Stay with us.

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[13:45:53]

DEAN: As the war with Iran escalates, a string of terror attacks here at home has shaken Americans' sense of safety. We had yesterday's vehicle ramming at a Detroit area synagogue with over 100 children inside. The shooting at Old Dominion University that left one person dead. The alleged ISIS-inspired attack Saturday by two suspects accused of throwing makeshift bombs at a protest outside the New York mayor's home. And the shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas earlier this month that killed three people. Let's bring in CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst, Andrew McCabe.

Good to have you here with us. I know you were with us all throughout yesterday when we were covering what was going on at that anti-semitic attack at the synagogue in Michigan. How much can the FBI, the intel community, DHS, do to mitigate these attacks that seem to be driven by individuals with a goal of terror? And in a number of these, we already have heard from authorities that they were inspired by ISIS.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yeah, this is a really serious situation that our counterterrorism investigators and our homeland security folks have to face right now because the scope of this threat is really enormous. We have to be concerned with everything from actual Iranian intelligence and military operatives who may have been seeded into this country or their terrorist proxies, Hezbollah operatives who may be here as well.

And then you have the range of lone-wolf offenders and people who are inspired by Iran or maybe who are motivated because they object to the Israeli activity targeting Lebanon and Iran. Or they're just ideologically aligned with what's happening to the Iranians. Any time we have a conflict in the Middle East, these become very inspirational moments for people with extreme beliefs who are prone to violence.

I think your point is a good one, Jessica. We are seeing people who are actually inspired by ISIS and Sunni extremist groups acting in ways that they believe are consistent with the Iranian situation. Iran and Hezbollah, obviously Shiites -- Shiites and Sunnis don't typically act together, but under these circumstances, you're seeing this hostility overseas really inspiring and driving some of these extremists to action.

DEAN: And so, then Andy, how is the government and local law enforcement to a certain degree prepared to handle this? I feel like we saw years ago in this country, a very large focus on extremism and terrorism. Where are we today in terms of how they are trying to monitor this, prevent this?

MCCABE: Well, there's no question that focus that you refer to has drifted, right? We have a lot of other things to be concerned about now, but hopefully, our counterterrorism and homeland security folks are still laser-focused on these threats. They're just as concerning, maybe more so today than ever.

I can tell you from my own experience at the FBI, we planned for this eventuality. We were constantly drawing up and creating plans as to what we would do to prepare for or to mitigate the threats presented by American hostilities or military action targeting Iran. We knew that this would happen eventually, and so we had plans on the shelf to say exactly what steps to take when that conflict was imminent and after it had, you know, kind of cooked off. So, hopefully, the FBI is going through those plans today. Things have been updated, hopefully, over the last few years. They understand where the targets of most concern are. They understand who their best sources of information are, and they're working all of those angles to try to keep us safe.

But I will also say that another thing that we should see them doing is a very aggressive and forward-leaning public messaging campaign, and that's the piece that I feel like they really haven't leaned into.

[13:50:00]

We know they've been sharing some threat information with the private sector and with some states, like the reporting we had on California earlier in the week. But you really don't hear them saying things like, see something, say something, and trying to drive up awareness of what all Americans should be looking for and contacting authorities about.

DEAN: Yeah, that they should be on the lookout. All right, Andrew McCabe, always great to have you. Thank you so much.

MCCABE: Thank you.

DEAN: Let's turn now to some other headlines we're watching this hour. Video into CNN shows crews still working to put out a fire at a chemical plant in a suburb of Houston today.

Officials saying that fire broke out last night, sending thick smoke into the air that was visible from miles away. The company that owns the plant said there was no injuries and the fire poses no risk to the community.

SANCHEZ: Also, BuzzFeed says it has "substantial doubt" that it can stay in business. The digital media company took the mid-2010s by storm with viral videos and online quizzes, only to announce in its latest earnings report that it suffered more than $57 million net loss last year. The CEO says the company plans to focus on its individual assets and brands moving forward.

Finally, to the best news of the day here at "CNN News Central." The CNN family is growing. Our own Jessica Dean is expecting.

DEAN: That's true.

SANCHEZ: And we cannot wait to welcome her little baby boy.

DEAN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Congratulations, Jessica. This is so exciting.

DEAN: We are really excited. He's coming our way in June. The one thing I keep thinking about is that maybe the time on the campaign trail will prepare me for the sleep deprivation --

(LAUGH) DEAN: -- and the hours we've all worked.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, yeah.

DEAN: But we'll see. I don't know.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, I don't have the experience of raising a newborn.

DEAN: I'm looking to you for reassurance.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, I'm not the person. But we were just talking to Phil Mattingly about it.

DEAN: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: Obviously a father, and he was explaining that you have to be ready for sleep deprivation, for a crash course in self-sacrifice.

DEAN: Yeah, contingency plans. No, we're really excited. My husband and I, Alex, are just thrilled, and we can't wait to meet this little guy. He likes the news. He kicks around.

SANCHEZ: Right (ph)?

DEAN: Yeah, all during the news. So he is --

SANCHEZ: Has he done it while you've been on "CNN News Central"?

DEAN: Oh, yeah, like the last hour.

(LAUGH)

DEAN: He's right here with us.

SANCHEZ: That's amazing. Jessica, congratulations.

DEAN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: It's a pleasure to share this announcement with you.

Stay with "CNN News Central" as we congratulate Jessica and cover the news coming from around the world for the rest of the afternoon. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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[13:57:01]

DEAN: We've seen the direct impacts of the Iran war and lives lost, damaged infrastructure, economic shock waves. There could also be long-term effects on the environment for millions in the region. On Sunday, we saw plumes of black smoke filling skies over Tehran after those strikes on oil refineries. Along with the toxins in the smoke, black oil-saturated rain then fell on streets and buildings.

Meantime, strikes on tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz have been sending pollutants into the sky and the sea. The environmental group, Greenpeace warns of an ecological ticking bomb from potential oil spills as ships carrying 21 billion liters of oil remain trapped in the Persian Gulf. CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, is joining us now to talk more about this.

Bill, walk us through some of the biggest concerns from these oil, smoke clouds, potential spills, that rain we saw as well.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica, another reminder that war gets even more hellish when oil is both a weapon and a target. And the biggest concerns are both for human life and long- term ecological disaster.

There are dozens of ships there stranded, holding millions of barrels of oil potentially. If that turns into an oil slick in the Persian Gulf, it damages reefs, mangroves, people who rely on the sea to survive. But then there's the immediate health impacts of all that oil flying around in the atmosphere.

Fred Pleitgen, our colleague, was there. He could actually feel the effects of that black rain, crushing headaches. It leads to breathing problems and eye and skin irritation in the near term and then respiratory heart conditions long term in addition to whatever water and food is contaminated. And a lot of people at risk of that immediate exposure right now.

DEAN: And Bill, the Strait of Hormuz, we know is vital for oil shipments. It's also essential for global food production. So what kind of impact might take place on that?

WEIR: Yeah, 60 million people in that region depend on shipping both to get food in, up to 90 percent of staples like rice and corn and soybeans are shipped into the Persian Gulf region. But then, a lot of the world's fertilizer supply comes from the raw materials. About half of sulfur and a third of ammonia and urea comes out of these areas, and that has long-term effects in terms of food production.

So there's the immediate crunch. We're seeing the prices at the pump, but there could be a longer tail when it comes to food prices.

DEAN: And countries in the region rely on these desalination plants for fresh, clean water. I know, for example, last weekend, one of those was struck. What are you hearing when it comes to these plants and the effect on fresh water?

WEIR: That is such a key concern right now because so much of the Persian Gulf, they live on desalinated water. This is a process. It takes a lot of energy to take seawater, push the salt out of it, either through a membrane or by heating it up.