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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Hundreds of TSA Agents Quit after No Pay; Experts Gloomy on Economy as War Drags into Fourth Week; Tiger Woods Released after Arrest Following Car Crash; Iran Maintains Chokehold on Strait of Hormuz; Gulf States Fend Off New Attacks; Monaco Welcomes Pope Leo XIV for Historic Visit; FIFA World Cup. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired March 28, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.
ANDERSON: We are now officially one month into the war with Iran. And president Donald Trump says it is not yet finished.
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TRUMP: Now we're just going after targets. And again, they have no anti-aircraft, so we're just floating over the top looking for whatever we want and we're hitting it and we have another 3,554 targets left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A source tells CNN the U.S. is planning to send a third aircraft carrier to the region, after already deploying hundreds of additional troops.
We are also learning that a significant strike on a U.S. base left American troops wounded. A U.S. official tells CNN that Iran hit the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. And two of them are recovering from shrapnel wounds.
Meanwhile, Iran's Houthi allies in neighboring Yemen say they have launched ballistic missiles against Israel, marking the group's entry into the war. The Houthis said the operation was a direct response to, quote, "crimes and massacres" against our brothers in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and in Palestine.
Now this comes as Israel ramps up its attacks on Iran, specifically on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran's foreign minister denouncing those strikes Friday, sending a warning to Israel. Let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos monitoring the very latest. She's live this morning in Dubai. Eleni.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: We're one month in, Becky. And it seems that we've moved to what feels like an escalation. You've got Iran's proxy group, the Houthis, firing for the first time ballistic missiles, they say a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Israel.
This potentially opening up a new front in this war. They've been very vocal in support of Iran in this war but very quiet militarily. And they say there was only a matter of time before they started engaging militarily.
This could create problems in Bab-el-Mandeb, which is another choke point, a military, a maritime choke point that feeds into the Red Sea and also into the Gulf of Aden. And very important because we've seen this choke point constrained before.
And, of course, it's going to wreak economic havoc, I think, not only for the region but also the world as well. What we're also seeing on the ground right now is we've seen those nuclear sites being targeted in Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency saying that they haven't seen any radiological fallout but they are saying that everybody needs to take a step back because of these nuclear sites posing quite a significant threat.
I also want to focus on what happened in Saudi Arabia and the targeting of that U.S. military base, the Prince Sultan base, where 10 U.S. personnel were injured. We know that two of those members were suffering or are being treated for shrapnel.
And importantly, here in the UAE, the Khalifa Economic Zone says that debris had fallen, caused fires as well as injuries there.
But importantly, if we take a step back here, when we see the military buildup in this region, potential troops coming here, you know, what are they going to be used for down the line?
Secretary of state Marco Rubio says it's a contingency plan for the United States. Take a listen to what he said.
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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We can achieve all our objectives without ground troops but we are always going to be prepared to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.
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GIOKOS: So I mean, what we're seeing is 10 days of a diplomatic window potentially opening up here, taking us to April the 6th.
And importantly, what those conversations will look like, the contours around that, Becky, we just don't know. We know that Pakistan is still trying to mediate between the United
States and Iran and also now saying that there's going to be a meeting between Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt as well as Saudi Arabia to discuss president Trump's 15-point plan.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.
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All right. We're going to have a lot more from the Middle East coming up. But for now, I'm going to hand you back to Kim in Atlanta.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks, Becky.
The Republican-dominated House of Representatives just passed its own short-term funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. To be clear, this will not end the partial government shutdown.
In fact, the disruption will likely continue since Senate Democrats have already said the House GOP plan will be dead on arrival in their chamber. And this new bill comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson flatly rejected a Senate-approved bill.
President Trump didn't support that measure would have funded most of DHS except for immigration enforcement and Border Patrol. Johnson says he never would have gotten that bill through. Here he is.
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QUESTION: Mr. Speaker, do you give a heads up before you decide to reject the Senate pass bill?
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Yes, we talked today and I told him, it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that we would not be able to do that. We're not going to split apart two of the most important agencies in the government and leave them hanging like that. We just couldn't do it.
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BRUNHUBER: But the leader of the House Democrat says the Senate version should have been brought to a vote. Here he is.
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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): There is a bipartisan bill that, if brought to the floor today, can end the 42-day Trump Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
But Republicans have concluded that they would rather continue to force TSA agents to work without pay, inconvenience millions of Americans all across the country and create chaos at airports.
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BRUNHUBER: Earlier, I spoke to Richard Johnson, senior lecturer in U.S. politics at Queen Mary University of London and I asked him if he saw any political solution on the horizon. Here he is.
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RICHARD JOHNSON, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY: Well, look, I mean, basically, this boils down to, are Republicans willing to make a few policy concessions on ICE in order to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security?
So Democrats, for months now, have been talking about wanting operational changes to ICE. They want body cams. They want ICE agents not to be wearing masks. They want other forms of accountability.
And they know that if they if they hold out on -- holding out on funding is for the whole DHS is the way to do it. ICE is in a peculiar situation because of Trump's big, beautiful bill act last year. It actually has quite a lot of funding. It's quite flush.
So what's happening is the rest of the Department of Homeland Security is where the leverage is being made here and, most visibly, for everyday Americans, the transport and security agency, the airport security agents.
So I guess the game now is, are Republicans willing to annoy Americans to have agents not paid?
Or are they willing to actually just make a few operational changes to the way that ICE does its business?
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BRUNHUBER: Regardless of how long the partial government shutdown lasts, the Department of Homeland Security says TSA workers could start seeing paychecks as early as Monday. That's after president Donald Trump signed a promised executive action to allocate other funds to pay them.
About 61,000 TSA workers who screen travelers and baggage for security are impacted. They haven't been paid since the shutdown started in mid-February, missing two full paychecks.
Hundreds of thousands have been calling out of work, leading to hours- long security lines at airports around the country. Our Pete Muntean was at Baltimore Washington International Airport on Friday, where the wait time was up to three hours.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have never seen a TSA line this long. I hope to never see one this long ever again. It's taking folks 3.5 hours to get to this point here at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
This is where the normal line starts. You can see folks keeping count on their watch. Then the line goes way back here. This is where it really begins.
Down there at door 8, that's where people are coming in from outside. This line snakes down the hallway to Concourse D, then back this way toward us, down another hallway by this Thurgood Marshall exhibit here, back again. That's why it's taking folks so long.
This is the start of spring break here in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, schools for students. They went on spring break today. They're anticipating about 31,000 passengers here at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport alone. That's the most they have seen all year long.
Then layer on top of that, the fact that these TSA workers just got another $0 paycheck. The most recent callout rate data we have from the TSA, 37 percent of TSA workers called out sick on Thursday. The thinking is, Friday, that number went up even more. This is showing no sign of ending anytime soon.
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The line that goes outside goes almost to the entrance of the airport. We paced it out. It's a mile-long line here at BWI. This mess not ending with immediacy -- Pete Muntean CNN, Linthicum. Maryland
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BRUNHUBER: Millions of people in the U.S. are expected to take part today in more than 3,000 "No Kings" protests across the country. Organizers say they oppose the, quote, "authoritarianism and corruption under the Trump administration."
In addition to the protests in all 50 states, organizers say they expect a number of events to take place internationally. The protests are built on the notion that the U.S. elects democratic leaders, not all powerful monarchs.
Well, governments around the world are scrambling to lower gas prices as the cost of crude oil skyrockets. Still ahead, we'll ask an economist how much can be done to actually ease the pain at the pump.
Plus, golf superstar Tiger Woods has been released from custody in Florida, now facing charges after getting into another car crash. We'll look at what we know about the incident. That's coming up next. Stay with us
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Now officially entered the correction territory on Friday after oil prices surged their highest level since the war with Iran began. Recent polls show Americans are souring on the economy and, as Sherrell Hubbard reports, experts believe a turnaround is a long shot for now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly one month into the war with Iran, the conflict has rattled global markets. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed lower Thursday, suffering their biggest drop since the start of the war.
And each set for their worst month in a year. Investors are worried about how long the war will go on.
KAREN E. YOUNG, CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: We're still early into this but I think people are beginning to realize that this is a conflict that could last for some time.
HUBBARD (voice-over): Oil prices up sharply Thursday as well. Brent crude topped $100 a barrel again, even as president Trump says oil prices are lower than he expected.
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TRUMP: Frankly, I thought the oil prices would go up more and I thought the stock market would go down more. Hasn't been nearly as severe as I thought. I think they have confidence in maybe the American president.
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HUBBARD (voice-over): The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or OECD is predicting sharply higher inflation, rising to 4.2 percent this year, much higher than the Federal Reserve projection, also tied to uncertainty sparked by the war and ongoing impact from U.S. tariffs.
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HENRIETTA TREYZ, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC POLICY, VEDA PARTNERS: This is not an easy fix scenario. We are in too deep. It has gone so far that the president is not in a position to just turn the ship around.
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HUBBARD (voice-over): The war also driving mortgage prices higher for the fourth straight week. The 30-year fixed rate now up to 6.38 percent, the highest it's been in more than six months. I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
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BRUNHUBER: And for more analysis, we're joined by Carsten Brzeski, the chief economist for ING Germany. And he is in Frankfurt.
Thank you so much for being here with us. I really appreciate it. So oil prices closed at their highest level in four years. The Dow and S&P, worst streak of weekly losses in four years. We heard in that clip president Trump saying he thought the impact on oil prices and stocks weren't as bad as he expected.
I mean, is that how economists are seeing this right now? CARSTEN BRZESKI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, ING GERMANY: Well, I would say at least the impact on oil prices is already pretty severe. Just look where we're coming from. At the end of last year, we had oil prices between $50 and $60 per barrel. So that is almost a doubling right now.
And we do know that this is inserting stagflationary pressures on the global economy. We're not there yet. But clearly a rule of thumb is an increase by oil prices by $10 per barrel; normally costs like 0.1 percentage points of GDP growth for the global economy.
So we are clearly in this slowing economic environment and increased inflation environment right now.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And so to stop all of that, I mean we're seeing many countries scrambling. This is a long setup to the question here. But I just want to list some of the things that are being done by different countries.
Japan is dipping into its months -- into a month's worth of its backup oil supply.
Australia paying for private fuel shipments just to make sure that they keep arriving.
Here in the U.S. we're releasing millions of barrels of oil from our emergency stockpile.
And we had, interestingly, the former head of the International Energy Agency on a few hours ago.
And he said the IEA members releasing 400 million barrels of emergency stocks here, I'll quote him, "in no way comes even remotely close to offsetting the impact of the closure of the strait."
So all of this government intervention, does it actually lower prices at the pump?
BRZESKI: In all honesty, no, it won't, because what would all these measures that you just mentioned will do is they would tackle a supply issue, at least temporarily.
It would -- they would tackle a rationing problem but it will not bring down gas prices. The only thing that could bring down gas prices would be really price caps imposed by governments on gasoline companies. That would be the only measure.
But then, of course, it would come at the cost of profits for the gasoline companies. Another issue or another lever that you could use as a government would be to subsidize consumers.
Another issue could be to reduce taxes. But even if you reduce taxes on gasoline, the question is whether these reduced taxes would be passed on to consumers by companies.
So the only -- I think the only measure that governments really do have is indirectly offsetting, at least consumers, via sending over direct checks, via bringing relief elsewhere. But currently, there is no way that governments can really lower these oil prices.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And we're not seeing any of those measures you just mentioned there here in the U.S.
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I want to look at this country specifically. I mean, we produce more oil than anyone else on Earth.
I mean, why can't we, let's say, just keep it all here, kind of insulate ourselves from these global price swings?
Would that work?
BRZESKI: It would work if the U.S. would really have a oil supply issue, then it would work.
But also the U.S. and the U.S. consumers are facing global energy prices. So even though then supply would be sufficient in the U.S., you would still pay global energy prices.
And you really need to make this distinction here between, is there a price issue?
Yes, there is.
Is there a supply limitation already?
Not yet, at least not for the U.S.; not yet for countries that are actually net exporter of energy. When you're looking at countries like Europe or Asia, where they are net importers of energy, they would clearly run into more supply issues much faster than the U.S.
BRUNHUBER: So I guess that's -- that was my next question. You kind of answered it.
Why Europe and Asia are being hit so hard compared to the U.S. I guess it just comes down to lack of production in those countries.
They rely so heavily on Middle East oil, right?
BRZESKI: Indeed, They rely on oil but also on LNG coming from the Middle East. And we know, for example, that Qatar has now -- exactly. So Qatar has already stopped production of liquid natural gas. And that will clearly hurt Europe.
That will also hurt Asia. For example, when you look at Europe right now, the gas reserves -- so the liquid gas reserves in Europe are at the lowest level in more than five years. And the winter is not fully over yet.
Europe also will have to fill up these reserves over the summer. So there's a big demand coming from Europe for less supply of LNG. In Asia, you have also industry that is clearly depending on energy coming from the Middle East.
If those factories will not get enough energy, we could also see production in Asia being cut down. And this in turn will then again lead probably to supply chain frictions. As for example, microchips can no longer be delivered from Asia to Europe or even to the U.S.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, everything's so interconnected and so many, you know, unintended consequences of this. There's a growing worry that, even if the fighting were to stop tomorrow, it could take months to get oil production back to where it was and that the economic pain could last longer, basically, than the war itself.
Is that how you see it?
BRZESKI: That's how I see it. But still, if it was over tomorrow, then the whole thing would still be manageable. You're fully right. It would take much longer than the war. Whether it is to bring back production, whether it is to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
So I think we have already now the wave of economic pain in the making, which will -- which will clearly hurt the global economy for a couple of months.
But if it's only a couple of months, it is manageable because, don't forget, we also had, especially when you look at Europe but also when you look at the U.S., we still have big investment booms in both regions.
We have Europe, where there is a lot of fiscal stimulus in the defense industry and infrastructure. So there are also other growth drivers that then would take over once the adverse impact from this war is over.
Obviously, the longer this takes, the more energy production in the Middle East will be destroyed for good, the longer lasting the negative impact on the global economy will be.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And unfortunately, it doesn't look like this war will end anytime soon. Carsten Brzeski, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.
Golf legend Tiger Woods was released from a Florida jail just a short time ago. He's facing charges following his arrest Friday afternoon on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Martin County sheriff says Woods was driving a Land Rover when he clipped a pickup truck that was pulling a small trailer. The collision caused Woods vehicle to roll over onto its side. Authorities say Woods showed signs of impairment, although the sheriff said he wasn't under the influence of alcohol. Here he is.
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SHERIFF JOHN BUDENSIEK, MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA: So the question was, was he cooperative with us? The answer was he is cooperative but he was not trying to incriminate himself, so he was careful in what he said and didn't say. And when it came time again for the test, the urine test at the jail, he stopped that.
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BRUNHUBER: We have more details now from CNN's Randi Kaye in Florida
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RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We understand from authorities that this all happened just before 2 pm on South Beach Road. The sheriff says that Tiger Woods was driving his Land Rover.
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And was following behind a truck that was pulling a small trailer. And the driver of that truck has told authorities that he saw a Land Rover speeding up behind him as he was trying to pull into a driveway and pull over.
This is a very narrow road, so he was attempting to pull over. But according to the sheriff's department here in Martin County, Tiger Woods then tried to swerve and then clipped that truck and then rolled his Land Rover.
He landed on the driver's side and, according to the sheriff, then had to climb out the passenger side of his Land Rover. Now when they arrived on the scene, authorities said that Tiger Woods was showing signs of impairment.
The investigation shows, they say, that he was driving erratically, so he was taken to jail. He did take a breathalyzer test, according to the sheriff. And he said that he blew a 000, so it didn't show any sign of alcohol.
But because he was showing signs of impairment, they did want to do a urinalysis on him. And the sheriff says that Tiger Woods refused to do that test. So he has been charged with DUI, with property damage as well as refusal to submit to a lawful test, which would have been that urinalysis test.
So by law, here in Florida, he can be held for eight hours following the arrest for a DUI. And this could not have come at a worse time because he was just taking part in the TGL golf tournament earlier this week here in Florida.
And there was a lot of speculation that Tiger Woods could return to the Masters next month. Now we'll have to wait and see. Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: President Trump says the war with Iran isn't over yet. We'll have the latest developments from the Middle East after a short break. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Time here is just about 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday. Let's check some of today's top stories.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): U.S. House Republicans passed their own funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, effectively prolonging the partial government shutdown that has caused air travel chaos.
The House rejected a bipartisan plan from the Senate that did not fund immigration enforcement or parts of Border Patrol. Senate Democrats say the U.S. GOP bill will be dead on arrival in their chamber.
We are learning that an Iranian attack on a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 10 American troops. A tanker aircraft was also hit there. A U.S. official tells CNN that it is not immediately clear what happened but at least two of the service members have shrapnel wounds that are not life threatening.
A source tells CNN the U.S. is planning to send a third aircraft carrier to the region. It is not clear if the USS George H.W. Bush will join or replace either of the aircraft carriers already in region. It comes after the U.S. already deployed hundreds more service members.
Well, president Trump certainly not happy with some U.S. allies for their refusal to join his war with Iran. On Friday, he suggested that the U.S. would cut funding for NATO after some European nations rejected his demand to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
For the very latest on what we learned from what was the G7 meeting in Paris, which included representatives from India, Brazil, South Korea and Saudi Arabia this time, CNN's Larry Madowo is in London -- Larry.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, secretary Rubio is talking very plainly before and after that meeting. And the message is very simple, that allies have to step up. He used those words, "step up."
The countries that depend on the Strait of Hormuz, the rich countries, capable countries have to do more to keep it open. And he seemed to get this concession that, after the war ends, they will have to make sure that, if there are ships that need escorting through the Strait of Hormuz, that these countries will do so. And if Iran decides to start tolling, essentially charging for people
to access for strait passage through the Strait of Hormuz, that these countries will make sure that they make any ship that's going through is not blown up. Again, his words.
And he said the U.S. is happy to be part of that coalition. They will not necessarily lead that coalition. The message he brought is direct from president Trump, who's been very clearly frustrated by the E.U., by NATO, by these allies' inability to join this war.
President Trump is clearly salty (ph) that the Europeans, that NATO will not be drawn into this war, will not even agree to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
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TRUMP: We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them and we would have always been there for them. But now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be, do we.
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MADOWO: President Trump essentially threatening to match NATO's energy that, if you will not do more to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open, then maybe we won't fund you at all.
And reporters asked secretary Rubio about how he's hearing from his European counterparts, from the leaders who were there, from Japan, from Canada, if they are put off by the tone and those comments from president Trump.
And he said he's not hearing that. Maybe they're telling you reporters, maybe they're saying those in interviews. But when they talk to me, they're very grateful because they realize what the U.S. has done to underwrite international peace and security and they are not essentially going to talk back at him.
And that's the disagreement here, because this war is very unpopular with the Europeans and no government has been willing to commit military resources to what they might drag on forever. And secretary Rubio told them that this should be done in a matter of weeks, not months.
So some reassurance there that this will not go on for months to come, which is something they really appreciate, especially given the energy anxiety across Europe as the threat of this war dragging on risks inflation across the region.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Larry, good to have you. Thank you.
Well, my next guest has a new analysis of the war in foreign policy, titled, "An Iran Exit Plan."
He writes and I quote, "Given that the war cannot end without Iran's consent, how can Trump find a way to address Tehran's core concerns while still mitigating the challenges that it poses?
"And what might such a deal look like?"
Well, joining me now is the author of that piece, the coauthor of that piece, Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
Good to have you with us, Trita. A month in and with talk of talks, at least between the U.S. and Iran to end this war, but nothing concrete at present.
What is your assessment?
What do you believe that plan might look like?
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TRITA PARSI, QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT: Well, first of all, the talks YHAT are taking place right now I think we should really take with a grain of salt in the sense that there may be some communication, some messages being sent.
But that's very different from any actual negotiations. And the basis of such negotiations, at least if it is the 15-point plan that has been leaked by the Israelis as being the American proposal, simply cannot become the basis of successful negotiations.
Because the realities on the ground simply look too different from a scenario in which the Iranians would be capitulating, which those points seem to suggest. What I think is needed is a compromise from both sides.
And one of the critical things for the Iranians is to make sure that this war ends. Not that it's just a ceasefire but a prolonged end to this war and that they will not be attacked every six to eight months.
That necessitates certain measures from the U.S. side, because there's no paper that would be enough to be able to convince the Iranians of this. And one of those elements is going to have to be sanctions relief to the Iranians to some extent. That actually is in the U.S.' own interest.
The U.S. has already lifted sanctions on Iranian oil on the waters because it is in such a dire need of making sure that oil prices do not go up any further. But also, if you can get the Iranians to agree that at least a portion of their new oil will be sold in the U.S. dollar, that actually will be dramatically benefiting the United States.
So there's still some space for a win-win between the two sides, in which both sides can declare a degree of victory as they take this offramp. That opportunity, that window, however, is going to close very fast if Trump goes in with ground troops.
ANDERSON: You talk about that sanctions relief as well, including for countries who you say might be prepared to help finance reconstruction. You include some Gulf countries in that.
I mean, at this point, when you listen to the position of these Gulf countries, including where I am here in the UAE, there is a wholesale sort of underscoring of just how most of them feel about Iran at this point.
Do you genuinely still believe there might be some opportunities for business and partnerships going forward?
PARSI: I think it's going to be extremely difficult. There's absolutely no doubt about that. You're absolutely right. Becky, about the sentiments that are currently there in some places; in particular UAE, of course.
But I think we also have to ask ourselves, did anyone foresee before this war started that, two weeks into it, the United States would offer or actually unilaterally give the Iranians the largest sanctions relief package ever?
No one would have foreseen that because of the manner in which facts on the ground have -- grounds have changed.
And I think you're going to have some states in the GCC -- Oman, Qatar -- who are in a position to finance any reconstruction.
And who will lean in the direction that greater integration with Iran ultimately is going to be a stronger guarantee against renewed warfare than going back to a posture of just trying to balance the Iranians and isolate and contain them by building American bases, et cetera. But I think the GCC is simply going to be split on this issue.
ANDERSON: I do want to just focus on an official statement from the UAE today. This is from the UAE minister of state, who met U.N. ambassadors on Friday in New York to discuss.
And I quote here, "The repercussions of Iran's treacherous and unjustified attacks on the UAE, the GCC and Jordan, in addition to its unlawful practices targeting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings."
The UAE has been very active this past month in using international law to build alliances to isolate Iran, which it says is, you know, is a clear threat to international peace and security. We can expect further diplomatic moves this week to build a case for action by other countries.
What could that action look like, do you believe?
PARSI: I find it very unlikely that much will come out of that, because, at the end of the day, that would require military engagement by other countries who were not in favor of this war, who did not see the strategic benefit of this war.
And now, when that war has turned into a debacle, are asked to come in and bail out the United States and Israel and those countries in the GCC that actually have been at least indirectly supporting this war. So I just find it very unlikely that that will happen. I understand
that, from the UAE's perspective, that is definitely a pathway that will be pursued. And the UAE, because of its finances, does have some diplomatic heft there.
[05:40:00]
But that's very different from asking the NATO countries, for instance, to increase their military budgets, to actually ask them to get engaged in a military confrontation.
Just take a look at the U.S.' own posture. The American Navy is keeping itself 3,000 kilometers away from the Iranian shorelines because of a fear of those missiles that the Iranians have, hitting one of those ships and potentially sinking one of those ships.
So if the U.S. Navy, the most powerful navy in the world, is taking that precaution, what are other countries supposed to be able to do to actually change the balance in this equation?
ANDERSON: Yes. Anwar Gargash, who is the advisor to the UAE president here in the UAE, today, saying, and I quote, "We affirm our conviction that a political solution must be the guarantor of sustainable security for the region, not temporary solutions that reproduce instability for decades to come."
And that's just reinforcing the position that I've heard here now for some time. Trita, there -- Marco Rubio finally has said this is going to be days not -- sorry; this is going to be weeks, not months. That's the sort of, you know, the kind of schedule that the U.S. has most recently put on this.
If that is the case, we are looking at weeks, not months, what do you foresee in the days to come?
PARSI: All depends on whether the Trump administration decides to go in with ground troops to take an island, take a few islands or perhaps to other type of operations inside of Iran.
I think that would be a huge mistake. I think this entire war has proven itself to be a mistake. Committing another mistake of that gravity is not going to provide Trump with a fix. There is an offramp. There is still an opportunity for him to convince his own base, few others, but his own base that he won this war.
That narrative of victory is crucial for Trump to take the offramp. But once you have ground troops involved, you will also have a large number of American deaths, not just higher oil prices.
At that point, I think it will be much more difficult for Trump to be able to put together a narrative of victory that even his base would be willing to buy and, as a result, his offramps are going to be become far fewer and far less attractive.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you this morning, Trita. Thank you so much. I know it's early where you are. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time and your analysis.
Well, president Trump continues to tout his military actions in Iran and Venezuela. But the administration's attentions are seemingly beginning to turn elsewhere.
Earlier, secretary of state Marco Rubio reiterated his push for regime change in Cuba, saying its economy cannot improve without a change in government. Well, president Trump took those sentiments a step further.
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TRUMP: And Cuba is next, by the way, But pretend I didn't say that, please. Pretend I didn't say. Please, please, please, media, please disregard that statement. Thank you very much. Cuba is next.
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ANDERSON: Well, despite continued wide nationwide power blackouts, Trump has continued his blockade of Cuba. The U.S. preventing oil from entering the island, further crippling its already struggling economy.
Well, ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Pope Francis touches down in swanky Monaco, bringing a pro-poor message. A live report on that is coming up.
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BRUNHUBER: Pope Leo is now in Monaco. He arrives in the last hour by helicopter and was welcomed by Monaco's Prince Albert II. He is the first pontiff to visit the small city-state in hundreds of years. Want to bring in CNN's Christopher Lamb in London.
So Christopher, Monaco, very small, very wealthy.
So why is he there?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, you may well ask. And people have been scratching their heads a bit trying to work out why Pope Leo decided to go to Monaco.
But there are deep ties between Monaco and the Vatican. Of course, Monaco has Catholicism as a state religion and there are -- there is a sense from the Vatican that it can work with another small state.
The Vatican and Monaco are the two smallest independent states in the world and they do share common priorities when it comes to pushing for peace and multilateralism, the idea of countries working together and which the Vatican see as increasingly important, given the global conflicts taking place. Also on the environment, that's something that Monaco is pushing ahead
with on various environmental initiatives. And, of course, this is the priority for Pope Leo. The pope has just given his first speech addressing the crowd outside the prince's palace. And he has said that there is value in smallness.
He's also cited the problems of the gap between rich and poor. Obviously, Monaco has a reputation of being a playground for the super wealthy and the very rich. So he did highlight that in his first speech.
And there's also a personal connection between the first U.S.-born pontiff and Prince Albert, who, of course, is the son of Grace Kelly, who is the late Hollywood actress, who married his father, Prince Rainier. So perhaps more connections between the two than first meets the eye.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Christopher Lamb. Appreciate it.
All right. Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, this summer's FIFA World Cup may still be more than two months away but anticipation is ramping up as the iconic gold trophy begins its nationwide tour. We'll hear from hopeful soccer fans next. Stay with us
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BRUNHUBER: With just over two months to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, the dream is real for soccer fans in L.A., who got to see the famous gold trophy as its tour of the nation gets underway. CNN's Gonzalo Alvarado catches up with them.
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GONZALO ALVARADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Los Angeles will not just be one of the 11 cities within the U.S. to host the FIFA World Cup games but it was also selected to be the region for the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup Trophy tour in the U.S.
ALVARADO: How excited are you to -- for the first time to see this -- the FIFA World Cup trophy so close?
ERICK PEREZ, ATTENDEE: It's cool, man. I've been watching soccer my whole life and I've never seen it. Never been close to it. So it's cool experience.
ALEJANDRA CAMPOS, ATTENDEE: I'm very excited. It means a lot to me and my dad.
ALVARADO: How so? CAMPOS: Well, we grew up with him. Like, he always showed me his games, his collections. Like, he has a really big passion for it and he made me have a passion for it.
ALVARADO: Besides visiting the 11 U.S. hot cities, the FISA World Cup Trophy tour will make another stop in 10 U.S. major cities where fans will have the same opportunity.
Part of the experience of this tour is that the fans have the opportunity to take a photo with this most emblematic trophy in the world.
WALTER MARTINEZ, ATTENDEE: I'm super excited. I'm like, I couldn't sleep, really.
ALVARADO: The FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place in Canada, U.S. and Mexico and its inaugural game is scheduled for June 11th in Mexico City.
Are you going to attend to any of the eight games here?
MARTINEZ: I'm trying to get tickets but it's hard for me but I'm working on that.
ALVARADO: The FIFA World Cup Trophy tour will end up in New York-New Jersey on June 3rd, where the final will take place on July 19th -- Gonzalo Alvarado, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, now to March Madness, the U.S. college basketball championships, where the Elite Eight, the last eight teams in the playoffs, is now set.
Top seed Michigan is moving on after a comfortable 90-77 win over Alabama and Tennessee cruised past Iowa State in a real upset to head to their third straight Elite Eight.
The other matchups were far closer. Top seeded Duke survived a real scare from St. John's, holding on for an 80-75 win. Caleb Foster led the late surge after returning from a foot injury and UConn had to dig deep for their win despite an early 19-point lead, ultimately fending off a late Michigan State comeback to advance.
Two more Elite Eight games are set for later today.
All right. We're following this story. A humpback whale stranded for days in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea was seen swimming freely on Friday after apparently freeing itself.
The animal was first spotted off the German coast on Monday when it got stuck on a sandbank. Well that kickstarted a rescue mission as Coast Guard and fireboats tried to guide the whale into deeper water. They even tried digging an underwater trench. Despite the whale's apparent success, experts warned its survival remained uncertain.
NASA's first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years is entering its final phase. The four members of the Artemis II crew have arrived in Florida ahead of their launch, which may come as early as April 1st.
The mission will also mark several firsts, including the first woman and first Black astronaut to travel into the moon's vicinity. The roughly 10-day mission will send the crew on a high-speed loop around the moon and back to the Earth.
The astronauts will travel farther than any human spaceflight in history. They'll test NASA's new Orion spacecraft and pave the way for future missions aimed at landing humans back on the moon.
All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES PLAYMAKERS"
