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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

War With Iran; Senate Committee Set To Vote On DHS Secretary. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 19, 2026 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:32]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi, excuse me.

The foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Islamic states have called on Iran to "immediately halt" its attacks and respect international law. That joint statement comes after Iran targeted energy infrastructure across the Gulf. Saudi Arabia says it incepted ballistic missiles and fires were reported at gas facilities in Qatar. Officials say the country's main energy hub was extensively damaged by missiles twice in 12 hours.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the U.S. knew nothing about Israel's plan to strike the South Pars gas field, which is a key Iranian asset, but he threatened to blow up the entire field if attacks on Qatar's energy facilities continue.

Well, global gas prices are still surging. Brent Crude rose more to more than $113 on the barrel. Joining me now from Manama in Bahrain is Hasan Alhasan, Senior Fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Good to have you this morning.

And it has been a very significant past 24 hours. We've seen a lot of escalation, particularly attacks both from Israel on the gas field run, the part of the gas field run by Iran, the South Pars field, and then attacks by Iran on regional allies infrastructure. Arab leaders met in Saudi yesterday to discuss the situation. Let's have a listen to the Saudi foreign minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL-SAUD, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: I think Iran's message today was quite clear. As you mentioned, the targeting of Riyadh while a number of diplomats are meeting, I cannot see as coincidental. And I think that's the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy.

It doesn't believe in talking to its neighbors. It tries to pressure its neighbors. And what I can say categorically, that's not going to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON: An increasingly robust position there by the Saudi foreign minister after that meeting of the 12 foreign ministers from the region and other Islamic states. How do you assess their posture at this point and the potential calculus going forward from these countries being attacked?

HASAN ALHASAN, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Well, I think the Gulf states are in a very difficult position because they're caught in the middle of an escalatory dynamic that they have very little control over, and that they did very little to bring about. And let's be clear, Iran has attacked Gulf oil and gas facilities since the very beginning of this conflict. This is not entirely new. It's even though we're seeing an escalatory cycle unfold since Iran -- since Israel targeted Iran's South Pars field.

I think it's important to note as well, actually the blatant disregard for Gulf security that the US and Israel have shown so far. Every time they've breached a red line, that has had predictably disastrous consequences and blowback on the Arab Gulf states. Obviously, first by starting this war that no one in the region wanted, and then by breaching one red line after the other. Be it the desalination plant in Qeshm, to which Iran retaliated by targeting at least three desalination plants in the Gulf, striking very close to the Bushehr nuclear plant a few days ago, which would have had disastrous health and environmental consequences for all of us here, and then most recently by going after South Pars field.

So I think it's quite clear that the Gulf states are being caught between the US, Israel and Iran, none of which have any regard for their security or for their economic well being. And they have very little control over these escalatory dynamics. Now, we're hearing more robust positions from Saudi Arabia, from the UAE, but so long as those do not translate into concrete measures, I don't see them changing the calculus of any of the warring parties at the moment.

[04:35:00]

ANDERSON: Oman's chief diplomat wrote in The Economist, saying that Iran's attacks are felt more in the Gulf where, "Arab countries that have placed their trust in American security cooperation now experience that cooperation as an acute vulnerability, threatening their present security and future prosperity." Just to pick up on your point, does his view and the view of Oman reflect that of other Gulf nations when it comes to relations with the United States here?

ALHASAN: I think there is a lot of concern when it comes to the relationship with the United States. On the one hand, the US has essentially thrust the Gulf states into a direct confrontation with Iran that they did not want and that they sought to avert. It did not truly, I think, respond in goodwill to Gulf attempts at mediating a diplomatic solution, and did not give diplomacy enough of a chance.

More, perhaps immediately, the U.S. has clearly prioritized a defense of Israel through the configuration of its military posture in the region. And I think, as the most recent events have shown, the recent escalatory cycles have shown, it's not really able or willing to constrain Israeli behavior first by going after national critical infrastructure in Iran to which Iran responds by targeting similar assets in the Gulf, or by constantly eliminating Iranian leadership that has a better chance than most within Iran of negotiating a peaceful and diplomatic settlement.

So in fact, Israel seems to be blocking the various pathways to a potential ceasefire. And I think this really, I think, poses long term questions about the future of the relationship with the United States. The disregard that is being shown for the security and for the economic well being of the Gulf states is staggering. It's not entirely clear the U.S. is fully in control of Israeli behavior. And I think the repercussions on the Gulf states are very significant.

But it's not as though the Gulf states have very clear and immediate options, or alternatives as to how to deal with this relationship. A closer Gulf defense union is unlikely at the moment because of political considerations. There isn't an alternative partner that can step in and provide a security umbrella over the Gulf states.

And so, there aren't -- yes, it's a very difficult and very tricky relationship, and the blowback is real. But it's not as though the Gulf states have easy answers for what would come next.

ANDERSON: This is a region that is trying very hard, it seems to me, to stay within international law. Last week we saw the UN Security Council Resolution 2871 which endorsed the protection of the GCC plus Jordan against Iranian aggression. As we see what is going on in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. calling on an international coalition out loud, the Europeans seem very reticent to help.

We know, you and I know behind the scenes that there is quite some momentum in trying to build the sort of international coalition navy force, plus some, that was built, for example, for the Red Sea back in '23-2024. At this stage, and sort of short term, because long term, there may be a reassessment about the relationship between these countries and the U.S..

But short term, there are really important things that need dealing with, not least freeing up vessels to get through that incredibly important waterway of the Persian Gulf and the, you know, the Oman Sea. How do you see that coalition building and what could that look like? Is this Europe alongside the GCC, alongside the U.S. and Israel? And what does that look like, Hassan, at this point?

ALHASAN: You know, Becky, one of the greatest accomplishments, I think, of the Gulf states over the past few decades have been to really create an interwoven sort of dynamic to really, I think, connect their own destinies and their own economies to the global economy, really to build themselves as being strategically indispensable to global energy security and to the global economy.

Now, on the one hand, that paints a big target on their back, right, because the Iranians now have every incentive to strike at their interests, to essentially enforce a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz to achieve an asymmetric effect on the global economy. But it also means that they're able to mobilize global diplomatic and potentially military support as well to try and essentially end Iran's permanent blackmail over the Strait of Hormuz.

[04:40:00]

The Gulf states cannot live in a situation where they are under constant Iranian blackmail, where Iran and the IRGC get to choose which ships to transit through the Strait of Hormuz and which don't get to do so, or which refinery or gas facility in the Gulf gets to operate. Now, how will this translate exactly into a coalition, we don't yet know.

There's been a lot of reticence by Asian European partners to join a coalition that I think is seen as the outcome of a largely unnecessary and unpopular war. So that's creating a lot of hesitation. But from the Gulf States perspective, it's in their vital economic interest for this waterway to be open again and to be safe for navigation.

This is really the primary route through which vital oil and gas exports can leave the region, and through which vital commodities can enter back in. We've already seen some indication that the UAE might be willing to join. The regional countries will be very important for symbolic political reasons.

Obviously, the U.S. will want to show widespread regional support for the operation, but also for logistical reasons. These are littoral states, and their cooperation will be, I think, quite important to enable the kinds of logistics and support that the U.S. will need to mount such an operation.

But I think it's still unclear who exactly would be a part of this coalition and what role they would play, even though the securing of the Strait of Hormuz is in the global and regional interest without a doubt.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. And we will watch this space and continue to monitor what we see as some momentum behind the scenes, at least, to try and effect some sort of initiative there in the straight of hormones. As I say, you know, there is a precedent for this with the Red Sea initiative back in '23-'24.

It's an incredibly important story, and one, as I say, that we will continue to monitor. It's good to have you, Hassan. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. Your insight always valuable. You being in region with me here in the Gulf is absolutely crucial for our viewers. Thank you.

ALHASAN: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well, as regional tensions escalate, malls here in the UAE do remain fully operational. The Emirati-owned Majid Al Futtaim is a major player in the region's food and retail system. It runs the Carrefour food supermarkets here in region. I spoke to the company's CEO earlier. He says its supply chain is resilient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AHMED GALAL ISMAIL, CEO, MAJID AL FUTTAIM: The UAE is our home market. We've built over 30 years a supply chain that's resilient and, you know, really open lines of communication and cooperation with the ministry of economy here. In fact, just this morning I was with His Excellency, the minister at our distribution center here in Jabal Ali, and he reiterated the same message.

And the corporations are such that we look at inventory levels not just within our four walls, but sort of at a national level. And when you indeed put together the inventory held by retailers, wholesalers as well, as the government that collectively provides, you know, inventory cover for months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: A really important insight there. The death toll, meantime in Lebanon is rising as Israel ramps up attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Lebanon's health ministry says nearly 1,000 people have been killed in less than two-and-a-half weeks.

The Israeli military says it struck several gas stations in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. It claims they supported Hezbollah's military capabilities. Israel says it is trying to stop Hezbollah from moving weapons.

I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi where the time is just before quarter to one in the afternoon this Thursday. Rahel Solomon will have more of the day's top stories after this short break. Stay with us.

[04:44:29]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. Desperately needed aid is slowly arriving in Cuba as the country grapples with an energy crisis. A shipment of supplies from Europe arrived in Havana on Wednesday. Almost three months after the U.S. effectively imposed an oil blockade on Cuba, nearly every aspect of Cuban society has been feeling the strain.

Human Rights Watch says that the humanitarian situation is extremely fragile. Without fuel, hospital treatments and surgeries are limited. People are using wood fires to heat water. Power blackouts have become commonplace, and essential services are stretched to their limits.

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to vote in the coming hours on President Trump's nominee to lead the Homeland Security Department. This comes one day after Senator Markwayne Mullin faced a fiery confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers questioned him about immigration, disaster response, his temperament and his own career.

[04:50:02]

Mullin said that he run the department differently than ousted Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Mullin's plan suggests a return to traditional operations instead of the broad immigration sweeps seen under Noem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): I would love to see ICE become a transport more than the front line. If we get back into just simply working with law enforcement, we're going to them and we're picking up these criminals from their jail. One, we're going to reimburse them for having the person there. And partnership is vitally important.

Let me earn your respect. Let me earn the job. I won't fail you. I won't back down from a challenge. And I also admit when I'm wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: OK. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:55:11]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. The U.S. Federal Reserve is predicting the disruptions to the global energy markets will be relatively short lived, but is giving itself some wiggle room. Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell making it clear that interest rates won't be going down just yet.

As expected, the fed voted to keep benchmark lending rates unchanged at 3.5 to 3.75 quarters percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: The implications of events in the Middle East for the U.S. Economy are uncertain. In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation, but it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Powell went on to say that a rate cut will not happen until there's progress on inflation and the overall performance of the economy, OK.

Thanks for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. CNN's Becky Anderson and I will both be back to bring you the latest updates from the Middle East right after this break.