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Trump Claims Iran Has Accepted 15-Point Plan; Netanyahu Orders Israeli Military to Expand Operations In Lebanon; Trump Suggests U.S. Will Allow Russian Oil Tanker To Reach Cuba; Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refinery Near Moscow; French Rape Survivor Gisele Pelicot Speaks with CNN; Rescuers Work to Free Humpback Whale Stranded in Baltic Sea. Aired 1-1:45a ET

Aired March 30, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And thank you so much for starting your workweek with us on Polo Sandoval live in New York. And here's what's coming your way here on CNN Newsroom.

President Trump says that Iran has agreed to much of his 15-point plan to end the war but the president still considering possibly seizing an Iranian island critical to the global economy.

Israel's growing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has displaced more than a million people now. A U.N. Representative joins us live as the agency works to help hundreds of thousands of children in the war zone.

And an update on the world's most talked about humpback whale as a week long ordeal to free it from shallow waters continues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, this is CNN Newsroom with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: All right. Let's begin this hour in Tehran where the Israeli military says that it's currently striking Iranian terror regime military infrastructures across the capital according to IDF forces.

Meanwhile, the U.S. claims that it's making diplomatic headway in ending the war with Iran. Tehran, however, is accusing the U.S. of secretly planning a ground invasion amid ongoing negotiations. Here's what President Donald Trump said aboard Air Force One just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So we've had very good negotiations today with Iran getting a lot of the things that they should have given us a long time ago. We'll see how it works out. But they're very good, moving along very nicely. Well, they're agreeing with us on the plan. I mean, we asked for 15

things and for the most part, we're going to be asking for a couple of other things.

(END VIDEO CIP)

SANDOVAL: So here's what we know so far about that 15-point plan that the president just referenced. Pakistan, a key mediator in this conflict. It delivered that plant into Iran. And President Trump says that it would ban Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Pakistan now says that it is prepared to host negotiations between the U.S. and Iran this week after holding what it called productive talks with Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

President Trump, claiming diplomatic progress, sounded more forceful in a new interview with the Financial Times. He said that he wants to, quote, take the oil in Iran and once again debated seizing Kharge Island, which is Iran's vital oil export hub. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout standing by for us in Hong Kong. She'll give us a look at the markets in just a few moments.

But first, I wonder we can go to you, Ivan Watson, as you are live in Islamabad, Pakistan, you have you and I talked about this yesterday. You were going to be closely watching these talks. What's the latest?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, the foreign ministers from these four countries, they held their crisis talks here in Islamabad yesterday evening. And they emerged and allowed the host diplomat, the Pakistani foreign minister, really, to speak for the group, which includes Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and of course, Pakistan, all countries from the region that are being impacted by this conflict.

In fact, Turkey and Saudi Arabia say that Iran has fired missiles at them, but so far have not retaliated to this. So the Pakistani foreign minister said that all of them were in agreement that this war has to come to an end. It will only lead to more death and destruction.

And he also seemed to suggest that the possibility of Pakistan hosting U.S. and Iran talks is still on the table. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISHAQ DAR, PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER: Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Right. And he said that could happen in coming days. So really raising some eyebrows, especially when you consider that Iran and the U.S. are effectively at each other's feet, throats engaged in deadly warfare right now. President Trump has indicated, he claims that Iran has accepted most

of the points in a kind of 15-point list of demands that the U.S. has.

[01:05:00]

And he cited the fact that ships, Iran is allowing some ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel began their bombing campaign a month ago. And that was also cited by the Pakistanis here that they'd gotten permission from Iran to move 20 ships under Pakistani flags through the Strait of Hormuz, which is still a fraction of the commercial shipping that would pass through on a daily basis before this war.

For Iran's part, a senior Iranian security official told CNN that, quote, this is our war. We will not stop defending until we teach Trump and Netanyahu a historic lesson. Going on to say that Iran is prepared for long term operations involving its missiles. We have to kind of try to look through what is posturing here and what could actually be a signal for negotiations. So we have to watch this space very closely.

In the meantime, the fighting and the killing continues in Kuwait. An Indian national killed by projectiles presumably fired by Iran that hit a power plant. We have ongoing fighting in Lebanon, for example, where the death toll now has reached more than 1,200 people killed. Among those, an Indonesian peacekeeper with the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon.

The Indonesian government has called for an investigation. It says three peacekeepers were also wounded by indirect artillery fire in southern Lebanon. And it condemned Israel's ongoing attacks on Lebanon. I might add among the 1,200 plus people killed in Lebanon are 124 children and 87 women killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery.

SANDOVAL: Yes, absolutely awful. And we'll get a little bit more into that too. And the impact on some of the most vulnerable in a moment. Kristie to you now. As mediators gather there, where Ivan is right now, I assume, markets also watching very closely. Is there any sort of initial reaction that you're seeing?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Polo, you know, as this conflict enters its second month, the price of oil is on the rise. Asian shares are falling. And on top of that, and this is significant, none of the world's biggest markets have been spared. And that includes currencies, that includes U.S. Treasuries, that includes the price of gold as well. All under pressure as this U.S. Israeli war with Iran shows no sign of ending.

We are monitoring the Asian trading day. Let's bring up the markets for you. And if you zero in closely at markets in South Korea and Japan, two major energy consumers there, you will see they are under pressure. The sold cost be down 3 and a quarter percent. Japan's Nikkei losing 3 and a quarter percent. We continue to monitor the price of Brent crude.

The global oil benchmark and the price of Brent crude continues to be on the rise. Now, there are a number of negative data points that investors are zeroing in on. They're looking at the fact that Iran is accusing the United States of planning some sort of secret ground invasion. They're looking at the arrival of U.S. troops in the region with the arrival of the USS Tripoli with 3500 U.S. service people on board.

They're also looking at the fact that Yemen's Houthi rebels are now involved in this conflict. They're not focusing on diplomacy or peace talks that are continuing in Pakistan. They're focusing on the conflict. They're also focusing on Iran's iron grip of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil supply flows through. I want to share with you this comment from analyst at the Commonwealth bank of Australia.

Bring it up for you. Madison Cartwright saying this, Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and the capacity to disrupt global energy and bond markets and sustained missile and drone capabilities give it little incentive to concede. Pressuring the U.S. to escalate goes on to say, we expect the war to run at least into June, with the risk tilted to a longer conflict, unquote.

Look, due to Iran's selective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, we have seen the price of oil soar over 50 percent since the war began five weeks ago. On top of that, we know that the world is losing up to 20 million barrels of oil a day from Middle Eastern producers. And this is why the International Energy Agency, the IEA, has said that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the biggest oil shock in history. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Kristie Lu Stout, Ivan Watson, great to have both of you reporting. Thank you so much.

We do want to show you some new video now from Sunday where you could see some smoke from an Israeli strike rising over southern Beirut.

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Israel says that it continues to target Iranian proxies in Lebanon with, quote, tremendous force. Israel's prime minister has also ordered the expansion of a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon to repel cross border attacks.

Israeli forces, they have been pushing farther into southern Lebanon in recent weeks, forcing residents to evacuate. CNN's Jim Sciutto brings us the latest on the Israeli operations.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: I'm in Mutula, northern Israel. This Israel's northernmost town and we're right on the border with Lebanon. That concrete wall there is the border. And until a few months ago, those towns, those homes, buildings on those hilltops on the other side had Hezbollah firing positions, it would not have been safe for me to stand here.

It's not 100 percent safe now because the fire still comes in, but from further away. Why is that? Because Israeli forces are now operating inside Lebanon, in effect pushing the border north, creating what they're calling a buffer zone a few kilometers in to push those firing positions to push the Hezbollah threat back further.

Of course, the trouble is that means the Lebanese people, families who were living in these villages, they've had to move back as well. And the question is, for how long? Is this just temporary? Is it semi- permanent?

When we speak to Israeli families in the north, they want to know that their safety is ensured for the long term. It's a very open question as to how long those Israeli forces stay. And historically, Israeli occupations of Lebanese territory have been bloody for both sides.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Jim Sciutto and his team for that report. Aid groups, they are warning of the mounting humanitarian toll on Lebanon. More than a million people have already been displaced since Hezbollah started firing rockets into Israel. And that has left families seeking shelter in places like the Lebanese National Theater.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARMA HAKIM, DISPLACED LEBANESE (through translator): Like everyone have been displaced because they issue warnings, especially since our neighborhood is always targeted. Last year our neighborhood was ruined. Four buildings were damaged while my mother and sister were inside. My mother is an old woman who is 82 years old and she's disabled. God saved me four times and I also have two sons who are sick.

They pulled them out. If you could see the situation, you would say, how are they still doing? OK. I would faint and wake up and still can't imagine that they are okay. Praise be to God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Already the Hezbollah Israel conflict has become the deadliest spillover of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. More than 1000 people in Lebanon have died, many of them children.

Let's talk more about the growing humanitarian crisis with Marcoluigi Corsi. He's the UNICEF representative in Lebanon. Following this very closely he joins me now live from Beirut. Marcoluigi, thank you so much for taking the time to join us.

MARCOLUIGI CORSI, UNICEF REPRESENATIVE IN LEBANON: Good evening. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Your organization with a dire warning that the Israeli offensive in Lebanon is trapping children in what it described as a relentless cycle of bombardment and displacement.

Can you expand more on what your organization's challenges are right now in helping some of those, some of the most vulnerable in this conflict, children?

CORIS: Indeed. One, I mean, there are multiple challenges, considering that these children are basically going through the same nightmare that they went through just 18 months ago. So they have been subject to multiple displacement.

Right now, one of the challenges that we have is indeed reaching those children, particularly in the south of Lebanon, where the conflict is indeed escalating. So there are children. We are trapped in communities which very difficult to reach and even more so after the bombardment and the blown away of several bridges by the airstrikes.

At the same time, the challenge that we're facing is also to take care of the children who are arriving in the different collective shelters which have been made available by the government. Most of those shelters are actually schools.

So we need to make sure that, first of all, we give the psychological support to the children as much as possible and to the parents as well. So this means that we need to create a sense of normalcy where normalcy is very difficult to create because we need to understand that those shelters are quite crowded.

There is a loss of, you know, sense of intimacy. So we are trying our level best to address the psychological trauma that children have.

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At the same time as the conflict goes on, we need to make sure that we stabilize at least some basic services, which means that kids, they have to go back to learning. Since the escalation now we are already in the fourth week, schools have been closed, so the children are not learning.

At the same time, we need to make sure that children, as much as possible they are reached by the health services. We should not forget that some of the children needs to do, who need to be vaccinated, needs to be supported with the medical treatments and at the same time taking care of those children who are, you know, coming to us in a very bad state of injured.

SANDOVAL: Give us just some additional context here of the aspects of normal daily life that have been disrupted or taken away for children the last few weeks. I mean, you mentioned school. I mean, how have their lives been essentially turned upside, been turned upside down?

CORSI: Well, basically what they normally -- their normal life was like, you know, you wake up, you go to school, you play with the kids, with other kids, et cetera. But now none of this is happening in a way or is happening in a very limited way.

So kids are in collective shelter where they don't have a private space with their families, they live together with other families. So what we are trying to do is indeed to organize through volunteers, social workers, you know what we call it, a child friendly space where kids, they can express themselves, they can elaborate their trauma so that, you know, through the help of some specialized social workers, we can take (INAUDIBLE) and then, you know, to elaborate their trauma.

At the same time, because the schools, most of the schools are still closed, we are organizing learning hub where kids, to the extent possible and with the support of teachers can, you know, they have that sense of learning. So, we are trying to create in those common spaces, common shelters. So we're trying to create indeed a normal life, which again is very difficult because after a while the children realize that this is not really a normal life.

At the same time, we should not forget most, as I said before, most of these children that went through the same kind nightmare just 18 months ago, so they know what it is. And at the same time bombardment, even here in the south of Beirut continue to happen.

So children, they live close or you know, quite close to the areas where continue to be bombarded. So the sound, you know, the fear, the scary part is still happened to them. So that's, again, it's continuing engagement with them and making sure that, you know, to the extent possible they can adapt. But again, you can understand that it's very difficult.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely. Just giving a child even a measure of normalcy. That is, I can imagine a small victory as this conflict rages on. We wish you many of many more of those victories as you continue to help these children. By the count of your own agency, some 19,000 children displaced on a daily basis. That's an important number.

Marcoluigi Corsi, thank you so much for the update. Do continue to check back with us as you continue to help children. Thank you.

CORSI: Thank you. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be softening his tone on Cuba. Still ahead, how Trump is starting to relax a U.S. oil blockade on the island.

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SANDOVAL: As Cuba faces an energy crisis amid a U.S. blockade, President Donald Trump says that he will be allowing a Russian flagged oil tanker to reach the island. Trump dismissed the suggestion that letting the tanker through may help Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The tanker could arrive in Cuba in the coming days. According to experts, the fuel shortage on the island is increasing the frequency and duration of the blackouts.

Ukraine stepping up attacks on Russian oil facilities. Kyi's military says that it struck a major oil refinery just northeast of Moscow over the weekend. And this comes as Russia continues its spring offensive. Here, CNN's Ben Hunte.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ukraine's port city Odesa struck again by Russian drones. It's a frequent target of Russian attacks because of its shipping lanes and energy infrastructure. And some residents say they know all too well the dangers flying overhead.

OLENA KUDRIASHOVA, ODESA RESIDENT (through translator): When you're scared and Shahed drones are flying, you start to believe in anything and everything. Last night I had the thought that God had blessed us on the right, left, front, back windows and doors were smashed. Our window survived. We're so happy we made it through the night.

HUNTE (voice-over): Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has launched more than 3,000 attack drones against his country in the past week. Many of them Iranian made Shahed drones, which are some of the same drones Iran is using against Gulf nations. And Zelenskyy is trying to capitalize on what Ukraine has learned on the battlefield, making deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to share its expertise on low cost interceptors and other drone defenses.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We're talking about a 10-year partnership. We have already signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia and we have just signed a similar 10-year agreement with Qatar. We will also sign a 10-year agreement with the UAE.

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HUNTE (voice-over): The agreements come at a critical time for Ukraine, which is facing a spring offensive from Russia as fuel prices skyrocket and Russian oil flows more freely on the market after the U.S. eased some sanctions on it. It's been a windfall for Russia, but it's also made Russia's energy sector a target.

Ukraine hitting several Russian refineries and oil export terminals in the past week as part of a stepped up campaign against Moscow's revenue stream. Ukraine is also accusing Russia of sharing intelligence with Iran, including satellite images of U.S. assets in the region.

CNN has asked the Kremlin for comment. It's a further blurring of the lines of two separate wars with overlapping interests and alliances. Ben Hunte, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: After the break, we revisit the story of Gisele Pelicot. She speaks with CNN about her own courage and shares her message for fellow survivors of sexual abuse.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Gisele Pelicot became a global symbol of courage after waiving her anonymity in a criminal case that shocked France by exposing a vast network of men. The defendants included her own husband, who raped her repeatedly for years.

Well, now she's speaking out again, sitting down with our colleague Saskya Vandoorne to address the online spaces that are enabling drug- assisted rape and the power of victims coming forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GISELE PELICOT, RAPE SURVIVOR: If we stay in our corner, we will never change awareness. And I say "Bravo, ladies. Bravo."

Don't be ashamed of having done it. All women should be able to take the step even if it's very difficult. Even if it's very complicated in their heads.

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Shame must change sides. The powerful message Gisele Pelicot now champions just two years after her decision to waive anonymity in the face of dozens of her rapists, made her an icon of courage.

I sat down with her to discuss our reporting on the online spaces where men encourage the kind of drug-assisted rape that she endured.

In these spaces where I've been undercover, it's your husband who is idolized. I've seen users call him a hero, and some are still searching for videos of you.

PELICOT: It is frightening to think that today people are capable of saying that Mr. Pelicot is a hero which means they identify with him. I believe this kind of scenario will be repeated again and again.

VANDOORNE: What does it feel like to be in the spotlight again? But this time, speaking in your own words rather than through the headlines.

PELICOT: Through this book, I wanted people to get to know me, what kind of a woman I am and how I was able to hold myself up in the way that I did. It was also a way for the readers to better understand how I got through this.

VANDOORNE: In your book you speak about the men who never had to answer for what they did. If you could address them and the countless anonymous users still acting with impunity online, what would you say?

PELICOT: I would say gentlemen, think of your mother, think of your sister. Think of your daughter when you do this. Is there ever a moment when you tell yourself "What I am doing is truly a criminal act"? And be careful because one day maybe you will get caught.

VANDOORNE: In reporting this case, we've seen cases emerge across Europe, including the recent case of Joanne Young, whose husband admitted drugging and raping her over 13 years.

We've also spoken to multiple survivors who say they were drugged and raped by their husbands, and many of them see you as a source of strength. With your permission, I'd like to read you some of the messages that

these survivors have sent to me to read to you.

One survivor, her name is Amanda Stanhope. She lives in Wigan. "Her strength inspired me to speak out. She broke the silence and shame. So many survivors are forever grateful to her. I'd love to say thank you. If she can do it, then so can I."

Zoe Watts in Devon. "To know that we are not alone throughout such a covert crime builds resilience. I found that it changed me. But I won't let it break me. Together, our voice for change will become a song."

PELICOT: You're going to make me cry. These are beautiful. Of course, I'm really moved by these testimonies. It's beautiful to know that they found this strength.

If I was able to pass on my strength, then that's success because indeed we need to be united in the face of this all. VANDOORNE: Do you have hope for a future where this doesn't define

you?

PELICOT: First of all, I no longer want to claim the status of "victim" because it's also important to move beyond that status.

I did something. I did a very small thing. At least to me, it feels small which is that I decided to oppose the closed-door proceedings. That's all I did. I didn't do anything extraordinary. I simply had the strength to do it. That's all. It's also about taking back control of my life.

That's what's important. Telling yourself, "Today, I'm no longer the same woman." I was indeed able to fall in love again because that's how I operate. I need to trust and to tell myself that we don't necessarily repeat the same patterns. And thankfully, life can bring beautiful surprises.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Saskya Vandoorne for bringing us that story. And we'll be right back.

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SANDOVAL: Want to leave you with an update to a story that we've been following.

Rescuers helping to free a stranded humpback whale just off the coast of Germany. They are now hoping that their efforts will finally potentially yield some success.

You see, according to one aquatic wildlife expert, that whale that's earned the nickname "Timmy" is now being left to swim back to safety.

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STEPHANIE GROSS, INSTITUTE FOR TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC WILDLIFE RESEARCH (through translator): He is not stranded on the sandbank. He is in water deep enough for him to swim away from.

And so the animal is being left in peace for now. And we naturally hope that he is simply gathering his strength there and will be able to swim away on his own. And then hopefully eventually find his way out of the Baltic Sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yes. Timmy has been struggling to escape those shallow waters off of Germany for some time now, drawing in plenty of spectators, too. Rooting on Timmy.

You see humpback whales, they are not native to the Baltic Sea and also wildlife experts, conservationists -- I should say -- they say that impacts from humans, they often play a role in whale strandings, not just there but around the world.

And that wraps up this edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. We leave you now with "WORLDSPORTS".

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(WORLD SPORT)