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Iran and Israel Strike Energy Sties, Trump Issues New Warning to Iran; Next Hour, Gabbard to Testify on Worldwide Threat Assessment; TSA Lines Stretch Up to 90 Minutes at Atlanta Airport This Morning. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 19, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, energy prices spike after dueling attacks on crucial gas fields. And a stunning claim overnight, the president says he knew nothing about the Israeli strike. Is that accurate? And if so, does he lack control over the conflict? And there was a new report the U.S. might be sending thousands more troops to the region.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're standing by for America's top intelligence officials to be back on the Hill and back in the hot seat. Will they dodge questions about the intelligence leading to the Iran War for another day?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a desperate plea this morning from the family of an American college student who went missing on spring break in Barcelona.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: And breaking this morning a new report from Reuters, claims the Trump administration is weighing the deployment of thousands more U.S. troops as reinforcements in the war with Iran. The big question, could they be used on the ground? Reuters reports they may be used to help secure the Strait of Hormuz or Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

New fallout this morning from the Israeli attack on the world's largest gas field, Iran's South Pars, Iran retaliated by striking an energy complex and cutter.

Overnight, the president claimed he knew nothing in advance about the Israeli strike. Now, we should say there are reports that flat out contradict that. But if it is true, is he suggesting Israel is acting beyond his control?

The president added there will be no more attacks by Israel on the field. Oil prices did spike overnight, Brent Crude more than $110 a barrel, West Texas Crude in the $90s. The average price of gas in the U.S. up four more cents, $3.88 a gallon. It seems likely it could hit $4 in a matter of days, perhaps weeks. The foreign minister of Oman, a U.S. ally, is saying the U.S. has lost control over its own foreign policy and is calling on other allies to step in and help end what he called an unlawful war.

All of this, as we are standing by for a briefing from the Pentagon this morning, needless to say, there are many, many questions.

Let's get first to CNN's Oren Liebermann live in Jerusalem with the latest from the region. Good morning, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning. John Israel's attack on the South Pars gas field was in and of itself a major escalation of the war, and yet we have seen it further escalate with Iran's retaliation. The question, of course, is who knew what and when.

We saw that attack, as Israel says, it's going after Iran's main domestic energy supply, as it tries to weaken the regime, not only how it funds itself, but also its ability to function. Iran has responded by attacking energy infrastructure around the region, an attack on Qatar's, main energy hub, the Ras Laffan Industrial City, as well as a pair of attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Now, it's not the first time we have seen Israel attack Iran's energy infrastructure. We saw that at least one other time since the war began nearly three weeks ago. And it's also not the first time we have seen Iran carry out strikes on energy and oil infrastructure throughout the region, but it is the escalation, now targeting the main energy facilities with no off-ramp in sight.

The key question here is what is the level of coordination between Israel and the U.S. Israeli officials told us after this strike that it was carried out in coordination with the U.S. And it's important to remember that since the beginning of this war, both America and Israel have lauded the intense and close cooperation and coordination that we have seen, not only at the political level, but also at the military level. In fact, a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to our colleague, Jake Tapper, just last night, and once again praised the level of coordination here. And it's not just words to carry out this level of a campaign with the Israeli and American militaries operating over Iran. You need that level of coordination.

So, from where we sit right now, John, it's very difficult to believe, nearly preposterous, I would say, that the U.S. didn't know about the attack in advance. It's also worth noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military have made clear that they have thousands of targets left and weeks of plans left for this war. So, it's unlikely Israel would endanger those and endanger their ability to continue this war by simply going rogue on a strike here.

[07:05:00]

So, the key question here is where does this lead and how close is that coordination? John, we will have a chance to ask the Pentagon later this morning. BERMAN: It leads to higher energy prices, at least for now, Oren, beyond that. I guess we'll ask the Pentagon.

Great to see you this morning, nice reporting from Jerusalem. Kate?

BOLDUAN: But let's dig into this even more, and as it is an extraordinary admission, President Trump claiming now that he did not know about Israel's plans to attack around South Pars Gas Field. Barak Ravid of Axios reporting, though, that is not true.

Kevin Liptak watching this one very closely for us, and Berman was getting to this, Kevin, which is the question then becomes, if the president did know about this ahead of time, why not tell the truth about it if he did not know about this ahead of time? What does that imply about President Trump's control over where this war is headed?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and these are all big questions, certainly for a president who has tried since the onset of this conflict to really avoid any daylight between himself and the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, despite what appeared to be diverging objectives about how this war is going and what they envision the endgame being certainly the president suggesting here that he didn't have anything to do with that attack, that he had no knowledge ahead of time. But that's obviously contradicting not only what we heard from Israeli officials yesterday, that this attack was coordinated with United States, but also just this idea that you hear from the White House, that this is all being done in lockstep with Israel.

The president, though, very clearly trying to deescalate what could potentially be a turning point in this conflict. I think, you know, the president very much wants to avoid any kind of tit-for-tat volley on energy sites that could cause prices to spike even further. You know, we do understand that yesterday he did get on the phone with the Emir of Qatar, with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss all of this. And in a late night post on Truth Social, he did say that Israel would no longer attack this particular facility and then issued a threat if Qatar comes under attack again from Iran, saying that the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.

So, the president here clearly looking to avoid any more actions that could cause turmoil in the energy markets. Of course, the Strait of Hormuz is still closed at this point. The president's efforts to get allies on board with naval escorts there have so far been rebuffed. And then there's this question that is still in front of the president of whether he would deploy ground troops into the region, potentially as Reuters is reporting to secure the shoreline there, other potential missions to seize Kharg Island, that critical area, also potentially to try and retrieve the highly enriched uranium that is buried underneath the Isfahan nuclear site, all very risky missions. Certainly, the president would have a very critical decision in front of him if that's the route he decides to go. Of course, this conflict has already caused 13 American service members their lives. Kate? BOLDUAN: Yes. And thank you for remembering that important point and noting that important point there. Kevin. Thank you very much, much more to come the White House for sure today. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, Kate.

Travelers beware. At some airports, extremely long lines, delays, bottlenecks at TSA checkpoints, no end in sight to the partial government shutdown.

Drivers are getting hit in another way, gas prices climbing once again. It's now an average of $3.80 a gallon. It's risen every single day since the war in Iran began.

And let the madness begin. We're talking March Madness. Get those brackets ready. It kicks off just in a few hours. Those stories and more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: Next hour, President Trump's top intelligence officials will be back in the hot seat to discuss the worldwide threat assessment. Yesterday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appeared to contradict some of the president's key claims about the war in Iran. Gabbard wrote in her opening remarks, quote, as a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated, adding there has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.

And when asked about the president's claim that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S., here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Was it the intelligence community's assessment that nevertheless, despite this obliteration, there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, yes or no?

TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.

OSSOFF: Okay.

GABBARD: That is up to the president based on a volume information --

OSSOFF: No, it is precisely -- it is precisely your responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Joining me now is Andrew McCabe, former FBI, deputy director and CNN senior law enforcement analyst.

Wow. I mean, you've got these two things. She says, look, Iran was not according to the intelligence she's seen trying to rebuild its nuclear program. That's one thing that we've heard from the administration, President Trump and Hegseth. And she says there was no imminent threat. What do you make of this serious rift between how the president and Hegseth are justifying this war and their intelligence head?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You know, Sara, it's incredibly concerning. I mean, look, to be fair, I have testified in these hearings in the past, and it's enormously stressful position to be in. But despite that, I think what we've seen by this DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, is when put under pressure, she says the thing that she thinks the president wants to hear, rather than telling the truth about the intelligence she has seen and how she understands the requirements for her job.

[07:15:06]

It is absolutely, explicitly her responsibility to tell the president and his team what the intelligence reveals, whether he's going to like that information or not. So, yes, she is supposed -- as the head of the intelligence community, she's not only expected, but she is required to represent to the president when she thinks there is an imminent threat or the degree to which Iran or any other actor might pose a threat to the United States. It's then the president's decision -- role to decide what to do about that.

But to be clear it's not -- what's concerns me here is that she doesn't seem to understand the requirements of her own role. And if that's the case, the country is in danger.

SIDNER: Wow. I do want to ask you about what we saw from Markwayne Mullin, who is vying for the Department of Homeland Security position. He faced a real grilling from both Republicans and Democrats. The question being asked really, ultimately by both of them is, do you have enough control of your own temper, A, and your rush to do this job? What did you make of the sort of back and forth that we saw when it came to how he answered the question, that is the ultimate question for someone who's going to be in a position where someone's already gotten fired for rush judgments?

MCCABE: Yes. You know, it was really a set of unfortunate answers, I think, on his part, and here's why. Some people are saying, well, maybe it wasn't fair of Senator Graham to bring a personal matter into the political sphere. And I disagree with that, and here's why. It does matter. Character does matter. The character of a leader, your history of decision-making, the way you comport yourself, the way you explain your decisions, the way you live by those standards that you hold everyone else in your agency to, that stuff does matter.

And particularly here in a situation where he would be taking over an agency that is right now conducting activity that many, many Americans disagree with, that many people believe is overheated, too violent, too confrontational, and very possibly unlawful.

So, you need -- the next head of DHS needs to go into that role with very clear eyes on what his agents should and shouldn't be doing in the field, and then needs to be able to live to that standard his or herself. And so someone who already has somewhat of a history of acting out in anger and engaging in sort of this sort of disruptive behavior, it's a bad sign for how that person might perform as leader of this agency.

That's why I think it's relevant and I think he should have been -- he should have exercised more transparency and contrition in his responses, particularly to Senator Paul.

SIDNER: Yes, we'll have to see what happens, because that was -- it was quite a grilling from both sides of the aisle.

Andrew McCabe, thank you so much. I do appreciate your expertise. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, prepare to wait. Already this morning, lines at airport security are painfully long. I am told this is live pictures at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, yes, at this hour. Is this pain having any impact on the Congressional stalemate that is causing it? We will find out today.

And that is no stuffed animal, friends. What happened to the possum who hid among the plushies?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: Happening now, wait times at the airport in Atlanta are stretching up to 90 minutes. Yesterday, more than a third of agents, they called in sick. Across the country, TSA agents are working -- either are working without pay to the government shutdown. Some have quit or are not showing up at all. In Syracuse, the airport had a food drive for TSA workers. Airports in Denver, Seattle, and Las Vegas, they are asking for donations, highlighting the situation.

Let's get to CNN's Ryan Young, who is at the airport in Atlanta. Ryan, you've been there for days. People know you. They're giving the thumbs up as they walk by there. Give us a scene this morning.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what? Some people have been saying they like the fact that we've been giving them tips on a day-to-day basis, and today we've seen something that we haven't seen before, which is the TSA pre-check line is super long.

Hold on one second. The line goes all the way back this way, but that's not where it starts, John. If this entire hallway all the way down there, that's where the line starts. Then you wrap down this section along this wall, go through the baggage carousels, come back around and then go this way. So, we're going to walk you this way, John, because we've never seen it snake this way.

On the board it says 16 minutes at TSA pre-check. There's no way that you would be 16 minutes even to stand in the pre-line before the line, before you get to the extra line. So, I don't understand why that says 16 minutes at this point. The folks who have been walking in this line thought they were going to get that pre-check, the TSA clear as well going this direction and to be a lot shorter, that's not happening. Because when you're here, you still have to walk to that main gate for TSA pre.

On the other side, that normal line that we've seen get long day after day, that stretch to up to 90 minutes, it's down to 40 minutes right now. But I should give people some precautions here. That's the 40 minutes when you get to the main checkpoint, not when you stand in the pre-line. So, this has been going on nonstop.

The good news here, plenty of airport staff to help divide people, get them in the right directions. We do know Delta and other big airlines have been helping move people through, but at the same time, if you have an airline, if you have a plane to catch, you can see the exasperation on people's faces. You're talking about folks calling out sick. We do know they've been helping them eat, giving them food at the concession stands, but at the same time, TSA workers are tired as well. But look at this line as a stretch this way. John?

BERMAN: So, there are lines and there are pre-lines now.

[07:25:00]

You've got to get through the pre-lines to even get to the -- so compounding interest. I'm not sure I like this.

YOUNG: Look, you see it on this side. Look on this side. I'm just going to keep walking you down here. because they're not -- you know, they're not going to stop us right now, which is great. We've been fantastic to us at this point. We've been here for so many different days.

SIDNER: Ryan, are you going on a flight?

YOUNG: As you walk down this direction, that was the TSA pre-check line.

No. I mean, we may at this point because we should buy a ticket. We've been here so many days. But this is the line to get you to that line over there.

SIDNER: Man.

YOUNG: Right? And so you realize they've managed this whole thing out pretty well. But if you get here early in the morning, that is the thing. This is the rush hour. After 10:00, way better. But before 10:00, get ready for this rush. You've seen the extra right airport security and staff here to help folks through, but at the same time, people are upset.

BERMAN: You got to make it at 10:00. It's a long time from now. Ryan Young, thank you for being there, great work, as always. I appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: Good grief. All right, ahead, an American College student on spring break in Barcelona missing. The search is on to find him and how his cell phone could provide police with an important clue.

Also, critical gas infrastructure hit in brand new strikes in the Mideast overnight with the cost of gas going up, up, and up here in the United States.

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