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Israel Claims Strikes on Hezbollah "Centers of Gravity" in Beirut; Trump Administration Not Ruling Out Boots on the Ground; Entrances to Iran's Natanz Enrichment Plant Bombed; Israel Ramps Up Attacks against Iranian Proxies in Lebanon; U.S. Closes Two Embassies; Iran Strikes Kurdish Groups in Iraq; Israel Strikes Assembly of Experts Compound. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 03, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 7:00 in the evening.
The war against Iran spreading its tentacles and digging in further in this region. The latest this hour.
After promising a, quote, "big wave" of military action, U.S. President Donald Trump today seemed to indicate the time for diplomacy has now
passed.
Posting this, quote, "Their air defense, air force, navy and leadership" -- talking about Iran -- "is gone. They want to talk. I said, 'Too late.'"
Well, Israel intensifying its attacks on Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, claiming to have struck the group's centers of gravity in Beirut.
The IDF also saying it struck Tehran in Iran.
Video showing the aftermath of new attacks today in multiple cities. And the U.N. confirming first damage to an Iranian nuclear facility since the
start of the conflict. Tehran retaliating with attacks against America's Middle Eastern allies.
The U.S. has closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after both were hit in the Iranian bombardment. And Gulf states making it absolutely
clear that they reserve the right to respond to what they see as this illegal aggression.
Well, CNN's Alayna Treene standing by for us at the White House, Nick Paton Walsh is in northern Israel.
Let's start with you in D.C. And Alayna, president Trump told CNN the U.S. is, quote "knocking the crap" out of Iran and warned that a big wave of
strikes is still to come.
Now that Israel is hitting both Tehran and Lebanon at the same time, does the White House see this as part of the broader conflict now with Iran?
And how does that fit into Trump's framing of this campaign?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think, Becky the White House has been so inconsistent throughout this entire, you know, the last
four days or so of these attacks with this messaging.
And yesterday was really the first time that we heard from the Trump administration officials, who are the ones really calling the shots here
and making these decisions. That includes the secretary of state Marco Rubio, the president himself, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That list
goes on.
But one of the things that each of them had tried to do, really, other than the president himself, was to make clear that they do not want this to be a
protracted war.
They do not want to have this drawn-out process, even as -- and you pointed this out, Becky -- even as we've heard the president tell our colleague,
Jake Tapper, that the big wave hasn't even come, that they still haven't.
He said they still haven't even started hitting them hard, referring to the U.S. military. And even as he lays out, you know, at least another 4-5
weeks, potentially of U.S. military involvement in the region, they're trying to say, this is not going to be, you know, an Iraq or Afghanistan
2.0.
And that's really what I think a lot of the concern is. And speaking with particularly people on Capitol Hill but also if you look at a lot of the
president's own supporters, many of his most high-profile supporters within his MAGA and within the MAGA movement, they are very wary of getting
involved in another foreign war.
And particularly one of this magnitude that is likely to take a lot of time to really see to the end of this. And so that's a huge question that they
still have to answer.
I do want to go back to one of the posts that you mentioned, Becky, at the top here, where the president was saying that the Iranians want to talk and
he said, "Too late."
That's still a key question of whether diplomacy is actually off the table at this point in time. I talked to White House officials over the weekend,
who said that the president does eventually want to talk.
And we actually heard the president say this as well in some of those media interviews he's been giving, that he eventually will talk to the new
leadership in Iran. But for now that these attacks are going to continue unabated. And so that's still a key question, is what does diplomacy look
like from here?
[10:05:00]
Another big question that hangs over all of this is the true objective. That has been what has been kind of confusing over the last several days
from all of these different messages, from different Trump administration officials.
What is the clear objective and really, what will it be?
What will it take for the president to declare mission accomplished with Iran and to get out?
And those are just answers we still do not have, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you.
Nick, from where you are in Israel, how serious is the situation along the Lebanese border right now?
Israel striking both Lebanon and, of course, Iran at the same time. We are seeing sustained exchanges, it seems, with Hezbollah.
Is this something that can be contained or does this -- does this escalate at this point?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It feels at this point quite one-sided, to be honest, and deeply grave for those
living in southern Lebanon and for Hezbollah as well.
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just saying that Hezbollah made a grave mistake in attacking us and emphasizing that the Lebanese
government and army should understand that this is Hezbollah's war, not theirs.
I think it's fair to say the Lebanese government and military do understand that there are indications. The military on the Lebanese side are
essentially pulling back, redeploying to stay out of the way of what is a very limited Israeli ground move into Lebanon.
They're not characterizing it as an invasion at this point. I think they're more suggesting that the five positions they retained after the ceasefire,
against its spirit, ultimately to ensure there's some buffer zone between areas like here -- again, populated parts of Israel that were evacuated in
late 2024 because of the violence here.
To put troops in between those five positions, to essentially widen and reinforce that buffer so people don't have to evacuate yet again but,
Becky, in the last hour, we've seen 12 impacts along the skyline here.
What looks like the Golan Heights; I'm hearing constant jets above. We've had some distant impacts but it sounded like over here.
So it's clearly a very active war zone and significantly more Israeli ordnance landing on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and targets across southern
Lebanon, where they've declared over 80 villages need to be evacuated.
This does, though, feel as though a different type of war than we saw in late 2024. Hezbollah then had the power to project force into here. They
became a challenge for the Israeli military.
Now they are much reduced and I think there is many, many long-term observers of that Lebanese ally, essentially sponsored by the now late
ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death they sought to avenge as choosing the wrong fight here, ultimately one they weren't equipped for.
One perhaps they felt ideologically compelled to get involved in but one that might actually cost them existentially their position inside of
Lebanon. Becky
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh on the border there. Good to have you. Thank you.
And we've been reporting that this Israeli action is twofold on Lebanon and, indeed, at the same time, on Iran. I want to bring in Rafael Grossi,
the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
It's good to have you, sir, and thank you for joining us. Your organization has confirmed damage to the Natanz fuel enrichment plant. I just want to
get some details for you of the damage. We've got an aerial image here showing the damage. It is hard to understand what we are looking at. So if
you could just take me through that.
RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: Well, yes, it's good to talk to you today, Becky. Since the beginning, of course, of this episode
of the confrontation between Israel, the United States and Iran, we have been following very, very closely the situation with regards to the nuclear
facilities.
Of course, you may remember that, last year, the whole campaign was actually, I would say, very focused on the nuclear facilities, which has
not been the case this time around, with less focus on them.
But between yesterday and today, we finally got images that we have been analyzing on some partial strikes on, as you say, on Natanz. They seem to
be rather limited, aiming at one portal and one access to them and something perhaps also on Isfahan.
So this is, as far as we can say, there is -- it's not at the scale and dimension of what we saw last year for now, of course, because the conflict
is ongoing and things can change very rapidly.
ANDERSON: Let me just ask you about one other site or another site before we move on and find out what your lines of communication are with Iran at
the moment. Russia raising alarm over the impact on Bushehr nuclear plant. Now this is a plant that sits opposite and in close proximity to Gulf
countries.
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And it has been a constant source of concern for many in the part of the world where I am, should it be targeted, either intentionally or
accidentally.
What's the risk there?
And do you share those concerns?
What is your message?
GROSSI: Well, of course, I -- we should say, first of all, that there has been no impact or no attack registered on the Bushehr nuclear power plant,
which is an operating nuclear power plant. So completely different in dimension and possible consequences to a place where you have some nuclear
material stored.
Here, there would be an impact. And I remember -- and we discussed that at the time -- there was a lot of concern in the area where you live and
other countries. We were giving a lot of advice and indication and guidance to the nuclear safety regulatory agencies in all the region, in case
something had something occurred.
We haven't seen that. I was very clear last Monday. the board of governors of the IAEA indicating, of course, that nuclear facilities should never be
attacked and, in particular, this one, because it's the one that really would pose a serious environmental risk.
ANDERSON: So let's just talk about what you know and what you don't know at this point.
I mean, do you currently have any direct lines of communication with Iran and how often are you actually talking to them about inspections and
nuclear safety at this point?
GROSSI: Well, I don't think we can have a normal dialogue at a time of war. There is a sense of, I would say, common sense that indicates that we
could not be discussing with Iran inspections or anything like that.
We have a contact with Iranian diplomats and other informal channels with people in Tehran. But we have lost -- and this is regrettable -- we have
lost communication with the nuclear safety and regulatory authorities in Iran since the beginning of the hostilities there.
It might be an issue of communication. But we haven't been in touch with them, which would be very, very important.
ANDERSON: I want to talk about the nuclear threat that has been part of the narrative in the runup to this war. CNN reporting indicates that Donald
Trump and his top officials overstated just how close Tehran was to developing a nuclear weapon before beginning this round of strikes over the
weekend.
What was the status of that program, as you understand it, before those strikes began on Saturday?
GROSSI: Well, the program was in a very slow, I would say -- because the attacks last year were very important; the damage was considerable on all
the main nuclear facilities, Fordo or Isfahan and Natanz, on all these places where they have the main activities.
There are other places in Iran, of course. You mentioned Bushehr but there is the Tehran research reactor and there is a number of facilities there.
But these were the main -- that was the core of the big nuclear program there. And that was, of course, was, perhaps we could say, frozen, if not
almost stopped.
ANDERSON: So Rafael, I'm just going to ask you this, you know, very pointedly.
Were the Iranians days or weeks away from building a bomb, from having a bomb?
GROSSI: No. Last year we said -- and I repeated it again this time -- that while there are many elements there that were of serious concern --
accumulation, unjustified accumulation of huge amounts of almost military grade material, lack of transparency in inspections and so on -- I could
enumerate a list of things.
We never had information indicating that there was a structured, systematic program to build or to construct a nuclear weapon. So we have to balance
the two things. Yes, many reasons for concern. But there wasn't to be a bomb tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
Obviously, countries -- and that is the case for the United States or Israel or -- and perhaps others -- may have the impression that all these
activities are aimed directly and straight into the manufacturing of a nuclear weapon.
We from the IAEA are not in the business of judging intentions. All right?
But yes, there were reasons for concern. But these timelines are perhaps a bit subjective, yes.
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ANDERSON: Rafael, it's good to have you. It's always important to get your insight, particularly at a time like this. Thank you very much indeed.
GROSSI: Thank you very much. Always, always a pleasure. Thank you very much. Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: -- U.S. Stock markets getting on in early trading. We're about 45 minutes into the Tuesday trading day. And we are looking at further
losses; 2.25 percent on the Dow and similar amounts on the S&P and on the Nasdaq.
These very much reflect where we saw European markets close and Asian markets close. It was quite interesting to see Monday's session actually
relatively robust, given what had happened over the weekend. There were -- and what was going on with oil prices.
But we've seen a further rise in oil prices and the Asian markets certainly getting impacted off the back of those.
And now there is some real concern, obviously, some real concern by investors about what happens next. This is uncertainty that will really
roil these markets. Oil prices are higher, as is gold today as we see a flight into what is considered safety in that metal.
Well, after the break, what we know about what is happening inside Iran and the aftermath of strikes there, including tragic scenes at a mass funeral
for school children. All the details are coming up after this. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Our top story this hour, the rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East. Israel says it is conducting simultaneous strikes on Iran and
Lebanon, Tehran and Beirut to target Iranian military sites and the Iran- backed group Hezbollah.
President Trump says Iran is seeking talks with the United States but indicates he believes the opportunity for negotiations or diplomacy is now
past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): You're looking at new video from the central Iranian city of Isfahan, south of Tehran. It's one of several cities
reporting explosions with this war, now in its fourth day.
Elsewhere in Iran, funerals have taken place for some of the young students killed when a girls' elementary school was hit on the first day of U.S. and
Israeli bombing Saturday; 168 students were killed, along with 14 teachers, according to authorities there.
And this was the scene in Lebanon where an explosion rocked the capital, Beirut, earlier, sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky. The Israeli
military says it is striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in the city.
The Lebanese government says at least 52 people were killed on Monday and more than 150 others injured.
I want to get you to Beirut and to Joseph Bahout. He is the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the
American University of Beirut.
I just want to ask you what you make of what we are seeing unfold here, intensified strikes by Israel, advancing into southern Lebanon. They call
this part of a forward defense posture.
[10:20:03]
I mean, how significant is this and what are the likely consequences?
JOSEPH BAHOUT, DIRECTOR, ISSAM FARES INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: First of all, good
afternoon and thank you for having me.
Definitely what's happening in Lebanon, I mean, the last hours is a dramatic change in the equation here in the situation. We are seeing new
factors.
Of course, the critical change or the critical tipping point for the decision by Hezbollah or by Hezbollah -- and some factions maybe within
Hezbollah -- to enter the war against -- I mean to enter the war that is raging with Iran today, this has unleashed a new series and stronger
Israeli air raids and air actions for the last two days.
But the new dramatic turn -- and I think that this is the new given today for Lebanon -- is what is the start of probably ground incursion of Israel
in the south of Lebanon, which limits are still unknown and hard to be deciphered, as your correspondent has said.
But this is definitely a new given because it will, first of all, usher toward a new Israeli will or a goal of war toward Lebanon. But it will also
impact very probably the behavior of Hezbollah and thus of the Lebanese government in the weeks and months to come.
So this is definitely a new given. Lebanon is getting, slowly and slowly, further and deeper into this war.
ANDERSON: How fragile a balance is this for the Lebanese government at this point?
What risks does what is going on create for the country's stability at this point?
Just explain the government's position they -- their narrative and announcements with regard Hezbollah at this point.
BAHOUT: Look, like everything in Lebanon, things are a bit intertwined and very much complicated and complex. Let's say that, first of all, the
cessation of hostilities agreement that was struck between Lebanon and Israel under U.S. and French auspices 1.5 years now, in November 2024, has
never really been respected by Israel.
Israel has continued to conduct raids, targeted killings. It has not opened negotiations on the freeing of Lebanese prisoners and other issues that,
well, now from the other side also, Hezbollah has fulfilled very shyly (ph) and very partially the first part of its contract.
The contract that is specified in this cessation of hostilities agreement by dismantling its military infrastructure in the south and handling its
positions to the Lebanese army.
However, Israel and the United States, I would say, are insisting that the part that Hezbollah owes to this contract is a dismantlement and
disarmament all over the entirety of the territory in Lebanon.
So at the eve of the war with Iran, we were still stalled at that position, at that situation, meaning that the Lebanese army has fulfilled the
disarmament of Hezbollah south of the River Litani. Israel and the U.S. were asking for much more and much faster.
When the war with Iran started and Hezbollah joined the war, the Lebanese government did not have the choice but to declare very quickly in the -- in
the -- in the meeting of two days ago that every activity of Hezbollah all over the Lebanese territory, every military activity is declared illegal
and illicit.
Now, this is a verbal stance, of course. What remains to be seen now is the capacity, the will and also the decision, the political decision of the
Lebanese government, to send the army and stop Hezbollah doing that, which will ultimately mean, one way or another, we like it or not, is
confrontation with Hezbollah.
So today Lebanon is, if you want, between two, two very different -- I mean, two very delicate positions or between a hammer and (INAUDIBLE). It's
between the Israeli strikes and between the decision by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. So we are in a race --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: OK.
BAHOUT: -- with instability and insecurity in the country.
ANDERSON: You said things are always complex, complicated; you've made a real stab there, successful stab at trying to unpick the complexities for
us, which will, you know, be hugely useful for our viewers around the world.
Because you're right, none of this is easy and it's important that we -- that we really try and unravel what is going on here as we watch this
unfold around the region.
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This has a global impact, of course. Thank you, sir.
The U.S. has now closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and reduced its consular presence in several other countries as strikes
continue in the region. The U.S. State Department has also urged Americans to immediately leave 14 countries in the region due to serious safety
risks.
I want to bring in Robert Malley. He's a former U.S. special envoy on Iran, an architect of the original JCPOA deal struck back in 2015.
And we can talk about where we are at now 11 years on. But before I do that, Robert Malley, the U.S. State Department closing embassies in Saudi
and Kuwait, reducing its presence across several other countries in the region, urging Americans to leave 14 nations due to serious safety risks.
That advisory, by the way came in, certainly in the UAE, where I am, at 2:00 in the morning, just after the sirens had gone off, to indicate some
interceptions and barrage of strikes on this country.
I mean, the messaging is pretty fragmented and worrying.
What does this all signal about what U.S. thinking is at present and what its strategy might be going forward?
ROBERT MALLEY, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY ON IRAN: Well, Becky, thanks for having me. I'd say what it shows is that there was very little thinking and
there's very little strategy.
This is not a war that came out of nowhere that the U.S. inherited and then had to scramble to figure out how to respond. This is a war that the U.S.
chose to wage at its own pace, at its own timing and it illegally, unlawfully, unnecessarily.
And it didn't even do the minimum to protect its people on the ground because it could have done things ahead of time, since it was master of the
clock. So I think this tells you two things.
Number one, how quickly and how vastly this conflict is going to expand.
And secondly, how little preparation and forethought there was on the part of an administration that seems to have rolled the dice and treating this
as one vast social experimentation at the expense of the Iranian people, who are being, you know, suffering from the bombs but also from their own
regime.
And at the expense of the people of the region, who are now going to be in another era of chaos.
ANDERSON: Do you share the shock and outrage that I hear voiced across this region of the Gulf?
And does it surprise you?
I mean, we know the official position was, you know, diplomacy first; you know, military action is not -- is not the way to go. And we know that
there was a shared commitment to trying to ensure this region de-escalated rather than gotten this escalatory path again.
Is there anything in what has happened in the Gulf region that is anything but a surprise to you?
MALLEY: Well, I mean, I think it depends. Not every Gulf country, if you're talking about the governments, not everyone is reacting the same
way. But deep down I think there is both frustration with the United States and Israel but also obviously anger at the fact that Iran is now targeting
them.
So I think it's, you know, they're caught in the middle and they're caught in the middle in a way that can be very costly to their own stability and
their own economic projects. So this is the last thing that they would have wanted, which is to see a region that they had hoped would move toward
greater normalization and greater calm than to this period.
ANDERSON: And the president himself has said that he is most surprised by Iran's attacks on Arab states like the one where I am. And I wonder whether
that, plus other stuff that you've seen happen over the past four days, suggests that the U.S. has miscalculated Tehran's response.
And do you believe that that this administration has a clear end game at this point?
MALLEY: Well, again, I have to say, I don't think that -- it's not just that they miscalculated Iran's response; it's not even clear that they
thought about Iran's response, that it was self-evident.
And I think you could read the number of commentators who are saying it, that if Iran felt that -- the regime felt that its existence was at stake,
it would not have any restraint in its response, because I mean, that's the logical answer.
And to quote, "the softest belly" in terms of who it could attack, where there was the softest targets, it is in the Gulf. And, you know, it's very
unfortunate, obviously, for the Gulf countries.
But that's where Iran will lash out because it has the softest targets there. And that was entirely predictable once this kind of war was going to
be waged.
So my answer to your question is, not clear that the administration did any calculation at all. And certainly there's no evidence that it has any
strategy, other than try to see how hard they could hit Iran, either for the sake of Iran capitulating, which it won't, and, I mean, stabilizing it.
[10:30:03]
And that would be at the expense, again, of the people of Iran, because that doesn't lead to regime change, to some kind of Western-oriented,
democratic Iran. It leads in the most likely scenario to chaos, instability fragmentation and violence.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump, certainly in the past hour or so, suggesting that the -- that Iran has reached out to him. They want to talk. He says, "Too
late," he says.
At this point on Tuesday, at what is it, 7:30 in the evening, UAE time, at least, the door, it appears, is closed to diplomacy. Let's see whether that
is all part of his negotiation, whether he can identify anybody to negotiate with at this point.
Robert, thank you very much indeed for joining us. We'll have you on again.
Still to come, as Iran targets America's allies in the region, Gulf states are making it clear that they will respond.
How could Iraq be drawn into this conflict?
A live report from Irbil is just ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
ANDERSON: And welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi.
As we reported a little earlier, the U.S. has shut down two Middle East embassies in Saudi Arabia and in Kuwait after they were hit by Iranian
strikes. And the U.S. State Department is urging Americans to immediately leave 14 countries in the Middle East due to what it calls serious safety
risks.
Well, Canada is also urging its citizens to leave the UAE as soon as they can. Meanwhile, across the region, U.S. allies are fending off the latest
wave of attacks from Iran and its proxies.
Hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones have been intercepted so far, according to official figures. Meanwhile, we've learned
Iran has targeted two Kurdish groups in Iraq, leaving one person injured. Let's get the very latest from on the ground there. CNN's chief
international correspondent Clarissa Ward, live in Irbil in Iraq.
What's the situation there?
And how significant is what we are seeing unfolding at this point?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So Becky, this is interesting and significant because, effectively, this is the first time
that we're seeing what may be a shift in tactic.
Up until now, for the most part, we were seeing attacks, drones, missiles, rockets. But they were really focused on places where there was a U.S.
troop presence and primarily on the Irbil international airport, also on the U.S. consulate in Irbil.
[10:35:04]
But today we saw a notification from the IRGC, claiming -- and this is according to a semiofficial Iranian news agency -- that they had fired 30
drones at Kurdish -- Iranian-Kurdish militia positions here in Iraqi Kurdistan.
We have spoken to two militias that claim that they came under attack, one with three drones, the other with one drone. Only one person was lightly
injured.
But what this seems to indicate potentially is that the Iranian regime sees these Iranian opposition Kurdish groups as being potentially some kind of a
threat. And this is also coming, I should say, at the same time that we saw this reporting from Barak Ravid with Axios, saying that president Trump has
reached out to the leaders of Iraqi Kurdistan.
But it's important for people to understand, before everyone gets carried away with breathless speculation, that maybe these Iranian Kurdish groups
are being groomed to go into Iran and be part of an effort to dismantle the regime.
That the leadership here at the Iraqi Kurdish leadership has very close ties with Turkiye, has a very tense relationship with Iran and they are
desperately trying to kind of defuse this kind of speculation. We've been trying repeatedly to get in touch with the Barzani and Talibani offices
today with no luck.
They don't want to speak on this issue because, really, Becky they are walking a knife's edge here. And I think that you're seeing this in many
places across the region, where very tense, shifting alliances are now being challenged in real time as we see this constant escalation, this
ratcheting up across the region, Becky.
ANDERSON: While I've got you, just stand by because I'm just getting some news in to CNN and I just want you and our viewers to hear this news from
Kara Fox (ph) and Oren Liebermann, our colleagues.
Israel has struck a compound belonging to the group responsible for electing Iran's next supreme leader. That's an Israeli source to CNN on
Tuesday, in what would be the latest strike at the heart of the regime on what is, of course, this fourth day of the U.S.-Israeli war.
The strike, as our sources are indicating, was intended to hit the Assembly of Experts compound in the city of Qom while its members were voting to
elect the country's next leader, the source said.
Iranian state media has said that the building was evacuated before the attack and there are images of the -- of the strike's aftermath, certainly
appearing to show that the compound was destroyed, with large plumes of smoke rising from the area. And we'll get those to you as soon as we can.
The assembly, of course, is the body of 88 senior clerics who will name the successor to ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on Saturday. This
assembly was expected to soon convene to deliberate over possible candidates before naming Khamenei's replacement.
The Assembly of Experts compound in the capital, Tehran, was also targeted on Monday evening, according to state media. So just news coming in to CNN,
according to sources that we've spoken to. Israel has bombed the compound of the group that chooses the new supreme leader.
I'm being told I've got a guest standing by for me. Michael Knights is head of research with Horizon Engage. He specializes in the military and
security affairs of Iraq, Iran and the Gulf states.
I'm going to get you -- because that is our latest, very latest news in to CNN -- just get you to respond to what you've just heard me report there.
MICHAEL KNIGHTS, HEAD OF RESEARCH, HORIZON ENGAGE: It's really nice to hear your London accent, Becky. So thank you very much for staying at your
post during this hitting of the Assembly of Experts building without actually killing large numbers of those officials, if that's what's
happened.
And it seems to be the case. Indicates that the Israelis probably did what they call a roof knock on the -- on the location before they struck it,
which means they were trying to disrupt the process of electing a new speaker or appointing a new -- sorry -- a new supreme leader.
And warning those involved to stay dispersed but without trying to actually kill a large number of the most senior clerics in Iran at the same time.
ANDERSON: Michael, that's fascinating.
How much longer can Tehran realistically sustain this pace of attacks without depleting key capabilities or risk a far more punishing response?
[10:40:02]
And let's remind ourselves, caveat: Donald Trump told my colleague, CNN's Jake Tapper yesterday, that we are yet to see the big wave, as he described
it.
KNIGHTS: I think both sides have still got some escalation options in reserve. The Iranians have not, at this point, hit upstream energy in the
Gulf, desalination, leadership. And they've stayed away from some other civilian targets.
Right now, the U.S. has not gone for providing very strong support to Iranian opposition elements within the country. And they still have some
options in terms of further escalation against regime security targets.
So you know, right now we are -- we're at the point where the Iranians basically can survive. The Iranian regime can survive at this point. It can
probably hang on for a couple of more weeks.
You know, the question is whether anybody's going to try a lot harder to give it a push over the edge. The Israelis want the regime to fall. The
U.S., within the next week or two, might decide that just disarming the regime is good enough.
ANDERSON: I'm in the Gulf region, so I do want to keep this front and center in our reporting because it's important. We have seen this escalate
beyond Israel, of course, and out to the Gulf region and to nonmilitary installations.
We're talking about oil installations, energy installations, you know, the economy, hotels, et cetera. Gulf states have been intercepting Iranian
drones and missiles now for days. Those that have made it through, you know, are clearly targeting these nonmilitary installations as well.
But most of those missiles and drones have been intercepted. The UAE saying in a briefing today that they have more than enough ammunition to
sustainably intercept all types of weapons for, and I quote here, "a long time."
And their air defense systems are in good shape. I wonder whether you believe that is the story across the Gulf and just what response we might
expect from this region, given, you know, that these are not retaliatory attacks at this point. These are illegal attacks on an entire region by
Iran.
KNIGHTS: Yes, absolutely. Becky. The Gulf states very clearly signaled that they were not going to be active participants in this offensive by the
U.S. and Israel. And yet they still got attacked anyway.
And not just individual points of U.S. military presence that have been largely evacuated but also these economic and sensitive targets. You can
see the Iranians have tried to hit these targets a lot harder and the Gulf missile defenses and anti-drone defenses have been really excellent.
One reason for that is because they learned a lot from the Yemen war between 2015 and 2019 about how to intercept these kind of drone attacks en
masse. So, you know, they've blunted the offensive.
And what's happening is we're seeing individual touch points, where individual drones or missiles are getting through. And they're signaling
what would have been a far larger strike by the Iranians.
I think personally -- and we saw the Iranian foreign minister saying this essentially on Sunday -- the Iranian military is working its way down a
preset target list to be executed in the event of the death of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. And they're still working their way through that.
The civilian military, the civilian leadership in Iran is seemingly trying to gain back some control over the targeting process.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Michael. Your insight important to us, very important to us. And we really appreciate your time. Come back to us
as we move through the next days and weeks. Thank you.
I want to bring in Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv.
You're reporting that Israel has struck a compound belonging to the group responsible for directing Iran's -- for electing Iran's next supreme
leader. We've got some video in, as I understand it. So just talk us through what we know at this point, Oren.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we're still learning more about this strike that took place in the holy
city of Qom in Iran earlier today.
But according to an Israeli official familiar with the matter and the operation here, Israel struck a compound, as you pointed out, that belongs
to the group in charge of choosing Iran's next supreme leader.
This, of course, coming on the fourth day of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The strike was intended to hit what's called the Assembly of experts
Compound in the holy city of Qom. And the strike, according to that Israeli official, was intended to hit the building itself.
[10:45:00]
While its members were voting to select the next Iranian supreme leader after the ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated at the beginning of this
operation on Saturday morning.
So the question here is, was the strike successful from that perspective?
Iranian state media had said the building had been evacuated prior to the strike. You can see the video we have from the city of Qom that shows the
damage to the building itself.
So it's unclear exactly what happened here and whether the target of the operation, that is the 88-member senior clerical council that was meeting
or was supposed to have been meeting, according to the Israeli official, to select the next supreme leader, was in fact in the building or not.
So there is much more to learn about the operation itself. We know, of course, that that council was expected to meet. That's because, in the
first wave of strikes, Israel targeted and killed Iran's supreme leader Khamenei.
And the council itself was expected to meet to select another supreme leader as the regime itself moves on and moves forward here with its next
leadership.
The question then remains, at least at this early stage, following the strike earlier today, whether the council was in fact in that building. As
I understand it, they have another compound or another building inside Tehran. So it's possible the members were split.
But those are all the questions we have here. However, the goal of the strike, according to Israeli officials, is clear here. Israel was targeting
the group of senior clerics that is supposed to meet to select Iran's next supreme leader.
And Becky, what this makes effectively, blatantly clear at this point is that, regardless of U.S. or Israeli statements, that the goal of this isn't
exactly regime change. This isn't just another strike at the regime. After killing Khamenei, it is a strike at the mechanism that the regime uses to
keep itself moving forward to select the next supreme leader.
Israel now going after not only the top layers of Iran's regime but also its options for choosing its succession from here on out at this point.
Still a lot more to learn here, Becky. But that's what we have for you right now.
ANDERSON: Yes. Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Oren is in Tel Aviv for you with the very latest reporting.
I'm in Abu Dhabi, our Middle East programming headquarters. We are back after this short break. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Well, as the war in this region escalates, there are growing concerns about global energy security and supply. You are looking at the
aftermath of a fire at a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, for example, that was hit by shrapnel from the interception of two Iranian drones.
Qatar Monday announcing that it is suspending production of LNG, liquefied natural gas, after reporting attacks on its infrastructure. This is how oil
prices are trading at the moment. We have got Brent now over 80 bucks on the barrel, WTI at 77 and change. Those are quite hefty increases in the
prices.
And they follow a day of rises on Monday. The Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that borders Iran, is effectively closed. That cuts off a
vital supply route. I've got Eleni Giokos with us now and she's been looking at exactly what is going on these markets and talking to analysts.
A lot of those in the region where we are, I mean, just walk us through what we are seeing here and what we understand might happen next.
[10:50:00]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are seeing major targets on critical infrastructure of oil and gas in the region. And we've
mapped that out for you. Becky, I want you to take a look at this.
And it basically shows all the areas that have been targeted, either affected by shrapnel and fires and, you know, all sorts of things.
But I think most importantly we have that LNG facility in Qatar that was hit. And Qatar saying no more gas production and also focusing on
downstream products, like polymers and urea, for example; Qatar is a huge exporter of urea, which is used for fertilizer.
But you can see Fujairah here in the UAE. That was because of shrapnel, that fire under control; Duqm port in Oman; you've got Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia. I mean, it's really quite prolific here.
Also Iraq just announcing that it is going to be cutting back on its oil production because their tanks are full. And if the Strait of Hormuz is
closed, they cannot ship anything out. So you're seeing this massive impact because the strait is closed. So there's no way -- there's no way to
actually get the oil out.
But also critical infrastructure, which means that a lot of it is going to be taken out of the market. Oil prices much higher but also the markets are
taking a huge knock in the U.S. today.
ANDERSON: And they're taking a lead from what happened in the Asian markets. And, of course, these higher oil prices had a significant impact
in the Tuesday session for Asia's markets. Just explain why.
GIOKOS: Well, I think there's this understanding now, because people are crunching the numbers.
How much of this has been baked in?
OPEC+ saying we're going to increase production, it should be fine.
But at the end of the day, they didn't actually estimate the critical infrastructure issue. The United States as well, I mean, the Dow is down
2.4 percent; S&P taking a huge knock today. This is a handover.
But also this is realization that, if this is a prolonged war -- and perhaps we are getting signals of that -- because it is, you know, the --
president Trump was saying 45 weeks; everyone's trying to assess, you know, what this is ultimately going to mean.
But president Trump has an aversion to higher oil prices. It affects the American voter. It affects elections. And Marco Rubio yesterday was talking
about how there's a mitigation plan to bring oil prices down. Fundamentals are saying a different thing. But I want you to take a listen to what Rubio
had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We knew that going in would be a factor. And so we have a program in place that will begin to be
implemented by secretary, right -- Secretary Bessent. We talked about it last night again about this program. We talked this morning.
And starting tomorrow you will see us rolling out those phases to try to mitigate against that. Obviously, markets are going to be reacting to news
of what's happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The United States has strategic reserves which will give them enough cover. A lot of oil-producing nations are going to be fine. So will
China, the biggest importer of oil.
But it's the emerging markets that don't have enough cover. The likes of India, for example, that rely on at least 50 percent of their energy needs
that comes through the Strait of Hormuz.
So we're looking at a very different scenario to what was anticipated, you know. And I guess analysts were saying, if Iran is struck, we know Strait
of Hormuz is going to be impacted. But they didn't anticipate critical infrastructure being hit.
ANDERSON: And these numbers are important, aren't they?
I mean, we're just looking at these key global oil production numbers. I mean, this is also daily oil production or consumption that flows through
the Strait of Hormuz.
Let's bring back those other numbers. And let's just let's just walk through those. I mean, taking, you know, taking any of Iran's production
out of the market is going to have an impact, not as big an impact as taking Iran's production out of the market, you know, pre-1979. But I mean
it's still a significant impact.
But it is important. You know, when we look at, you know, the impact and we still don't know, you know, whether we will see any further impact on the
Aramco production facilities of any fallout from these drones and missiles. But certainly even the possibility of that is what's important on these
prices.
GIOKOS: It's absolutely scary and shocking. And it --
ANDERSON: It's uncertain.
GIOKOS: -- they look at there are going to be winners and losers. A lot of the oil producers are saying we're not going to lock in prices just yet,
because they're anticipating oil to hit $100-$120 a barrel in the next few weeks.
But interestingly, when you see Iran's 3.4 million barrels of oil, China imports 80 percent of Iran's oil and that is really significant. And by the
way, at a discounted price, because it's sanctioned oil.
They're going to have to look at now Venezuelan oil for China's out as dried up completely because of the Maduro regime, you know, falling. But
importantly they're going to have to source elsewhere.
And where's it going to come from?
How is it going to get there?
And tanker prices have reached all-time highs. I mean, we're talking about a completely different scenario that shippers are waking up to, that oil
importers are waking up to. And everyone's looking at the strategic reserves, you know, how much they have of that.
ANDERSON: It's a mess out there at present. And I have to say, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the way these U.S. markets held up yesterday. But I
think, you know, really waking up to the effect of Asian and European markets.
[10:55:06]
Which have been so massively hit by these oil price increases is really reflected on these markets today. I know a U.S. president who's not going
to like the state of that chart as it stands at present. Eleni, good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
We are trying to learn more about a bombing carried out by Israel. An Israeli source tells CNN that Israel has bombed a compound belonging to the
group that is responsible for choosing Iran's next supreme leader.
The source says that members of the Assembly of Experts, as it's known, were voting on the country's next leader. But Iranian state media says that
the building had been evacuated before that strike.
Well, do stay with us on CNN. We're winding up our coverage for the time being, at least from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu
Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson with CONNECT THE WORLD but do stay with CNN.
"ONE WORLD" is up next as we continue to cover what is going on in Iran with the U.S.-Israeli coordinated strikes and the fallout of those strikes
around this region of the Gulf and wider Middle East. Stay with us.
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