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Latest On War In Iran; No Kings Protests Erupt Around U.S.; Humpback Whale Stranded Again. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 29, 2026 - 03:30   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, another Iranian proxy group inserting itself into a month-long war, as thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines arrive in the Middle East.

Millions of Americans taking part in a very public rebuke of the Trump administration, the third wave of massive protests since the beginning of Trump's second term.

And a modern-day Free Willy, a humpback whale rescued off the German coast is now stranded again.

Welcome. The rhetoric and military actions in the U.S. war with Iran appear to be heating up. That's despite some recent efforts at diplomacy, Tehran now vowing to strike U.S. and Israeli-affiliated universities in the Middle East. That threat after Israeli strikes damaged buildings at a university in Tehran overnight.

Iran state-affiliated media also reported heavy bombardment and several explosions across the capital earlier today. Iran's president says Iran will retaliate strongly, that's a quote, if the country's infrastructure or economic centers are targeted.

The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is also reaching a new front and expanded to involve Yemen. On Saturday, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for two missile strikes against Israel. An Iranian missile also made it through Israel's air defenses. The strike injured several people and left extensive damage just outside Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are expected to convene soon in Pakistan's capital to discuss the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, which has, of course, expanded all across the region.

Our Ivan Watson is standing by in Islamabad, but, first, let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks, who's live from Abu Dhabi for us.

Paula, we are seeing words and strikes intensifying. How significant is this latest escalation?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, we have been seeing heavy bombardments in the capital, Tehran, overnight. We've seen some state media footage as well showing what appears to be residential building in rubble. And we know from state media as well there have been injuries in some of these strikes. We're working to gather more information.

As you mentioned there as well, we also know that the Science and Technology University in Tehran overnight into Saturday was in ruins. That was targeted. And that has led to a threat by the Revolutionary Guard that all U.S. and Israeli-affiliated campuses in the region will now be considered a legitimate target.

Now, we know there are two universities, campuses affiliated with the U.S., universities in Qatar. There's one here in Abu Dhabi as well. The IRGC has warned staff, students to stay away and also those living within a kilometer of the universities to steer clear. So, that's a threat that's being taken very seriously.

We also know that after Israel targeted steel plants and also a heavy water plant in Iran on Friday into Saturday. We've seen here in the UAE an aluminum facility being targeted by Iran. Now, we understand that there was, quote, significant damage. There have been some injuries as well.

And across the region, really, we have seen what appears to be an increase in missile and drone activity, certainly here in the UAE on Saturday. We saw from the Ministry of Defense saying that there were some 20 missiles, 37 drones that were intercepted. That's more than double the number that we had been seeing in the days previously. Ben?

HUNTE: Okay, thank you for that.

Let's bring in CNN Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson live in Islamabad for us. Ivan, what do we know about these talks in Pakistan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are taking place here. This is going to be two days of crisis talks, Ben, with the foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and then the host country, Pakistan, gathering here trying to avoid further expansion of what is already a devastating war that has killed thousands of people over the course of the last month and is costing the regional economies billions of dollars a day.

[03:05:21]

But just in the last 24, 48 hours, the war has expanded. Yemen has gotten into the fight with the Houthis who rule there firing at least two ballistic missiles -- at least two missiles at Israel. They had not so far, in this round of hostilities, gotten involved and they're vowing to continue with their combat operations. Meanwhile, the U.S. military, CENTCOM, announced that Marines, some 3,500 Marines and sailors from a Marine Expeditionary Unit, had arrived in the Middle East and that's amid much speculation and concern that the U.S. may be preparing for some kind of a ground offensive on Iran, in addition to the daily U.S.-Israeli bombardment of that country.

As bad as things are right now, they could considerably get worse because two of the countries that are represented here, Turkey and Egypt, say that they've intercepted weapons flying from Iran into their airspace. Turkey saying that it intercepted missiles, and Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.

Notably, on Friday, when there was an announcement that an air base in Saudi Arabia that was being used by the U.S. military was hit with at least 12 U.S. service members wounded and reports of damage to American aircraft there as well.

Why is that important? Well, so far, neither country has retaliated against Iran. If they do retaliate, if other Gulf countries, such as the UAE or Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar retaliate, that would mark a dramatic expansion of this conflict, could also lead to a domino effect, where you have a country like Pakistan, armed with nuclear weapons, that shares a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia, would come in that scenario, would come under pressure to come to Saudi Arabia's defense against its neighbor, Iran. We're not at that stage. I'm just saying this could, as bad as it is, could get much worse.

If anything, Pakistan is working very hard on trying to communicate with Tehran, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Phone calls between the Pakistani prime minister and the Iranian president announced on Saturday, between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Iran also on Saturday, and then Pakistan's foreign minister announcing that he had gotten permission basically from Iran to allow 20 more Pakistani ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, two ships a day.

He called this a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran that deserves appreciation, signaling that there is still room to maneuver with at least one of these -- Iran and the Trump administration are still very far apart with their stated demands for any type of deal, so there doesn't look like there's a lot of hope right there.

And then this additional factor, the chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, it's important to stress that did not exist a month ago. Ships were sailing back and forth through, more than a hundred a day, and right now, that is an additional factor that the warring parties are considering if they're ever to find some kind of a deal out of this devastating war, Ben?

HUNTE: Okay, thank you so much for that. And thank you to Paula as well, Paula Hancocks and Ivan Watson. I appreciate it.

Onwards, Lebanon says it will file a complaint to the U.N. Security Council after Israel killed three Lebanese journalists on Saturday. Israel's military released a video of the airstrike that blew up their vehicle in Southern Lebanon. The military says one of the journalists was a terrorist who used media work as a cover. The victims were two separate pro-Hezbollah channels. The third victim was the female reporter's brother, who was a photojournalist.

Protesters later held a rally in Lebanon whose leaders called the killing a deliberate and blatant crime. The Committee to Protect Journalists says Israel has a history of accusing reporters of being terrorists without providing any evidence.

For the third time since Donald Trump took office, huge crowds of people jam streets and parks in the U.S. for No Kings rallies. They're making a direct challenge to what they call his authoritarian tendencies. Protesters joined more than 3,000 peaceful demonstrations across the nation on Saturday. They argued the U.S. should have democratically-elected leaders and not powerful monarchs.

[03:10:03]

As demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C., just steps from the White House. Many were angry with policies that they do blame on Trump, the war with Iran, the soaring cost of living, and violent immigration-related crackdowns all across the U.S.

Crowds in Los Angeles flew a giant balloon depicting Trump as a baby in a diaper. And Americans abroad and others joined protests in Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Celebrities and politicians also added their voices.

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ROBERT DE NIRO, ACTOR: He must be stopped, and he must be stopped now.

It's time to say no to kings. It's time to say no to Donald Trump. We've had enough.

RIZ HORTEGA, PROTESTER: I would actually like to see him step down, and that would probably be the best thing for this country and the world.

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: The law matters in this country, and we have challenged illegal federal actions in court, and we, Democratic attorneys general, have stood up to those who think that they can use fear and division to control our communities. But we are winning. And I guess that's why I am a target.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SINGER/SONGWRITER: The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis and of Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country. Your strength and your commitment told us that this is still America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Bruce Springsteen speaking there to the crowds in Minnesota, which is, of course, still dealing with the aftermath of the Trump administration's sweeping immigration raids.

CNN teams were at several rallies on Saturday, including Shimon Procupecz, who was in St. Paul.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Some of the largest crowds we've seen for the No Kings Day marches are here in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people were lining up the state capitol, all around the state capitol, holding signs, a big performance from Bruce Springsteen, who sang about Minneapolis.

He wrote a song after the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Those were the two protesters that were killed at the hands of immigration officials and ICE officers. And so he wrote a song after that to highlight some of the unfair practices by ICE officers and some of the aggressive tactics, certainly.

So, that was one of the big moments here, and we heard such loud cheers from the crowd as he sang. And then we heard from a number of politicians, from Governor Walz, from the lieutenant governor, from the attorney general of the state.

The thing about today, for most of the people that were here, a lot on their mind, certainly over what happened here earlier in the year with ICE, but they're also thinking of the war in Iran, and they're also thinking of all of the other, what they feel are unfair practices by the Trump administration. And they're out here saying they want it to stop.

And for most people, they were just at times smiling just to be together, to be with their community, to be with their neighbors given everything that they've been through here the last several months.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, St. Paul, Minnesota.

HUNTE: Organizers say half of the No Kings protests across the United States happened in Republican strongholds.

CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke to one of the movement's leaders about the significance of protests in America's rural communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EZRA LEVIN, CO-FOUNDER, INDIVISIBLE: It is not enough just to organize in blue cities. It's not enough just to organize in blue states. These aren't protests that are built for Kamala Harris voters or for Democrats. These are patriotic protests.

And if you believe, if the folks who are organizing right now believe that this is indeed not politics as usual, this is an authoritarian threat, we can't just organize the same people. We can't just organize in the same places. We need to be in the rural communities. We need to be in the red communities. And if you don't (INAUDIBLE) there, you are not going to find a way to pull people in.

So, it is very intentional. We recommended heading into these protests. If you go to the No Kings map and there's not a No Kings protest within 30 minutes, an hour, or an hour of where you live, we recommended to people start your own, pull in your community, because the day of protests, that's important.

Today, incredible. It was powerful. It was joy. But today is one day and you don't save democracy on one day. The real measure of success of No Kings 3 is going to be in how many people get plugged into their local community. And the way that happens is by neighbors meeting neighbors, figuring out how to have some impact, and then moving forward together.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some might say, hey, look, we protested, but these things still happened. So, how do you take a movement like No Kings and actually shift that momentum to the ballot box where, of course, the American citizens have the greatest ability to affect change?

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LEVIN: Look, one of the things we see when we look at authoritarians all over the world is what they do very effectively is they make you feel bad on a daily basis. They do damage that you cannot prevent. That's because they have accumulated a lot of power.

But the real test of whether an anti-authoritarian, pro-democracy movement is successful is whether that regime is less popular than it was before. The pro-democracy movement is stronger than it was before, and we're innovating tactically as we move forward.

What I would say about where Donald Trump is now versus when the No Kings protests start, his approval ratings are in the toilet, his Congressional majority is fracturing and he's headed towards a midterm election wipeout, and he knows it. And he's doing what any authoritarian would do. As the walls are closing in, he lashes out. So, that's why we see him in Venezuela and Cuba and Greenland. That's why he's starting an illegal and unconstitutional war with Iran. And that's why he's using his secret police force to try to menace Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.

I wish I could tell you, Omar, that we've got this solved, it's all going to get better from here. I can't guarantee that. In fact, I think as the walls close in, it's going to get worse. But that's why we need more people organizing, exercising their First Amendment rights and building community together.

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HUNTE: Members of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate are now on their break after failing to end the partial government shutdown. The House has rejected a deal cut by their Senate counterparts. Both Republicans and Democrats had strong reactions to this latest block.

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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at 3:00 in the morning and try to hoist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday and pretend and think that we're going to go along with that. So, we're going to do something different. We're going to do the responsible thing. Republicans are going to continue to govern.

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): I mean, it's just amazing how completely unserious Mike Johnson is. I mean, that he could say that with a straight face when it was a unanimous bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate to move this funding forward and he just rejected it, just rejected it out of hand.

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HUNTE: This, of course, means there's no end in sight for impacts being felt at U.S. airports. The stalemate leaves the Department of Homeland Security still unfunded, and those working for the Transportation Security Administration are still going without a paycheck.

Since the shutdown, nearly 500 TSA employees have quit, and thousands more are calling out of work.

A CNN crew was detained by Israel's military during our recent reporting on the violence in the West Bank. Still ahead, we'll tell you how military officials are now responding. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: The Israeli military says it's conducting an investigation following a CNN report on IDF soldiers' actions in the West Bank. That report showed soldiers responding to Israeli settler attacks in a West Bank village by targeting Palestinian residents and the CNN team covering that incursion.

The IDF told CNN, quote, the actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of them. The IDF says its chief of staff has spoken with the top Israeli commander in the West Bank. He's ordered that the findings of an investigation be presented to him as soon as possible.

Palestinians have bid a final goodbye to a teenager reportedly killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank. The 15-year-old was laid to rest on Saturday, a day after Israeli troops shot him in Bethlehem. That's according to Palestinian officials. Two other Palestinians were reportedly killed on the same day. For the teenager's mother, the idea of much (ph).

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HANAN DAHMAN, MOTHER OF LATE 15-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN: I don't believe it. You are coming. Don't tell me Adam is dead. He called me and he said that he wanted to pick me up. I was at my mother's house. I was there only for 30 minutes. He told me, I went to Sarah's house and then I'll come. Wait for me, I'm coming.

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HUNTE: Israeli settlers' violence has surged in the West Bank as the world's attention is focused on the war of Iran. According to accounts by journalists, activists, and Palestinians, Israel's military often supports the settlers or simply stands aside. That is despite the fact that many recently established settlements in the West Bank are illegal under Israel's law.

Let's bring in Amira Musallam, head of mission for the group, Unarmed Civilian Protection in Palestine. Thank you so much for being with me.

Can you just tell us what exactly Unarmed Civilian Protection is and how you use that technique to help residents of the West Bank?

AMIRA MUSALLAM, HEAD OF MISSION, UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION IN PALESTINE: Yes. Good morning. UPCPI is a Palestinian-led initiative that uses non-bank methods to protect civilians. We simply deploy trained teams to live and work alongside communities facing state- backed settler violence, Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals, providing protective presence, de-escalation, documentation, and rapid response.

The goal is just so simple, to reduce harm and prevent displacement by being physically present on the ground.

HUNTE: Can you talk to us about the challenges of bringing your workers, who, as you say, are Unarmed Civilian Protectors, into such volatile and high-risk environments? What type of resistance has your team faced?

MUSALLAM: Yes. First of all, we have so many challenges. From the moment they arrive in the airport, we have experienced so many of these volunteers, practitioners who come in through Ben Gurion and then they get deported because they want to provide protective presence, or just because they are activists or they are like active on social media. And then when they are in the field, whether they are Israelis or internationals, they are attacked equally like Palestinians.

[03:25:07]

They are -- just two weeks ago, one of our coordinators was brutally attacked because he was responding to a rapid response and he was Israeli and Jewish, and he was brutally attacked with along another two activists.

So, they face attacks. They face deportation. They face going to jail, so many things. And when we talk about settler violence, we are talking about a state-backed settler violence. So, the same settler that attacks you in one moment, half an hour past the attack, you call the IDF. The IDF comes, the same settler who attacked you is wearing the IDF uniform with his weapons.

HUNTE: Supporters of your work say that having international observers on the ground can deter violence. Are you seeing evidence of that in the communities that you work with, though?

MUSALLAM: Yes. Whenever we were there, attacks happened on our practitioners and not on the civilians, on the Palestinian civilians. Also, when there is a camera around. The settlers are more cautious and afraid to do any kind of attack, though in many also incidents where they didn't care about camera, they didn't care about media, they didn't care about anybody. So it's really a mix of all of these incidents, with camera, without camera.

HUNTE: You have warned that global attention has shifted to the wider regional conflict. What impact is that having on you and the support you're having right now?

MUSALLAM: First of all, the situation on the ground has escalated severely. Since the war on Iran, we had seen so many attacks from settlers. Just last week, 46 attacks in just one week, you know? And then we have seen more killing. So, also in one week, six Palestinians were killed, whether it's by settlers' guns or IDF settlers' guns in just one week also.

So, this is -- all eyes are on Iran and Israel and Lebanon, and the settlers are just roaming around doing whatever they want with pure impunity, with no accountability.

HUNTE: When you talk about the need for more international involvement, what specifically are you calling for?

MUSALLAM: First of all, we need -- listen, protection alone, us being there, is great, is providing lots of solidarity to the people. They are not alone. They are heard. We are documenting everything. We are sending everything to the international media to see what's happening on the ground, but this is not enough. We need bigger intervention from -- on a political level. We need governments to intervene and tell the Israeli government to stop, to -- you know, to stop these settler violence, these state-backed settler violence. We need this kind of intervention first.

And we need to see more people on the ground providing solidarity and protection for the people of Palestine. We are just -- this is pure ethnic cleansing all over the West Bank, little by little, slowly. It started -- it didn't start just few months ago. It didn't start the 7th of October. It started many, many years ago. But now we are seeing the escalation just to the top.

HUNTE: Okay, we'll leave it there for now. But thank you so much for your work, Amira Musallam, we really appreciate you coming on and speaking to us about it. Thank you.

MUSALLAM: Thank you.

HUNTE: Still to come, uncertainty lingers about when the war with Iran will end, and we'll hear from Iranian citizens on their hopes for the future of their country and how they're dealing with the stark realities of a nation in crisis.

See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories. The U.S. and Israel's war of Iran is also reaching a new front and expanded to involve Yemen. On Saturday, the Iranian-backed, Houthi, rebel group claimed responsibility for two missile strikes against Israel, and now they could threaten to throw the region's oil exports and shipping into further chaos by targeting the strait connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are expected to convene soon in Islamabad to discuss the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. As efforts to de-escalate, tensions expand all across the region. The four countries have been involved in mediation efforts as the war threatens their energy security and borders.

U.S. Central Command says 3,500 sailors released aboard the USS Tripoli. This after CNN report -- deployment of a Marine unit. Traditionally, they are used for missions like large-scale evacuations and raids and assaults.

The U.S. and Israeli war with Iran has been marked by uncertainty, uncertainty about the goals of the invasion, about the tactics, about how it might end.

CNN's Julia Benbrook explains the conflicting issues.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been four weeks now since those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, the start of Operation Big Fury. President Donald Trump monitored those first strikes at his Mar-a-Lago estate here in Florida, and he's back here this weekend.

But there are still a lot of questions about how and when this conflict will come to an end. We have heard the President say repeatedly that it will end, quote, very soon. He's also thrown out a number of predictions, including four to six weeks in total, most recently, though, tied to a specific timeframe.

Now, before he traveled here, he did make a stop in Miami to speak at a Saudi-based investment conference. And during those remarks, he focused heavily on this conflict and made one point that I want to read for you. I wrote it down because it really emphasizes where the uncertainty is here. He said, quote, it's not finished yet. It's sort of finished, but it's not finished. He also said that the Iranians are, quote, begging to make a deal.

[03:35:00]

Also speaking at this conference was Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. He said that he is hopeful that there will be meetings with the Iranians this week. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: Well, my definition of real negotiating would be right here and we don't leave until we're done, and we've offered that. And we think there will be meetings this week. We're certainly hopeful for it. Ships are passing. That's a very, very good sign. And I think the president wants a peace deal. But he also believes in, and I believe in it too, peace through strength. Without pressure, you never get anybody to the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Those comments came shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the United States had not received a full Iranian response to their 15-point proposal to end the war. Rubio also said on Friday that he believes that Trump administration can accomplish its objectives without troops on the ground. As for why so many service members are headed to the Middle East, he said that the president needs to be prepared for all contingencies.

And that's an important point to pay attention to, because, so far, most Republican lawmakers, at least publicly, have supported the president's efforts, but many are urging him to finish this fight quickly and to avoid boots on the ground.

Traveling with the president in Florida, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

HUNTE: Well, as the war with Iran continues, opinions among Iranians remain deeply divided. Some see the conflict as a path to regime change, while others fear what's coming next.

CNN's Leila Gharagozlou spoke with Iranians about how their hopes are clashing with the realities of this war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are tired of this war. War isn't something cool or nice, but the fact is we live under a government that is more exhausting, a government that is the cause of all our issues. At this point, it has nothing to do with whether we want war or not. If this war stops and doesn't lead to regime change, the Islamic Republic stays in power, it'll be bad for everyone, people around the world and in Iran.

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Iranians are divided about the future of the country, divided about the direction the war is heading in, divided about the U.S. and Israel's role.

CNN spoke to Iranians about their feelings. We aren't disclosing their identities for their safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, regime change isn't happening, and the U.S. and Israel were never going to come help us, save us. Those people who supported this war are going to now understand that we've been tricked again.

GHARAGOZLOU: The divisions among Iranians are also reflected within themselves on an individual level.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, look, we were all happy when these murderers were killed, but when it's the handiwork of the U.S. and Israel, you feel of two minds. You almost don't know how you're meant to feel. You realize that they are not in the business of saving us. GHARAGOZLOU: Others have turned their frustrations outwards, criticizing their fellow Iranians, those who were anti-war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a series of people who really thought that we could get rid of the Islamic Republic without weapons and without help. This was the wrong way of thinking. We now have a slang term for those people, temporary nationalists, because during those 12 days, many Iranians, both inside and outside, mistakenly rallied around the flag. And they only loved the country when it was attacked from abroad rather than from the inside.

GHARAGOZLOU: And for some who just a month ago believed that without foreign intervention, regime change and freedom would never come, they now say that even if the war stops, it will be the Iranian people who finish this fight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They won't stay in power. The people won't let them. For now, everyone is waiting to see where this war goes, but, ultimately, the people will finish the job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Okay. Russia is moving ahead with its spring offensive in Ukraine. Still ahead, you'll see how Moscow's military ambitions torment civilians far from the frontlines.

See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

HUNTE: As the war in Iran drags on, Russia may be seeing an opportunity to gather intelligence on U.S. bases in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Moscow has recently conducted surveillance at seven locations in the region. They include U.S. and British bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, as well as a joint U.S. and British base on Diego Garcia, that's in the Indian Ocean.

Mr. Zelenskyy is in the Middle East, where he signed defense agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week. This is how he described his talks with regional leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We're basically discussing several areas. First, we're interested in ensuring that beyond, A, this is a mutually beneficial partnership. There are several areas. The first area is weapons manufacturing, exchanging expertise, and exchanging scarce resources that one country lacks but the other has. The second area is long-term energy cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Russia is ramping up strikes in Ukraine as its spring offensive gets underway, Ukraine says 2 people were killed in new strikes on Odesa on Saturday and 11 others injured. Ukraine's president says more than 60 drones targeted Ukraine's third largest city, the increase in air and with Russia's ground offensive in the East, that is according to Ukraine's military. One Odesa resident says it's a miracle that she survived Saturday strikes.

But Ukraine is pushing back by stepping up strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure. Officials say Kyiv carried out ten major attacks this month, including some deep inside Russia.

Joining us live from Bangkok is Michael Bociurkiw, global affairs analyst and founder at World Briefing Report. He's also a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council. Thank you so much for being with me, sir. I appreciate it.

While global attention is so focused on the Iran conflict, what impact do you think that's having on the war in Ukraine right now? Are we seeing any shift on the ground?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Sure. Good to be with you. Well, yes, it's caused a big difference for Ukraine. There is now a worldwide shortage of Patriot missile systems and other kit that helps to -- that ordinarily helps to defend Ukrainian cities. There's a shift.

And, you know, despite the Zelenskyy administration assisting U.S. allies in the Gulf, Mr. Trump is still not only pressuring Ukraine to cede territory, mostly the Donbas, but he's also lifting sanctions on Russia, for example, the oil companies, which means billions of dollars of new income to fund Russia's war machine.

So, even though, on the one hand, we may say that Ukraine seems to be playing with a fuller deck of cards, on the other hand, with the Trump administration playing the games that they do, it puts Kyiv in a very difficult position.

[03:45:06]

HUNTE: We are reporting large-scale Russian drone and missile attacks in recent days. What does that tell us about Moscow's aims at this stage of the war?

BOCIURKIW: Yes. Well, it tells us what we've been saying for a long time, is that they're not a credible partner for peace. And, you know, you mentioned in the run-up to this interview the attacks on it, so I'm normally based there. And these thugs, these Russian war criminals hit once again, not for the first time, but once again a maternity hospital, where there were 22 mothers in labor and 19 newborns.

That tells us everything, I think, we need to know about the Russian attitude. And you may remember in the first three weeks of the war as well that horrible, horrible strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol. We thought that was a red line and it never was. So, unless, you know, U.S., European allies and Gulf allies stand up and defend Ukraine for these heinous war crimes that are being committed by Russia, this will continue to occur on a pretty much daily basis. HUNTE: From Kyiv's perspective, how politically realistic is any deal that involves giving up territory? We've talked about it so much, but is that even possible now?

BOCIURKIW: No, it's a non-starter. I just was listening to Kira Rudyk, the head of one of the biggest opposition parties in Ukraine, and she said there's no way, and I agree with her, there's no way that any Ukrainian president can sign an agreement that basically overnight would commit, you know, possibly hundreds of thousands or even more than 1 or 2 million Ukrainians to Russian occupation. Because every Ukrainian we've spoken to that has come under Russian occupation in the Donbas describes that experience as hell on Earth. And that's exactly what would happen, so non-starter.

And, you know, let's remember that it was Russia that started this aggression that invaded Ukraine. So, the country that's being attacked should not be in a position to give up territory. And it really pains me as a neighbor of the United States, I'm Canadian, that the U.S. seems to be pushing this bargaining item is that Ukraine should give up territory, no way it can happen.

HUNTE: And with attention and resources potentially being pulled toward the Middle East, is there a risk that Ukraine becomes a bit of a forgotten priority for Washington and its allies?

BOCIURKIW: Well, you know, to be perfectly frank with you, I'm a bit worried about these new deals that Ukraine has signed with the Gulf states, namely Saudi Arabia and Qatar, because, you know, the Gulf countries, if they really want to crack down on Russia and help Ukraine, and crack down on Russia, which is helping Iran target their countries and U.S. military installations, you know what they should do?

They should say, okay, for now, no more Russian investors, no more Russian property buying. You can't park your multimillion dollar yachts here in Dubai anymore, and even temporarily stop the flow of Russian tourists. I think that would really put the pressure on the Russians to rethink what they were doing, not only in Ukraine but also in the Gulf.

And one more quick thing, you know, the Gulf countries, for the longest time, have conveniently turned a blind eye to that big pipeline between Iran and Russia, that flow of drones that has been going from Tehran to Moscow. And, you know, now they're paying the price for that. So, I hope this does jolt them awake to take a different attitude towards Moscow.

HUNTE: So, overall, just give me a bit of a sense of where we're at the moment then. Does this moment strengthen Russia's position? Is Russia in a good place right now, or are there still limits to what Moscow can actually achieve?

BOCIURKIW: Well, when you look at the numbers, the recent U.S. actions to lift sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, the biggest oil companies in Russia, sanctions were placed on October, but now they've been lifted, so that adds as much as $200 million a day to the Russian war chest. So, you know, I think this is the key problem here is unless you choke the Russian economy and the flow of money to the Russian war machine, the Russians will keep on going. Because at the end of the day, for Mr. Putin to lose this war, to say, okay, that's it, we give up, that will be the end of him as well, I believe, and so do many other analysts.

So, it's really, really important there is a coordinated approach to choke that Russian war machine, and then the Russians will -- hopefully, some sense will come to their heads and they will come to the bargaining table in good faith.

HUNTE: Okay, Michael Bociurkiw, we really appreciate your insight there. Thank you so much, as always. I'm sure I'll be speaking to you again very soon on this same topic. Speak to you soon.

BOCIURKIW: My pleasure. Thank you.

[03:50:00]

HUNTE: Onwards, authorities have located two Mexican sailboats that went missing while headed to Cuba to deliver humanitarian aid. The Friendship and Tigermoth lost contact with Mexico's navy on Thursday and a search and rescue operation was launched. The boats were located about 80 nautical miles from Havana.

They are part of the Our America Convoy. That's an international aid effort largely made up of groups from Latin America and Europe. The vessels are now safely docked at Havana's port.

Cuba has been an economic turmoil since the U.S. effectively blocked its oil supply earlier this year.

Pope Leo will lead Palm Sunday services in St. Peters Square within the next hour, kicking off the Holy Week, leading into Easter for Catholics all around the world. The pontiff spent Saturday in Monaco. It was the first papal visit to the tiny wealthy principality in nearly five centuries. He met with local Catholics and reminded the micro state to put its prosperity quote at the service of law and justice.

The Vatican said the trip underscored Pope Leo's desire to show that small countries can make a big impact on the world stage.

All right, still to come on CNN Newsroom, a humpback whale freed by dozens of rescuers is stranded in shallow water once again. The full story just ahead.

See you in moment.

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HUNTE: A humpback whale that was rescued off the North German coast earlier this week is stranded once again. It was first seen trapped on a sandbank in shallow water on Monday. A painstaking multi-day rescue effort involved machinery digging a path for that mammal to try to guide it back to deeper water in the North Sea, which is, of course, its natural habitat. It is now stranded in shallow water once again. That's 60 kilometers farther east in small bay.

One half of the men's NCAA Final 4 has now been determined. Illinois was the first team to make it to the next round of March Madness on Saturday. The team traded the lead with Iowa 13 times in the second half, but Illinois finished on top 71-59.

And Arizona managed to best Purdue, and that was 79-64 after heading into halftime down seven points. The Wildcats dominated the second half to secure their first trip to the Final 4 Since 2001.

On Sunday, we'll see Tennessee face Michigan and University of Connecticut battle Duke for the last two spots in the Final 4.

Tennis now, the world number one tennis star, Aryna Sabalenka, has won the Miami Open beating hometown favorite Coco Gauff. Sabalenka took the title in three sets and now joins the Exclusive Sunshine Double Club. The nickname coming from back to back titles, first at Indian Wells in California and then in Florida. Aryna Sabalenka is just the fifth woman to accomplish that feat. How cool.

That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and I will see you at the same times as tomorrow.

CNN Newsroom continues after this very short break. See you tomorrow.

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